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You'll get a pretty good idea who I am and what I'm about when you discover who I admire most in the political arena. That would be Ronald Reagan; he gave our Country hope and instilled pride at a critical time in its history, he provided Americans with enormous opportunity and led the United States on a path to prosperity that we still enjoy to this day.
I believe in a limited government, a government that doesn't try and control the lives of citizens, yet one that provides them the tools to help themselves. We've all heard the proverb, 'give a man a fish he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him a lifetime', I'm a strong believer in investing substantial capital in training and educating our citizens, but abhor and loathe the welfare state.
Of course, my disdain for the welfare state should not
be confused with providing life sustaining services to
those who are most vulnerable in our society, like the
disabled and elderly. Government has a moral obligation
to give care to the neediest among us, however, it should
not be a government 'command and control' type of assistance
where government thinks it knows best; it should be the
type of assistance where the citizen is given the tools
to make their own choices for the services they need and
where the competitive market creates and enforces efficiency.
I have a disdain for labels, but if forced to choose
one it would be a 'progressive conservative'. I believe
strongly in personal responsibility and believe for the
most part we create our own environment to live in. I
admire those who work hard and make something of themselves
and pursue the American Dream. I disagree vehemently with
some of my liberal colleagues who have a 'chip on their
shoulder' about those who accumulate wealth and seem to
have 'an ax to grind' for successful businesses like Wal-Mart.
The last time I looked, Wal-Mart had broken no criminal
law.
My passion is public education - it is the cornerstone of a free society. As a parent of five children, all who have been or are in the public school system, I fully realize the importance of investing heavily in our public schools. Of course, with that investment comes the need for accountability and measuring performance. Although edu-crats will agonize over testing and high standards, I have found that the higher you raise the bar, the harder our children will work to reach it. Some will say that high stakes testing only hurts the economically disadvantaged, that to me is an insult to parents, just because you're of limited means doesn't mean you're of limited intellect. Setting minimum standards and blaming society for our stage in life only encourages our children to strive for mediocrity.
I believe strongly that our Universities and Community Colleges should be at the centerpiece of all economic development activities in the state. Gone are the days when our institutions could say to business, 'we'll educate them, you provide the jobs', in today's ever changing world economy, business and education must be partners 'joined at the hip'. Our institutions of higher learning must be given the enhanced resources to maintain our intellectual edge over our counterparts in the world and never surrender as being the 'architects' of science and technology.
You can't talk about improving our quality of life without being fully committed to protecting Florida's fragile environment. Whether it's acquiring environmentally sensitive lands to save the Everglades or funding a water restoration initiative to breathe life back into our beloved Lake Okeechobee, we cannot be timid or passive in our quest to be genuine stewards of the environment.
However, preserving the environment is not mutually exclusive of protecting private property rights or having a regulatory system in place in which business can thrive in Florida, like anything else it requires a balance and common sense. Extremist would have you believe it's one or the other, but the fact is, you can have both, a healthy environment and a thriving business economy.
Creating good jobs that pay well starts with government having a positive attitude toward business, it means having a regulatory environment that has certainty and isn't a moving target. Business will invest heavily as long as they know the political environment is stable and the 'rug isn't likely to be pulled out from underneath them'. My goal is to reduce regulation to the point where the average person can start a business out of the back of their pickup truck or garage.
A critical role of government is funding physical infrastructure. The expansion of roads, ports, airports and rail is vital to move goods and services. Arguably, the most important physical infrastructure expansion for the 21st Century will be in communications for high-end computing and research and development. Capacity for high performance fiber optic and other yet to be invented communication devices must be part of Florida's long-term funding commitment.
Florida's economic development agency, Enterprise Florida, must find a way to effectively bridge the cultural divide that exist between them and Florida's institution's of higher learning. It is critical that they work together to develop a strategy that builds the forth leg of Florida's proverbial economic stool, that leg of course, being bio-science and biotechnology. Governor Jeb Bush has Florida well poised to become one of the premier bio-tech states in the Country.
How government treats its elderly is a primary indicator of how generous and compassionate it truly is. My mother and father were part of the 'Greatest Generation'; it was the generation that saved the world. The moral obligation we have to them is clear; we must ensure that their golden years are filled with respect, dignity and honor. From affordable housing to quality health care, our elderly must be a high priority anytime funding allocations for government initiatives are considered. Remember, our parents didn't give it a second thought when it came making the world a safer and better place for us, our commitment to them should be no different.
With strong leadership from Governor Jeb Bush, I am proud of our accomplishments of the past seven years.
Florida currently enjoys the lowest unemployment rate since records started to be compiled in the 1970's, more jobs are being created in Florida than in any other state in the Country.
Taxes in Florida over the last seven years have been slashed by $14 billion.
Education received the largest increase in the history of Florida last year totaling 1.8 billion new dollars.
Crime is at an all time low due to crime fighting initiatives like 10-20-Life, Three Strikes, 85% requirement; Life means Life and the Jessica Lundsford Act.
Environmental Initiatives like Florida Forever, Water Restoration, Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades are being funded at an all time high.
Reforms to Medicaid, the Pac-Man of the budget was enacted in 2005, a dramatic market driven paradigm shift for the funding of social services.
This is just a small snapshot of the successes governing Republicans have had over the past few years, although much more has been accomplished; there is still much work to be done.
I hope this gives you clearer picture about who your elected representative is and what I stand for, we won't always agree, but it's important for you know my basic philosophy. My father taught me early on in life that we have two ears and one mouth and should listen twice as much as we talk. Please share your thoughts, concerns, ideas and opinions with me, they are important to me and help me govern more responsibly. Remember, I am your public servant and work for you, I look forward to working with you over the next few years to help Florida reach its full potential; our best days are truly ahead of us.
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