FLORIDA TODAY gave Rep. Bill Posey a “thumbs down” Wednesday for what it labeled an “impossible stand” on Obamacare. Let’s review Rep. Posey’s position the day of the partial shutdown.

First, requiring members of Congress, staff, the president, White House staff and presidential appointees to sign up for Obamacare. Second, delaying the Obamacare mandate on individuals for one year. If someone wanted to sign up for Obamacare, they could still enroll.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid objected to these two points.

Rep. Posey’s office has received numerous correspondence from constituents who have seen their premiums increase as much as 400 percent, had their work hours cut, have been dropped from their plans or can’t keep their doctors.

When Obamacare was passed, Americans were assured they could keep their current plans and doctors, costs would go down, it was not a tax, and there would be no rationing of medical care. Advocates for Obamacare should ensure that it does the things they said it would do, and provide relief to all who are adversely impacted.

Sen. Reid let the government shut down to protect the White House from having to use a product that they are forcing others to buy, while not letting people say no to something they don’t want.

Congress should enact relief for all adversely affected

Everyone knows that on Oct. 1, there was a partial government shutdown.

It resulted from an impasse between the Republican House, Democratic Senate and President Obama over two issues:

1) Whether Congress and the White House obey the same Obamacare rules you do.

2) Whether individuals should get the same waiver from Obamacare mandates that the President unilaterally gave large corporations and special interests.

These two requirements were put in the Sept. 30 funding resolution that passed the House and on which the Senate has refused to negotiate.

My office recently received a call from a Merritt Island constituent upset because the new health care law led to the loss of his medical insurance. He liked the coverage through his wife’s full-time job, but the health care law forced her employer to cut her to part-time, eliminating their health insurance.

A Rockledge constituent emailed this week to inform me that their doctors no longer will take their insurance; and a constituent in Palm Bay wrote that their insurance costs just doubled, costing them another $2,781 out of pocket. I’ve heard lots of similar stories, and it’s wrong for Congress, the White House and large corporations to get a special exemption.

Small business owners have shared accounts with me describing how they have had to cut full-time employees and opted not to expand their business because of the health law’s requirements. This law is having a very real and adverse impact in our local economy and across this nation.

When Obamacare was passed on a party-line vote under then- Speaker Nancy Pelosi, people were assured they could keep their current doctors and their insurance company. They also were told it would cost them less, it was not a tax, and there would be no rationing of medical care — none of which is completely true.

First and foremost, leaders in Washington who have advocated for Obamacare have a duty to see to it that these principles are reflected in the actual law, and Congress should enact relief for all Americans who are adversely impacted, not just some special interests and large corporations.

There’s no doubt that some people like the new health care law and there are a few provisions with which I agree. But the administration and a complicit media have glossed over the harm this law has already caused millions of Americans.

If some want to ignore these facts and play the blame game, I can’t stop them.

But what I will do is fight for those workers, families and businesses in our community that have been wronged by Washington’s deception and its unwillingness to treat them fairly.

WASHINGTON — It’s been a rocky few years for the Space Coast district represented by U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge — starting with NASA’s decision to retire the space shuttle in 2011.

The end of the 30-year program led to thousands of job losses at Kennedy Space Center. The beachfront region still is trying to recover from the economic body blow.

As Posey begins his third term, he said his primary goal is reducing local unemployment, a trauma he knows well after losing his own job as a safety inspector decades ago when NASA downsized the Apollo moon program.

“It’s jobs and the economy,” Posey said during a 45-minute interview in his Washington office. “That’s the biggest [priority].”

Unemployment in Brevard County and Indian River County — the bulk of Posey’s district, which also includes east Orange — is stuck at 8 percent or more and continues to outpace state and national averages.

To cut those numbers, Posey is pushing a multipronged agenda that aims to diversify the economy while reigniting the space sector.

A key first step, he said, is establishing a new commercial launchpad near KSC that could attract emerging rocket companies such as SpaceX.

State officials are working with federal lawmakers to secure a site near the ghost town of Shiloh, which sits on the Volusia-Brevard border.

