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Campaign News Good Idea, Bad Bill
Campaign News Good Idea, Bad Bill | Good Idea, Bad Bill |
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| Written by Web Administrator | |
| Monday, 14 December 2009 | |
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overdue for more efficient transportation that saves resources and the environment. I have made a personal commitment to ride the bus, as I did to this past week’s special legislative session. I also car pool more often, walk, consolidate trips, and, not as often as I would like, ride my bike to get me to where I’m going. It pained me to cast a “no” vote on the rail legislation. We are past time for rail. But my question is, at what cost? At a time when we expect a $2.4 billion shortfall in the state’s budget we need to think long and hard about where to cut, where to spend, and where to find new sources of revenue. We needed to consider education funding, health, safety, and human service needs. We need economic development incentives that help the entire state. FAMU is considering layoffs and pink slips have already gone out to tenured professors at Florida State; we are all too aware that this is happening across our state. Very few Floridians were untouched by the recent severe budget cuts to good programs that empower and protect them. As I considered my vote, I asked myself, how would a healthy Florida family set their priorities? Just as a family would discuss spending priorities and investment opportunities around the kitchen table, so should the Florida Legislature discuss and set priorities in our committee rooms and on the floor of the House and Senate. The narrow scope of this past week's special session was not enough. Priorities like education, keeping people in their homes, health care, public safety, and less expensive, more equally distributed, and less speculative job creation, should have been discussed. This special session, the legislature made a decision that was similar to a family deciding to go into debt to buy a luxury car instead of sending deserving and talented children to college. My reasons for a thumbs down on HB 1B boil down to: Was this a fair deal for taxpayers and is now the time? More specifically the reasons for my no vote are as follows: 1) If we have found additional revenue that we did not have during this past regular session, our citizens deserved a full blown discussion of our options and priorities. Was this deal really the best use of the revenue with all the pressing needs of our state? 2) We all agree we must get the parents of Florida's children back to work so that they can provide good and stable homes. We heard about jobs during special session but several amendments to insure that the rail jobs created would actually go to Floridians were voted down. 3) In addition, and in some ways most telling of the overall nature of the bill, is that HB 1B will fund Tri-Rail with guesstimates of future increases in gas tax revenues as part of the “dedicated funding source”. This is a policy betting that Floridians will double their gas purchases over the next decade. The bill rests, in part, on the hope that Floridians will buy more gas and therefore keep the coffers at DOT full in order to support rail! This defies common sense. 4) The property that the state will purchase from CSX has not been re-appraised since 2007. We’re paying too much money at 7-10 million dollars a mile. I strongly support mass transit and other alternatives to the single combustion engine as our chief mode of travel. I suggest we find and support a sustainable and smart source of funding for alternative transportation, one that works with and not against the overall policy of getting gas guzzling cars off the road. In addition, I would like to secure funding for the most powerful economic engine we can develop: The education and preparation of our children and their parents to compete in a highly competitive global innovation economy. New innovation in energy and efficient machines are what we need to rebuild. Passenger rail, buses, bike lanes, electric trolleys, light rail and alternative fuels are imperative to our future. Not only is the value of the bargain for Floridians is vitally important but to do these things we need more revenue. Collecting the taxes we are already owed is a first step and just plain common sense. Once again, I have filed a bill for the regular session to do just that. Stay tuned! |
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Contact Michelle
MIchelle's Bio
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We must reclaim respect and fairness for Florida's public servants and work to solve the health care crisis in Florida, particularly as it effects our most vulnerable: our children, our elderly, and our sick.
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Michelle has been continuously employed as a life guard, waitress, lawyer and community college professor, helping to support her family since she was fourteen.
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Class President 1974
Student Government 1974-76
Lettered Varsity Soccer & Track Teams 1974-77
1st New York State Key Club President
Canandaigua Academy, NY
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Michelle grew up close to where Susan B. Anthony campaigned relentlessly for suffrage. Here is one of her favorite quotes: “It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union.... Men, their rights and nothing more; women, their rights and nothing less.”
~Susan B. Anthony -
Michelle fell in love with the founding fathers in 4th grade and has wanted to be a public servant ever since!
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Michelle developed, wrote, and oversaw the process for the Request for Proposal/Invitation to Bid for Tallahassee Community College’s venture into new learning technologies.
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Michelle developed and wrote content for 14 Legal Studies Program Courses offered online. Her's was the first full program to be offered completely online.
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Michelle played varsity soccer throughout her high school career and encourages her daughters to stay active.
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Michelle graduated high school in just 3 years!
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Michelle spent 4 years as an enforcement attorney for the Department of Environmental Protection (Now DEP) before joining Tallahassee Community College.
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Michelle moved to Florida in 1977 to attend New College. Accepted to Cornell, her grandfather convinced her to come south.
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New College in Sarasota. Then graduated from the University of Florida Law School.
Photo Gallery
Rehwinkel Vasilinda with Cliff Thael
Political advertisement paid for and approved by Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda, Democrat, for State Representative, District 9
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