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Thoughts an! amounts on questions for TV WWII-TV: 26 June 1959
1. Constitutional revision may well be one of the leading issues in the
1960 state elections. Revision the the constitution has been a leading
issue in state-side elections for the covarnorship since 1919. Since
there have been no red accomplishments toward constitutioml revision
and since many groups, such as the Fla UN is actively noticing for revision
there is every reason to believe that it will be a leading issm. Fla
certainly needs constitutional revision and no doubt Item] of the camidatee
for the 1961 Legislature, as well as candidates for the govemorehip, will
be asked to state their positions on constitutional revision.
2. The apportioment rotunda passed by the 1959 Legislature (hh senators
and 103 representatives) may not be what the citizens and leaders or
the most populous counties were seeking, but the addition of 8 embers
in the house DOES g1Ve better apportiomsnt to the most populous areas.
Change in govermont is slow, but like the mills of the Gods, which
mm slowly but surely, change does take place. The new Iomla is
better than that we have non; to use an old cliche: if you can't get
awholc loaf ofhread, takes halraloaf.Aiteral_l, thisis compro-
use and Marine R88 32?}! THE m SOUL OF MIC-AN POLITICAL P3001133.
3. no. The Florida foe-male has never followed the national formula or
representatim in We. The Florida formula uses sown gsograptw
and population in 30TH houses. The county, a political, not a gong-apnea].
unit is the basis or representatim in BOTH houses. Population in also
a part of the basis of the formula in both houses. Thus, in the Senate
ALL of the large counties get one senator, whereas my of the mall
counties (in population ) are grouped into districts. In the House,
the county is again the basic unit, but more aphasia is placed on
population since the larger the county in population, the more as:
mentors of the house.
1;. 11-3. See ans. #2.). While the increase to Ulscnators does not
a increase nemmhip and representation in the senate for the
nest populous countiu, who still would have only one senator, the fact
that there will be six HEN senators iron the counties that are more
URBAN than rural will mm to lessen the inportmce of the votes or
the semtors from the small districts and counties in population. This
has been true in the House for the last 20 years, which has been more
liberal than the senate became of the middle sine um counties that
have too reoresentatives (36 in all) a opposed to the M4 counties
with one amber in the house. Since the districts that get the ne-
scnators are growing in population, there sill be a trend toward more
urban control of the senate, as has been true or the house since 19.
5. Yes. Seetheanswersabove.Allo! meanmberagotothe
largest counties in population, this will help to add to the urban
vote in the house, which is already more representative of popllation
than is the counts.
6. The voters should support the car formula. It will be easier to get
apportionment before the legislature with 1147 numbers in place of the
133 that are now in the legislature. Better spportiomaxt will come
only gradually. We must crawl before we will: and walk before we run.
page 2.
7. R0. The 1960 Federal Cexnus results will not be known before the
middle of the year 1962. That would mean that reapportiommt would
be delayed until the 1963 Legislature at the earliest and possibly until
1965. Rich the adoption of the proposed tennis, there will be ems
mppmioment in the 196s Legislshn'e provided one towels is
adopted by the voters at the special election in November, 1959.
8. This is a question that only God could mm. The only candidates
for state-aide election in 1960 that could assist in reapportimmt
would be those naming for the gubernatorial nudnation; certain]:
none of the canadates for the cabinet or the courts would have such
effect on reapportioment one w or the other. What nth candidates
on a state-wide ballot could hove an affect on reapportimnent? No
doube the co ndidstes for the gonrnorship will be put on record as to
their stand on resrportiomant regardless of the :s-utcme or the special
election in Nov 1959.
9. Nursing the legislature on a state-wide basis souls be cheotic.
Fin-tum the federal courts have refused in every case with chick
I as one {miller to base harming to do with resppm'tioment of
state legislatures. Witness the case in south Florida recently that
the courts refused to tales Jurisdiction in. The sum has been flux
trueintheCookGomtymhicseo) tisxtxtforyeemandyeers.rhisis
not a setter of federal but rather state jurisdiction.
10. W guess is that this new ccnmlttee will be beneficial to the
attest that the executiVe garments will exercise more caution in
the spawning or state agnopristions. This will be especially true
of salary raises to the hirlnr paid state enployeee. The new oo-uittee
couldcerveoutausemlcereerforitself and thestetees awhole.
we will hove to suit end see it the omittee mes its legislative
grmtofpomtobeamtchdogaonrupentms. loudly,
already have a budget camission that has been scathing e: or e
watchdog: for many years. This as oomitteo my be excess baggage.
ll. Probably by using pwlicity over poor emples or sporting by state
ofcials. The pdtilees 113m. of mhlicity trained on public abuses by
public officials he a worndortull: salient motive effect for abuses.
