Joe Garcia drinks coffee with FIU students

by The Beacon

On the morning of Sept. 4, FIU students at the University Bookstore's Starbucks enjoyed a different cup of joe.

Democratic Congressional hopeful Joe Garcia made an appearance to mingle with students and exchange ideas, while enjoying some coffee.

Garcia came in, shook hands with students and proposed some of his ideas for change if elected to Congress. He is currently running against Republican Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart, who has held the congressional seat for the 25th District of Florida since 2003.

Garcia's visit to FIU was a chance to connect with the younger people of his district and offer some alternatives to issues that are important to them, such as budget cuts affecting academic programs and the soaring tuition costs. Garcia proposed that the government should invest particular attention and resources in funding education.

"Our country's wealth does not lie in the economic resources we have, rather in our intellect, our patents and our ability to produce innovative thought," said Garcia, who used Google as an example of an innovative thought that gives the country its technological edge. Garcia also said he believes the government should have special interest in funding education as the breeding ground for innovation that steers our economy forward.

"For every one dollar that goes into education, you get six dollars back," he said. "Therefore, there is an incentive for government to channel funds toward education."

If elected, he hopes to expand college loans and reduce interest. He also addressed another common complaint among college students: the lack of career opportunities and debt after graduation. He offered a solution he claims will directly steer money toward the local economy.

According to Garcia, education and economy are two factors that are inextricably linked, and small businesses can act as an effective liaison for both. He proposed there should be more of an incentive to prepare a future task force of new hirees in small businesses. "Some small businesses offer tuition reimbursement for newly graduated employees," said Garcia. "And consequently, it will boost the local economy and help students pay off debt."

Garcia vowed that students would be informed of these career opportunities. For his constituency, Garcia hopes to invest in the individual and the community as the root of change, much like education is the foundation for fueling the economy.

"Homestead is one of the most productive agricultural lands in this side of Florida, but it's the people that make it productive," he said. Therefore, Garcia puts particular emphasis on giving people incentive for public service, especially teachers, who have long been underpaid.

The problem, he says, is that the government is spending more than it has to on two main areas: the energy sector and health care. However, restructuring these two will guarantee more money used for education.

"If a child gets a cavity, health care does not cover that; if the child develops an abscess, it does not cover that either. Once that abscess turns into a tumor, then [health care providers] are willing to pay the $40,000 for treatment," Garcia said. "It is unnecessary to pay that amount, when the problem can be tackled from the beginning." Garcia concluded that this leads to funds used improperly, as in the case of education.

Overall, Garcia attempted to touch base with young voters, who may be the deciding factor in his run for a congressional seat. "I was very impressed with the ideas he offered, especially those for education. I was actually even considering being involved with campaigning," said senior Onex Salva, a liberal arts and science major.

After Garcia spoke with students and drank some coffee, he headed over to FIU's radio station Radiate FM, where he was interviewed. The interview can be heard at FIUSM.com.

Joe Garcia is Here to Win

The Miami Herald -- Julio Sanchez Cristo

It's not hard to guess why Mario Diaz-Balart prefers to avoid Joe Garcia these days. He doesn't want to bump into him at social gatherings at the Versailles Restaurant in Little Havana, much less on the radio, television or here in the Herald. Things happen when, after so many years of a family holding political power, all of a sudden, there is fatigue of the repeated speeches, the passing of days, generational shifts or the moment of political realignment in the country sounds several alarms that warn that the trendy word, change, is not only coming to the White House, but to the Congress as well. And this is going to happen to good ol' Joe.

Let's go piece by piece. Nepotism, regardless how nice the brothers of a dynasty may be, creates antipathy, whether it be in Florida, California, Texas, China or Vietnam. You also have to add that the same anti-Castro focus of the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s, no longer resonates in 2008. On the contrary, there is a boomerang effect, and you can no longer duck your head or use the same old story that generated votes in the past. Cuban-American voters clearly want change in their homeland, along with liberty and democracy, so they can once again breathe the breeze that stayed behind in Havana's piers. There is no disagreement on this issue, but alongside this exiled voting bloc, there is now a new voter. There is the young Cuban American that was born in the United States, and despite the love he may have for the grandparents and uncles he may or may not have met, he has a different vision of the problem. His origins may be in Cuba, but his school, university, wife, kids and future are in the United States. His first language is English, and he almost doesn't understand the rhetoric that dates back four decades of exiles talking about the death of the tyrant or the fall of the regime.

These young Cuban-Americans are affected by the drama of their peers, and the nostalgia less than 90 miles from Florida, but what they're more interested in is that a young politician, that speaks their language, is ready to solve their daily problems here in the United States. This has been the focus of Mr. Garcia's campaign. Aside from this generational dilemma, the Diaz-Balarts' and Ms. Ros-Lehtinen's problem, is that their Democratic opponents for Congress have surfaced while the country has been inspired by the optimistic change that Barack Obama signifies. During such a political climate, the standard-bearers of exile politics represent the exact opposite.

Some things happen when a candidate arrives that was born on Miami Beach; has longer hair; is known for being a good guy; is linked to the University of Miami; is well prepared; and close to various groups of Cuban Americans, prefers to speak less about the 'Cuba libre' we all want, and focuses more on speaking to voters, whose lives are committed to the country we live in, about pocket-book issues and their daily lives.

I'm not sure if there will be a electoral dethroning of the congressional Republicans, but what is felt in forums, letters to the media and in polls is that change is not only a perception, but rather a real possibility, with a candidate that shows personal respect toward his opponents and thinks they are not efficient and that the time for another option is now. Certain things happen when a veteran politician that follows the line of Diaz-Balart begins to understand that we find ourselves in a year where China changes, and that Florida will not be an island in this cry for change, and that's why he'll find every possible excuse not to be in the same place where he may have to debate, confront or analyze his rival. Joe Garcia is here to win.