For U.S. Senate
2006-10-11
Source: Daytona Beach News Journal
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rss feedSince 1972, Florida voters have confidently elected Bill Nelson to the state House, U.S. House, to the state Cabinet as insurance commissioner and to the U.S. Senate. The Orlando Democrat has earned those votes because he is thoughtful, trustworthy and effective. Floridians know they can count on him to study issues before casting his vote. Even when people disagree with Nelson, they respect him.
The same cannot be said of his opponent, U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris. The Sarasota Republican campaigns by demeaning Nelson -- reaching a farcical acme last week by suggesting he isn't a Christian. Throughout his political career, Nelson has been active in Bible-study and prayer groups and as an astronaut in 1986 carried a Bible with him into space. But this is an election for the U.S. Senate, not a church board.
Harris has not earned a seat in the U.S. Senate. Nelson has, and deserves re-election.
Nelson has been influential in a Republican-majority Congress. He helped pass a law in 2004 that allowed residents in Florida and other states without income taxes to deduct sales taxes from their federal income tax returns. Although he opposes oil rigs off Florida's coast in principle, when it was clear that Congress was going to pass a law allowing rigs, he worked to limit drilling on the Gulf Coast and preserve the ban on Florida's east coast.
During his second term, Nelson's priorities would include working to build energy independence by promoting research and development of alternative fuels, including hybrid cars. He also supports increasing the mandated fleet average on automobile gasoline mileage to 40 mpg. And he would continue to promote mass transportation.
As Florida's insurance commissioner, Nelson was an advocate for consumers, working to rebuild the insurance industry after Hurricane Andrew and fighting attempts to raise rates on homeowners. He continues to be consumer-minded and says he would like to create an academic task force -- as he did after Andrew -- to seek solutions to the current homeowner insurance conundrum.
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