Phree Thinker

Just a highly-educated person wanting to participate in public debate without the neofascists trying to destroy my life for disagreeing with their positions.

[Phree Thinker @ThinkerPhree]

@ScottWagnerFL "Make the corporations pay for my welfare!" -traditional Democrat platform, now apparently the "Republican" one too

[Jeff Brandes @JeffreyBrandes]

“The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” - The Usual Suspects

The greatest trick DeSantis ever pulled was convincing Floridians that local government is the problem and state government is the solution.

If your mayor, sheriff, and county commission have to fly to Tallahassee every year to ask permission to fund basic services, the state didn’t shrink government.

It just moved it farther away and gave you less control.

[Phree Thinker @ThinkerPhree]

@j_fishback @ByronDonalds Trump & Biden have doubled the dollar supply in that timeframe, halving the value of the dollar, government is just keeping up with inflation.

[Phree Thinker @ThinkerPhree]

@FmrRepMTG This is why I have no problem voting against the Swamp Republicans Trump is pushing at the expense of temporarily giving seats to Democrats. They aren't accomplishing anything (good), so let's flush the turds & reclaim the GOP!

[Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 @FmrRepMTG]

So under full Republican control, the Republican controlled Senate can’t pass the Save America Act for election integrity, the House just passed a bill giving another $9 billion to Ukraine, Republicans are planning to merge our military with Israel’s military while Trump has us in another foreign war that’s costing $2 billion a day and has driven gas over $4.50, and not a single person has been held accountable for the pedo Epstein files.

[Phree Thinker @ThinkerPhree]

@JeffreyBrandes @NancyRiley ...or just do audits and let the voters in each county/town make their own decisions!

[Phree Thinker @ThinkerPhree]

@CactusCuddler17 @ScottWagnerFL @RonDeSantis For the many communities not having significant amounts of commercial and rental properties? So now this is the Lefitist "make the corporations pay for our welfare" plan?

[Phree Thinker @ThinkerPhree]

@CactusCuddler17 @ScottWagnerFL @RonDeSantis Also, who pays for fighting fires that occur not on someone's property? Whoever called 911 to report it? (and who is paying to have a 911 dispatch center?)

[Phree Thinker @ThinkerPhree]

@RonDeSantis 1. This is a LOCAL government issue. People elect LOCAL leaders who decide local spending.
2. Trump & Biden have crushed the value of the dollar. Money supply has doubled since 2019.
3. Cutting taxes & cutting spending are not the same. It will just shift who pays & how.

[Phree Thinker @ThinkerPhree]

@StacyAnnFlorida Really? How about the spending power of the dollar going down by the same amount?

[Phree Thinker @ThinkerPhree]

@CactusCuddler17 @ScottWagnerFL @RonDeSantis So what, everyone calls up and subscribes for police & fire protection? A few towns tried this insanity and it costs way more to have the fire dept sit and wait for a fire to spread from the non-subscribing neighbor's house to the subscribers' homes.

[Phree Thinker @ThinkerPhree]

@CactusCuddler17 @ScottWagnerFL @RonDeSantis There is if you're not paying for goods or services you've received. The hazard of government is the people who aren't paying their fair share demand more government. That's how government keeps growing.

[Phree Thinker @ThinkerPhree]

@ScottWagnerFL @CactusCuddler17 @RonDeSantis No, what I am decribing is what the voter majority in those areas will want. When people pay nothing they want free stuff.

[Phree Thinker @ThinkerPhree]

@CactusCuddler17 @ScottWagnerFL @RonDeSantis The proposal says the effect will be one thing but the logical result will be different. Rural counties might switch to non-ad-valorum which will make everyone pay the same amount, which will result demand for smaller govt. Urban counties will raise rates.

[Jeff Brandes @JeffreyBrandes]

6. For 180 years Florida's model has been simple:

-Local voters elect local officials.
-Local officials set local budgets.
-Local taxpayers fund local services.

The trust fund begins to break that connection.

[Luis Viera @CouncilmanViera]

Good comment below on a proposal to essentially get rid of property taxes in Florida, which the Legislature will be voting on.

The Legislature is not voting on a tax cut, as much as it is a tax shift, as former State Senator Jeff Brandes correctly states.

Shifting from property taxes to other fees and taxes, like sales taxes, is an awful idea. Property taxes are highly imperfect, but are the best tax system we have available. Sales taxes are regressive - the more you earn, the less of a percentage you pay in taxes.

I always say: mend it, don’t end it. Let’s talk about a bigger exemption that gives more seniors and working class families relief - while not jeopardizing police, fire, and public education. This is a highway to Mississippi style taxes and social services for Florida.

And we will see cuts in core services - like public schools, police, fire and roads.

If your vision of Florida is one in which lower income and working people pay more in taxes as a percentage of their income, and where we have fewer services in education and public safety, then this Bud’s for you.

Like I’ve said before: please don’t (further) Mississippi my Florida. I hope that people vote no on this - and that our police and fire unions use their voice to educate lawmakers and voters on the adverse impacts of these proposals.

[London River @LondonRiverSFW]

Me: “Local budget decisions should be made at the local level to avoid handing more power to the state.”

Florida Republicans: “You’re against tax cuts!”

This is why so many people think conservatives are stupid. 🫤

[KangusBangus @KangusB3]

No boomer has ever applied to 500 jobs and gotten 5 emails back and 2 interviews and no employment.

They do not understand the world that we live in. They cannot understand it, that would shatter their world view. They reflexively call you lazy to protect their view of reality.