Election Guide: U.S. Senator (Florida)

This guide is for United States Senator.

The 10 candidates and their platforms:

1) Marco Rubio (Republican).

• Hire one civilian employee for every two that leave government.
  
• Use TARP funds to pay the debt.
  
• Cancel unspent stimulus funds which "could save nearly $300 billion."
  
• Ban all earmarks.
  
• Pass a Constitutional Amendment requiring Congress to balance the budget.
  
• Require any new federal tax to be approved only by a 2/3 vote of Congress.
  
• Supports proposals that "would allow individuals and businesses to check-off an amount, up to 10% of their tax bill, to be dedicated to retiring the national debt. Congress would have to match the amount."
  
• Freeze federal non-defense, non-veterans spending at 2008 levels.
  
• Give the president the line-item veto.
  
• Permanently extend the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts.
  
• Permanently end the death tax.
  
• Stop the Value Added Tax.
  
• Repeal "ObamaCare."
  
• Prevent a national energy tax.
  
• Oppose efforts to strip away workers' right to a secret ballot.
  
• Allow individuals to purchase health insurance across state lines.
  
• Incentivize the use of electronic medical records.
  
• Give individuals the same tax break given to businesses when they buy health insurance.
  
• Increase the number of Community Health Centers.
  
• Allow "patients to switch insurance coverage...without risking pre-existing condition exclusion."
  

Sources: http://www.marcorubio.com/
"Rubio Calls for Federal Layoffs" article.
Rubio interview with Wolff Blitzer.

2) Kendrick Meek (Democrat).

• Supported the Florida initiative to reduce class sizes in Florida's public schools.
  
• Began his career as a Trooper with the Florida Highway Patrol.
  
• Served in the Florida House from 1995 to 1998 and then in the Florida Senate from 1999 to 2002.
  
• Worked with Republicans to provide compensation for two Floridians who had been wrongly convicted of murder.
  
• Led a 25-hour sit-in "to protest the [FL] Governor's plan to roll back state policies that made sure all Floridians had equal education and workplace opportunities."
  
• "Voted for a $23 billion increase in VA funding."
  
• He co-sponsored HR 1211, which passed in 2009, to "fund and require gender-specific VA health care for our women vets for the first time."
  
• Co-sponsor of the End Veteran Homelessness Act of 2010, "which increases support for successful VA programs."
  
• Co-sponsor of HR 1513 which "provides for an annual, automatic cost of living adjustments for veterans' compensation."
  
• Graduated from Florida A&M University.
  
• Has "received an A rating from the National Educator's Association every year since 2003.
  
• Supports the Recovery Act that passed in 2009.
  
• Supporter of the Employee Free Choice Act.
  
• Against "any new offshore drilling."
  
• Advocates the use of U.S. forces to "protect civilians in Darfur."
  
• "Will help to ensure that we work with our allies to finish the job our military started in 2001" in Afghanistan.
  
• "Iran must not be allowed to secure nuclear weapons capability."
  
• The "only pro-choice candidate" in the race.
• Supported the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which ensures equal pay for equal work regardless of age, race, gender, religion, or national origin. It was signed by Obama into law in 2009.
  
• The "only candidate that has supported the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell since day one."
  
• Believes that Florida's adoption ban for LGBT citizens is "wrong."
  
• Has sponsored legislation to expand access to the State Children's Health Insurance Program.
  
• Voted for the Affordable Care Act.
  
• Supports measures that would lower interest rates and mortgage payments for families at risk of foreclosure.
  
• Endorsed by Obama, Bill Clinton, Bob Graham, Bill Nelson, Alex Sink, and Corrine Brown.
  

Sources: http://www.kendrickmeek.com/
Meek's Voting Record.

3) Alexander Andrew Snitker (Libertarian).

• Served eight years in the Marine Corps.
  
• Salesman for AXSA Document Solutions, Inc.
  
