Jim Davis for Governor

Name:	Jim Davis for Governor
Office:	Governor
Website:	jimdavis2006.com

Background:

I have been and will be an experienced, effective leader who listens to the needs and concerns of Floridians and gets results that make a difference for Florida's families. From the State House to Congress, I have worked hard to earn a reputation as a smart, principled fighter for common sense solutions to the problems of everyday Floridians.

A fourth-generation Floridian, I learned early on the values of hard work, community service, and accountability. My grandfather, Cody Fowler, was an important figure in my childhood. He was a Tampa community leader who stood up for civil rights in the 1950's and fought to rid local government of corruption. I learned from him the importance of standing up for what you believe is right, even if it's not the popular thing to do. I also learned that it is every citizen's right to be treated with respect - by their neighbor, by their community and by their government.

As a public servant, I believe that respect means giving everyone a seat at the table and a voice in their own government. I understand that the best ideas and best solutions to the problems families face come from Floridians, not politicians. That's how I approached my job as state legislator, Florida House majority leader, and congressman. I believe there's nothing more important than bringing people together to forge common sense solutions and get results. That's what I will do as governor.

As Majority Leader of the Florida House of Representatives in the mid-1990's, I brought together teachers, principals, parents and community leaders to address a growing problem in Florida's schools - increasing class size. The result was a class size law that set manageable student-teacher ratios based on the input from people closest to the issue, and, most important, gave schools the resources they needed to meet these goals. It was a $100 million program to reduce class sizes. I also worked closely with former Governor Chiles, former Education Commissioner Betty Castor, and then-Chairman of the House Education Committee and former Education Commissioner Doug Jamerson, to enact a student-centered accountability law that empowered and rewarded schools, teachers and students for achievement, rather than punishing them for not meeting arbitrary targets.

Both of these common-sense, consensus-driven education policies were repealed by the Bush administration in Tallahassee. One reason I am running for governor is to bring the voices of teachers, parents, principals and students back to the discussion to improve education and put our schools back on a path to success.

I brought the same approach of listening to Floridians and getting results to Washington when I was elected to Congress in 1996. When a Tampa postal worker told me that his mother was being kicked out of a nursing home because she was on Medicaid, I wrote and passed legislation to stop nursing homes from evicting low-income seniors. When Florida's schools started feeling the squeeze of a teacher shortage, I wrote and passed legislation helping schools recruit and train new teachers from the private sector. When oil companies tried to open up Florida's coastline for drilling, I led the bipartisan coalition that stopped them.

I've been effective because I've brought people together and we've worked toward a common goal of a better future for Florida. I've always stood up for Floridians and for our values. A firm believer in fiscal responsibility, I've stood up for tough choices to balance the federal budget. I've been fighting attempts by the Bush White House to privatize Medicare and Social Security, because I believe that seniors deserve dignity and independence in their retirement.

I was born and raised in Tampa. My wife, Peggy Bessent Davis, and I have two teenaged sons, Peter and William who attend Florida public schools.

Goals:

I'm running for governor to open the doors of Tallahassee to all Floridians. For too long, your voices -
the voices of millions of Floridians - have not been heard by the politicians in Tallahassee. It's time for a change, and it's time for a governor who will give everyone a seat at the table. It's time for a governor who will put the priorities of Florida's families ahead of the special interests.

I will be a governor who will fight for what I believe in, and I'll stand up for Florida's families. I know that by listening to the people of Florida, we'll have common sense ideas that protect the quality of life that brought us all to Florida and keeps us here.

My top priority will be to strengthen Florida's public schools, build a world-class education system and a world-class economy, and truly invest in our schools, teachers and students.

I will protect a woman's right to choose, ensure that we have free and fair elections, promote a living wage, open the doors of opportunity to all, and improve access to affordable health care.

I'm running for governor to Keep Florida's Promise to our families, our seniors, our workers, our communities, and most of all, our children.

Issues:

In my 17 years of public service, I've fought for issues important to Florida's families.

EDUCATION
I believe we need to truly invest in a world-class education system that allows our children to reach their highest potential. That means smaller class sizes, raising teacher salaries, and using the FCAT as a diagnostic tool, instead of using it to punish our students.

Florida's teachers make $6,000 less than the national average and are leaving the profession in droves. The state needs 30,000 more teachers for the upcoming school year. We need to raise teacher salaries immediately, so that we can recruit and retain the best and brightest into Florida's classrooms.

I've proposed a First Class Teachers plan that will raise teacher salaries by nearly $4000 in my first year as governor, without raising taxes. I've also proposed two innovative ways to guarantee teachers a pay raise: by creating a $1 billion Teacher Endowment Fund, and by giving businesses the opportunity to invest in Florida's public schools with the Valuing Teachers Tax Credit. Both programs provide new funding sources to increase teacher pay.

It's clear that smaller class sizes help teachers teach and students learn. That's why we need to invest in our schools and reduce class size.

We need to stop using the FCAT to punish students and schools, and use it as a tool to help our children learn and succeed. Our education system shouldn't be built around one high-stakes test. I've proposed taking three steps to use the FCAT as a diagnostic tool.

First, we'll return the tests sooner, so that performance results are available to teachers, parents and students well before the end of the school year. By making the test results more timely, immediate steps can be taken by students, parents, and teachers to address achievement gaps before the school year ends as well as through summer tutoring or other intervention.

Second, we'll give every student a copy of his or her individual test questions and answers. This important information will allow parents to see the areas where their child excelled and where he or she needs additional attention. Teachers, as well as parents, will be able to work with their students on their actual test answers, and review each question and answer. This will turn the FCAT into the diagnostic tool it should be.

Third, we'll provide targeted study guides to help students, parents, and teachers take immediate action to help students improve. Targeted study guides will provide students, parents and teachers with individual action plans to focus on specific subject areas.

