Randy Hatch for Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services

The terrible reality

2010-06-19T09:57:00.000-04:00

Sadly, I had to face the choice of spending all of my campaign resources in the primary or choosing to join forces with my democratic opponent, Scott Maddox, to take on the most virulent threat to the people and future of the state of Florida to appear in memory.
Adam Putnam is the poster child of political prostitution, bigotry, class warfare, and special interest pandering.
His devotion to off shore drilling, with all those oil company contributions, would leave every Florida beach black with tar and the oceans burning. You must stop Adam Putnam while you have the chance. He really is that bad.
There comes a time when a statesman has to choose between what is right for themselves or what is right for the public they serve.
I had to face that choice. I chose you and your future.
It broke my heart and it shattered my dreams, but, Scott Maddox is better organized and better funded than I am without having sold his soul.
Scott has my full support and I hope you will give Scott your full support.
I will become the "elder statesman" I was meant to be just a little earlier that I intended.
I beg you, please, do not make my choice a wasted effort.

Monday Qualifying

2010-06-08T06:57:00.002-04:00

Qualifying is Monday.
The State wants nearly $8000 just to be able to run.
This is where Statesmen, who refuse to sell their virtue, get kicked to the curb.
I could have qualified by getting 112,000 petitions (at $.10 apiece for verification plus printing and collection cost).
The cost to qualify by petition is $11,200.00.
I do not waste money and I do not see the value of this expenditure.
You say you value Statesmanship over political prostitution.
Now is the time to put your money where your mouth is.
We are very close to our goal.
Your contribution can put us over the top.
Do not exceed $100.00.
To make a contribution, use this link: Contributions to Randy Hatch Campaign
If you are a stakeholder, you already have a seat at the table.
If you are trying to buy influence, sorry, I don't sell access. I give it freely to all Floridians.
Stand up now or choose between two career public parasites, one who never worked a day in his life, and the other the "Jim Greer" of the Democratic Party.
This is the most important of all cabinet seats, with the most impact on your daily lives.
Do you really want more corruption ruling over you?
Do you really want the governmental parasites eating the fruit of your labor because of their insatiable greed?
I have traveled over 1600 miles at 20 mph on the back of a farm tractor to earn your vote.
Anything of value I have ever had, I worked to achieve.
Stand with me now.
Visit randyhatch.com and make your stand today.

Traveling with the Press

2010-06-01T06:09:00.000-04:00

I am traveling this week with North Florida Independent News Correspondent, John Koch.
John will be reporting via remote all week on the adventure of Florida at 20 mph.
He will experience, firsthand, the level of commitment it takes to travel by farm tractor throughout this great state.
He will hear the hopes and dreams of the citizens of Florida. He will see a clear vision of a better future.
He will get to interact with the people of Florida who feel disenfranchised and ignored by their leaders in Tallahassee and Washington.
He will hear the positive message and workable solutions I bring to the citizens of Florida on the back of a farm tractor.
He will bear witness that I am the only candidate in this race that knows the job, knows the issues, and listens to the people.
My campaign needs money to continue. Now is the time to stand up and be counted.
Visit my website and press the "contribute" function. It is simple and easy. randyhatch.com

The Micro-Grid Reality

2010-05-25T18:58:00.000-04:00

Talked to a brilliant associate today about my vision for communities using Micro-Grid technology in combination with sustainable and compatible systems for water, sewage, and waste disposal.
We discussed the need to have each component a "plug in" module with built in redundancy to better customize each micro-grid to specific conditions and opportunities.
Imagine your community producing all its own energy needs using your specific environment to create an affordable, sustainable, and reliable independent micro-grid with you as a stakeholder/owner.
Imagine the reliability of your transmission lines all under ground.
Imagine a linear park in the center of your community instead of the ugly, dangerous and notoriously unreliable overhead power lines.
Now, imagine this model being more affordable, more attractive, and much safer than the existing models.
Pipe dream???? Not hardly!! We already have the technology.
With my leadership as Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services, you will see a working model in the very near future.

A Clear Choice

2010-05-24T03:44:00.000-04:00

It was a long week of travel and meetings with leadership from Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties.
I had the honor to meet with leaders of the Hispanic News Community to discuss the issues of immigration reform, normalization of relations with Cuba, sustainable energy strategies, the oil spill issue, homeland security, and drug interdiction among other topics of interest.
The best part of my adventure around Florida on a farm tractor is the opportunity to get input and advice from the stakeholders and citizens of the state.
I find most Floridians are enraged and bitter about the lack of vision and direction politicians have inflicted upon us in their efforts to pander to the big oil companies and other "cash cows".
I also find people are only now realizing how important the role of the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services and its impact on their daily lives.
Those I have met are now looking closely at their first real choice between career politicians and statesmanship to be offered for this important post in a very long time.
The choice is clear: A Washington Politician, A Tallahassee Politician, or a Suwannee County Farmer/Statesman.
Who do you trust with your food supply???

Miami/Dade County at 20 mph

2010-05-16T08:18:00.000-04:00

Spent two days riding around Miami on a big red McCormick farm tractor while I visited with newspapers, merchants, friends and strangers.

Many people from the rural parts of Florida predicted I would end my adventure in Miami. They predicted the conditions would be so hostile and adverse I would load up and come home.

I will admit driving a farm tractor through the high rise area of downtown Miami presented some operational challenges. However, I met some of the friendliest and most engaging people in the state.

A big red McCormick tractor, a real farmer with a southern drawl, and a cowboy hat, brought out the very best of everyone I met. Cultural background made no difference.

In a truly multicultural city with a diverse population, people responded positively to a genuine smile and a firm handshake.

