Eddie Hendry

Eddie Hendry was a Republican candidate in the 2008 congressional elections for the 2nd Congressional District (map) of Florida. He was seeking the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent Rep. Allen Boyd Jr (D-Fla.). He lost in primary elections which took place on August 26, 2008.

Positions, record and controversies
(referenced from Hendry's official website:  ) Economy I believe that we live in the greatest country in the world with the best free market system to create economic growth. Our biggest obstacle to stronger and sustainable growth is our current tax structure. Our tax system is outdated, too complex, and unfair to all tax payers. It is a proven fact that lower taxes create higher employment and a growth-oriented, thriving economy. For example, the tax cuts enacted during the Reagan Era (25% across the board) created an economy that grew by 31% with an average growth rate of 3.5%. It also was responsible for the creation of 20 million jobs. The most studied and best tax solution that I have seen is the Fair Tax. This tax system is based on national consumption of all new goods and services.

The Fair Tax will: 1) Replace the federal income and payroll tax, including personal, gift, capital gains, AMT, Social Security/Medicare, self employment and corporate taxes. 2) Repeal the 16th Amendment. 3) Allow Americans to keep 100% of their earnings. 4) Replace existing tax revenues dollar for dollar. 5) Provide a rebate so no American pays federal tax up to the poverty level. 6) End corporate and compliance costs hidden in the retail costs of goods and services. 7) Fully funds the government and the Social Security/Medicare system. 8) Makes the tax structure more transparent and easy to understand. I agree with many of the leading economists in this country that this is the right system to create a more prosperous economy. For more detailed information I encourage you to visit www.fairtax.org.

Immigration I, like most Americans, favor legal immigration. However, illegal aliens are one of the biggest threats our country now faces. It is not just the fact that undocumented workers costs tax payers billions of dollars each year and depress wages for our citizen workforce, but it has become a national security issue as well. Terrorists and others wanting to do our country harm have free access into the country through our borders. Because of this, I propose the following: 1) We don't need new laws on immigration. We need to enforce the laws that we currently have. 2) We need to build a border fence that practically and effectively protects our borders. 3) We need to levy and enforce heavy fines on employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens. 4) We need to station active duty military personnel on the border to help the border patrol. 5) All cultures should be accepted, but the American culture is the one that must be embraced. This includes the requirement to learn English. 6) We need a real time citizen verification system to be implemented. 7) Finally, no amnesty in any form should be accepted.

Budget/Government Spending The federal government is spending way too much tax payer money, running large budget deficits, adding earmark pork projects that are unnecessary and are about to bankrupt the country. We must balance our budget. We must eliminate the fraud, waste and duplication of services in the bureaucracy. This includes cutting taxes and forcing the federal government to become more effective and accountable. Spending on entitlement programs will double to almost 2 trillion dollars by 2015 at the current pace. There are solutions to the problems which include: 1) Eliminating programs catering to special interest (Corporate Welfare). 2) Giving state functions back to the states as intended by the Constitution including Education, Healthcare, and Transportation. 3) Privatize or eliminate ineffective and wasteful programs (ie, Air Traffic Control, Amtrak, Army Corps of Engineers). 4) Allow for personal Social Security Accounts and convert Medicaid funds to block grants for the states. 5) Eliminate all pork projects to home districts of Congress.

Terrorism/Iraq War Like it or not we are in a fight for our very survival against Islamic Radicals who want to destroy our way of life. The President said after 9/11 if you are a terrorist or aid terrorists you are at war with the United States. Our country has moved away from this over the last few years. We have become desensitized to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. There can be no negotiations with these fanatics.

Whether or not the war in Iraq was based on accurate information, we are there now and the main enemies are terrorists. We must achieve total victory or Iraq is headed for a vacuum which favors Iran or Syria.

The best thing our government can do is let the military run the war without the constraints of politicians; this was our biggest mistake in Vietnam. We need to fully fund the troops without benchmarks for withdrawal, let the military leaders direct and manage the war, and ultimately determine when our troops return home.

Healthcare This is an issue that state and local governments should be addressing. At their level, they have a better understanding of the healthcare needs of their citizens and are in a much better position to develop and implement innovative and cost-effective solutions to address those needs. It is well documented that there are much waste and fraud in Medicare and Medicaid. What makes the federal government think they can run a healthcare system for all citizens of the U.S.? By returning healthcare back to the doctor and the patient and making health insurance more portable, costs can be reduced. I believe block grants for Medicaid sent directly to the states to use as they see fit will also reduce plan costs, and enable states to innovate and model the best practices enacted by other states. A national government run system sounds great in theory, but based on previous experience it is not the best solution available. Problems include, higher tax rates to pay for it, rationed care, and slower GNP growth. This is what European nations are facing at this time. For further expert information on this subject please visit The Manhattan Institute website on healthcare.

Family and Faith Strong families and moral faith are the backbone of a society. People who come from strong families are less likely to face poverty. At the same time, people who have faith and moral convictions are also more likely to stay married and out of poverty. Principles grounded in the Christian Faith and ethical values give us the ability to know right from wrong because we are accountable to a higher being. Government cannot always do this because human beings are in charge. Our founding fathers used the Christian Faith as a backdrop for the construction of our Constitution. While we must respect other religions and beliefs, they must not take the place of our cultural and societal foundation-the Christian Faith.

Bio
City of Residence:

* Tallahassee, FL

Occupation:

* Diabetes Speciality Sales Representative Sanofi-Aventis Pharmaceuticals

Spouse:

* Angela Hendry

Children:

* Courtney 17, Grant 14

Born:

* Sept 15, 1959 - Taylor County, FL

Education:

* High School - Amos P. Godby High 1977 * BA Political Science - The Citadel, Charleston, SC 1981 * Military Officers Advanced Course Ft. Huachuca, AZ

Career:

* U.S. Army Officer Company Commander (Captain) (1981-1986) * Sales Representative - UniSource (1986-1991) * General Manager - Prinsho Wholesale Cabinet Supplies (1991-1997) * Specialty Sales Representative - Sanofi-Aventis Pharmaceuticals (1997-present)

Religion:

* Fellowship Presbyterian Church - Elder

Honors:

* Deans List * American Legion Military Excellence Award * Distinguished Military Graduate * Rookie Sales Rep of the Year Sanofi-Aventis * Distinguished Sales Rep of the Year Sanofi-Aventis

Affiliations:

* The Citadel Baseball Alumni * Pi Sigma Alpha: Political Science Honor Society * Tallahassee Republican Party * American Diabetes Association * American Heart Association

2008 elections
Hendry was seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Rep. Allen Boyd Jr (D-Fla.) in the 2008 congressional elections. He lost in primary elections which took place on August 26, 2008.

Committees
Hendry will be assigned committees if and when he is elected to Congress.

Campaign Contact Information
Hendry For Congress 1119 Conservancy Dr West Tallahassee, FL 32312 [mailto:hendryforcongress@gmail.com hendryforcongress@gmail.com]

External resources

 * 2008 Race Tracker page on Florida's 2nd Congressional District
 * Official Eddie Hendry for Congress campaign website