09-17-2010, 01:59 AM
Scott, Sink differ sharply on how to cut, reshape state government
By Tristram Korten 9/16/10 8:28 AM
Florida Independent
Democrat Alex Sink wants to give state workers a raise. Republican Rick Scott wants to eliminate them by the thousands. Both candidates see immense savings in reshaping state government, but they are proposing to do it in radically different ways.
Rick Scott would like to shrink the state's roughly 168,000-person workforce by 5 percent - cutting about 8,400 jobs - to save money. But the state's Department of Management Services already touts itself as one of the cheapest and leanest state workforces in the country, prompting experts to wonder if eliminating more employees, and potentially the services they provide, would cut to the bone.
"Florida is a sort of low-service state compared to other states, and [Scott's] proposal appears to want to attract investment through low cost rather than high quality of services," says University of Miami political science professor George Gonzalez. "There are two main routes to attracting new investment. One is to provide more robust public services. The other is to provide minimal services at minimal cost. Scott's seemingly emphasizing the latter. He wants to make the state as inexpensive as possible."
According to U.S. Census figures compiled by the state's management department, Florida is tied with Illinois for the lowest per capita expense on state employees: $38 for every state resident. That's less than neighbors Georgia ($46), Alabama ($70) and Mississippi ($60). The national average is $69.
There are 118 full- and part-time state employees for every 10,000 residents in Florida. That, too, is the lowest ratio in the country - also less than Georgia (158), Alabama (228) and Mississippi (219). The national average is 216.
With 168,654 employees in 2009, the state's workforce is the smallest it's been in years - hovering around what it was in 2006 (167,268). In 2007, it numbered 171,333.
Still, Scott's economic plan calls for eliminating more jobs from the state payroll. "A 5% reduction in the state workforce will save almost $300 million," his website states. He does not give specifics on what agencies need to be cut, or how it would impact services.
Scott also wants to make deep cuts to the state's prison system. He proposes that prisoners grow their own food, and wants to competitively bid prison health care contracts and pay "competitive market-based salaries to corrections staff," for a total savings of $1 billion, nearly half the department's budget, according to Scott's website. One law enforcement union has called the plan to cut the prison budget "dangerous," because it could lead to the need for early release of inmates. Scott's campaign did not respond to a question asking if paying market-based salaries to corrections staff meant spending more or less money.
By Tristram Korten 9/16/10 8:28 AM
Florida Independent
Democrat Alex Sink wants to give state workers a raise. Republican Rick Scott wants to eliminate them by the thousands. Both candidates see immense savings in reshaping state government, but they are proposing to do it in radically different ways.
Rick Scott would like to shrink the state's roughly 168,000-person workforce by 5 percent - cutting about 8,400 jobs - to save money. But the state's Department of Management Services already touts itself as one of the cheapest and leanest state workforces in the country, prompting experts to wonder if eliminating more employees, and potentially the services they provide, would cut to the bone.
"Florida is a sort of low-service state compared to other states, and [Scott's] proposal appears to want to attract investment through low cost rather than high quality of services," says University of Miami political science professor George Gonzalez. "There are two main routes to attracting new investment. One is to provide more robust public services. The other is to provide minimal services at minimal cost. Scott's seemingly emphasizing the latter. He wants to make the state as inexpensive as possible."
According to U.S. Census figures compiled by the state's management department, Florida is tied with Illinois for the lowest per capita expense on state employees: $38 for every state resident. That's less than neighbors Georgia ($46), Alabama ($70) and Mississippi ($60). The national average is $69.
There are 118 full- and part-time state employees for every 10,000 residents in Florida. That, too, is the lowest ratio in the country - also less than Georgia (158), Alabama (228) and Mississippi (219). The national average is 216.
With 168,654 employees in 2009, the state's workforce is the smallest it's been in years - hovering around what it was in 2006 (167,268). In 2007, it numbered 171,333.
Still, Scott's economic plan calls for eliminating more jobs from the state payroll. "A 5% reduction in the state workforce will save almost $300 million," his website states. He does not give specifics on what agencies need to be cut, or how it would impact services.
Scott also wants to make deep cuts to the state's prison system. He proposes that prisoners grow their own food, and wants to competitively bid prison health care contracts and pay "competitive market-based salaries to corrections staff," for a total savings of $1 billion, nearly half the department's budget, according to Scott's website. One law enforcement union has called the plan to cut the prison budget "dangerous," because it could lead to the need for early release of inmates. Scott's campaign did not respond to a question asking if paying market-based salaries to corrections staff meant spending more or less money.