How to fix a broken state

By PAMELA HASTEROK
FRESH TALK

Good government has three wheels -- preserving natural resources, building a strong society and helping the economy -- and only the last is getting the grease.

That's the opening premise of a book in the works by former Volusia County Manager Larry Arrington called "Sustainable Governance: Renewing the Search."

But you could call it "What Went Wrong in Florida and How to Fix It." ...

For anyone who watched politics in the past decade and wondered what happened, it's a relief to have someone interpret the tea leaves. If you ever wondered why citizens seem so angry, politicians seem so nasty and the state of Florida seems to be sinking into the abyss, this book is for you.

If you ever wondered how such a bright, committed leader as former Gov. Jeb Bush could get it so wrong, how a fundamentally moderate governor would follow in his footsteps and why lawmakers are clueless to Florida's current crisis, then "Sustainable Governance" is worth your time, too.

Bush believed deeply in the old Ronald Reagan axiom that the best government is the least. He cut 10,000 state workers, out-sourced everything from garbage collection to payroll and started the privatization of public education. He pushed lawmakers to cut taxes on businesses and the wealthy and inserted conservative Christian ideology into state policy.

Arrington and Marlowe assert that Bush's my-way-or-the-highway style left a continuing legacy of political polarization and of promoting business interests above all others. Further, his policies crippled local governments and left the state without the basic services Floridians need.

But the book is more than a rebuke. It's also a primer for what to do now.

First, don't look to the state to solve problems. It can't. No matter who runs it, lawmakers are still too entrenched in the old way of thinking -- growth is good, government is bad -- to consider doing anything new.

Next, if you're looking for saviors, look to yourselves. Citizens are cut off from local government. Even when they show up for public meetings, elected leaders have often made up their minds. The way back to government for the people is for people to participate, invited in by government itself.

The authors revive the concept of buy-in, so frequently mentioned and so little used. They suggest elected leaders broaden public-policy making by including businesses and nonprofits in decisions. They say the way to regain public confidence is to reinvest in public programs.

Government only works if residents believe in it and they only believe in it if it upholds their values and meets their needs.

This all sounds so simple, so basic, so, well . . . democratic. But it's what we need to bring Florida back from the brink. ...
__________

Read the entire column and post a comment on news-journalonline.com.
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJour...FRESH041609.htm