Candidates from across the Tampa Bay area were asked to complete our 2014 Legislative Candidate Questionnaire. Below are the responses for the candidates from Florida House District 68.

For the full list of Tampa Bay legislative candidates and their contact information, visit the 2014 Legislative Candidate Questionnaire home page.


Joshua Black (Republican) – Responded, Thank you!
joshuablack2014@gmail.com | 727-270-8955

Dwight Dudley (Democrat) – Did not respond.
electdwightdudley@gmail.com | 727-580-0111

Bill Young (Republican) – Did not respond.
cwbill2@gmail.com | 727-433-3054


Economic Issues & Taxes

1. What do you propose or support to increase economic prosperity within the State of Florida?

Black:  Lowering taxes and decreasing regulations.

Dudley:  Did not respond.

Young:  Did not respond.

2. Excessive regulations can hamper small business growth. Which specific regulations, if any, would you repeal?

Black:  I honestly don’t deal with a lot of regulations directly, but my ears are open.

Dudley:  Did not respond.

Young:  Did not respond.

3. The Florida Legislature passed a $77 billion budget in 2014, the largest in history, and the trend line indicates we will see another record next year. (A) Do you consider this to be a problem, and if so, (B) what specific actions would you recommend taking in order to better steward taxpayer dollars?

Black: A) Yes  B) Mandate that the budget cannot exceed the general revenue by more than 20%. Right now, the budget is 250% of the general revenue. This would require a state constitutional amendment, but I will vote against every expenditure that exceeds the 20% mark.

Dudley:  Did not respond.

Young:  Did not respond.

4. Would you support legislation that would refund the $1.5 billion taxpayers’ investment in the now-cancelled Levy County Nuclear Power Plant? Why or why not?

Black:  Yes, and I would send the money back to the people who earned it. It doesn’t belong to the State of Florida. Florida shouldn’t be investing in these things, anyway.

Dudley:  Did not respond.

Young:  Did not respond.

Education

5. Do you support a repeal of Common Core State Standards (now rebranded to “Florida Standards”) in Florida? If not, what changes, if any, would you propose or support?

Black:  I absolutely support a full repeal of Common Core, in whatever form. High-stakes testing cannot improve a classroom. Government mandates cripple the abilities of teachers by ignoring (or oppressing?) the inherent individuality in every child. We also must enact a state constitutional amendment abolishing the state board of education. These unelected bureaucrats have no positive influence on our classrooms.

Dudley:  Did not respond.

Young:  Did not respond.

Environment

6. Do you support offshore drilling in Florida waters?

Black:  We need lower gas prices. Yes.

Dudley:  Did not respond.

Young:  Did not respond.

Civil Liberties

7. Would you support legislation in Florida that nullified the NSA’s ability to perform warrantless surveillance of Floridians?

Black:  I will gladly introduce and champion the bill myself.

Dudley:  Did not respond.

Young:  Did not respond.

8. A bill was filed in the Senate in 2013 (SB 846: Search and Seizure of a Portable Electronic Device) that would have required that a search warrant be issued before a search of someone’s mobile device was permitted. Would you vote in support of this bill? Why or why not?

Black:  Yes. Because the contents of a person’s mobile device are privileged, with authority to grant access held by the device’s owner. The only exception is with the issuance of a warrant.

Dudley:  Did not respond.

Young:  Did not respond.

9. Do you support a repeal of red light cameras in Florida? Why or why not?

Black:  Ban the Cams. They are about revenue, not safety. We the People are oppressed enough. The government doesn’t need to be taking more of our money, much less sending Florida’s money to Arizona.

Dudley:  Did not respond.

Young:  Did not respond.

Drugs

10. Should all drug offenders, even non-violent and first-time offenders receive mandatory sentences? Would you suggest policies other than incarceration to deal with drug use?

Black:  Mandatory sentences? If you mean prison time, no. I don’t see how someone’s choice to waste their own time and money is the government’s problem. Only when they start stealing other people’s money should the government step in, and only then to require full financial restitution to the person(s) from whom they stole. The rest of this is a crock, and I have seen the consequences of these ridiculous policies that I once supported. I’m not a fan of the abject failure known as the War on Drugs.

Dudley:  Did not respond.

Young:  Did not respond.

11. Do you support the legalization of medical marijuana as proposed by the United for Care Amendment? Why or why not?

Black:  Yes, but only because I oppose the War on Drugs. I don’t advocate smoking marijuana, but I can see how ingesting small doses can help. I don’t understand why menacing thugs should be the source of medical assistance, as is the current case.

Dudley:  Did not respond.

Young:  Did not respond.

12. Do you support drug testing of welfare recipients? Why or why not?

Black:  No, because I support the abolition of welfare entirely. End the waste by getting rid of the system. Return the savings to the people. Lower prices will result, and poor people will not need the government to continue confiscating their neighbors’ wealth, crippling their ability to help those they know and love.

