Sen. Don Gaetz,a Niceville Republican and chairman of the Senate Education Committee, this morning asked a committee of the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission to put a constitutional amendment on the 2008 ballot to overturn the state Supreme Court decision that outlawed one of Florida's voucher programs. Gaetz also suggested offering voters a swap: Freeze class size reduction efforts at their current levels to offset the projected loss of money for schools that may occur if voters approve next year's supersized homestead exemption. That exemption goes before voters next Jan. 29.
Gaetz also railed against the Board of Governors, which has just recently asserted that it has the power to set university tuition rates. He said the Board of Governors should not have the power to "tax students and parents" while also forcing the Legislature to spend more money on Bright Futures scholarship programs. "They become the automatic pilot on appropriations," said Gaetz, who urged an amendment to make it clear that lawmakers should control tuition.
Gaetz really does appear to be a bad guy. I really am tired of these Republican "double jeopardy" attacks on progressive policies. We need to enact at least a 10-year moratorium on making the public re-vote on an Amendment. And maybe we should actually put a stipulation in there that the government has to actually try to achieve the amendment before we repeal it.
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