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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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