2. Dear Friend,
As the son of small business owners who started
with nothing, I know the dignity that comes from a
hard day of work. I want my daughter to have the
same shot at the American dream that my wife
and I had growing up in South Florida. But for
years, career politicians, from Tallahassee to
Washington, have put that dream at risk for her
generation with wasteful spending, reckless tax
hikes and wrong priorities. It's time for a fresh-
start and some common sense. As chairman of
the Florida Public Service Commission, I cut utility
rates for Florida’s families by $1 billion, which put
more money in the pockets of working families. That’s the kind of leadership I offer and Washington needs
during these tough economic times.
My economic plan is based on a simple idea: What's good for families and small businesses is what will create
economic prosperity for all of South Florida. This plan is based on my conversations with small business
owners, community leaders and working families. It will create thousands of good jobs right here in South
Florida, make our families stronger and cut wasteful spending by half a trillion dollars over the next 10 years.
Here's some of what my plan entails:
• Expanding The Port of Miami To Create Over 33,000 Good Private Sector Jobs in Our Community
• Stimulate Small Businesses By Passing the Colombia Free Trade Agreement And Targeted Tax Cuts
• Middle Class Tax Cuts To Reduce Everyday Costs Like Child Care And College Tuition
• Investing In A Strong Education For A Stronger Economy
• Cutting Wasteful Spending That Hurts Our Economic Growth
This plan will work because it was created by people like you – not career politicians. My plan addresses our
immediate economic needs, like getting people back to work and making sure small businesses can grow. It
also meets our future challenges, like creating a strong diverse economy where our kids' are prepared for the
jobs of tomorrow and that we're not drowning them with debt in the process.
The economic challenges before us are daunting, but I believe there is little that we cannot accomplish if we
work together. It's time we had leaders who work to unite people, listen to those they serve and have the
courage to work across party lines to find solutions. With your help, I will work to get South Florida back to
work.
Thank you,
,

3. Creating Jobs and Growing Our Economy
Expand the Port of Miami to Create Congress, Joe will spur local job
Thousands of Jobs and Grow our
“I want to see the words ‘Made in America’ creation by creating tax deductions for
Economy. Joe will fight to bring back your again. This means we need to start growing homeowners and businesses to
tax dollars and put them to work for you. reduce the costs of home
Currently, the Port of Miami isn’t equipped to our economy, stop shrinking the middle class modernization and energy-saving
handle new super cargo ships. With smart and get people working again. Anyone who’s appliances, such as washing
investments in job creation, we can double machines and refrigerators. This will
the Port of Miami’s cargo business over the looking for a job should be able to find one create jobs, new industries and small
next 10 years and make our community the businesses that sell and install these
center of trade for the Americas and beyond.
and provide for his or her family.” products. Joe will also work to
This will create over 33,000 well-paying Joe Garcia establish renewable performance
private sector jobs in our community to get standards and promote investments in
South Florida back to work. alternative sources of energy.
Small Business Tax Cuts to this tax cut, more small
Help Entrepreneurs Create businesses will get off the ground, Extend the 2001 Tax Cuts for the
Jobs. During these tough hire workers and grow right here Middle Class and Businesses that
economic times it is difficult to in our community. Create Jobs in South Florida. Joe
start a small business with start- believes the last thing you do in a
up costs averaging $80,000. Cut Taxes and Invest in New recession is raise taxes on middle
Joe will cut red tape and make it Technologies to Create New class families and businesses that
easy for entrepreneurs to start Clean Energy Jobs. As chairman create jobs. Joe will be fiscally
small businesses and get South of the Public Service Commission, responsible and vote to extend the
Florida working again by Joe ushered in the largest utility 2001 tax cuts for middle class families
doubling the small business rate cut in the history of Florida, and all businesses that create jobs
start-up tax deduction from which put $1 billion back in the here in America.
$5,000 to $10,000. Because of pockets of working families. In

