Rand Knight for U.S. Senate (D-GA)

Name:	Rand Knight for U.S. Senate (D-GA)
Office:	Candidate for U.S. Senate, D-GA
Website:	knightforsenate.com

Background:

Husband to an amazing woman and father of two wonderful children.

Born and Raised in Georgia.

Education:

Ph.D. -- Ecosystems Analysis
University of Washington, College of Forestry
M.S. -- Ecosystems Ecology & Forestry
University of Washington, College of Forestry
B.A. -- Environmental Studies
Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont
Dipl. -- The Westminster Schools (1977 - 1990)

My last 20 years of work experience and research studies comes down to integrating Business & Biology, Environment & Economics, and Conservation & Commerce in order to generate jobs for our citizens and growth for companies of all sizes, while simultaneously taking care of people and the land upon which we live:

Examples of my work:

Alternative Energy (from GE Wind Energy to Biofuels), Health implications of Climate Change (infectious diseases to invasive species) and how to find economic growth opportunities in these problems, and leverage Technology and Scientific Innovation for Education and opportunities to commercialize new goods and services using Local People and Local Resources.

Currently:

Candidate for U.S. Senate in Georgia (PROGRESSIVE DEM)

Sales Director for Technology and Information Intelligence Company (www.QL2.com)

Recent past:

Scientist for American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS)
Post Doctoral Fellow for the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON)

Goals:

I want to go to work for Georgia and our great Country and stand-up for Democratic values as I am frustrated by the waste and abuse in the Iraq War and the continued ignorance of the needs of our children and our working families. I am tired of seeing erosion of the middle class and the pollution of our land, air and water while the richest people in America become even wealthier without first taking care of the mess in our own backyard.

I am running for office because I believe that I have the Knowledge about the issues actually facing us in the next 30 years, and ALL of these issues have similar characteristics that I have been dealing with in Ecology and Business for almost 20 years:

Complexity
Long-times to solution
Disparate Science bases
Emotionally-charged atmospheres
Integration across disciplines
Unintended Consequences and Unpredictability

Furthermore, I am running for office because we need people who have/are:

Presentable and Articulate speakers about what matters to working families in America;
Enthusiasm for the possibilities to right the ship;
Energy to simply wear down the Republicans;
Fire-in-the-Belly to Never, Never, Never give up;
Passion to fight for our Progressive Principles;
Courage to rise up and regain our Constitution;
Confidence to sell the Democratic Vision

Issues:

Energy Independence (we can make it here)
Healthcare (single-payer & universal)
Education (raise teachers' salaries!)

Grassroots Support:

Grassroots organizing will likely be the most important part of my campaign. From Colleges and Universities, to small Community Organizations and County Democratic Parties, the on-the-ground feet supporting my campaign will be absolutely crucial and irreplaceable. Just peruse the 'Events' section of my website and you will see how dedicated I am to visiting every County Democratic Party in Georgia -- no matter how small they are. No other candidate is committed to people in every small town and every part of the State - North, South and Central - the way that way I have demonstrated.

DFA Values:

I know how to create jobs and grow our way out of this debt, while taking care of the environment (helps healthcare too), tackling climate change (helps economy, national security and is an education catalyst), and becoming energy-independent at the same time (no more war...How about $1/gallon biofuels instead)?

I believe that, in that not so distant future, ‘environmental’ policy and action is worthy of their money and their votes. Sound environmental policy and action will become mainstream political and economic realities to most people, companies, and governments, and what are now considered just “causes” will soon succeed and our environmental, economic, health and societal goals will be met.

I believe that we have got to focus on taking care of our children's education and help parents to focus on parenting as well. We need to raise teacher's salaries and make sure that every child has available to them the best education that this country has to offer -- regardless of what zip code that they live in.

I do NOT believe that it is okay to enrich the top 1% of America while we refuse to take care of healthcare for our people, drop in the worldwide education ranks, hang our soldier's families and veterans out-to-dry, let polluters continue to take advantage of our shared resources, and ignore major advances in scientific and technological innovation just so that corporate lobbyists and their old-guard can continue taking care of themselves at the expense of the people.

I do believe that many market-driven approaches and great American businesses will drive highly successful solutions to our infrastructure needs and our environmental problems, but they must be inclusive and cognizant of the long-term true costs and benefits to all people and ecosystems. We can grow wealth for everyone, create jobs and security, and begin the Great Greening of America simultaneously; it's not an either/or choice anymore.