• Supports the "Fair Tax, term limits for both the Senate and the House, balance budget amendments, a non-interventionists foreign policy, and Ending the Federal Reserve."
• Supports a "balanced Budget Amendment, which would prohibit the federal government from spending more money than it takes in each year."
  
• Supports "the Enumerate Powers Act, which requires lawmakers to cite, in any piece of legislation, where in the Constitution the federal government has the authorization to create such legislation."
  
• Believes that "all gun laws in this nation are unconstitutional and should be repealed."
  
• Supports repealing the 17th Amendment (the popular vote of Senators).
  
• Supports "making the Social Security and Medicare tax optional."
  
• Will "move to abolish the inefficient Department of Education and other unconstitutional federal measures regarding education."
  
• Favors the "research and implementation of thorium-based energy production."
  
• Require companies to "carry insurance to cover any" environmental damages.
  
• Opposes "any carbon tax scheme."
  
• We need to "bring all the troops home."
  
• Supports a "moratorium on most of the foreign aid the government allows."
  
• Supports "enforcing laws on corporations that hire undocumented workers."
  
• End the "federal war on drugs."
  

Sources: http://snitker2010.com/

4) Bernie DeCastro (The Constitutional Party).

• Believes in "that life begins at conception."
  
• Will "fight and oppose Obama's and Pelosi's Cap & Trade at any cost."
  
• Signed "Glenn Beck's 912 pledge...that a return to God and the Constitution are the remedies for the serious problems this country faces."
  
• "Spent almost 19 years locked up in Florida's criminal justice system for mostly drug related crimes" during the 1980s.
  
• Founded the Florida Ex-Offender Reentry Coalition.
  
• Supports repeal of the Income Tax and adoption of a "Fair Tax system."
  
• Supports a "return to the Spiritual roots of our Founding Fathers."
  
• Supports the "exploration for and use of oil reserves" in the U.S.
  
• Has a five year plan to eliminate the national deficit.
  
• Believes in setting term limits for elected officials to "two six year terms for the Senate and four two year terms for the House."
  
• Supports "eliminating the IRS."
  
• Have "China and other like countries to pay a per piece import tax" to increase revenue.
  
• Repeal the 17th Amendment (popular vote of Senators).
  
• Supports a "strong immigration policy (no amnesty)."
  
• Believes that "marriage is between one man and one woman."
  
• Believes in the right to own and possess firearms.
  
• Advocates a "strong military" and a "non-interventionist's foreign policy."
  
• Believes that "we must break our public school system free of the National Education Association stranglehold and its progressive agenda."
  
• Supports "the reform of our healthcare system without a public option."
  
• Believes that "Capt & Trade is nothing more than a rip-off from the far left."
  
• Believes that "we are harming our nation when we qualify our nationality."
  

Sources: http://www.electbernie.com/

5) Sue Askeland (NPA).

• I could not find anything substantial about this candidate.
  

6) Bruce Ray Riggs (NPA).

• "The powers of government were never given the jurisdiction to do the things they are doing today."
  
• Watch his video to learn more about his platform.

Sources: http://www.dirtyunclesam.com/
Riggs' MySpace Page

7) Bobbie Bean (NPA).

• He is a pro-weightlifter.
  
• He "was strongly involved in efforts to get the Jeffrey Johnson Stand Up for All Students Act passed, which was enacted by the Florida legislature in 2008 to provide safe school guidelines for every district in the state."
  
• Supports a "Fair Tax and stimulus checks for our struggling lower and middle classes."
  
• Supports "term limits."
  
• Advocates "federal regulation to combat new forms of bullying such as cyberbullying and aggressive text messaging."
  
• "Our time has come to either increase the number of U.S. troops...or bring our military personnel home."
  
• Supports creating "new jobs with government-subsidized solar panels and deep energy retrofits for homes and businesses."
  
• Supports increased spending for mass transit.
  
• We need to "secure our borders with a strong military presence."
  
• Supports increased "subsidies for small farmers."
  

Sources: http://www.bobbiebean.com/

8) Rick Tyler (NPA).

• Part of "Newt Gingrich's team for the last ten years."
  
