Hi, I'm Bobby Brady, And I'm running to be the next Florida State House Representative for District 10. Like you, Florida is my home. 30 years ago, I bought my first home in Hillsborough County. I moved down because of opportunity. This is where I chose to raise my family - my child was born in this great state. I’m running for office because I want to leave a better world for my kids. I went to tech school, which led me to a variety of tradesman jobs, from welding, air conditioning and plumbing, to sheet metal. It gave me a strong foundation of hard work. But even hard work ethic isn’t enough to get by anymore. I see that it's harder now to maintain the kind of family life that I was blessed to grow up with. I came from a blue-collar family. I had a strong public education. My mother was in the Naval reserves. My father was a paratrooper during the Korean War era. This was a time when one income could provide for a family, put the kids through college, keep healthy food on the table, load the family up in the station wagon and take them on family vacation.
But those days are behind us. When Elitist, Extremist Right-Wing Politicians gained control of the Florida Legislature, opportunity began to dry up. Instead of making it less expensive to live in America, they decided to promote policies that only benefit the wealthy. They dismantled our public education system. They brought back child labor and eroded child labor law protections. Where is the opportunity to have an affordable home? Where is the opportunity to choose medical care without fear of criminal prosecution? Why do children have a right to work but NOT a right to exist without fearing for their life? Where is the opportunity to have the American Dream? Where are the family values the Republicans speak of? Why is everything so expensive?! The mortgage. The car payment. The phone bill. The power and water bill. The grocery bill?
The answer?: GREED. Handouts to Millionaires. Socialism for the Rich (but not the poor)! Corporations putting profit over people. The ideals of the American dream are gone. Now is the time to talk about it. We need to start looking at what actual policies are robbing us of our opportunities, and not just the shiny object that the elite right-wing politicians are holding up to distract us. The problem isn't homeless people or immigrants or drag queens or the gays. . . the problem is extreme gerrymandering and campaign finance laws that benefit billionaires while suppressing dissent; It's deregulation of the agencies that are supposed to keep us safe, ensure we have reliable power, clean water, and affordable property insurance. Political hacks squawk that "Biden ruined Florida's economy," while in reality Florida's economy has been run by Wealthy Republicans (and their corporate lobbyists) for decades!
I refuse to stand by and watch my fellow Floridians be exploited, manipulated, oppressed, and controlled by sociopathic politicians that think it's more important to ban books and drag shows than to address the fundamental problem of WHY it is that CHILDREN have to punch a time clock when they get out of school and get home at 11 or midnight! Why teachers and children have to walk through metal detectors to get to elementary school classrooms? Why Multi-millionaires get HANDOUTS to pay for their yachts but they complain that "welfare queens" are the problem while they fight funding for the child tax credit?! That's not a pro-family message. That's not a conservative message. That's a pro-billionaire message.
If we let go of our dogma for a brief moment, we can acknowledge that the changes over the past few years undertaken in the guise of patriotism have actually ripped the fabric of our society apart. Let's acknowledge that people are hurting. And that times are tough for a lot of us right now. BUT before we point the finger at each other, let's remember that we're just average people -- I promise you that you and I have more in common than we do with the billionaire class that currently wields power over us. I promise you that if we come from a place of compassion and common sense, we can solve these problems together. I’ll fight like hell for you and yours, not just the privileged and the connected.
I consider myself a conservative Democrat. I believe people should be able to pursue life, liberty, and happiness, with freedom from economic and social restraint by governments and corporations. As I embark upon this great crusade, I know it can only end in two ways: victory, or the death of the American dream.
If my message resonates with you, please donate to our campaign!
Your contribution means a lot. Unlike my opponent, I'm not a millionaire. And I'm not taking ANY campaign contributions from ANY corporate lobbyists, so my campaign is entirely funded by grassroots donations from people like YOU. That's why any amount, no matter how small, is greatly appreciated and makes a big impact.
Thank you so much!
- Bobby