“The Shiloh site will yield big dividends in the future,” said Posey, including the potential for hundreds of new jobs. But the effort has been snared in red tape and some environmental concerns, and Posey said he plans to hassle federal bureaucrats to hurry the approval along.

Timing is critical because SpaceX is expected to announce soon where it wants its newest launchpad, and Florida must show signs of progress if it hopes to beat competitors such as Texas and Puerto Rico.

Early cost estimates have put the pad’s price tag at less than $100 million, with the bulk of that cost being borne by the company that uses it, along with some state funding.

Outside the space world, Posey is pushing federal regulators at NOAA to reassess fish populations off Florida’s east coast.

In recent years, catching several species — notably red snapper, tilefish and wreckfish — has been restricted because of past overfishing. Posey wants NOAA to take stock now to see whether their populations have rebounded enough to increase catch limits.

A survey on red snapper, for example, is planned to begin in 2014, but Posey and the fishing industry want to begin that work immediately in the hope it generates more work for Florida anglers.

“We firmly believe that if true scientific work was done, the catch [allowed] would be greater than it is now,” said Bob Jones, executive director of the Southeastern Fisheries Association. And, he added, “we’ll back off” if that survey shows the fish are still below required levels.

Posey also is seeking to generate jobs through upgrades at Port Canaveral. Authorities there want to widen the facility from 400 to 500 feet and deepen the harbor by 2 feet — making it roughly 46 feet deep at its lowest point.

“Ships have gotten so large, so fast over the last couple years,” said John Walsh, interim CEO of Port Canaveral. “We need that extra margin of safety.”

The goal is to attract more cruise lines and cargo ships to Port Canaveral. Walsh said the two upgrades could create hundreds, if not thousands more jobs with the increased traffic. The estimated cost of these upgrades is about $54 million, and Posey is seeking to route about $34 million in federal dollars to that effort, with the remainder being covered by state and port funding.

“It’s just a matter of money,” he said.

As a final goal, Posey is pressing to give more flexibility to U.S. Customs and Border Protection so inspection agents can work on a seasonal or part-time basis.

The idea is to help boost flights to facilities such as Melbourne International Airport, which don’t often attract foreign airlines. A more-flexible staffing option could make it more cost-efficient for these small airports to welcome international visitors.

Congress granted that flexibility in a law that passed this year, and now Posey is pressing customs officials to test the new arrangement at Melbourne airport.

“We are a lot further along than we were six months ago,” said Richard Ennis, executive director of Melbourne International Airport.

U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, R-Fla., is leading a bipartisan congressional coalition in re-introducing a bill directing NASA to return to the moon by 2022 and to establish an American colony there.

It would be a massive project in which the Florida Space Coast likely would play a role.

“The Russians are going to the moon; the Chinese are going to the moon,” Posey tells Sunshine State News concerning HR 1446, the “REasserting American Leadership in Space Act,” or REAL Space Act. “They’re not going there to bring back some rock samples and study the origins of the moon and the earth; they’re going there to colonize.”

Posey is hesitant to tout the benefits his legislation would accrue to the Sunshine State’s space program, downgraded under President Barack Obama. He insists his bill is an issue that “transcends parochialism and transcends partisanship.” But he can’t deny that Floridians – especially his own Space Coast constituents – have much to gain from the bill’s passage.

“There are many companies throughout the state of Florida that benefit from our space program, and I don’t think there is a single county that doesn’t have some connection with the space industry,” the congressman and former state senator admits. “But that’s not the purpose of this legislation, though that’s obviously a positive spin-off.”

U.S. presidential candidate Newt Gingrich received much mockery during his 2012 Republican primary campaign, for suggesting that moon colonization should be a priority for the United States; but Posey, whose congressional district includes the Kennedy Space Center, insists the nation has vital national security interests in maintaining space dominance.

“The moon is America’s military high ground,” Posey tells SSN, before recounting a visit he made to Israel a couple of years ago. “I went to the [Israel-occupied] Golan Heights … You can launch a rocket and hit anywhere down [in Israel] that you want, and they can’t even see you. That’s the best visual I’ve had of military high ground,” he says, referring to Israel’s interest in not having that territory in the hands of Muslim jihadists.