Some had a hard time understanding my accent. I had a hard time understanding some I heard, but, the basic goodwill of people was never more evident than it is in Miami.

So visit Miami. They live at a little faster pace, but they are wonderful people drawing great strength from their diversity. See the American experience at its best.

A Footnote in History

2010-05-12T07:51:00.000-04:00

I do not want to tell my grandchildren that I remember when the beaches of Florida were white sand and the air smelled fresh and clean.
I do not want to tell my grandchildren that I had the chance to help save their future by developing sustainable and renewable energy that did not dump billions of tons of million year old carbon into the atmosphere.
I do not want to tell my grandchildren that I stood by, silent and frozen by fear or apathy or frustration, while evil people raped our planet, polluted our water and soil, and took away their future in the name of obscene levels of greed and avarice.
I want to leave my grandchildren a better place.
I want my grandchildren to be proud of their Pop Pop for taking a stand.
I want to usher in the age of energy enlightenment.
Someday, in the very distant future, I want them to stand over my stone proud of the inscription: "He was a footnote in History".

The Big Oil Trump Card

2010-05-08T14:50:00.000-04:00

There is only one Key West!! Riding around the "old town" on a farm tractor brought out the very best in people. Taking children for a ride around the block brought excitement to children and parents alike. Friends in Key West are working their "magic" in raising support. Making the turn north tomorrow. See you on the east coast of Florida at 20 mph.

The effects of the oil spill on Key West's economic viability has the whole island upset and mobilized to fight back.

My opposition to off shore drilling and my proposal to hold oil company executives responsible, corporately and individually, is well received here.

One hotel reported that hundreds of reservations have been canceled citing the oil spill as the reason.

Maybe congress should freeze the price of fuel until all restitution is made. If not, oil companies will simply make us pay for their transgressions at the pump. Like it is, they suffer no consequence while the public pays the price.

Grassroots Innovation

2010-05-07T07:26:00.000-04:00

Met a man named Johnny Georges yesterday in Arcadia. Johnny has found a way to reduce water use and provide frost protection to citrus trees. Water use reducion from almost 10,000 gallons per tree to under 1000 per year. Plus his system provides weed protection, reduces the need for fertilizer and, some say, brings the tree into production a year earlier. Good job Johnny!!

Johnny has become the victim of his own success. There are powerful special interest that do not want to see precision placement of fertilzer, water, and pesticides because it reduces the need for all three.

Imagine superior results by cutting back on the use of irrigation motors from 12 hours a day to 30 minutes. Imagine being able to pipe in waste water for the job and leave our potable water in the ground.

2010-05-04T03:37:00.002-04:00

I take no pleasure in being right about the threat to our number one economic engine in Florida posed by off shore drilling. I have seen the environmental devastation created by the mindless greed for oil all over this hemisphere over sunlight or bio-diesel or ethanol or wind. Why aren't we free already?

Proud Moments

2010-04-24T09:58:00.000-04:00

For all who donated to the bogus hate and fear issues the Republican Leadership of Florida sent out three times a day, I am sure you are experiencing a "moment of pride" when you see that a minimum of $7,000,000.00 of your hard earned money was spent on such necessities as "back waxes" and "resort vacations" for those "party elite" given American Express Cards.
While they made sure the governmental parasites lacked nothing, you suffered the most devastating unemployment and hardest financial times anyone alive today has ever experienced.
To all my Republican friends and relatives, you are good people who have legitimate concerns and undisputed love for our nation. I stand with you!
What your party has done is criminal. They stole the money you donated to make the world a better place for us all and threw it away living a lifestyle of greed and avarice.
Why has this issue not hammered the Democrat Party of Florida? It did, back when one of my opponents was the chair of the party. Democrats statewide are still staggering because of it.
What do we do?
We WAKE UP.
We fire every politician that sells their vote to whatever lobbyist who comes along. Take the prostitution out of politics. We elect STATESMEN only.
So, how do you tell the difference?
Look at how much money they raised. If it is a million dollars or more and the contributions are all in $500.00 increments from people in the same profession, you've got yourself a first class "hooker".
If a Candidate comes to your town and sits in your coffee shops and public meeting places and listens to you and then asks you to help with a $25.00 contribution, you may have a statesman in front of you.
Listen carefully, and you decide if you want to invest in statesmanship over political prostitution.
In the end, you get what you vote for.
You are the employer and the candidates have all applied for the job.
Choose wisely!

A Right To Be Heard

2010-04-23T16:38:00.000-04:00

Spent Saturday in Orlando with Dems from all over the state. Amazed at how many are friends made over the last six months as I went from county to county, club to club, and listened to their concerns and shared a vision for a better Florida. I don't always agree, but, I always listen. After all, this is America and every American has the right to be heard.

Several thought I had quit the race because my tractor icon on the web site has not moved in a while. Actually, I have visited 1000 miles of Florida with the tractor. The web page is being updated to reflect where I have been. I am very much in this race and gaining "traction" with every turn of the wheels.

Visit Randy Hatch for Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services to see updated photos and videos.

2010-04-23T16:35:00.001-04:00

Randy Hatch for Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services

April 16, 2010 - Lake City, Florida

2010-04-16T19:05:00.000-04:00

I am amazed at the anger level I have seen with non-elected power brokers over Crist's veto of SB 6. Who do these people think they are? Like him or not Charlie Crist is the Governor of Florida. It is his responsibility to veto that slips through the committee process (Oh yeah, they bypassed debate as usual). All authority to govern flows from the people through the election process. Do non-elected leaders really think THEY have the right to set policy?