State Senate Hopeful Ron Rushing Pledges to Fight Federal Overreach

Businessman Ron Rushing, who is challenging Senate Majority Leader Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, in the Republican primary, said, if he is elected, he will push back against the federal government -- which he maintains has exceeded its powers.

Currently a top priority for me is to prepare the state of Florida to be able to stand on our own without the reliance on federal assistance, Rushing said Thursday. We need to get our financial house in order so Floridians can make informed decisions concerning programs without being influenced by federal dollars. It is wrong for state legislators to encourage the implementation of a program just because the state will receive money from the federal government. Unfortunately, this happens too often, causing further dependence on federal stimulus.

Citing James Madisons Federalist 45," Rushing argued that the Founding Fathers intended to limit the powers of the federal government.

States should be the incubators of programs to promote competition among the states. This will result in a best practice approach that allows us to look at the states and determine which ones have the best programs, said Rushing, using the educational system, immigration program, tax program as examples. Then, we can determine if we want to adopt one of these best practice solutions as-is or modify it to fit our state.

We need state senators that will act as the gatekeepers of the 10th Amendment. It is time we elect legislators that understand, appreciate, and believe in the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, added Rushing. Issues change and we will always have a variety of issues to resolve. Thecommon-sense, conservative way to solve these issues is via principle.

Rushing said he would be a Florida gatekeeper and encourage other legislators to do the same if he is elected in 2012. I will hold the federal government to the framework of the U.S. Constitution that limits the missteps of government and ensures Floridians freedom, he promised.