On February 2, 2021, during his final broadcast, Rush Limbaugh praised Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R), saying, “Have I told you recently how much I admire Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida? This guy has what they call a spine of steel.” Limbaugh humorously added that DeSantis is “the closest thing I have to an EIB Limbaugh Institute graduate.”
Florida is achieving everything Rush and his allies have wanted since the late 1980s. DeSantis’ recent accomplishments in Florida’s budget and economy are a case in point. Why can’t we run 25 Republican-leaning states like this, and why can’t DeSantis be the new minimum standard?
In reality, DeSantis is trying to turn the state into a haven for people seeking orderly freedom and prosperity.
After spending an additional $500 million from the state surplus to pay off the debt, Governor DeSantis has eliminated 36% of Florida’s existing debt, cut many taxes and raised teacher pay. “We now have the lowest per capita state debt of any state in the United States.” DeSantis announced. The administration made the remarks at a press conference last month after rejecting several pork-related projects proposed by Congress and cutting its annual budget by about $1 billion.
DeSantis said, Tax Foundation Analysis Florida’s per capita debt is just $973, ranking it 50th. These figures are for 2022, before he has paid off much of this debt, suggesting that its current debt is likely much lower than the next best state.
What’s ominous about Governor DeSantis paying off 36% of Florida’s debt is that during that exact same period, the federal government has accumulated exactly 36% of its total outstanding debt since 2019 alone. The Congressional Budget Office just raised its projection for the annual budget deficit for fiscal year 2024 from $1.5 trillion to $1.9 trillion. This is 6.7% of GDP, an astonishing figure given the high level of revenue the Treasury is receiving and the lack of an official economic recession.
Despite Florida projecting a $17 billion budget surplus for the 2024-2025 fiscal year and numerous tax and toll relief measures, Governor DeSantis used his line-item veto to cut 450 expenditures worth $854.6 million from the budget originally passed by Republicans, many of which were in the state bureaucracy.
While local media has slammed the Governor for cutting the state’s arts budget, he thinks it’s more important to prioritize police, the National Guard, and hurricane preparedness. Florida’s focus on taxes and spending is The nation’s most economically powerful stateSince 2019, GDP has grown by 21.9%, nearly double the national average, and DeSantis has led the state to have the lowest per capita debt and the second-lowest tax burden in the nation.
DeSantis not only cut low-profile priorities and the arts, he also made huge savings in welfare programs. Hope FloridaCombined state resources with local charities, Hope Florida helped 30,000 people get off food stamps and cash welfare, saving the state hundreds of millions of dollars. Instead of handing out welfare checks without follow-up, Hope Florida restructured state welfare agencies to work with private charities in each county and get people into long-term private solutions.
Governor DeSantis saved Medicaid money while curbing illegal immigration. He signed SB 1718, a bill that requires hospitals that accept Medicaid to verify patients’ legal status. Politico reports Medicaid spending on Florida’s Emergency Medical Assistance for Illegal Immigrants program fell by 54 percent, proving that enforcement and deterrence work.
The governor’s policies have shifted the state’s political culture to the right, from a slight Democratic advantage when DeSantis was elected to Republicans now with a roughly 1 million registered voter advantage.
During his first term, some accused DeSantis of focusing on a cultural war against woke policies, but his record shows he focused on key economic and quality-of-life issues, as well as improving behavior and performance in schools. Brevard Public SchoolsThe scores increased as the Department of Education imposed tougher standards of conduct.
The wild success of Florida’s school choice program has led to a steep decline in public school enrollment in Democratic-leaning areas. Private School Admissions The number of homeschooled students has increased by 47,000 and the number of homeschooled students has increased by about 50,000 since 2019. During the same period, public schools in Broward, Duval and Miami-Dade counties have seen their enrollment decrease by 53,000 students. There are currently 49,000 vacant classrooms. The election will flip a seat in Broward County, the state’s liberal stronghold, and lead to the closure of eight county schools over the next two years.
Longtime Florida liberal publisher Peter Schorsch said:DeSantis is determined to make the state a difficult place to live for leftists.
In reality, he is trying to turn the state into a haven for people seeking orderly freedom and prosperity, and today’s leftists are willing to sacrifice quality of life for pagan religious beliefs that are becoming increasingly unwelcome in the state.
The only question is why Republicans and conservatives who have listened to Rush Limbaugh for years don’t accept the answer as yes. Other than rejecting DeSantis for president, there is no effort in other Republican-leaning states to make his leadership a minimum expectation. Isn’t this combination of policy and electoral success what we’ve been yearning for our whole lives? Or maybe for some on the right, politics is just bread and circuses.
