Samm Simpson for Congress

Background:

. I grew up in the Iowa countryside with a love for the land and respect for the hard working entrepreneur farmers and the bounty they brought forth. My youthful heroes—Edward R, Murrow, President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Muhammad Ali, Mahatma Gandhi and others inspired a well of idealism that refuses to run dry. Public schools in Iowa taught me to critically think, not quickly judge. To that end, student exchange programs offered a variety of experiences: President Marco declaration of martial law in the Philippines, and a view of Poland’s Communism. With other high schoolers across the U.S., we traveled through Austria, Poland and Greece, Belgium, Switzerland, Great Britain and Germany. I saw the world as a whole: human beings as one color—the red color of the blood that flows from each of us. I understood early on that human beings—regardless of age, race, color, creed, gender, religion, or cultural position—have identical human needs, just like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs proclaims.

I began my broadcasting career as a live radio announcer in 1973, when few women’s voices were part of the landscape. I’ve been employed as a television and radio host, producer, director and writer in Iowa, Minnesota, Colorado and Florida.

From 1984 – 2001, I was employed at the Raymond James & Associates Corporate Headquarters in St. Petersburg, Florida. During my tenure, I helped design, build and manage the Corporate Media Studio. I was named Vice President of Marketing in 1992. I obtained my Series 7 and 63 security industry license and interviewed hundreds of financial advisors, economists and financial industry experts for nationally distributed audio and videos. This gave me a broad based education in entrepreneurship, economics, and the balance between capitalism and social responsibility.

From 2001 – 2003, I was hired as Manager of Television and Radio operations for Pinellas County Economic Development, where I produced and co-hosted the award winning “Good Business Pinellas” radio and television programs. These programs gained recognition as one of the best in Florida and the Southeastern United States.

I am a graduate of the PEL program at Eckerd College I’m a member of the City of Dunedin’s Board of Finance, and Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory Committee. In addition to my independent radio and television work, I have worked as a reading tutor for elementary school children and as a volunteer with Veterans for Peace at Dunedin High School to offer alternatives to military service.

I’ve been a resident of Dunedin, Florida since 1982. I have one daughter and one grandson.

Goals:

I am running because the truth matters, the Constitution matters and so do our grandchildren. Our nation stand at a precipice. We need new vision and a new hope, which can be borne by a new generation of leadership and an educated electorate. I see the first two years of office as putting a tourniquet about the Constitution and our economy. We must end the paradigm of the "war on terror," , bring our troops home and begin the mending of our psyche and our civil liberties. The struggle we face is long term, to come to grips with our enormous debt, not only monetarily, but morally. I see a future where the American people must be told the truth and the solutions to the great issues of our time - Iraq, healthcare, economy, climate change, transportation and energy - will be made with clarity, science, reasoning and dialogue and diplomacy. I do not see our nation divided into Democrat or Republican - I see us coming to an understanding that our humanity and our ideas are more important than ideology. Every decision we make, must be made for future generations, not the next quarter's return on investment.

Issues:

Renewing our economy through an energy and infrastructure transformation.

Ending the War in Iraq and ensuring the care of Veterans, both mental and physical.

Restoring our Constitutional liberties, including habeas corpus and a repeal of the Patriot Act.

Working for single payer health care - with an emphasis on the responsibility of individuals to be more responsible for their health.

Preserving our Food, Water and Environment.

Grassroots Support:

Grassroots is the most important measure of our campaign. We are on the ballot for the second time due to over 50 volunteers garnering over 5000 petitions in 6 weeks. We have 100 volunteers making phone calls, organizing events, passing out literature and spreading the word via the web and personal contacts.

DFA Values:

Socially Progressive - In 2004, I began actively organizing events geared toward social and environmental justice with other Pinellas County groups. I’ve also been instrumental in bringing voices of truth to Pinellas County, including ex CIA analyst Ray McGovern, Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, and Colonel (ret.) Ann Wright, who was one of three government employees who resigned their post in protest to the Iraq War. I am also documentary filmmaker, and produced one in Washington D.C, during the 2007 March. ( scroll down this page http://www.sammsimpsonforcongress.com/main/news

In terms of fiscally responsible, I worked for 25 years as a a single parent. My penchant for saving and investing during those years allowed me to take a year off to take care of my grandson, as well as have four more years to fight for my country on a full time basis. Fiscally responsible politics means telling the truth about the untenable federal debt - which, if we look at the unfunded liabilities of medicaid, medicare, SSI and a few other fed programs where 80 million baby boomers will plow through over the next 30 years, it's 55 trillion dollars. The GAO says if we don't control spending, and/or fundamentally change our assumptions about the role of government, we'll only have enough to pay interest on the debt and maybe pave a few broken potholes.

We need to put everything on the table - all programs, policies, taxes, departments - and use fact based and fiscally responsible reasoning to ensure that our grand and great grand children have opportunities, and not just debt as their inheritance.