Best Governor in America: Jeb Bush
 

Governor-In-Chief

in part:

In a state with a surging population, Bush has presided over a booming economy with the highest rate of job creation in the country and an unemployment rate of 3.0 percent (the national average is 4.6 percent).

Florida has no state income tax, but Bush has nonetheless found a way to cut taxes every year of the eight he's been in office. Meanwhile, he's trimmed the state employment rolls by 11,000.

"Politics is a game for risk-takers," says Mike Murphy, a political strategist for Bush and other governors, including Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Schwarzenegger. And Bush is an extraordinary risk taker and innovator. He's made Florida, in the jargon of bipartisan experts, a "laboratory of democracy." He's mined state and local think tanks for ideas that might streamline state government and make it more effective.

He's the first governor to impose stringent testing and accountability on Florida elementary and secondary schools, along with three voucher programs, the most ambitious of which was struck down this year by the (liberal and majority Democratic) state supreme court. This achievement went beyond the No Child Left Behind program of his brother, President Bush, who dropped vouchers in a compromise with Democrats in 2001.

On health care, no governor has attacked Medicaid, whose costs are swamping state budgets, more boldly than Bush. He wangled a breathtakingly broad waiver from the federal Department of Health and Human Services to privatize Medicaid in two populous counties, Duval (Jacksonville) and Broward (Fort Lauderdale). The new program, affecting more than 200,000 Medicaid recipients, goes into effect July 1.

Two more things. Bush, after handling eight hurricanes and four tropical storms in 14 months in 2004 and 2005, has become the undisputed national leader in emergency management. Imagine if he had been governor of Louisiana when Katrina hit last summer. Does anyone doubt that the recovery would have gone far, far better with Bush in charge?

Re: Best Governor in America: Jeb Bush
 

I don't think anyone would doubt he would have been the better Bush to be President. Too bad his brother screwed up so badly, no one would ever trust him.

Re: Best Governor in America: Jeb Bush
 

There are sales tax holidays, most notably at back-to-school time. What a concept. A 7% discount for all on select catagories of items like clothing. Bet you don't get that in Jersey.

Did I mention, no state income tax. I'm laughing at you CA.

And just in case you're thinking of moving here, the summers are way too hot. And the fishing sucks. And nothing but old folks on the beaches, polluted beaches.

Re: Best Governor in America: Jeb Bush
 

He also oversaw the biggest theft in american history.

Having Voucher programs and attacking Medicare also big negatives, so i would hardly say hes the best in america.

Re: Best Governor in America: Jeb Bush
 

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Did I mention, no state income tax. I'm laughing at you CA.

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9.3% and they have budget problems. Pathetic.

Re: Best Governor in America: Jeb Bush
 

Jeb is pretty awesome. He also speaks fluent Spanish.

Re: Best Governor in America: Jeb Bush
 

If Lawton Chiles campaign hadn't engaged in a sleazy last minute phone campaign to scare seniors in the 1994 election, Jeb would've won that year, and would be President today.

Re: Best Governor in America: Jeb Bush
 

There's no tax on clothing in NJ and just about every urban area in the state has a 3% sales tax.

Re: Best Governor in America: Jeb Bush
 

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Did I mention, no state income tax. I'm laughing at you CA.

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9.3% and they have budget problems. Pathetic.

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When your state doles out far more in taxes to the Feds than it receives in aid and grants then you can talk. Florida is a political swing state filled with senior citizens (who vote at a higher rate than anyone). It's no wonder you guys are fat on all the pork.

California rules.

Re: Best Governor in America: Jeb Bush
 

McCain and Jeb Bush 2008?

Re: Best Governor in America: Jeb Bush
 

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Did I mention, no state income tax. I'm laughing at you CA.

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9.3% and they have budget problems. Pathetic.

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When your state doles out far more in taxes to the Feds than it receives in aid and grants then you can talk. Florida is a political swing state filled with senior citizens (who vote at a higher rate than anyone). It's no wonder you guys are fat on all the pork.

California rules.

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Since when have state taxes gone to the federal government? 9.3% is pathetic no matter what way you cut it.

Re: Best Governor in America: Jeb Bush
 

As others have mentioned i believe that Florida recieves more federal government money than its citizins pay in taxes, which makes it a lot easier to have a booming economy without state income tax.

One thing i will say about this writer he loses a lot of credibility with statements like this
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He's the first governor to impose stringent testing and accountability on Florida elementary and secondary schools, along with three voucher programs, the most ambitious of which was struck down this year by the (liberal and majority Democratic) state supreme court.

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While it may be "factual" it shows a massive bias, if he has problems with the individual decision he should write an article on it and then reference it without tossing around liberal and deomcratic as if those could be the only possible reasons for opposing the program.

Re: Best Governor in America: Jeb Bush
 

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There's no tax on clothing in NJ and just about every urban area in the state has a 3% sales tax.

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My comment was based on ignorance.

If I ever find myself on I95 North again, I'll gas up in MD and won't stop until across the Hudson.

Re: Best Governor in America: Jeb Bush
 

Please explain why having a voucher program is a negative.

Re: Best Governor in America: Jeb Bush
 

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Please explain why having a voucher program is a negative.

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It's death if you're a crappy teacher or lame administrator.

Re: Best Governor in America: Jeb Bush
 

For those interested Here is a list of states and federal dollars paid/recieved. Florida (page 9) has been breakeven or better (recieving more federal dollars recieved than paid) or all years 1981-2004. Anywhere from 0-13%. In 2004 they recieve 1.5 billion dollars more than they paid in taxes. California recieve only 79% of the federal funding back that they paid in taxes during 2004, and haven't been "in the black" since 1985.

To be fair Florida is only around 28th on the list and other states like alabama are recieving 15 billion dollars a year in federal money.
Double edit: also it was 2.5 billion that florida recieved in 2004, not 1.5

Re: Best Governor in America: Jeb Bush
 

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While it may be "factual" it shows a massive bias, if he has problems with the individual decision he should write an article on it and then reference it without tossing around liberal and deomcratic as if those could be the only possible reasons for opposing the program.

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Those *are* the only possible reasons for opposing the Florida voucher program that was struck down. In this case the author is probably right to imply it was a partisan decision.

natedogg

Re: Best Governor in America: Jeb Bush
 

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He also oversaw the biggest theft in american history.

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Not. Even. Close.

Re: Best Governor in America: Jeb Bush
 

FDR > Your life