Fix The Debt

The Campaign to Fix the Debt – a national nonpartisan coalition of business leaders, elected officials, community leaders, academics and individual citizens – officially launched its state chapter in Florida to bring concerned individuals together and call lawmakers to address the ballooning national debt.

The Campaign to Fix the Debt Florida Chapter called on lawmakers in Washington to put aside political differences to find practical solutions to the debt and encouraged Florida citizens to ask their leaders to take action.  

Highlights from the Sunshine State …

The Miami Herald’s political blog covered the campaign launch, with Tampa city councilwoman and Florida Steering Committee member Mary Mulhern saying, "I think citizens of all parties are concerned about our huge national debt and I welcome this opportunity to contribute to non-partisan solutions.”

Mulhern continued, “I hope to lend a calm and reasoned voice to the discussion of fixing our national debt. In an economy recovering from the worst recession since the Great Depression, we should not attempt to balance the budget on the backs of the most vulnerable and the middle class.”

The Tampa Bay Times’ Buzz blog noted that the campaign is made up of elected officials, business leaders and academics, among others, including "attorney Justin Sayfie, a Republican political operative, former gubernatorial candidate and U.S. Rep. Jim Davis, a Tampa Democrat, Republican Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe, and Rebeca Sosa, a Republican Miami-Dade County Commissioner.”

Here's a perspective from a small business owner:

“Already businesses like mine are feeling the effects of the uncertainty over whether Congress and the White House will be able to strike a budget deal before January. I’m not going to hire new workers if I can’t be certain that I can give them a paycheck,” said Chip LaMarca, Broward County Commissioner, owner of a small construction firm and steering committee member. “I see the debt’s effect on businesses and local government everyday as a County Commissioner and a small business owner. “

The Campaign to Fix the Debt is committed to advocating for our elected leaders to avert the cliff while gradually putting our debt on a sustainable course by generating more tax revenues and making smart spending cuts to programs that aren’t working or aren’t necessary.

“We are thrilled that the Campaign to Fix the Debt is involving so many Floridians at the grassroots level,” said Maya MacGuineas, President of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, who is spearheading the Campaign. “In order to put our debt on a sustainable path, elected officials are going to have to make tough choices. These choices will be made easier if they know that the people they represent do indeed value cooperation and demand a long-term, comprehensive agreement over our debt.”

To date, over 17,000 Floridians have signed the Campaign’s Citizen’s Petition.