Maurice Ferre for US Senate - Florida Democratic US Senate Candidate

The primary issue overriding everything else in America today is the economy and jobs, jobs, jobs. The Economy is number one on Main Street, Wall Street and K-Street (Washington). It is the defining issue for the November 2 General Election and should be the defining issue for the Democratic Primary Election for the U.S. Senate.

In the economy, I fall on the side of Dr. Paul Krugman and Dr. Joseph E. Stiglitz (Nobel Prize winners on economics), author Tom Friedman, investor Warren Buffet, Colombia University Economist Jeffrey Sachs and former FRB chairman Paul Volker.

The United States is too close to a double dip recession, stagflation that has affected Japan for 15 years for not being bold, and what could be worse, a depression more severe than the one of 1932. True, our debt ratio to GDP is now at 93% and growing. I believe we must do both, stimulate the economy and once we are surely out of recession, go into deficit, budget, balance of payment and debt reductions. But first, fix the economy.

As a U.S. Senator, my strongest focus would be to promote an impetus to the U.S. economy based strictly on investing on infrastructure projects, mostly transportation.

For well over a year, the proposed Surface Transportation Act of 2009 (STA) has been pending in the U.S. House of Representatives, with conflicting legislation in the U.S. Senate, and no clear leadership from the White House.

It is my opinion that a $500 B Surface Transportation Act bill proposed by chairman James Overstar, with $450 billion for our nations’ mobility and $50 B for High Speed Rail (HSR) is a very modest amount in view of transportation needs of $2.2 trillion as outlined in the Wall Street Journal by the American Society of Civil Engineers (http://nucor.com/voice/) and the current critical need of an economic boost to our still faltering economy.

If we can spend $1 Trillion in two useless wars, we can certainly spend $1 Trillion in overhauling and upgrading our transportation systems over the next ten years. More than a half century later, we still feel the impact and the improved quality of life that came to America through Ike’s Interstate Highway project (Federal Aid Highway Act – 1956).

In my twenty-five years of public service, as a 12 year Mayor of Miami, a state legislator, and a county commissioner, I have always stressed the importance of transportation to Florida.

I especially learned by being in the Governors High Speed Rail Commission (in the mid nineties) and the last five years serving in the Miami Dade Expressway Authority (MDX)

Here is the conclusion of our states immediate transportation needs:

• We need to deepen our seaport channels to 50 ft. Miami’s is the cheapest and quickest, but we must also do Jacksonville and Tampa. By 2014 the new Panama Canal will completely change, with the use of post-Panamax ships, how goods go from China, Japan and Korea to the markets of the Eastern U.S. and Latin America. Florida’s future is in play. Our seaports need to be ready to compete by 2014.

• We must insure that our international airports remain competitive and viable, especially in international cargo.

• We must vigorously pursue and develop at least three viable and competitive integrated logistical centers (ILCs), inland ports, cargo centers where containers and freights are logistically moved between seaports, railcars and trucks. The Port of Miami was years ahead of its time with an ILC on the FEC’s 30 acres in Wynwood.

• The American Recovery and Reinstatement Act of 2009 (ARRA), the stimulus bill on almost $800 B., the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act (RIIA) and the pending STA must be carefully focused and coordinated to propel the United States into the New Economy, along with a New Energy Plan and the incentivizing of small businesses in technology and innovation.

• Lastly, I strongly support the recommendations of the report from the Washington based Bipartisan Policy Center, “Performance Driven: A New Vision for US Transportation Policy” released June 2009. It is time for the U.S. to reevaluate our transportation costs, alternatives and funding, I also subscribe to the Bipartisan Policy Center’s National Transportation Policy Project, “New Starts: Lessons learned for discretionary Federal Transportation Funding Programs”released January 25, 2010. It’s time for new thinking.

The Urban Land Institute’s “Connecting Florida: The case for regional integrated Transit Systems” is also essential for adoption by this Florida

Transportation Summit.

I submit the following points on Florida’s Transportation needs:

• Do not treat transportation as a project, treat it as a continuing process.

• New transportation processes must be wholistic, integrated and interchangeable so that the parts are both self standing and together improve the quality of life for Floridians.

• New technologies will make available what before was impossible: from impossible, to possible, to probable.

• New transportation processes must be economically viable and self paying when one takes into account ALL costs and ALL benefits as analyzed in“PERFORMANCE DRIVEN: A NEW VISION FOR U.S. TRANSPORTATION POLICY” released in June 2009 by the BIPARTISAN POLICY CENTER.

• New Transportation processes require intermodal connectivity (I.C.). I.C. provides a measureable geometric progression of use, and will form the basis for new performance based measures. Just like social media is changing America, interconnected, multiple-choice transportation is the future for America.

• Utilize intermodal connectivity as a basis for new performance based measures. Understanding how our transportation network is connected – and establishing connectivity goals – will help us make better funding choices at all levels of government.

• We must superimpose new systems and technologies on old assets to change usage, BRT.

• New transportation processes must begin with smart growth oriented land development reform.

• Momentum for change must be built by aggressively expanding local transit options.

• New transportation processes and methods are not only for decongestion, added mobility and quality of life, but as a dynamic tool for economic development.

• The New Economy in the U.S. must be built on new renewable energy (10 year, 20 year plan); technology and innovation; and new infrastructure, mostly in new interconnected transportation systems.