Monday, August 11, 2008

VOTE FAYE ARMITAGE, THE ONLY CD7 DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE WHO OPPOSES OFFSHORE OIL DRILLING, WHICH COULD DESTROY FLORIDA'S TOURIST ECONOMY!

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August 10, 2008

Dems vying for Mica's post split over offshore drilling
By JOHN BOZZO
Staff Writer

Drill for oil off the Florida coast?

Two Democratic Party candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives in District 7 disagree on whether the answer should be "yes" or "no."

Their answers on drilling, in separate interviews, formed the sharpest difference on issues between candidates Faye Armitage and Clyde Malloy.

Both are making their first run for political office in the Aug. 26 primary.

The winner will square off in the Nov. 4 general election against one of the state's veteran politicians, Rep. John Mica, R-Winter Park.

Mica is seeking his ninth term representing the district, which stretches from Duval County to Orange County and includes Palm Coast, Daytona Beach and DeLand.

TO DRILL OR NOT

"No," Armitage said quickly. "It will be a disaster to our $50 billion tourism industry. Not so much from an accidental oil spill, which will happen, but from the day-to-day trash."

Communities along the Gulf of Mexico experience problems with pollution from offshore oil-drilling operations, she said.

"It's a make-believe solution," Armitage said.

New drilling would take 10 years to have an impact on prices and supplies, she said. Oil companies already have acres of offshore sites where they're not drilling.

"We should stop filling our strategic oil reserves," Armitage said. "The real story is we are still increasing reserves."

The focus should be on public transportation, electric cars and biofuels made from algae, not crops grown for food, she said.

"I don't see why all public buildings don't have solar power," she said.

Malloy also supports developing alternative energy as a solution to the nation's energy problem.

But he's willing to consider drilling for oil and gas off Florida shores as a way to help finance those alternatives.

"My first inclination, really, was, 'Absolutely not,' " Malloy said, when asked about drilling off the Florida coast. "But I learned long ago never to say never to anything.

"We have to leave the option open. If we do drilling off the coast, it has to be in the direction to reduce our dependence on oil. Royalties must be spent on developing alternative energy sources."

Mica wrote an online blog in June supporting lifting the moratorium on offshore drilling.

THE IRAQ WAR

Both candidates want to pull troops out of Iraq swiftly.

"If we ever did have a goal (in Iraq), I feel we accomplished that goal in overthrowing Saddam Hussein," Armitage said. "Basically, we've given them ample time to get their act together."

Malloy talked about finding a responsible plan for withdrawal and criticized hiring private contractors to help with the occupation of Iraq.

"Any country relying on outside contractors is not going to get support of its people," he said. "Get the contractors out. They're people who care almost nothing about the country and want to pull money out."

Mica voted for invasion of Iraq and has supported efforts to help Iraq maintain security before pulling out troops.

A TAXING ECONOMY

"It's ludicrous that we had a tax cut at a time when we could least afford it," Armitage said. "We need to roll back the tax cut for the wealthy and proceed with a tax cut for the middle class."

Malloy agreed, saying the middle class must be allowed "to breathe" economically.

"What we need to do is to start rolling back the Bush tax cut for the top 4 percent to 6 percent of Americans," he said.

Armitage put forward the idea of national jobs programs in biomedical and green technologies, such as retrofitting buildings with solar energy panels.

"Really, our future is green-collar jobs," she said.

Malloy talked about creating high-paying jobs by taking the burden of health care from companies and offering government health insurance.

Both candidates want everyone to have health care.

Malloy supports efforts geared to expand health insurance.

Armitage wants a program nicknamed "Medicare for Everyone," which basically expands Medicare eligibility. Malloy would support expansion for Medicare, but said it has no chance to pass because of opposition from health insurance companies.

"Elect me, and I would definitely have it approved," Armitage said.

Mica has voted to reduce capital gains taxes, to increase the child tax credit, eliminate the marriage penalty, make the Bush tax cuts permanent, eliminate the estate tax and to support the economic stimulus payments to put money back in the pockets of people.

john.bozzo@news-jrnl.com

Job Description

DUTIES: Represent citizens in the U.S. House of Representatives

TERM OF OFFICE: Two years

ANNUAL SALARY: $169,300

Bios

NAME: Faye Armitage

AGE: 50

RESIDENCE: Fruit Cove

OCCUPATION: Caregiver to paralyzed son, former economics professor and health care industry employee

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: First run for public office

PRIORITIES: Health care for everyone; a plan to withdraw forces from Iraq; break up large media corporations; and impose a green technology initiative.

OTHER: Her activism led to her arrest twice, in 1998 after a tussle with a school resource officer about treatment of her son and in 2004 for removing Bush and other campaign signs from a public right of way. Both charges were dismissed.

FINANCES: Armitage has collected $18,834, none from political action committees. She's put $6,500 of her money into the campaign and has $4,298 cash on hand.

NAME: Clyde Malloy

AGE: 48

RESIDENCE: Ormond Beach

OCCUPATION: Retired public safety officer

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: First run for public office

PRIORITIES: Campaign finance reform, expanding health care, more high-paying jobs and improving education

FINANCES: Has $26,757 in donations, most of it -- $17,255 -- from himself. None of his campaign money comes from political action committees. Has $253 cash on hand, according to the latest Federal Elections Commission reporting period, which ended June 30.

Candidate Web sites

Faye Armitage at www.fayeforcongress.com/

Clyde Malloy at www.malloyforcongress.com/

John Mica at www.micaforcongress.com/

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