Who Really Wants Government Making More of Your Decisions?
Josie Tomkow’s allies have decided that one of the frightening things voters need to know about Brian Nathan is that, years ago, he registered with something called the National Atheist Party.
Apparently we are now checking voter-registration cards for signs of theological danger.
For the record, Tomkow identifies as Episcopalian in her official Florida House biography. Some folks have issues with Episcopalians. I guess Josey would be OK if they didn’t vote for her based on that one fact. I found no public record showing that she dislikes atheists, and I have no idea when she last attended church. More importantly, I am not sure why either fact should qualify or disqualify someone for public office. The Constitution seems to have settled that question a while ago.
Then there is the “socialist” attack.
Nathan has been photographed at an event where the Party for Socialism and Liberation was present, and Republican groups have tried to turn that into proof that he is some dangerous socialist.
Before everyone starts checking under the bed for Karl Marx, it might help to remember that Americans already support a rather long list of things funded collectively through government. Social Security. Medicare. Medicaid. SNAP. Public schools. Fire departments. Police departments. Roads. Libraries. Public hospitals. Veterans benefits.
Calling every government program “socialism” might make for an exciting mailer. It is not a particularly useful definition. The more important question is what the candidates have actually done with government power.
Tomkow’s House record shows she has often voted to move authority from cities and counties to Tallahassee, the central government. You can decide for yourself which systems use that kind of government.
She supported state laws that overruled local decisions on rental regulation, wages and employee benefits, development, vacation rentals, housing, and other issues usually managed locally. In several cases, local officials lost the ability to respond differently to conditions in their own communities. You know…”centralized control.” That’s always better than local government…Am I right? Apparently, Josie thinks so.
There is a term for shifting power toward a central government. Readers can decide which word fits best.
But she did vote for some lower taxes. She supported extending a state sales-tax break for massive data centers through 2037, even though these facilities raise concerns about power demand, infrastructure, noise, and neighborhood impacts. So…Yahhhh???
Then there are decisions that are much more personal.
Brian Nathan supports a woman’s right to make decisions about her own pregnancy. (You know…”hyper-local”…like in her own home and with her own medical team.) Tomkow voted for Florida’s 15-week abortion restriction. A year later, she voted for the six-week restriction.
So while her allies warn voters about government overreach from “socialists,” Tomkow voted to put state government directly into one of the most private decisions a woman can make.
Her record goes further. She supported restrictions on gender-related medical treatment, restroom use, pronouns, classroom instruction, books and instructional materials, and what public colleges and universities can fund or teach. All limiting rights of individuals. Now what government types do that again?
Reasonable people can disagree about every one of those policies. But the record makes one thing worth asking. Which candidate has actually voted to give government more authority over local communities, classrooms, medical decisions, and private life?
Campaign labels are cheap. “Socialist.” “Radical.” “Atheist.”
Voting records require a little more work.
And sometimes, once you look at them, the person shouting loudest about government control has spent quite a bit of time voting FOR more of it.
Sources
Florida’s Voice — reporting on Brian Nathan’s past “National Atheist Party” registration and attacks tying him to socialist organizations
Florida’s Voice article
Florida House of Representatives — Josie Tomkow official biography, including Episcopal religious affiliation
NastyNathan.com / Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee — campaign attacks labeling Nathan a socialist and tying him to socialist organizations
Nasty Nathan campaign site
House Bills: HB 5, HB 7, HB 337, HB 433, HB 837, HB 1069, HB 1367, HB 1417, HB 1467, HB 1521, HB 1557, HB 7031, HB 7065
Senate Bills: SB 76, SB 102, SB 254, SB 266, SB 300, SB 2-D, SB 2-A