4. Stimulating Small Businesses
Pass the Colombia Free Trade Joe will work with business leaders to
Agreement to Boost the Economy and “The Colombia Free Trade Agreement will ensure that we’re providing the private
Create Jobs. With unfair tariffs making it
harder for American companies to compete
strengthen our local economy, make our sector with the tax cuts they need to
offer their workers good health benefits.
in the global marketplace, Joe will work businesses more competitive in the global
across party lines to remove taxes and Restore America’s Role as a Global
tariffs by passing the Colombia Free Trade
marketplace and create thousands of good jobs Leader in Innovation with a
Agreement. The CFTA will help small right here in Florida. I commend Joe for his Manufacturing Tax Credit. Joe
businesses in our community by greatly believes we should be rewarding
reducing government fees on bilateral trade visionary leadership on this issue. companies that invest in America and its
which unfairly hurt American products and workers. This R&D bonus incentive
limit investment in our local economy. Since would go directly toward the salaries of
so many local small businesses depend on Alvaro Varela, Local Business Leader American workers in innovative
our relationship with Latin America, Joe will industries like aerospace, agriculture,
also work to forge stronger commercial ties
between the United States and countries like Wall Street to profit, but to save Offer Health Care Tax Cuts to
Peru, Mexico and Brazil, which will create the American economy and help Businesses. Joe will work to
jobs and strengthen our economy. working families. Joe will see to improve the recent health care bill
it that the $30 billion in TARP passed by Congress by providing
Make Loans Available to Qualified Small funds that Wall Street banks businesses with tax incentives to
Businesses in Need. As our community have paid back be used to help offer their workers good quality
struggles through these tough economic community banks give qualified health benefits. Currently, it is
times, Joe wants to make sure credit is small business owners the cheaper for some businesses to pay
available for qualified borrowers to help credit they need to stay afloat. a penalty and not offer their workers
small businesses keep their doors open. any health care than it is to offer
The tax-payer-funded bail-out was not for them a good insurance package.

5. Stimulating Small Businesses (Continued)
biotechnology, and clean energy. This will not
only stimulate American job creation, but it will "Joe listens to small business
keep research and development in the US
while growing our economy.
owners like me. Big Wall Street
banks aren’t lending and there are
Offer Direct Loans to Small Businesses.
As the son of small business owners, Joe
a lot of qualified borrowers like me
knows that our local mom and pop businesses who need loans to grow our
are the worst hit by the recession. This is why
Joe will work to create a direct lending businesses. By offering direct loans
program, administered by the Small Business to small businesses like mine, Joe
Administration, to offer direct, low-interest
loans to healthy small businesses that are will help qualified borrowers get
being denied the credit they need due to the
economic recession.
the loans we need to grow our
businesses and hire more workers."
Tax Cuts and Incentives for Companies
that Create Jobs in South Florida. Joe
believes we should give tax cuts to companies Henry Herzbrun, Owner of Bagel
that create good jobs right here in South
Florida in places like Kendall, Homestead and Express in Kendall
Naples. We need to strengthen middle class
families and those businesses that provide
their employees with good benefits, rather
than rewarding companies that ship jobs
overseas.

6. Strengthening Families
Keep Families in their Homes. Joe Congress, Joe will support
believes we should use some of the money legislation to renew these tax
that has been recovered from the bailout of breaks and continue the
Wall Street banks to offer short-term loans benefits to the economy and our
to help Americans avoid losing their homes community that they bring.
if they are having a difficult time making
payments. If commercial banks get zero End the Tax on Child Care.
interest loans, we should also be able to Joe believes we need to stop
extend affordable loans to families who need burdening working parents who
them. This will help stabilize the housing provide for their families by
market by stemming the growing number of making child care tax-exempt.
foreclosures that are tied to unemployment Joe and his wife Aileen are both
during this recession. working parents and understand
the strains that balancing work
Extend the First-Time Home Buyer Tax and being responsible parents
Break. The tax breaks for first-time home can put on a family. With more
buyers that expired in April of 2010 lead to a mothers working than ever
strong increase in home sales, stimulating before, child care is a necessity.
our economy while bringing relief to those By doubling the child care
who could no longer afford their mortgages credit, middle-class families will
and wanted to sell their homes without receive a tax break to cover the
losing them to the bank. They serve as rising costs of child care. We
proof that tax incentives for the middle class would also be encouraging
work to get our economy running again. In employment and strengthening

7. Strengthening Families (Continued)
families, as more parents will be able to tools they need to provide for
work full-time knowing their children are themselves and their families, "As a mother and a business owner, it’s important
safe. and get South Florida back to
work.
to me that our next leader in Congress doesn’t just
Tax Breaks for Seniors’ Retirement talk about family values, but actually values
Savings. In light of the economic downturn, End Estate Taxes on Family
our seniors shouldn’t have to foot the bill for Farms. Joe will co-sponsor families. My friend, Joe, is a family man that
Wall Street’s irresponsibility. Joe will work to legislation to indefinitely defer understands that a prosperous economy begins at
offer seniors and retirees a temporary tax federal estate taxes on farmland
break to reduce their losses on 401k plans and conserved land as long as home with a strong family. By fighting to create
and other qualified savings accounts.
Seniors will be allowed to take an income
this land is passed on within the
family, ensuring that no local
jobs, making education a priority and offering child
tax deduction of up to $3,000 per year farmers will have to sell their care tax cuts, Joe has shown that he ‘gets it.’ I am
based on losses incurred as a result of the land just to pay estate taxes.
financial market collapse. It is wrong to This will protect families as well honored to support Joe and I know that our families
penalize our senior citizens when they need as prevent farmland prices from can count on him to be there for us.”
help the most. depressing due to distressed
sales.
Tuition Tax Breaks for Higher Education
and Professional Training. Joe will support
Maria Garza, Community and Business Leader
legislation that offers tuition tax breaks to
people who have lost their jobs so they can
afford to go to community colleges and
technical schools to equip themselves with
new skills. A strong workforce is needed to
get America’s economy growing again. Joe
is committed to empowering people with the