• NY Times Best Seller author.
  
• Became a "new creature in Christ" in 1979.
  
• Believes "we have a criminal government that is in urgent need of being held to a proper standard of accountability."
  
• Believes people have a "God given right to keep and bear arms."
  
• Holds that "life begins at conception and abortion constitutes the unjust taking of a human life."
  
• Believes that the "UN must be given its eviction notice and sent packing."
  
• Believes that the "income tax is flagrantly unconstitutional."
  
• Supports ending the Federal Reserve.
  
• Supports home schooling and private Christian education to "supplant and challenge the hegemony of corrupt and subversive state education."
  
• Supports an "outright exclusion of homosexuals from the American armed forces."
  
• Repeal the Patriot Acts.
  
• States "have the absolute right to secede from the national union."
  
• A "permanent European American majority must be galvanized to insure the nation's well being and survival."
  

Sources: http://www.tylerforsenate.com/occupation
http://www.torenewamerica.com/tyler-bio

9) Charlie Crist (NPA).

• Links to different articles regarding Charlie Crist from my website.
  
• Tax credits for "businesses investing in low-income rural and urban locations."
  
• Allocated "millions of dollars in state grants for the research and development of cellulosic ethanol."
• Signed legislation "calling for 10 percent of our state's petroleum to include ethanol by 2010."
  
• Approved the "first new nuclear plant in over thirty years."
  
• Purchased the U.S. Sugar Plantation to restore the Florida Everglades.
  
• Created the Office of Open Government which made "government more accessible to the people."
• Supports the Second Amendment.
  
• Since 2007, he has "suspended and/or removed 44 elected or public officials for violation of the public trust."
  
• Supports increasing charter schools.
  
• Endorsed by the Florida Education Association.
  
• Signed the Anti-Murder Act which "ensures violent felony offenders who violate probation to return to jail. Since becoming law, nearly 100 violent probation violators have been locked back up."
  
• Signed the Stop Turning Out Prisoners Act which requires "criminals to serve at least 85 percent of their sentences."
  
• "Created the state's first Child Predator/Cyber Crime unit" in 2005.
  
• Endorsed by the Police Benevolent Association and the Fraternal Order of Police.
  
• Vetoed a "record $459 million in pork barrel spending in the 2007 state budget."
  
• Has "cut state spending by $7.4 billion in three short years."
  
• Led the campaign in support of Amendment 1 which "significantly cut property taxes for homeowners."
  
• Launched the "Florida Discount Drug Card...in order to help Florida's seniors afford their lifesaving prescription drugs."
  
• Signed the General Appropriations Act "which gave seniors and disabled individuals who currently reside in a nursing home a choice regarding their long-term care needs."
  
• Created the "Silver Alert Program to alert the public about missing and endangered seniors."
  
• Signed into law the Cover Florida Health Care plan which "provides uninsured Floridians with 27 health care options that best meet their needs."
  
• Developed the Florida Discount Drug Card which "offers Floridians in need of prescription drug coverage immediate discounts."
  
• Is the "only candidate standing firmly with Florida's seniors to protect social security as Americans know it today."
  
• Does not support an amnesty program but "supports immigration reform that provides an earned path to citizenship."
  

Sources: http://www.charliecrist.com/home
http://www.flgov.com/priorities

10) Lewis Jerome Armstrong (NPA).

• "'True Ethics' in the are of banking is needed."
  
• Florida should "have funding in place that can aid the general public when there are catastrophic events."
  
• Supports legislation that "helps all law-abiding immigrants within our borders to become citizen of this great nation."
  
• Author of two books.
  
• Supports vocational training in our public school system.
  
• Will "ask for legislation that will increase benefits for our seniors."
  
• Believes "a two-state solution with legislation pass by the U.S. can bring people in the region together" (in Israel/Gaza).
  
• Supports legislation "that will call for inmates that can be fitted for military service to fill the ranks as foot soldiers."
  

Sources: http://www.lewisarmstrong.org/index.html