Congressman John Mica

Beaven gets AFL-CIO endorsement

By topstoriesjacksonvil on | From topstoriesjacksonville.com

Democrat Heather Beaven officially got the nod from Big Labor today, picking up the endorsement of the AFL-CIO.

Beaven is running against U.S. Rep. John Mica, a Republican who has represented the 7th Congressional District since 1993.

In an e-mail announcing the endorsement, Beaven continued to hammer Mica on oil drilling.

In this latest installment, Beaven calls out specific oil drilling-related votes Mica has made in the past, and asked him to use his oil industry political contributions to buy equipment for clean up workers.

“I want you to join me in urging John Mica to use his $100,000.00 in campaign contributions from the oil industry to purchase respirators!”

Full e-mail below

LET’S GET BACK TO WORK

For fifteen years, I have built a life on getting other people to work. In the early days, I helped people write resumes and prepare for job interviews. Today, I run a non-profit dedicated to helping young people prepare for the challenges of the workplace. I have heard hundreds of people sigh that unmistakable sigh of relief when that job offer finally comes in. For these and many other reasons, I couldn’t be more proud to accept the endorsement of the AFL-CIO.

I accept this important endorsement knowing that it comes with the solemn responsibility to represent some of our most treasured public servants – firefighters, police, teachers, letter carriers, nurses and air traffic controllers – in a way that supports their ability to protect and serve America. I treasure that opportunity.

MICA AND BIG OIL

In 2007, John Mica voted NO on H R 6. The bill repealed tax cuts to oil companies, mandated a Gulf Clean Up fee, incentivized renewable energy, barred oil companies from bidding on new federal leases unless they pay a fee or renegotiate improperly drafted leases from the late ’90s that did not require royalty payments on Gulf oil production, established a conservation fee on oil taken from the Gulf, and set aside an estimated $13 to $15 billion in revenues over a five-year period for tax breaks for renewable energy projects.

In 2008, he voted against The Responsible Federal Oil and Gas Act. The bill required companies to set and meet standards to keep their leases. Why did he vote no??? Well according to That’s My Congress dot Com, “members of Congress who voted against the Responsible Federal Oil and Gas Lease Act were doing the bidding of the big oil companies, regardless of the harm to the larger American economy.”

And, of course, there was the 2005 proposal by House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo (R-CA) to allow drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf. The shelf is 9 miles off Florida’s Gulf Coast and 3 miles off the Atlantic coast. The amendment also would have applied to the entire Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Every member of the Florida House delegation (and Governor Bush, too) objected…everyone but John Mica.

JOHN MICA NEEDS TO PUT THAT $100,000 TO GOOD USE!

In America, we shouldn’t have to go to work wondering if our company chose stock price over safety, and we shouldn’t send citizens out to clean up corporate messes without any precautions. Unfortunately, I have seen first-hand the young people and military on the Gulf Coast working diligently without respirators.

At first blush, this many not seem like a big deal; but we have seen people get sick cleaning oil spills before. After the Exxon Valdez tragedy, we learned that dispersants cause kidney, lung and blood disorders. In fact, dozens in the Gulf have already reported symptoms.

That’s why I want you to join me in urging John Mica to use his $100,000.00 in campaign contributions from the oil industry to purchase respirators! You can email him here or phone him at (407) 657-8080. They are desperately needed and $100,000 will buy about 6,666 of them.

A BIG THANK YOU…

…to the NW Volusia Democrats for their support, and to the Seminole Democratic Club for their endorsement.

THE OCEAN KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES

See this New York Times article on how the oil gusher will impact Florida. Don’t have time to read this devastating account of what could come? Here are the experts that stood out to me:

“Oil and gas contribute about $65 billion a year to the Louisiana economy, according to the state’s oil and gas association, while in Florida, tourism accounts for about $60 billion.“

“Sean Snaith, an economist at the University of Central Florida, recently completed a study showing that Florida’s gulf coast could lose 195,000 jobs and $11 billion this year alone if the spill cuts tourism in half.“

“With oil drilling – as with Wall Street – ‘there will be significant rethinking about who benefits and who bears the cost,’ Mr. Snaith predicted.”

“Key Largo hosted a “reef fest” for divers last week, but after an extensive advertising campaign estimated to have reached 1.5 million people, only six divers showed up. Jackie Harder, president of the local chamber of commerce, said she had expected 300.”