Thoughts & Insights for the Community
Blogs seem a bit too much for some to follow with all the social media bombarding our inboxes. Therefore, it is my hope that you will read and take away something meaningful from my story. This section is dedicated to the thoughts and insights I want to share with the people.
Progressive Politics
June 24, 2010
Today as I engaged in a friendly discussion with the CEO of a local corporation over the issues of race and poverty in America, some insights came to surface. It was said that progressive politics are socialism and our current federal leadership is taking the country in an anti-American direction by attempting to re-distribute wealth. I respectfully disagree with these assumptions.
Yet, before we get into that discussion I first want to make clear what it means to be progressive. Too often our nation's politics are assigned labels and its policy makers categorized. I, for one, have a strong distaste for labels. People need not be put into a box. Yet on both sides of our nation's political wings there are definitions of Progressivism that are sadly off the mark. Let's first understand that to be progressive is not to be a liberal hack or a socialist.
Progressive is not whether we add to the abundance of those who have much. It is whether we provide enough to those who have little. That is the kind of progressive that I am. That is the true meaning of what it is to be progressive, not necessarily what either side paints it to be.
Second, no business which depends for existence on paying less that living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country. This why some in certain industries and corporations are no more than modern day slave owners and call it something else. It is the duty of all Americans to expose them and see the situation rectified.
As to the issues of race in America, open dialogue is exactly what this country needs. Yet, once we get to the bottom of the issue we see that more often times than not, it is poverty and not race that hinders progress of various communities. Poverty is the worst form of violence.
So long as 1% controls 90% of the wealth, and uses that 90% to influence our politics, our institutions, and our paychecks the people of this nation will continue to struggle to make due.
Let us also address the issue of race within our criminal justice system. 55% of all people going to prison in Hillsborough County are African-American yet are only 16% of the total population. This is a disparity which cannot be ignored. And it is either due to race or poverty, you pick...either way, it must be addressed if we are to move forward as a community.
In the end, I love my community, my country, my hometown. But, we have shortcomings that must be addressed by our policy makers. The whole pull yourself by your boot-strap mentality only works if you have boots to wear in the first place...
-Christopher CanoDemocrat for State Representative
District 60
A Historic Moment
March 21, 2010
As I sit back this evening and watch live from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives a vote pass which has been one hundred years in the making, I'm wondering who are the winners in this Health Insurance Reform Bill?
The winners are those Americans uninsured and underinsured that will now have access to health insurance. It is the American woman who is the winner, since she no longer has to pay more for her insurance for being a woman. The American college student is the winner because they will no longer fear being uninsured simply because they become too old for their parent's insurance. The American father is the winner in this bill, since he will now be able to provide medical care for his family rather than having to sacrifice life's necessities to have it. My parent's are the winners in this bill; they no longer have to fear being canceled for having pre-existing conditions. Our grandparent's and great-grandparent's are the winners in this bill because they will see lower Medicare costs and more money in their pockets. The American small business owner is the winner tonight; they can now receive up to fifty percent of their insurance premiums as tax credits. Yet, who are the losers in this Health Insurance Reform Bill? The same people who always lose out when the working and middle class receive help, those wealthy Americans who attempt to supplant liberty with greed. Tonight, our government has provided every mother's child a fighting chance.
America is the greatest nation in the world. And, when children all around the world wake up in the morning, it will still be that beacon of light in the darkness. America is the shining hope for freedom and liberty in a world beset by conflict. It is the place where a peasant can work to become wealthier than the prince. The American Dream remains alive as we nurture it into fruition. As a nation we take one more step towards a perfect Union. Today, all Americans will have an opportunity to have affordable-quality health insurance. A special thanks must be given to all Americans who have fought for this end.
Thank You America!
Christopher Carlos Cano
Candidate for State Representative
Florida House District 60
A Reflection of Thanks
November 26, 2009
As I prepare to share these Holidays with my family, I reflect on the last two weeks. November has always been a special time for my family. It’s a time for Veterans Day, Anniversaries, Birthdays, and of course Thanksgiving. This is a time when I am reminded what is truly important in life, love.
