Florida’s Gov. Scott: We Can’t Just Print Money

Florida’s financial straits mirror those at the federal level in many ways, with one key difference, Gov. Rick Scott says.

“We just don’t have a printing press to keep printing money,” the Republican governor told attendees at an economic conference in West Palm Beach this afternoon.

Lacking that money-printing black hole, Scott said, the nation’s governors are using other means to demonstrate fiscal leadership to the federal government. One goal in Florida is to make the Sunshine State the top spot in the country for businesses, he said.

When Newsmax.TV’s Kathleen Walter asked about criticism of severe budget cuts Scott has proposed to bring the state budget under control, he acknowledged that the state provides a safety net for the poor and needy. But it also must be accountable for the money it spends, he said.

“We have to make sure we're efficient with the dollars,” he said.

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As he spoke inside the Palm Beach County Convention Center, protesters marched outside as part of a national day of union-organized rallies marking the anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination.

The “We Are One” rallies focused primarily on measures to limit or end collective bargaining rights for public employees in Wisconsin and Ohio.