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There's a "Space for Lease" sign on the marquee in front of Tampa's Education Channel.
It's not moving out; the nonprofit cable access channel, whose offices are located on Cass Street just west of downtown, has simply found that it doesn't need all the space it thought was going to need over the next few years. Why? Because the channel, which provides free assistance to more than 100,000 Hillsborough schoolchildren, knows it won't have the wherewithal to expand. The county budget cutback lopped the channel's grant in half this year and is scheduled to wipe it out entirely next year.
But this is not a story about how kids might not be able to get help on their math homework. This is a story about how Florida government is increasingly putting its services out of the reach of the average Floridian. Not to mention the less-than-average Floridian.
I'm seeing more and more examples of Florida government moving away from the people, moving away from accountability. The trend started under former Gov. Jeb Bush and his slapdash rush to privatize some state services, many of those efforts unsuccessful because of a lack of foresight.
As I wrote in last week's cover story, that kind of government-for-profit attitude has filtered down to the local level. Hillsborough County Commissioner Jim Norman argues for his proposed $40 million Championship Park amateur sports complex by touting its potential to turn a profit through hosting tournaments. Those revenues, in turn, would be used to replace budgets for other parks and recreation needs that were slashed in this tight budget year.
And throughout Tampa Bay, cable providers -- freed by state legislators from local oversight in a bill that catered to the business lobby -- are moving channels that televise government meetings higher up on the dial. The most recent example is in Manatee County, where watching a government meeting at home will require cable subscribers to upgrade to the pricier digital service or pay an extra $1 a month for a new converter box.
Public access cable television, the domain of unusual personalities and unique voices that add to a robust democracy, fared worse than its educational access sister station: Hillsborough County commissioners eliminated the annual grant to Tampa Bay Community Network.
This is only the beginning.
Legislators meet this week to cut even more from the state budget and could craft a new property tax cap solution, their previous attempt having been derailed from its Jan. 29 election date by a circuit court judge who found its ballot summary misleading. Critics deride such tax caps as a false panacea.
"Property tax caps do nothing to change the main drivers behind higher property taxes," concluded a study published in June by the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington, D.C. "They cannot slow the increase in the cost of health care or fuel, for example, which reflects forces outside of the control of local officials. Nor do they change the demand for local public services, such as quality K-12 education, public safety and good roads."
Tax caps do not really force governments to work more efficiently.
"Proponents of property tax caps claim that local governments are not spending taxpayers' money efficiently and that limiting the property tax revenue they can collect will force officials to cut waste while causing little or no harm to local public services," the CBPP wrote. "This argument, however, overlooks two essential points: 1. The costs associated with providing local services, such as health insurance and pensions for local employees, are rising rapidly and are expected to continue to do so for the foreseeable future; and 2. The majority of these costs are outside localities' control."
Tax caps, in other words, don't force governments to deliver the same level of services more efficiently; they force governments to cut services.
Unless, of course, those services can turn a profit.
Full Disclosure: The executive director of the Education Channel, Ann Goldenberg, is the spouse of Creative Loafing Tampa film critic Lance Goldenberg. Lance does not participate in any way in coverage of the channel or the county budget issue. CL's CEO Ben Eason is a member of the board of Tampa Bay Community Network public access channel, which saw its funds eliminated. Likewise, he does not participate in selecting, editing or reviewing stories about that subject. Check my blog, thepoliticalwhore.com, for breaking political and media news or to leave a comment about this column.
COMMENTS
RE: Running Like a Business
Posted by Allan Greene on 10.06.07 @ 09:50 PM
October 6, 2007, Saturday: Those who speak of the "bottom line" as what ought to decide who gets 14th Amendment equal protection before the law for 1st Amendment free speech and free expression, and who does not, seem to have no historical memory. The great 18th Century American founder and American revolutionary, Thomas Paine, often wrote and spoke of the alliance of great wealth, great property, lots of money, and great governmental power in denying free speech and free expression to the masses of the people who were without the means of wealth and property and money. Paine himself was not only a key founder of America, but was his entire life poor. In the 19th Century, the great American anti-slavery revolutionary, Frederick Douglass, exemplified in his speech and actions what someone poor who is given opportunity to speak on an equal basis with others who have more wealth and more power can accomplish. Frederick Douglass was, of course, a former slave. In the early 20th Century, the great American champion of labor and later socialist, Eugene Victor Debs, was a poor man his entire life. But like Douglass in the 19th Century, and like Paine in the 18th Century, Debs showed what a brilliant, but poor, man can accomplish if some means of speaking freely is afforded to him on an equal or, at least, somewhat equal, basis with the rich and the powerful. The so-called "libertarians" who, however, cannot seem to grasp the concept that the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause means precisely equal protection on an equal basis for all throughout the U.S., including applying all provisions of the Bill of Rights, particularly including the 1st Amendment's provisions for free speech and free expression to all humans in our country impartially and neutrally, are hypocrites when they speak of making the "bottom line" one's financial and monetary ability to have some kind of equal access to the airwaves with the more monetarily and financially privileged and well-to-do. This is simply rank economic class discrimination against the great bulk of people who are disenfranchised in our ability to get equal opportunity to speak with the monied and the propertied and the possessing classes. It's disgusting that the Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners should be trying to take away public access. But, sadly, it's not very surprising. These critters on the Hillsborough County Board are, like their counterparts over here on Pinellas County's Board of County Commissioners, representatives of the local ruling class of rich, propertied, well-born capitalists, not the representatives of the masses of the ordinary people. There is nothing new under the sun. Poor old Tom Paine, Frederick Douglass, and Eugene V. Debs, spin in their graves.
