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Nancy Smith

Gillum's Sandersesque Agenda: Where Will the Money Come from?

September 28, 2018 - 6:00am
Andrew Gillum
Andrew Gillum

Democrats are giddy over Andrew Gillum's September lead, I get that. But the rest of us are hoping they might take a break from blowing raspberries at Gillum's Republican opponent long enough to answer some of the questions we have about this hard-left gubernatorial candidate.

Gillum is campaigning as a member of the Sanders–Ocasio-Cortez wing of the party: He wants to abolish ICE, raise the minimum wage to $15, pass single-payer health care, and increase taxes across the board.

That's quite a sea change for Florida. "With its laissez-faire economic policies and its general respect for personal liberty, Florida has long been considered one of the freest states in the union," says the National Review.

I couldn't agree more.

I Beg to DifferAre Floridians truly ready to put a socialist in the governor's mansion?

Let's leave the candidate's record as mayor of Tallahassee for another day. Look at the bigger issue for a moment, his plan for Florida. 

I see an agenda taken straight from the Bernie Sanders playbook. Which might be well and good for less free, less successful states than ours.

Gillum is a dedicated opponent of gun rights. He wants a ban on “assault weapons” and a crackdown on private gun sales. How restrictive is he planning to be?

We know he's no friend of due process, because he's endorsed proposals to restrict the Second Amendment rights of people who haven't been convicted of crimes. He recommended municipalities pass gun restrictions that flout state law. I may be wrong here, but I'm pretty sure Floridians want a governor who treats the Second Amendment as if it were part of the Constitution.

On health care, Gillum wants increased government involvement at the federal and state levels. He supports Sanders’ “Medicare for all” plan and says he would expand Medicaid in Florida. He has floated other ideas to increase state spending on health care.

I wish the media would serve their readers, serve their viewers and listeners and confront the elephant in the room: How does he plan to pay for all this? Specifically, how?

The other day the Tampa Bay Times' Adam Smith made fun of DeSantis for suggesting Gillum "would do the virtually impossible and enact a state income tax." Smith called it a "clumsy falsehood." OK, so it probably is. But all the Times is doing is glossing over an issue hugely important to his readers:

How is the guy going to pay for all this? It strains credibility.

Wouldn't Florida have to adopt a New York–style tax regime?  Be bold, billionaire George Soros tells the candidates he supports, of which Gillum is one. But Soros never explains where the money for his favored progressive programs is going to come from.

What suffers? 

The rest of Gillum’s agenda -- the $15 minimum wage, the steep corporate-tax hike -- what would that do to the state’s thriving economy? 

These are the things Florida voters will want to know in the cold light of October. The Democrats and the media can play slap-and-tickle with DeSantis all the way to November for all I care. But if Gillum isn't business as usual -- and clearly, he isn't -- it's time right now to reveal the details of how Florida would fare if his agenda were realized. Some people are already voting.

Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: @NancyLBSmith

Comments

I get that you like him having big ideas but the socialism idea is not for this country as we follow capitalism and to follow Guilum how has ran Tallahassee into the ground and don’t say not true because it’s very he is also a major racist and very dirty it the worst of it is he is associated George Soros IE Antichrist

One-party governance in this state over the past 20 years has been a disaster for everyone except the monied special interests and Big Business in general. Time to take the power away from the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Associated Industries ... and GIVE IT BACK TO THE PEOPLE!

Where do you people think our jobs come from, they come from big and small businesses and if you raise their taxes some of us will get laid off.

Absolutely!!!