The bill’s text refers to the importance of claiming the moon as a launching pad for the exploration of the solar system and other corners of the universe, especially Mars. Exploring and colonizing these frontiers “helps support the long-term survival of our species,” Posey says, insisting that those who take an “‘I want it, I want it now, and I want the benefits now” attitude are being short-sighted.

“There’s numerous benefits to space that people don’t think about every day: No space? No weather report, no laptops, no wireless, no cell phones, no credit card use – it just goes on and on,” he explains. “We’ve got 32 critical satellites: take out half of those, and suddenly most of this country is out of business.”

The bill does not yet have a companion in the Senate. An aide in Sen. Bill Nelson’s office said he would inform Florida’s senior senator and one-time astronaut about the bill.

The REAL Space Act is co-sponsored by U.S. Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, Frank Wolf, R-Va., Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., John Culberson, R-Texas, Steve Stockman, R-Texas, Pete Olson, R-Texas, Rob Bishop, R-Texas, and Ted Poe, R-Texas.

Congressman Bill Posey

BREVARD COUNTY • VIERA, FLORIDA — The Brevard County Health Department Conference Center was named after U.S. Congressman Bill Posey in a special dedication ceremony led by Dr. Heidar Heshmati, director of the health department.

“Year after year Congressman Posey was so helpful, and without him, we would not have this huge and beautiful clinic building and conference center that we have today,” said Dr. Hesmati in a heartfelt show of support and gratitude for his efforts in helping Brevard County.

In attendance was an impressive array of Brevard County medical staff, business, community and political leaders to witness the dedication to one of Brevard’s favorite and longest standing political servants.

Health Department Leaders

The Brevard County Health Department provides over 10,000 services daily to people in Brevard County.

Dr. Heidar Heshmati

The department is led by Director Dr. Heidar Heshmati; Executive Community Health Nursing Director Maria Stahl; Administrative Services Director Bob Vitto; Director of Community Health R.Bruce Pierce; Environmental Manager Melissa Brock; and Attorney Carlos Marin-Rosa

The Conference Center was named after Posey, as he has been a continual advocate for Brevard County Health Services and was instrumental in finding the funding for the Brevard County Health Department building in Viera.

‘It Takes a Village’

Kim Barnhill, chief of staff for the Florida Department of Health, spoke passionately about Florida’s public health service and on behalf of Dr. John Armstrong, Florida’s Surgeon General.

Kim Barnhill

Barnhill, who was born and raised in Brevard, congratulated Posey on the dedication.

“It takes a village to get something like this accomplished and we thank Bill for helping to make this happen,” said Barnhill.

“Our mission is to make Florida the healthiest state in the nation and whether it is a ribbon cutting or a category four hurricane, we are here for you.”

Outstanding Public Service

Posey represents Florida’s 8th Congressional District which encompasses all of Brevard and Indian River Counties, and a small portion of Orange County.

A Republican, he was elected to U.S. House of Representatives in 2008 and is currently serving his third term. He serves on the Financial Services Committee and its two subcommittees – Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit and Domestic & International Monetary Policy.

Posey also serves on the Committee on Science, Space and Technology and it’s two subcommittees on Space and Oversight.

John Davis, left, with Dr. Vinh Trong Ngo enjoy the dedication ceremony. (SpaceCoastDaily.com image)

Prior to being elected to Congress, Posey served for eight years in the Florida State Senate where he led the successful effort to reform Florida’s insurance laws to increase competition and lower rates for home-owners and businesses in response to the devastating 2004 hurricane season.

After the controversy surrounding the 2000 presidential election, Posey sponsored and passed legislation to reform and modernize Florida’s election process by requiring counties to replace their punch card ballot system with optical scanners, set new election recount standards and better educate voters and poll workers.

Before entering public service, he worked at the Kennedy Space Center until he was laid off with the end of the Apollo Program. He then founded Posey & Co. Realtors and later served as a director of the Florida Association of Realtors and President of the Space Coast Association of Realtors.

He also oversaw reforms to lower the cost of workers’ compensation, medical malpractice and automobile insurance laws.

