Jax Daily

Dan Quiggle is the State Chairman of Americans for Prosperity, an anti-tax group that recently took on the mayor over a proposed property tax hike to fund the Jacksonville Journey. Quiggle was a candidate for U.S. Congress in 2000, running against Ander Crenshaw in the Republican Primary. He recently took a few moments to answer some questions for JaxDaily…

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JaxDaily: First off, what is Americans for Prosperity?

Dan Quiggle: Americans for Prosperity is the nation’s premier grassroots organization with over 280,000 members nationwide. AFP members advocate limited government and free markets on the local, state and federal levels. We work to advance public policies that champion the principles of entrepreneurship and fiscal and regulatory restraint.

Americans for Prosperity was founded by David Koch. Mr. Koch is the same individual who helped found the Cato Institute and the Institute for Justice. In addition, David and his brother Charles Koch own Koch Industries, the largest privately owned business in the United States. Koch Industries has over 20,000 employees and $90 billion in revenue annually.

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JaxDaily: How many members does AFP have in the Jacksonville area?

Dan Quiggle: Americans for Prosperity has over 13,000 members in Florida, including over a thousand here on the First Coast. In addition, our state office is based right here in Ponte Vedra Beach. AFP is unique in that we are probably one of the only grassroots organizations that will get involved in federal, state and local issues. We have the ability to use our national resources and some of the best policy analysts, political strategists, and media consultants in the country on any issue that we choose.

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JaxDaily: How did you first get involved with the group?

Dan Quiggle: I was honored to be asked to serve as State Chairman by my good friend and National President of AFP – Tim Phillips. We both share a passion for fighting for lower taxes and less government.

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JaxDaily: What role did AFP play in regard to the proposed Jacksonville Journey tax hike that has now been abandoned?

Dan Quiggle: Americans for Prosperity led the fight against Mayor Peyton’s proposed $250 million property tax increase. AFP members sent countless emails, wrote letters, held signs, spoke at meetings and attended rallies against the unnecessary tax hike. In addition, AFP members showed up at every meeting that the Mayor used to promote his plan and distributed literature pointing out how unnecessary and excessive his plan was.

Most compelling was when we obtained a copy of a poster from John Peyton’s mayoral campaign. The poster had a picture of the Mayor and said, “I am a strong fiscal conservative who will oppose any tax increases…” and had his signature beneath it. This was pretty surprising considering he was pushing a $250 million tax increase. We turned this poster into a flyer and distributed it at meetings around town. I firmly believe that we should hold politicians accountable.

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JaxDaily: What is the Taxpayer Protection Amendment and how has AFP been involved in promoting it?

Dan Quiggle: The Taxpayer Protection Amendment is the best method of insuring that the taxpayer is receiving fiscal responsibility and priority budgeting from their government. It also prevents the excessive growth of government spending and taxation.

Essentially, the Taxpayer Protection Amendment limits government spending increases on the state and local level to a combination of inflation and population growth. Any excessive revenue must be put into a rainy-day fund or credited to the taxpayers. If government wishes to grow at an even faster rate it will need to gain voter approval from the taxpayers. Essentially, the Taxpayer Protection Amendment prevents government from growing faster than the citizen’s ability to pay for it.

The Taxpayer Protection Amendment would prevent cuts from necessary services. Currently, we experience boom-bust budgeting. During times of economic growth, politicians spend all of the tax revenues that they receive. However, eventually the economy slows down leaving government with significant shortfalls. At this point government must either cut services or raise taxes. Neither of these are easy options.

With a Taxpayer Protection Amendment in place the growth of government is smoothed out. This forces governments to use priority budgeting. Also, with excess revenue in a budget stabilization fund, budget cuts become less necessary during times of economic decline.

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JaxDaily: Does Americans for Prosperity take a position on the Fair Tax?

Dan Quiggle: While many AFP members personally support the Fair Tax, AFP as an organization has no specific stance on this issue.

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JaxDaily: What is your position on the off-shore drilling proposals that have been floated as of late?

Dan Quiggle: Americans for Prosperity members are working hard to advance environmentally-safe offshore drilling. We support Senator Martinez’s proposal to allow drilling more than 50 miles off the coast. Technology has advanced significantly in drilling and oil companies have reduced their spill rate to .001% of all oil drilled. In addition, Hurricane Katrina proved that today’s oil rigs are able to withstand tremendous storms without causing any significant leaks.

If we drill now prices will lower instantly. A large amount of the price increase that we’ve seen in gasoline is due to speculation. The impression among speculators is that the U.S. will never allow drilling. Once we change that impression prices will lower instantly. Florida is on the front lines of this important issue and we need to act now.

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JaxDaily: Back in 2000, you were a candidate for U.S. Congress. Do you see yourself ever seeking public office again in the future?

Dan Quiggle: Timing is everything. If I believe there is a need, I will run. If we really care about these issues we must eventually work to effect change. I truly enjoyed the campaign experience because I was able to highlight these important issues.

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JaxDaily: Thanks very much for giving us a few moments of your time, is there anything else you would like to add?

Dan Quiggle: One of my favorite quotes is “things may come to those that wait, but only what is left from those that hustle.” I believe we have to out hustle and out smart our opponents if we are going to achieve success. Life is too short to sit on the sidelines.

Americans for Prosperity is currently hosting a series of town hall meetings around the state. These meetings will be an excellent opportunity for individuals to learn more about issues facing taxpayers today, like gas prices and property taxes.  We will also do some training to teach people how to more effectively advance their beliefs.  In addition, we will be inviting local elected officials to attend and answer your questions. A Jacksonville town hall will be held on July 31st from 6:00 – 7:30pm at the Southeast Library near Gate and JTB. Duval County Tax Collector Mike Hogan will be in attendance and we will be discussing Mayor Peyton’s new fees.

For more information, please visit www.afpfl.com