U give the power to these dems the only place we will end up is on bread line please if not for you our kids all the want is a one wold order and all the people will suffer stop trying to say conservatives are crazy they are not they just see what’s happening and are for the people you all thought Obama was great and the Miami school shootings were just because of gun laws no it was due to Eric holder and Obama’s laws

The money will come from stopping all the corporate welfare. Enterprise Florida, other scams repubs have been doing...……….... Like giving ALL the school maintenance, building budget to Charter schools leaving public school out of luck with more unfunded mandates from Tallahassee...…………. And the savings from forcing those polluting like big sugar to clean the water before they release it instead of the $biilions in corporate welfare to clean big ag, developers, etc pollution now destroying our lakes, rivers, seas , tourist economy, fisheries, like Nancy's home town filled with algae running their tourist, economy away...……….Yet Nancy refuses to say anything about the repubs, big sugar, etc causing it...……. What's up with that Nancy?...……... Do they pay you that much you let them destroy your town without a peep??

All I see is new schools being built all over the place. They don't appear to be lacking money.

Exactly! As I said earlier. Republican scare tactics. Probably has her hand in big business somewhere.

Nancy you have put your partisan tendencies on display in this article. All the answers you pretend to seek are available here: https://andrewgillum.com/issues/ Perhaps your intent is to cast doubt over Mayor Gillum’s Transparent campaign for Governor. Your credibility has taken a few steps back here.

Andrew Gillum is the black Fidel Castro! Is g-d is a failed idology called socialism! He has no economics sense! He doesn't understand the concept of a limited government, he thinks the Government should run your life! He will destroy Florida!

Let’s be real here , black peoples will vote for Gullium no matter what, all they need to know is that he is black and a that he is a Democrats Case closed.

Don’t count on that. You can’t group all black folks as ignorant and mid-informed. Educated blacks that have half a brain will vote for DeSantis and Scott so America and their children and families can prosper. Wouldn’t be surprised if Trump gets 40% of the Black and Spanish vote in 2020. The man had balls and gets results.

Robert - tell me just how that concept you state you know "limited government," Just how does that work for the people? Limited government? Yea less regulations, let business run as they please. Then when someone grandma slips through the cracks the likes of you are screaming "Where is Government?" No one wants government to run their lives, it seems that only the right has been doing that i.e. telling a woman they have no control of the reproductive rights. Please come forward with facts not just Right Wing Talking points. Government should be by the people, for the people and of the people. Not for businesses, by businesses and for businesses. The GOP at the national and state levels have short change the people for what? Profits? This is the USA not the US of Inc.

The government is not suppose to be picking winners and losers let the free market determined that.

Whatever happen to families taking care of their own and not looking to the government to do it for them and besides the only money that the government has is what they take from the taxpayers. People who looks for hand out should be ashamed of themselves.

Well said!

Amen!

Well put Robbie.

Where have we seen a guy who never had a job outside of government, with no idea of real life like economics , who hid all is dubious connections like to Dream Defenders implement crazy socialist or worse ideas import illegal aliens for votes and wreck the country's economy ? Who would that have been?

The "wrecked economy" is a George W. Bush and Republican Congress creation! And, Trump and his Trumpnuts blow smoke about the 3.4 million "new jobs" created by the Trumpnut-In-Chief over the last 18 months - HOWEVER - during Obama's last 18 months in office - 3.7 million new jobs were created - so, in the real world, it was Obama who initiated economic recovery from The Great Bush Recession - and Trump is just along for the ride!

Permalink really wreck the country's economy? Are you talking about GWB who's policies caused the great recession. Or did you forget that or him. The Black guy never had a chance as he never really control the purse strings of this country. Please be factual. BTW - Your Cadet Bone Spur is doing a great job with the Black guys economy. You think?

Ditto, below comment.

I give up. Who? Obama? Nope. Clinton?. Nope. Oh I know. Donald Trump! Who STILL refuses to show us his tax returns. But that's ok with Republicans. Just sit back. Relax! Who knows, you may even get to like Social Democrats. You've never tried it. How do you know you won't like it.

There is no law that says a president has to show their tax returns, and besides his tax returns is none of our bussiness and it is entirely up to him if he want to show them.

What makes you think we care about President Trump's tax return! He doesn't have to release them and I don't think he should!

No he does not. But the next time someone on the left says no - The Right will have to suck it up. Fair is Fair.

The "right" does seem to suck pretty well!

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nancy smith
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