In 1992 Posey was elected to the Florida House of Representatives. He previously served for 10 years as a member of the Rockledge City Council.

Cocoa High, BCC Graduate

Bill Posey was born in 1947 and attended Cocoa High where he met and later married his high school sweetheart, Katie. The Poseys have been married 45 years and live in Rockledge. They have two daughters, Pam and Cathi, and three grandchildren. He graduated from Brevard Community College with an Associate of Arts degree in 1969.

Kristy Grimes, left, and Pam Gillespie. (SpaceCoastDaily.com image)

Posey has long been an advocate for greater accountability in government and is the author of the book Activity Based Total Accountability.

The American Legislative Exchange Council, the nation’s oldest and largest bipartisan organization of state lawmakers, named Posey “National Legislator of the Year” for his efforts to bring greater accountability to government.

He is also an accomplished stock car racer, having received the award for short track driver achievement in memory of Davey & Clifford Allison presented by Bobby & Judy Allison.

$16.5 Million Investment

Brevard County Commissioner Chuck Nelson spoke at the ceremony to recognize and congratulate Posey.

Chuck Nelson

“This 10.89 acre building site was set aside (by the county commission) on December 7, 2004 and this 2-story magnificent building with 61,000 square feet was opened to the public in June 2009.

$4.5 million of the construction funding came from the state legislature, $2.8 million from the Florida Department of Health and $4.2 from the Brevard County Health Trust Fund. But none of that would have happened without the great leadership at the state level of Congressman Posey” said Nelson.

Mike Haridopolos

Florida Senator Mike Haridopolis also spoke to congratulate Posey.

“It has been Bill’s wisdom and leadership that has really led the way for Brevard County,” said Haridopolis.

“Without his hard work, dedication and loyal representation of the taxpayers, great things like this don’t happen.”

‘Admire, Respect and Honor’

Judge A.B Majeed of the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit Court serving Brevard and Seminole counties also spoke to congratulate Posey.

“Everyone gathered here today is a VIP and I’m so glad to see people here today from all walks of life,” said Majeed.

Judge A.B. Majeed

“I admire, respect and honor the Congressman very much and he is a close friend of mine and of the people. He works so hard for this community and is always there to help. I would also like to thank Dr. Heshmati who has dedicated his life to this community.

“The delivery of pubic health is so critical to our community and is often the only available access to healthcare for many of our friends and neighbors. Thank you Bill for all that you have done and for all that you will do.”

Heshmati then presented Posey with a commemorative plaque and the Congressman spoke passionately about his love for Brevard and of being a public servant.

“Those of us here today all have something in common and that is we share a servants heart and that is why you do what you do every day,” said Posey.

“Putting other people first is what you do and I thank you for that. There was a day when I thought that the health department where was poor people went to get shots but through getting to know Dr. Heshmati and his predecessor, the great Dr. Manuel Garcia, I learned that it is so much more.

“I have since learned about all the wonderful services that the health department provides that benefits every single person living in this county. This department is the first line of defense for the health of our citizens and is extremely important. Dr.Hesmati is a true advoacte for the people and his influence led to the $16.5 million being put in the ground here. I am humbled and we greatly appreciate this honor.”

Dr. Mitch Greenberg, left, and Tom Redmond. (SpaceCoastDaily.com image)

More Community Leadership

Other people in attendance were long-time public servant Tom Redmond, Dr. Mitch Greenberg, Special Projects Coordinator for District 5 Kristy Grimes, Director of Community Relations for Congressman Posey Pam Gillespie, Sexual Assault Victim Services Director Teresa Andersen, Dr. Radfar Heshmati, John David and Dr. Vinh Trong Ngo.

Dr. Heshmati closed the ceremony and thanked all who have supported the health department.

“We are the only county health department in the entire United States that has 11 best model practices and we are very proud of that accomplishment,” said Dr. Heshmati.

Teresa Andersen, left, and Dr. Radfar Heshmati. (SpaceCoastDaily.com image)

“We are the only county in the state that offers pre-natal care to pregnant women. Due to our great staff, our partnerships with private medical practitioners, OBGYN’s, hospitals, healthy start and other key organizations, we provide quality medical care to the people.”