Veterans Day is a time when we reflect on the sacrifices made by our servicemen and women, and I remember the sacrifice my grandfathers made for this country. One serving in the Air Force during Vietnam and another in the National Guard, both gave all they could to provide for their families and for the love of their country. These are values that I hold dear. To love unconditionally one’s family and to serve one’s country for that family and all the other families are the noblest ideals.
Veterans Day is more than a time to remember the sacrifices of those who came before me; it is also my parents’ anniversary. My parents have been married for over 31 years now. In that time I have come to see what love between two people means. I have seen struggles, arguments, and even fights. Yet, I have also seen triumphs, compromises, and sacrifices. And, from this I can see that there is no love without pain because there is no success without sacrifice. What does it mean to be successful? Is it measured in material gain? Does it mean financial freedom? Can it be quantified by wealth?
Success means you love and are loved. Success is not a matter of material goods or wealth. It means you are happy. You are happy with sharing this life with the ones you love. Our own founding fathers felt that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness were our core American values. And, these values are what carry me through the tough times. To wake up this morning by the grace of God or the fortune of the universe means I have been successful just one more day. To seize this day and make something of it means success. My own parents have struggled through debt, college, and even death to ensure I have a chance to be successful. I am not going to fail them, nor all the other people in life who have sacrificed to lead me to where I am today.
So as we celebrate birthdays and holidays together, let us all remember and give thanks to those who have given us a fighting chance. Whether they be soldiers, doctors, or parents someone has given us a chance and it us up to us to be successful. So be happy with what you have in life because there are those with less. Be happy for air in your lungs and a beat in your heart.
I wish all a Happy Holidays from the bottom of my heart. Family is the most important thing we have in this world. Let us work towards rebuilding and healing for all. Our family values will be crucial in the coming years. Let us not allow our individualism turn to selfishness. We must look to building communities again and returning to what is important in life. Love of each other.
Happy Holidays,
Christopher Cano
Candidate for State Representative
FL House District 60
A Nation Divided: Progress vs. Status Quo
September 5, 2009
As an American who descends from a long line of proud and
hardworking people, I possess a perspective with which many of you can identify. I grew up and was raised in the city of my birth, Tampa, Florida. My home has been a city in flux my entire life. Moving from the Cigar City of America in the first half of the twentieth century to the third largest media market in America has not been an easy transition. Many people in this city have either had to develop new skills or move elsewhere. Some fields have been made obsolete by technology in their entirety. Yet, the small town that once was the City of Tampa has grown exponentially. This is now the world renowned I-4 corridor. The pulse of our nation's politics and trends alike. Just as this country could not retreat back within its borders following World War I without costing the world greatly, we as a people are not afforded the opportunity to retreat back to the small town days of our fair city. Thus, we stand at a precipice. Do we keep things in our city as they are and work to attempt to return to outdated times, or do we progress as a people and push forwarded to reach a greater destiny?
Many of us yearn for a nostalgic era where our streets were not so crowded and everyone knew their neighbors. Where the street cars took you anywhere you needed to get to in town. These are ideas we cannot return to, yet we can build upon. We can progress by engaging in our communities, organizing as citizens, and providing input in the civics of our fair city. We can progress by electing officials who support a mass transit plan which will alleviate traffic and get us across this metropolis we still call home. We can progress by ensuring our officials support the allocation of resources necessary for creating jobs. Progress is not made overnight. It is made by the sweat of our brows and the strength of our backs. We are going to have to work hard and work together to achieve a more prosperous future for us all.
We live in a republic which is based on representative democracy. Therefore our progress as a nation is tied directly to those leaders we elect to represent us. So you must ask yourself what you wish...do you want world peace? Do you want a long and healthy life? Do you want economic prosperity in the hands of all or a few? Do you want a world class education for you and your children? Do you want the taxes you pay to support special interests or social services?
We have an opportunity to engage our leaders everyday by writing, calling, and using the internet’s social media tools to let them know how we want to be represented. What’s more, we can engage our leaders every two years when election time comes around. We can engage our leaders by electing candidates that represent us. We can show our elected officials that we want our values and goals represented in the legislation they support. We can ensure we are represented by each citizen doing their part in the community at large. In the end our future is dependent upon no one but each other.