The quality of Florida's public schools has never been more important. Our students aren't just competing with other students across the country, they are competing with students from all over the world. We need to work together to invest in our schools and provide a quality education for Florida's schoolchildren, so they have the tools and skills to live the American dream and succeed in a global economy.

HEALTH CARE
We need to strengthen our health care system and increase access to affordable, quality health care for millions of working Floridians. I've proposed a couple of ideas to lower the cost of health care and increase the number of working people who have access to affordable health care. First, I've proposed Florida join with other states to pool our purchasing power and negotiate with pharmaceutical companies to lower prices for state employees and retirees. Second, I've proposed establishing a program to allow seniors to purchase safe prescription medicine from licensed pharmacies in Canada. Third, I've proposed "Small Business Works," a program that helps small businesses lower the cost of providing health insurance by bringing them together into purchasing co-ops that can negotiate better rates from insurance companies.

Florida has an excellent children's health insurance program called Florida KidCare. But even with the program in place, more than 500,000 children in Florida have no health insurance. I'll maximize Florida KidCare, so we can insure as many children as possible. Since KidCare is a mix of state and federal matching money, our state dollars can go further in providing quality health care for children.

As governor, I'll make it a priority to see that Florida is no longer a state where wealth equals health. Florida's families shouldn't have to choose between paying their bills and getting needed medical care. Our families deserve better and as governor, I'll make sure we work together to do better by them.

ENVIRONMENT
I believe that Florida's unique natural beauty is something that we must protect. From our beaches, rivers and lakes to the Everglades to our state parks, Florida is home to some of the most beautiful natural environments on Earth. Our wetlands, estuaries, and green space enhance our quality of life, yet our fragile ecosystem and precious resources are threatened on a daily basis.

I've led the fight in Congress to protect Florida's beaches from offshore oil drilling. I've brought together Republicans and Democrats to fight back repeated efforts by Big Oil to drill off of Florida's shores. Just in the past year, we've defeated several efforts that would allowed drilling as close as 9 miles off the coast of Florida. I'll continue to fight to protect Florida's coastline from offshore oil drilling.

I also understand the importance of the Everglades to our ecosystem and have fought both in Tallahassee and Washington to protect it for future generations. I've consistently supported full funding of the Everglades Restoration Project and fought for other legislation to protect it. I'll make protecting the environment a priority.

HURRICANE INSURANCE
We need to have real insurance reform that helps homeowners, instead of the insurance companies. Insurance rates for homeowners and small businesses across the state have risen too high, too quickly, and we need to address this problem immediately. Unfortunately, the Republican answer is to give the insurance companies more power to raise their rates, instead of looking for real reform. We need to find a way to stabilize the insurance market and address skyrocketing hurricane insurance rates. As governor, I'll stand up for Florida homeowners and small businesses and protect their interests, not the insurance companies.

ECONOMY
We need a real strategy to grow our economy and create good-paying jobs. For too long, Florida has relied on low-wage jobs to drive the economy. We need to change that. To create high-wage, high-skill jobs that will help Floridians succeed in the global economy, we need to invest in the things that will make those companies want to come here and stay here - intellectual capital, a commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship, and a world-class workforce educated in world-class schools. The number one thing companies are looking for is a skilled workforce. If we develop a skilled workforce, then the good jobs will come, and they will stay. A significant investment in our education system is a significant investment in our economy.

We also need to do more to help our small businesses and entrepreneurs of the future. Florida is a state of small businesses - and that's a strength. According to the Small Business Administration, more than three-quarters of all new jobs are created by small business. I believe that a vital component of an economic development plan is supporting people who want to start and grow their own businesses.

Grassroots Support:

I believe grassroots organizing will be key to winning this election. That's why I am building a robust, statewide, grassroots organization that will be critical to winning not just the Democratic primary, but also the general election in November.

Grassroots organizing is an important part of my campaign. That's why I was the first candidate in the race for governor to visit ALL of Florida's 67 counties. That's why we have a grassroots organization in every single county mobilizing our campaign's support. To build on our success and get our message out, we are going to utilize every grassroots tool, from canvassing to the Internet to house parties.

In April, I announced that our campaign has established Students for Davis chapters on the campuses of 15 Florida colleges and universities, because energizing young voters is a critical part of our organizing strategy. After all, they have more at stake in this election than any other group of voters in Florida.

DFA Values:

This is my 13th campaign for elective office and I have won each of the previous twelve elections with a very simple strategy: standing up for what I believe in.

One year ago, I led the opposition against then-House Republican Leader Tom DeLay, Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist and President George W. Bush's attempts to intervene in the tragic life of Terri Schiavo. Even though many of my Democratic colleagues in Congress urged me not to speak up, I stood up for what I believed and spoke out against political interference in the personal life of Terri Schiavo. To me, it was about the values of privacy and personal rights, and I was appalled by the attempts of politicians in Washington DC to insert themselves in one family's private decisions.

Also, you've seen me leading the fight against the attempt by Big Oil to expand drilling operations to within a few miles of Florida's coastline. Like you, I know that Florida's beaches are a national treasure and I have been leading the opposition to protect our environment and our economy. Again, even though many of my Democratic colleagues are worried that it could be unpopular to oppose drilling when gas prices are skyrocketing, I have worked with Democrats and a few brave Republicans who believe we need a comprehensive solution to energy independence. We simply can't afford to risk serious damage to our beaches and our environment.

I've also supported legislation requiring a paper trail for electronic voting and spoken out about it. Nothing is more sacred than making sure our vote counts.

These are just a few examples of my commitment to standing up for my values - even when it's not popular - to protect the interests of the people of Florida. That's what I've done in Washington, DC and that's what I will do in Tallahassee as governor.