8. Investing In A Strong Education For A Strong Economy
Offer High School Students Courses on and affordable for mid-career
Personal Financial Responsibility. As a students who have limited time
parent, Joe understands that our kids need and resources to further their "Our kids deserve every opportunity we had to
to learn how to make responsible financial education.
decisions. That’s why Joe will work with reach their goals and succeed. A strong education
local schools to help establish programs to Make Colleges Like FIU More
offer high school students courses on Affordable. When Tallahassee
leads to a strong economy and good jobs. Having
financial literacy as part of their curriculum. politicians voted to raise tuition attended local schools like Miami Dade College and
rates and cut Florida Bright
Fully Fund Miami Dade College to Help Future scholarships, they made UM, I know how important it is that we offer our
Workers and Students. Joe will work to college out of reach for many children a quality affordable education. We cannot
create a fund to relieve the burden on students in our community. Joe
community colleges, like Miami Dade will work to grant greater direct afford to fall behind while countries like China and
access to student loans,
College, that have been forced to turn away
students due to lack of capacity and enable establish college tuition tax
India are investing in their children and preparing
more students to retool their skills while they breaks and targeted financial them for the jobs of the 21st century. I do not accept
are searching for work. aid for those who are most
affected. With more than half of second place for the United States of America.”
Direct Student Loan Eligibility for Less all jobs by 2016 requiring a
Than Part-Time Students. Joe will work to college degree, we cannot
expand access to federal student loan afford career politicians who Joe Garcia
funding for mid-career students who are don’t make education a priority.
currently ineligible for aid because they are
enrolled less than half-time. This would
make returning to school more manageable

9. Cutting Wasteful Spending That Hurts Our Economy
unused property. Joe believes tax-
End Wasteful No-Bid Contracts. payers should stop paying the bill to
“I believe leaders should spend tax-payer dollars The last thing we should do in a maintain these unproductive
with the same sense of responsibility that a parent recession is give away billions in properties and that they should be
tax-payer-funded no-bid contracts. sold to the private sector to help
would manage his or her family’s budget. Wasteful From 2000 to 2007, federal create jobs and get our economy
spending on non-competitive
spending hurts our economy and creates debt for our contracts tripled to $207 billion.
working again.
children. Tax-payers have a right to know how their Not allowing contractors to offer Make Government Efficient With
lower-cost proposals costs tax Investments in Technology. Joe
money is being spent. The tax dollars we save should payers billions of dollars. By believes we must cut bureaucracy by
be used to spur job creation and pay down the deficit. tightening the exemption for no- modernizing the federal government
bid contracting, the federal and eliminating outdated institutional
We need leaders who work for people who work for a government could restore quirks. Joe will go line by line and will
accountability, competition, and
living.” save billions of dollars contracting
work to end programs that don’t work
or have outlived their purpose. This
Joe Garcia costs. will make government more
accountable and save tax-payers over
Sell Wasteful Unused Federal $100 billion throughout the next ten
Property to the Private Sector. years.
South Florida knows too well the
burden on tax-payers of feeding End Wasteful Earmarks. Joe will
white elephants and spending send a message to career politicians
billions on wasteful pork-barrel that your tax-payer dollars isn’t theirs
projects. The federal government to spend on kickbacks for friends and
holds an estimated $83 billion in campaign donors. Joe believes that

10. Cutting Wasteful Spending That Hurts Our Economy (Cont’d)
earmarks, if used at all, should be used to
create jobs and solutions, not bureaucrats
and paybacks for favors. Joe will only
support funding requests that have a direct
positive economic impact on our community
and will eliminate “turkeys” that have no
value. To this end, Joe will work to create a
strict independent committee that oversees
earmark requests and evaluates them based
on their economic impact and productivity.
Crack Down On Medicare Fraud. Not only
does Medicare fraud hurt senior citizens, it
costs tax-payers billions. Joe will work with
the Justice Department to enact tough
legislation that cracks down on Medicare
fraud, waste and abuse. This will make
health care more affordable and reduce
"I endorse and support Joe's fiscally responsible economic plan. Even
costs, thus increasing efficiency in the health though Joe and I belong to different parties, I believe he will be a fresh
care sector that leads to a stronger
economy. start in Washington with these kinds of bold ideas that cross party lines
and get people back to work."
Evarist Milian, Republican and CEO of Insurance Marketers Inc.