For those of you who don’t know me my name is Bob Hackworth. I am the current Mayor of the City of Dunedin, Florida and a candidate for the United States House of Representatives in Florida's 10th Congressional District. I'd like to take this opportunity to discuss one of my top priorities, the economy.
Despite what John McCain’s economic advisor said last week, America’s economic turmoil is not imaginary, it is real. I know it is real because everyday as I ride my bike throughout Pinellas County and talk to voters, they tell me how hard it is to make ends meet, to put gas in their cars and food on the table. Four dollar a gallon gasoline is real, the home mortgage crisis is real, the faltering stock market is real and rising food costs are most certainly not imaginary. This country is in need of change from the top down. That includes not only making sure that Barack Obama is elected president, but that democrats are elected to the House and Senate. For 38 years Republican Bill Young has represented Florida’s 10th Congressional District, it is time for a change. While some Floridian’s believe that Bill has performed adequately as a representative, one thing is certain. As a man who has voted with President Bush about 90% of the time, Bill Young does not represent the change this country needs. On the contrary, he represents the failed policies of the Bush administration that have cost us thousands of lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, millions of jobs to overseas companies and billions of dollars in economic stimulation at home. Washington is in need of fundamental change that will work FOR the American people and not to further line the pockets of the oil companies and large corporations.
As a small business owner and Mayor of the third city in Florida awarded the "Green City" designation, I know how important having a vision and plan for the future is. We cannot continue to send the same people to Washington year after year and expect anything to change. We need bold, visionary leadership that can anticipate and confront the challenges of the future. We need representatives who realize that it is the individual people of America who make this country great and make the economy strong and not the faceless corporations. That is why I support rolling back Bush’s corporate tax cuts and investing in new, alternative energy that will create jobs and opportunity. We should also invest heavily in rebuilding our infrastructure, including building bridges, roads and rails, which will create millions of jobs. I also oppose off-shore drilling, not only because of the environmental concerns but because economists anticipate it would not produce a single drop of oil for at least 7 years. How can we risk the beauty of Florida's beaches and increase atmospheric pollution just to forestall the inevitable energy crisis? We cannot keep relying on depleting oil reserves and imports from hostile middle-eastern countries to produce our ever-increasing energy needs. There is energy to be had from wind, solar,nuclear, and clean burning coal that will not only provide America energy, but jobs and economic stimulation that will help right the wrongs of the Bush administration. The technoolgy exists to implement these solutions, the country only lacks the political will to use them. That has to change.
Some of the other positions I support are a universal mortgage tax credit, increased accountability in the sub-prime mortgage industry, a homeowner foreclosure fund, enforcement of fair labor and environmental standards and mandatory increases in fuel efficiency for vehicles.
The unfortunate truth is there may not be a quick fix to gas prices. The reason is because for eight years under George Bush and the Republican congress, energy independence and alternative fuels were never top priorities. Bill Young never proposed any legislation to help reduce our dependence on foreign oil or invest in alternative energy and it is that sort of closed-mindedness that is now costing us at the pump. We cannot expect any of our necessary energy plans to come to fruition until we have new representation in Washington. That is why I am running for Congress in Florida’s 10th district.
I am reaching out to Kossacks because I know that you represent the progressive beliefs and ideals that I will advocate as Congressman for Florida's 10th District. It is time we bring national policies and debate to the individual districts and I hope that you will help me in spreading the message. Please visit my website for more information.
http://www.bobhackworth.com/
Any donations that you can make to the campaign would be greatly appreciated. Here is the link to my actblue page:
http://www.actblue.com/...