America was founded by blacksmiths and farmers, by lawyers and doctors, by laborers and scientists. This nation was founded by teachers and statesmen, by natives and immigrants alike. If three million can band together to rise up against the largest colonial power in the world to found a free nation, then what can 300 million do to overcome a world in economic, social, and environmental crisis?
We, the people, face a time and era where we must come together to overcome the challenges before us. Our nation is at war with an enemy many of us have only seen on television. Our economy has been weakened by the greed and irresponsibility of a few. Our healthcare is too costly due to the failure to regulate favorably in the interest of the American people and rather in the interest of insurance giants. American lives now hang in the balance of whether people can afford healthcare, not whether doctors can save them. Our education we provide the American school child is subpar due to insufficient funding on the part of legislators. And, we are having a division over whether it is ethical for the American President to call on our children to be better students.
Have we lost perspective on what it means to lead? A majority of this nation elected a man named Barack Hussein Obama II to lead us in our affairs. We entrusted him with the reigns of our nation in order to lead us out of the state we are facing. Do we have so little faith in each other that when we disagree we must divide rather than come together?
I had a president once address me as a student. President George H.W. Bush asked me as an American student to take an interest in math and science. It shaped me as student to understand the issues that I would one day face as a future legislator. I understand that we can no longer support an energy policy which damages our planet and strengthens our enemies. I understand that we cannot continue to cut revenue and not spending. I understand that when a special interest is advanced in contrast to the best interest of the people, it is the people who lose out. And, I understand that Americans cannot afford to continue to elect officials who wish to keep these issues status quo.
Many may wonder how the President addressing the nation’s young people relates to the current state of affairs we face. The fact is that American Presidents are role models that show kids what they can and cannot be. You can be someone who creates a dialogue with your opposition rather than ignore them. You can be someone who asks the hard questions some of us fear to answer. You cannot be someone who chooses to keep doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. You cannot be someone who chooses to do business as normal when business is bad. Therefore I put it to the nation to hear our President out on his address to our nation’s youth. To engage him in healthy debate, rather than ignore what he is saying.
Progress is preferable to stagnation. Nature favors those who can evolve rather than remain stuck in their ways. Knowledge is gained by those who learn from mistakes. But, one must make mistakes to learn. We as a nation have evolved over the last 233 years by learning from our mistakes, by progressing rather than remaining status quo. We must choose to build on our better history and learn from our mistakes. So I ask you, is it a mistake to ignore what a President has to say because it does not fall in line with your ideology?
Ask your children what they think of what the President is saying and asking of them. In the end, it will be them who carry the future of our nation and not us. Let us hope they will be better than us. Let us hope they will accept that many of our current ways are folly. And, that many of our ideas will one day bear the fruit of prosperity. This nation has not advanced to its current status because we chose to do things the easy way or chose leisure over hard work. We have been at the forefront of human innovation since Reconstruction. Let us work together to progress, to be better than what we are. That is the essence of what it means to be human, to rise above what you are to be something greater. That spark of divinity in man, regardless of your individual faith or lack thereof, is universal. Each of us possesses it, and we must nurture it. We must nurture it in ourselves and our children.
To motivate through conversation and engagement, rather than ignorance and cynicism is a lesson that this nation can take from this address. I hope that it does. I hope we as a people come together in solidarity with the essence of the American Experiment in Democracy. Many say that American Republicanism and Biblical Traditions are being stifled by socialists. I would put to you that our Republican and Biblical values are being trampled by our Individualism. Selfishness, greed, and the defense of them as being a freedom are destroying our values. Let us hope we can re-examine what it means to be a good American and a good human being. Perhaps then we might come to the consensus that it is a right to life at the core of the American healthcare reform debate. Perhaps then we will see that cutting funding for education serves to only hinder progress and endanger our children. Perhaps then we will see that hearing the message, rather than crucifying someone because we disagree it is the more rational course. We have too much history from which we can choose to learn. We do not have to remain in our current state, but rather than build for a better one.
Therefore I challenge us all to progress as a nation rather than choose to cling to outdated ideas. I challenge us to choose to be better than remain status quo. Our city, our state, and our nation must be better if we are to have a future worth living on our planet. And, if you do not care for your future then I beseech you to look deep within your own humanity. The future of us all is at stake. So are you going to choose progress or remain status quo?
By Christopher C. Cano
Candidate for State Representative District 60
