Political fanaticism is not exclusively a foreign phenomenon. In Florida, where the Legislature must address a $1.4-billion deficit, House Speaker Tom Feeney declares himself adamantly against postponing a tax cut that was imprudent even when enacted last spring. He also opposes tapping a cash reserve, the Budget Stabilization Fund, that was established precisely for emergencies.

As the likely alternatives are to lay off even more teachers than need be, or to leave even more needy children and seniors to their own miseries, Feeney's priorities are not simply wrong; they are wicked.

Those whom he would protect at the expense of everyone else are the minority of Floridians fortunate enough to own investments subject to the state's intangibles tax, the only wealth-based levy in the entire tax base. After two previous sessions that cut the rate and coverage, the Legislature last spring voted to expand the standard exemptions effective with returns due in January. This is what should be postponed. The $120-million at stake represents more than a down payment on an enormous deficit; it also differentiates between dogmatism and decency.

To put that choice in perspective, the tax is already low, at $1 for each $1,000 in assets, and applies only to investments that exceed $20,000 for an individual or $40,000 for a couple. Qualified company or individual retirement funds such as a 401(k) or IRA aren't taxed at all. Neither are certificates of deposits, annuities, the cash value of insurance policies, cash on hand or in banks, and Florida and U.S. government bonds. And after all that, if the bill comes to less than $60, it's forgiven. There may still those who object to paying this modest tax, but they have no moral claim to the Legislature's conscience in the face of the cruel necessities imposed by the enormous deficit.

The Senate appears quite willing to postpone the tax cut and make cautious use of reserves, as well as to cut spending selectively rather than by the witless across-the-board slashing Feeney prefers. Even Gov. Jeb Bush, who set a four-year goal of wiping the intangibles tax entirely off the books, is leaving open the possibility of postponing the January cut.

Regrettably, however, Bush's proclamation for the special session beginning Oct. 22 defined the agenda so narrowly as to forbid legislators from acting on the intangibles tax and possibly even on the reserve fund as well.

Bush says he would enlarge the proclamation in response to "consensus on needed change to substantive law," but for the present he has given a tactical advantage to Feeney, who could rule any such motion out of order. What's not in the governor's proclamation can't be considered unless proponents muster a two-thirds vote to introduce it.

But Feeney's obsessions don't have to be the policy of the House. He represents no more people than any of the other 119 members. He wields power not by divine will but by the votes of the Republican majority, whose members are responsible for him to the voters they represent, and for whom the time has come to remember who deserves their loyalties more than he does.

For Reps. Heather Fiorentino, Gus Bilirakis, Kim Berfield, Chris Hart and all the others, the choice between what suits Feeney and what's right for Florida should not be hard to see, or difficult to make.

Back to Perspective

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright

From the Times
Opinion page