Dudley:  Did not respond.

Young:  Did not respond.

The US Constitution

13. Do you support a state’s right to nullify federal law, as many have already done for example by legalizing medical marijuana, or blocking implementation of the Affordable Care Act?

Black:  Yes, and Florida has done a good job of that by not expanding Medicaid.

Dudley:  Did not respond.

Young:  Did not respond.

14. Would you have voted for Florida HB 209 – “Carrying Concealed Weapon or Concealed Firearm”, which would have granted an exception from criminal penalties for carrying a concealed weapon or a concealed firearm when evacuating? Why or why not?

Black:  Perhaps, but not if the better alternative were on the table. Self-defense is a fundamental human right, not a privilege, like driving. The government has no moral authority to restrict what sort of weapons you may retain for self-defense. If you use your weapons to harm someone else or destroy that person’s property, then you should be punished for the harm that you caused. Having firearms is not the problem. Harming others without just cause is.

Dudley:  Did not respond.

Young:  Did not respond.

Healthcare

15. There is no argument that health care costs are completely disconnected from a person’s ability to pay. What do you propose or support to help reduce the cost of health care services in Florida?

Black:  Abolish Medicaid. Medicaid increases paperwork requirements while lowering reimbursement rates. This forces medical providers to inflate the cost of the services they provide just to make ends meet. We end up subsidizing this twice, because we pay the Medicaid payouts through taxation and then we pay the remaining difference between what was collected and what was needed through higher prices.

Dudley:  Did not respond.

Young:  Did not respond.

16. Would you vote in favor of Florida accepting the federal funds set aside for Medicaid Expansion? Why or why not?

Black:  No. I want to abolish Medicaid. Before Obamacare, do you know anyone who paid $7000 per individual per year for health insurance? I do: the State of Florida! That’s ridiculous. No way we should be expanding such a waste-filled program that exacerbates the problems for working families.

Dudley:  Did not respond.

Young:  Did not respond.

Government Fairness and Transparency

17. What are your thoughts on legislation that gives a competitive advantage to a specific company or industry?

Black:  I think it is unjust and that it suggests an unhealthy relationship between the company or industry and the legislators that supported it.

Dudley:  Did not respond.

Young:  Did not respond.

18. In several recent studies, Florida has been found to be in either the top 10 or the top 5 most corrupt states in the nation. What do you propose or support to help reduce corruption in Florida?

Black:  We the People need to reconstitute the Common Law Grand Jury. That body will investigate and bring criminal charges with regard to these matters. The other step that we should take is to prohibit corporations from contributing to the campaigns of lawmakers. Only individuals should be able to do so.

Dudley:  Did not respond.

Young:  Did not respond.

19. Currently, millions of dollars in campaign contributions filter through political committees that are controlled by legislative leaders. (A) Do you consider this a problem, and if so, (B) what, if anything, would you suggest be done about it?

Black: A) As a grassroots candidate, of course I consider this a problem!  B) We the People need to use the power of a state constitutional amendment to abolish such committees. We know that the politicians will never pass such legislation.

Dudley:  Did not respond.

Young:  Did not respond.

20. In February 2013, Watchdog group Integrity Florida reported[1] that Enterprise Florida has failed to meet its job creation objective, lacks transparency, has the appearance of pay-to-play, is engaged in apparent conflicts of interest, and is picking winners and losers in the Florida economy by demonstrating state government favoritism to certain companies and industries. Would you support an Inspector General investigation into Enterprise Florida and legislation to take corrective actions?

Black:  I would support the abolition of Enterprise Florida, which seems to be an enterprise of its own. Same with TBARTA.

Dudley:  Did not respond.

Young:  Did not respond.

Any additional comments or thoughts:

Black: Less government means more freedom and more prosperity for people of every economic situation. We the People didn’t need the government to invent cars, phones, or guitars. We don’t need the government to drive economic creativity. We do need the government to stay out of our pockets so that we can afford to take the ventures that will make us more prosperous and to take care of our neighbors as we see the needs arise.

 Government compassion is not real compassion. The neglect of our veterans by the federal government is just one of many examples of fraudulent “assistance” that has unjustly cost people their lives. Leave the money in the hands of the people who earned it. You have no right to other people’s things.

Or, as God said through Moses, “Thou shalt not covet…anything that is thy neighbor’s.” We need to remember this when creating policies.

Dudley:  Did not respond.

Young:  Did not respond.

[1] Ben Wilcox and Dan Krassner: “Enterprise Florida: Economic Development or Corporate Welfare?”


If you found this questionnaire useful, please consider offering a small contribution, so that we may continue our work and reach new people with the message of sensible limited government, free markets, and individual Liberty. #RLC

0