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YOUR VOICE NEWS & VIEWS • ST. LUCIE WEST/TRADITION • MAY 24, 2013 • 3
DEMOCRATS from page 1
Rep. Larry Lee Jr. said. “Unemployment is slowly coming down. There are no signs of inflation.” While optimistic about a full recovery from the 2008 recession, Murphy cautioned his audience there is still much to be done in order to heal. “I’m not for class warfare, but when you have individuals like Mitt Romney paying 14, 15 percent (in taxes) and the small business owners and the folks in this room, who create jobs are paying 35, 39 percent — That’s not right.” Murphy said help is on the way for struggling entrepreneurs and small business owners. “I’m working on several bills right now to enable lending to those who are trying to create a business,” said Murphy, who is on Financial Services and Small Business committees in the House. “There are a lot of people out there with great ideas, but they can’t get a loan for a thing.” Florida House Rep. Larry Lee Jr. D-Port St. Lucie, thanked the room of supporters during his address. “This process, I could not have done it without this organization, the Democrats of St. Lucie County and some Republicans that believed in me,” Lee said. “Because as you know, it got really nasty the last two weeks of the election.” During his freshman session, Lee co-sponsored 14 different bills ranging in issues from education, energy and utilities to election ethics. Lee vowed to keep fighting for the well-being of his constituents in St. Lucie County, while advocating for bipartisanship to get things done. “It was a very trying time, the first two weeks up there, feeling my way through ... ,” Lee said. “I realized in order to get anything done up there in that Republican-dominated legislature, I had to go across the aisle.” During her introduction of Lee, school board member Kathryn Hensley praised Lee for his willingness to listen to the needs of his constituents. “We are very, very pleased that we have someone who represents St. Lucie County, who speaks for St. Lucie County, has the courage to walk the walk and stand up for what he knows we need in Tallahassee,” Hensley said.
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polarizing West. Being on the list presented its challenges throughout the session and will call for an even greater voter turnout next year, Murphy told attendees at the Inn at Ocean Village, where the event was held. Attendees included county Clerk of Court Joe Smith, Tax Collector Chris Craft and Supervisor of Elections Gertrude Walker. “One thing I do want to remind you all is we got to start now. I’m on this target list — ‘Top 10 Most Vulnerable,’ I think they call it,” Murphy said. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to be bipartisan and get something done while being on this so-called ‘Target List’ of the Republican party? They don’t even want to be seen sitting next to me.” During his speech, Murphy said bipartisanship is key in moving issues forward in a Republican-dominated House. “I campaigned on bipartisanship, on working together, on getting stuff done because ... majority really does have the rule,” Murphy said. “They really get to control what bills come to the floor, how they’re amended, what the process is. “So the only way we can get anything done right now is if we have bipartisanship. I’ve been working very hard at that.” Murphy said that while he championed the concept of crossing party lines to pass legislation, there are key issues he remains steadfast on, including Medicaid and Social Security. “Turns out this whole voucher idea the Republicans are proposing, it isn’t a good idea,” said Murphy, who stressed the numbers don’t add up in Republican plans for Medicaid. Murphy, who said he’s been working to establish a good relationship with the Army Corps of Engineers, said he’s also working with the Department of Interior and Department of Agriculture to secure funding for local inlet dredging and beach renourishment projects. “This is one of the top issues for me. I grew up in the Florida Keys, fishing and diving,” Murphy said. “The environment is critical and it’s not just important because I like clean air and clean water and I want my kids and grandkids to have it, but the truth is, that’s a big part of our economy.” “For every dollar spent on our environment, it comes back 4:1. So these are smart investments.” Murphy said he recently met with Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, to discuss the economy and things are looking up. “America, right now, is poised for a serious recovery,” Murphy