“I think voting is great, but, if I have to choose between a douche and a turd, I just don’t see the point.” – Stan Marsh
Well, great news Florida voters, you have a third option. Adrian Wyllie, Florida’s Libertarian Gubernatorial Candidate, is running on a platform to keep government out of our personal lives, reduce unnecessary regulations and cut taxes.
Florida’s gubernatorial race is an interesting one; besides Wyllie, his two main competitors have an unique past.
Rick Scott, the current Republican governor, has one of lowest approval ratings among governors in the country. I reached out to his office for comment but had no reply.
Scott is nothing short of a controversial political figure; Florida’s Democratic Party points out how Scott “oversaw the largest Medicare fraud in the nation’s history,” as CEO & Chairman of the Hospital Corporation of America. In addition, Scott passed a law requiring welfare recipients to take drug tests, which was halted on constitutional grounds. Moreover, Scott has been pushing a campaign on how many jobs he has created, despite the fact that this was in a large effect the result of the country’s economic recovery.
Charlie Crist, the Democratic candidate, is the former governor of Florida but quit mid-term in an unsuccessful bid to pursue a US senate seat and now he wants his old job back. Crist was Republican at the time; however, he then changed his political affiliations to independent but is now running as a Democrat. I also tried to reach out to Crist but received no reply.
Crist has an interesting past of his own and it is the subject of a smear campaign paid for by the Republican Party of Florida. The party accuses Crist of accepting donations from billionaire ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein so Rothstein could have influence in the judicial appointment process. Rothstein even said in a testimony that he “was able to convince [Crist] to appoint people to judicial positions,” according to Politifact.
Adrian Wyllie isn’t a lawyer or a career politician, he’s a military vet, political activist and an business man. Wyllie is the president of a white hat information technology company that does computer consulting in the Tampa Bay area. Wyllie has a commitment to technology and small businesses because they will continue to make Florida great.
That’s why Wyllie is a bitcoiner; he has been mining the digital currency as a hobby for over a year, and he is even accepting it for his campaign. In January, Wyllie even spoke at the North American Bitcoin Conference in Miami and talked about his campaign.
Florida’s political races have always been a bit on the untraditional side, but now Florida has a chance to vote for someone who adamantly fights for the people’s rights and liberties.
The most open critics to these threats to our rights have been Libertarians like Adrian Wyllie. Wyllie recently got arrested for driving without a license, in protest of Florida’s “REAL ID Act.” The law in Wyllie’s view is eerily similar to Nazi Germany’s laws which made it easier to pick out enemies of the state. Today’s identification photos are taken with biometric cameras and put into a government database, just like if you were a criminal, which is why Wyllie is protesting.
Wyllie would bring a much needed change to the state and wants to promote the Bitcoin industry. Florida is already home to many Bitcoin businesses like Cryptsy, BitJack BTMs, and Trucoin.
When I asked Wyllie what he would do for the Bitcoin Industry, he replied:
“I would champion competing currencies legislation that would lift any barriers to transacting business in alternative and cryptocurrencies. My Intrastate Commerce Act would lift federal regulations for banks and financial institutions that operate exclusively in Florida, creating a market more conducive to widespread acceptance of alternative currencies.”
There is no doubt that Bitcoin startups bring high paying jobs to the community. Florida, no matter who gets elected, should try to embrace these small businesses. About half of all Bitcoin startups in the world have been in the US and most of those have been in the Silicon Valley area. Florida is a big financial hub for South America; the Brickell area has even been called the Wall Street of Miami because of the dense amount of international banks located in the district.
With recent regulations regarding bitcoin and lobbyists going to Washington to fight on both sides of the issue and BitLicense, bitcoin is going to be a topic of discussion in the coming political season – which is why Florida needs someone to protect Bitcoin.
So, I am calling upon YOU, the community, to help Adrian Wyllie out, spread the word, donate your time, or bits, whatever you can do to help out.
Wyllie will be taking part in several debates, so please make sure you watch:
- Monday, Sept. 29, at the University of Florida and will air from 6:30 to 7:30pm
- Friday, Oct. 10 WSCV Telemundo 51
- Wednesday, Oct. 15, at Broward College and will air from 7:00 to 8:00pm
- Tuesday, Oct. 21 Sponsored by CNN
If you’re going to vote, be informed and choose wisely.
Disclaimer: The author of this post is tired of the typical politician.