Not missing the exact powers of this oomdttee, I hesitate to say just
whatitcando.WhatdoyouknowshouttMsbdll,m Farris?
l2.ThetnxbaseotFlshasnsededrenodelixgsinoel900.ThereMvobom
sore imestigstions on Fla notation ml sore publications in this area
thatall of therest of the stete activitisslauhined.17e have aluxury-
ooneuner tubsse, our to: prop-en is unrealistic and comes the depression
(witness the Bins-inter $195768) we are goingto have trouble taxand
revemwise.'1nxrevisionissmzst, butwhomtstomtnxsslls
erercsllvinmworsepoeitionnonthsnwehsveeuerbeen (excluding
Worldiarnizentmscaneinbutcmadnotbespent).
13. State revenues are non increasing along with the poluletim growth,
in most of the state. The {resent pinch is being felt in the counties
iers the rote of tic: youth is the must: Dede, Mal,
Bromd, rum etc. Better budgeting or rm and allocations
toooapmeteiortherspidponLIetiong-ohthssecomtiesere
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experiming CAN and MUST be worked out. Certain agencies in the
state are securing more than their just share or the state revenues.
Public education is securing its share of the state revenues and local
units of goverment HIST share more in supporting schools. The only
e eoeption to this may well be in CAPIIAL CUI'LAI for new schools in
the co mtie of rapid population growth. The 3.961 Legislature should
make further appropriations for new school buildings in the 10 or 15
countess where there are double (or even iriplo) sessions of the sohoole
Otherwise, the 200,000 (estimated) new residents that Florida gains
annually are paying their :(shsre)of the "tax freight.
mice
114. us. But who, like tho/nice in the table, is going to hell the
cat?
15. YES. All taxes that are levied on business and professions are
always passed on to the oonsznser. If the business and professional men
did not pass on the taxes nhoeh they must m, they Iould all soon
go bankrupt. Thus, when you raise taxes on rental property, the x'renter,
not the landlord will eventually pay the increased tastes. The same is
true with other costs, thus when the labor union successt bargains
with 813 Steel for a raise in wages, does not the price of steel almost
always go up and the oonsmer ultimtely pays the raise inwagee for
the steel laborer. Tues always have and probably always rill be
passed on to the commonaccept personal insane tales and Fla law
forbids the insane tax in the constitution.
16. There is HD dilemaa in school fimncee EXCEPI in the counties
where the population is increasing so fast. Part of the proble: coUld
be solved by the county tax assessor putting o fair assessment on
mmmns and letting homeotsads (where there are the children)
pay at the local levl [or public schools. The state through the Minnow!
Foundation prop-am is doing more than its glare right not. Again, the
state should help in building net lmildinss where schools are on
double and triple sessions. But if the people want better schools they
NOW have themeans at the local levl toincreesetheiromtaxes
and W for the kind or schools they are dmding. WE WILL HAVE ONLY
AS noon SCXDOLS AS '38 ARE WILLING To WORK AND PAY REPEAT my mum
l7. Shanda MAI be right. He has been right before, BUTIE ms ALSO BBS]
7620910 ON AS EMF! OCCASIONS. Fla is not sui'fering if we could
introduce more EFFICIENCY into the 150 or more offices, boards, commissions,
and bureaus, than some n memes might well follow. Let's out off
some of the fat and get down to the loan.
18. no. The hmesteed tax exemption is Florida's most cherished tax
exmption. Who would ever shoot Santa Claus? The way to let all
citizens bear their fair share of the property taxes, then, is better
and more realistic as 'essment of ALL property.
19. NO. is long as the people, and all people demand that their
goverments perform more and more services for than and engage in
more and more hmctiom, then taxes oust perforce rise to meet the
costs. Sonson said what we need is more m business in
gamut em! less govermnent in business.
20, Nme.Thelsgintaxinoooemduetothe follownpoithenstioml
pas-ho
business recession in the rational econm, followed by one of the
coldest winters in Florida's history. Since our estimated 6,000,000
tourism Wren below that meandmnyoi
thoeewhodidcmtoFlnridaddmtsWulongca-ependasmh
in 1957-58, we suffered a decline in our lam-comer taxes.
I recognized no public resistance to tax paying as such in Fla.
21. I suggest: govemuental reorganisation, central purchasing,
cmstitudonel revision, better roads, more school buildings in
rapidly growing areas, continued advertising and devdopnent
prom-ans, more com an! efficiency in all state activitia,
reapportioment (?),
22. Plenty of cash, good TV personality, good record for urban
m areas, good Mentions at. the grass roots Jewel...
and on and ont
CW: Thereie nothinznlrongwith Florida-me needis
better leadership and a closer scrutiny of the budgeting
for state agencies and a closer check on the spending or
state agencies, plus leadership of the legislature ,of
a positive neutre and less glanor in the executive chair
and more attention to the state's business.
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