1. Name    Clint Curtis
  2. Age       49
  3. Contact address   P.O. Box 1456 Titusville FL 32781
  4. Contact phone number 321-795-7922
  5. Contact email address  ClintCurtis@ClintCurtis.com
  6. Web site, if available www.ClintCurtis.com
  7. Office sought US Congress FL-24

 

Biographical Data:

  1. Educational background  Ill State University (BS) – Barry University of Law (2L)
  2. Occupation, training & experience  Computer Programmer – Completing Law Degree

 

General Question:

 

  1. Regarding the office you are seeking, name the two most important issues that you believe are of concern to your district and how would you address each.

 

Iraq War – Just recently there has been an acceptance of a defined time table to withdraw. If that is not accomplished, we must stop the funding until this goal is achieve. If we force the country into separate regions, each defended by their own militias, and let them come back together at their own pace and on their own terms, Iraq can once again become a unified country and we can leave.. Iraq can come back together as a country but not as long as we occupy the country. By providing Iraq the opportunity to come back together on its own terms, America can be the moral country it once was and cut off our enemies' ability to use us as an object of hate.

 

Lowering fuel costs and restoring our economy. We can bring good paying jobs and prosperity to the area while developing energy independence for this country by the development of an algae based bio-diesel prototype production facility in this district. This will also reduce fuel cost by as much as 70%.

 

 

Specific questions regarding the office you are seeking:

 

  1. What is your position on off-shore drilling? Please defend your position.

 

Off-shore drilling is not the path we should follow. Even if we ignore the potential environmental impact to a possible spill (over 6.5 million gallons of oil was spilled into the gulf in 2005 – this did not include the spills from New Orleans). We can move away from fossils fuels and become energy independent by producing diesel fuel from algae. This technology is already proven and central Florida has the perfect climate for the development. Private companies in Texas has already begun this process. It will provide fuel at one third the cost and bring good paying jobs to this district.

 

  1. What is your plan for providing health care services for all citizens in the United States?

 

We are the only industrialized nation that does not have a national health care plan. We also have the best health care, but only for those who can afford it.

I propose that we do not attempt a remake of our system. Right now, we have the ability to provide health care for all of our citizens and remove the cost to every individual and business. . At this time health care is treated like an ordinary expense which means that a business must absorb part of the cost. It also forces each individual to pay an ever increasing portion of their salary for health care benefits. By utilizing tariffs from imported goods and outsourced jobs, we can completely fund a universal health care system and remove the costs from our citizens. Outsourcing and loss of production have cost this country 25% of its tax base. That means that over 2.5 trillion dollars that used to be taxable is lost to non-taxed foreign jobs and tax sheltered foreign corporations. The result has been an increased in tax cost to American citizens and a drain on the revenues that could be used to finance such public benefits as a universal health care system. Restoring this tax base would allow us to fully find healthcare without personal or business costs and reduce the tax burden on America's citizens.

By providing a single no-fault universal health plan with the cost offset by tariffs on imported goods, we can provide health care to all our citizens and still avoid the government control associated with socialized medicine.

 

  1. What ideas do you have for stemming the adverse effects of climate change and how would you accomplish these ideas?

 

I hate to sound like a broken record but if the prototype algae diesel plant is successful it could be propagated across the country and eventually the world. The pollution that is generated is reduced by 70% as well as the type of pollution is altered. Since it is not a fossil fuel but rather a natural vegetable oil, it will generate waste that is more easily tolerated by the environment. It will be like removing 70% of the cars from the roads as well as most of the pollutants by factories. This coupled with “Common Sense Stewardship” of our environment can result in a victory over global warming.

 

  1. Name a specific issue that we have not addressed that you feel is important to your constituents.

 

It is paramount that we rebuild America's economic independence. The huge trade deficit,coupled with trade agreements like Bush's CAFTA or Clinton's NAFTA have robbed this country of its strength. The growth in the trade deficit, which now exceeds $300 billion, has destroyed millions of high-wage, high-skilled manufacturing jobs in the U.S. and has pushed workers into other sectors, such as restaurants and health service industries, where wages are lower. Just as important is the constant push to outsource both the office worker job and professional technical jobs.

Trade deficits have a direct impact on wages. The average real wage for U.S. production workers peaked in 1978, and his been declining since (an exception being the upswing in Clinton's second term). The steady growth in our trade deficits over the past two decades has eliminated millions of U.S. manufacturing jobs. At the present rate it will not be long before America makes nothing.

If we return this country to the tariff policies of the 50’s, we can restore America to it’s past greatness. By applying tariffs on imported goods and outsourced jobs that do not match American standards, we can level the playing field. We can bring their standards up to us rather than forcing our standards down to them.

America needs to be a leader of the world and not in a race to become another third world country. At present our dollars spent on outsourced jobs and untaxed goods exceed 25% of our national tax base. This practice has resulted in moving the tax burden from foreign corporations, where it belongs, to the backs of working Americans. Today 25% of Americas tax base has disappeared through outsourced foreign jobs and tax sheltered foreign corporations. The loss of those additional dollars has made Americans pay more of the burden while getting less services for their money. By practicing fair trade we can greatly increase revenues while simultaneously lower taxes on our citizens.

We can no longer allow an unchecked globalized economy to continue to weaken America.