Florida Governor Rick Scott, who we're informed in today's St. Pete Times will unveil his first budget next week in front of a group of Tea Party folk in the town of Eustis instead of in Tallahassee, appeared on a segment of Fox & Friends this morning on the Fox News Channel.
Actually host Steve Doocy said that Scott would be unveiling his budget on Fox & Friends next week as well. When asked what the 'headline' of his budget will be, Scott reverted back to his basic talking points that have gotten him to where he's at. "We're going to be the most fiscally conservative state in the country. We've got a $3.6 billion budget deficit. I'm going to wipe that out, and on top of that, I'm going to reduce property taxes and we're going to begin phasing out the business tax. We're going to make it so every business in this country that wants to do business in Florida because we're the place where...we're fair to businesses and also to our taxpayers."
(Fox's Steve Doocy told Scott that "our Floridian viewers, who just heard you say you're going to lower property taxes, just went 'yippie.'")
That's a familiar mantra that Scott employed throughout the campaign season - that with Florida's natural advantages (no state income tax, excellent weather, its beaches, etc.,) there is no way that he won't be able to recruit businesses who for whatever reason in the past, somehow decided that it wasn't conducive for them to conduct business in the Sunshine State.
That's despite a recent report, from BizCosts.com, that shows Florida tops among states whose regions have the lowest operating costs and most favorable business climate - currently, before the Scott revolution takes place.
Scott also expressed unbridled enthusiasm for Judge Roger Vinson's decision yesterday to invalidate the federal health care law. Scott fought against President & Hillary Clinton's plans to change the health care system in the 1990's, and he was extremely active in 2009 with his group Conservatives for Patients Rights fighting against President Obama's plans to address the health care situation in this country.
"They need to give us a Block Grant, let us make a decision, we know what Floridians need," Scott said when asked what he thinks should be done to address health care. " We know what our safety net should be, don't be telling us how to spend our money," he said before adding "this is a great step for the country, and for Florida."
(By the way, Dave Weigel in Slate.com has a fine piece of writing on how Senate Democrats opened themselves up for Judge Vinson's ruling by excluding what is known as a severability clause in the legislation.)
