Guest Author
I’m going to say a few things in here that folks in the political arena know to be true, but that they refuse to say publicly.
Our country is miserably off track; this is something that all but the far left agree on. I personally came to the point where I felt a responsibility to try to do something about it, and I’ve been blessed enough in business to be able to take a shot at running for office.
Here’s the American situation – we have moved from a culture of independence to a culture of dependence. We have moved from capitalism into the direction of socialism. We have moved from being a beacon of strength internationally to a position of weakness. And we have moved from a strong financial base to an unprecedented level of debt beyond description or compare.
Of one thing I am certain – we are foolish if we think we will achieve change by sending the same crowd of people back to run our government again and again. This is the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over, but expecting different results.
I got into this race because the Senate seat was open and was underwhelmed by our potential choices to represent the Republican Party. In fact, prior to Marco Rubio going back on his word, our campaign had moved into first place in the Republican primary.
But sometimes life throws you a curveball. I made the miscalculation of taking Mr. Rubio at his word that he wouldn’t seek re-election if he lost the Presidential Primary. Even in March, he reiterated that he has told people “10,000” times that he is not running for re-election. I guess I was silly to believe the words of a Washington politician.
Once Mr. Rubio went back on his word, all the other candidates (being the politicians that they are) ran scurrying for the exits. David Jolly went back to running for Congress, Ron DeSantis went back to running for Congress, and Carlos Lopez-Cantera went back to doing whatever it is that he does, which is basically nothing except collect a check from the Florida taxpayers.
The directive out of Washington was for everyone to kiss the Senator’s ring and bow out of the race. We did not yield to the Washington political establishment, and even though we did not win, I make no apologies.
Herein lies the big problem in America today – the folks in Washington, in both parties, think they can give orders to us. It is supposed to be just the opposite. They are supposed to take orders from us. I do not take orders from Washington, and I suggest that no one else should either.
Critics will say it was a fool’s errand to stay in the Senate race. They will say we had no chance of beating Rubio, and they will say I wasted money. But of course, critics are most often those people who lack the courage and commitment to enter the arena.
I care deeply about the direction of our country. I wanted to go to Washington to say enough is enough and to fight for the American dream that has been so good to my family, and is clearly slipping through our fingers today with the mindless and naive liberalism of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
We came up short, but I make no apologies for fighting for what is right.
One last thing – I will vote for both Trump and Rubio in November. With all of his sins, and we all have them, Trump’s primary message is one of change, and of America embracing those values that made us the greatest country in the world.
With regard to young Mr. Rubio, in my judgment he made a life mistake. A man’s word is the most important thing he has. Mr. Rubio must live with that decision. Sadly, he could have learned a lot about America and about himself by leaving politics and spending some time in the real world. Nonetheless, he is the best of the remaining options.
We as a campaign, and I personally, am appreciative of the support of those who sought change for this country. I will never have the right words to show my sincere appreciation to all those friends who gave of their time and resources. Thank you for your efforts and most importantly, your votes of confidence.
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Manatee homebuilder Carlos Beruff was defeated Tuesday evening by incumbent U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio in the Florida Republican primary.
3 comments
Harris Silverman
August 31, 2016 at 7:19 am
We need many more private sector patriots like Carlos Beruff.
Gregory J. Klein
August 31, 2016 at 1:50 pm
Remember the Great Recession of 2008?
Remember how property values plummeted, jobs were eliminated and pensions depleted ? Remember watching friends and family losing their homes and their livelihoods?
Remember the previous decades of suffocating wage stagnation—as bad as that was— giving way to pay cuts and health insurance increases? Remember wondering how you were going to pay the mounting bills and what you were going to do if your job got cut?
If you were one of the lucky ones, you might have found yourself reflecting on the loss of colleagues, the lack of opportunity and the ever-shrinking paychecks and sighing, “Well, at least I’ve got a job.” I know that I did. Repeatedly.
Remember when the Manatee County School Board, recognizing that the building trades were vital to the local economy decided to suspend the impact fees payed for by Developers like Carlos Beruff and Pat Neal? Remember how those impact fees were never reinstated, even after the suspension period had expired?
Remember how the schools began to run out of supplies—supplies that were never replaced? Remember the stories about the lack of books, materials, and even chairs in some schools? Remember almost 200 teachers being fired?
Well I sure do. It was a challenging time that required tightening belts, abandoning niceties and planning for the worst while making the best of what you had in the face of an uncertain future.
But things were not quite so bleak for those now impact fee-free Developers. In a recent story on the Saint Peters Blog (saintpetersblog.com), Carlos Beruff—candidate for the U.S. Senate—describes how he “actually profited” from the Great Recession.
“This huge recession that hit us, we actually profited from the recession” said Beruff. “We had the liquidity to ride through.”
That’s right.
At a time when the local economy was in ruins, families in tatters, schools in dire straights, and walls in Medallion homes toxic, Carlos Beruff (minus the burden of those pesky impact fees) was able to profit handsomely and bankroll his failed vanity-bid for the Senate—all off the backs of Manatee County tax payers.
Remember the Great Recession of 2008?
Carlos Beruff does. Fondly.
Robin Miller
September 1, 2016 at 1:42 pm
Carlos, it’s time for you to stop ruining lives and turn into a philanthropist, same as Bill Gates did after many years of bad business. If you believe in God, it’s time for you to get right with Him. If not, what about your legacy. Right now you are primarily known as an evil, greedy destroyer. If you’re proud of that, so be it. If you’re not, time to turn it around.
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