RE: Running Like a Business
Posted by Mark Ferguson on 10.06.07 @ 10:50 AM
Hi Wayne, Another great bloggy write up. Concerning Tina's comment "Public access tv is a slushfund for people who want their activism subsidized and feel safe preaching only to the choir." Why don’t you burn the Bill of Rights while your at it. Because by not supporting Public Access, that is exactly what your doing. The County Commissioners have no right telling tax paying registered voters that they are not entitled to the same basic rights our forefathers fought for. This country was built on freedom, and now those in office want to silence us? This is pure BS. This is not a funding issue. These commissioners are upset because of citizens speaking out on how the County Commissioners have handled issues that effect the public. Even Brian Blair admited, along with former Commissioner now Senator Ronda Storms on how much that public opinion does not matter. We all have the same right as Ronda Storms, and Brian Blair when it comes to Freedom of Speech, and to speaking out on how we feel. Since when did these Commissioners become the media police, and how come no one is holding them accountable for this crime against tax paying registered voters? Eventhough Public Access is dead, I will still find other outlets such as this forum to say how I feel about how those in office conduct themselves, and let people know which candidates in 2008 to vote for who actually care about our rights as tax paying registered voters. Finally I am glad that Jim Normans $40 million Championship stadium is dead. I’m just surprised that Ken Hagan, and Brian Blair are not hording the $40 million for their own 2008 campaigns. But I am sure Land Developers Ralph Hughes, and Sam Rashad will come to their rescue if Ken, and Brian give them a wetland to build another shopping complex. Also expect some more crap from Senator Ronda Storms. She is not a dummy, she is a player, and has been quiet this past year as Senator because she has been observing and testing the rest of the Senators. She has made alot more friends, and will use that to her advantage just like she did when she was County Commissioner. What does she have in store? Expect the same kind of crap she dished out when she was County Commissioner. Remember folks to get your voter registration updated, because with corrupt people like Ronda Storms, Brian Blair, Jim Norman, and Ken Hagan we as tax paying citizens deserve so much better. Just my 3 cents.
RE: Running Like a Business
Posted by Mark Ferguson on 10.06.07 @ 10:46 AM
Hi Wayne, Another great write up. Concerning what Tina's comment "Public access tv is a slushfund for people who want their activism subsidized and feel safe preaching only to the choir." Why don’t you burn the Bill of Rights while your at it. Because by not supporting Public Access, that is exactly what your doing. The County Commissioners have no right telling tax paying registered voters that they are not entitled to the same basic rights our forefathers fought for. This country was built on freedom, and now those in office want to silence us? This is pure BS. This is not a funding issue. These commissioners are upset because of citizens speaking out on how the County Commissioners have handled issues that effect the public. Even Brian Blair admited, along with former Commissioner now Senator Ronda Storms on how much that public opinion does not matter. We all have the same right as Ronda Storms, and Brian Blair when it comes to Freedom of Speech, and to speaking out on how we feel. Since when did these Commissioners become the media police, and how come no one is holding them accountable for this crime against tax paying registered voters? Eventhough Public Access is dead, I will still find other outlets such as this forum to say how I feel about how those in office conduct themselves, and let people know which candidates in 2008 to vote for who actually care about our rights as tax paying registered voters. Finally I am glad that Jim Normans $40 million Championship stadium is dead. I’m just surprised that Ken Hagan, and Brian Blair are not hording the $40 million for their own 2008 campaigns. But I am sure Land Developers Ralph Hughes, and Sam Rashad will come to their rescue if Ken, and Brian give them a wetland to build another shopping complex. Also expect some more crap from Senator Ronda Storms. She is not a dummy, she is a player, and has been quiet this past year as Senator because she has been observing and testing the rest of the Senators. She has made alot more friends, and will use that to her advantage just like she did when she was County Commissioner. What does she have in store? Expect the same kind of crap she dished out when she was County Commissioner. Remember folks to get your voter registration updated, because with corrupt people like Ronda Storms, Brian Blair, Jim Norman, and Ken Hagan we as tax paying citizens deserve so much better. Just my 3 cents.