Biography:
-Born in Miami, Florida in 1971 - son of Cuban immigrants - went for University of Miami for a degree in law - political career began: when he was elected into the West Miami City Commission in 1998 - was elected into the Florida House of Reps in 1999 - In 2009 he won his campaign for US Senate - 1 of 4 children - parents jobs: father was a bartender and mother worked in service industry and retail jobs - Rubio was an all star athlete in high school. He played football at South Miami High School. |
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Stand on 5 Issues:
- Gun Control: Gun laws are ineffective, so don’t pass them. RUBIO: “My position on guns is pretty clear. I believe law-abiding people have a fundamental constitutional right to bear arms. And I believe criminals and dangerous people should not have access to guns. There are laws that protect those two things--but many of these [additional] gun laws are ineffective.” Abortion: Pro life, but understands that women’s right is the law and believes in protecting life but isn’t a chauvinist. RUBIO: “In order to work together with people that you disagree with, there has to be mutual respect. That means I respect people who disagree with me on certain things, but they have to respect me too. Just because I believe that states should have the right to define marriage in the traditional way does not make me a bigot. Just because we believe that life--all human life--is worthy of protection at every stage of its development does not make me a chauvinist.” -Drugs: In 1978 his brother was convicted for drugs. RUBIO: “I had finally settled into life in Miami, and was happy we had moved back. But in October, our family's fortunes took a sudden turn for the worse. I came home from school one day and knew from the look on my mother's face that something terrible had happened. It was a look you expect to see when someone has been told they or someone they love is dying. And that's exactly how I felt when she told me that earlier that morning Orlando had been arrested on drug charges.” He believes in teaching students skills to avoid gangs, violence and drugs. -Immigration: Modernize immigration to win global competition for talent. RUBIO: “I think that we have to deal with immigration. We have a broken enforcement system on immigration. We have a legal immigration system that's outdated and needs to be modernized so we can win the global competition for talent. We have millions of people living in this country illegally, many of whom have been here for a decade or longer. We need to find a reasonable but responsible way of incorporating them into American life. Last year we tried to do that through a one-size-fits-all comprehensive approach; it didn't work. We don't have the support for that. The only way we're going to be able to address it--and I believe we should--is through a sequence of bills that begins by proving to people that illegal immigration is under control, modernizing our legal immigration system and then dealing with those who are here illegally.” -Education: Turn over Head Start to States. Give parents a chance to send their kids to a school of their choice. Give students information on costs and benefits of student loans. He became a serious college student after a football injury.RUBIO:“As a boy, I had dreamed I would one day play in the NFL. But I never really had the size or speed. That dream was over. I accepted who I was and who I wouldn't be. I made a practical, adult decision. I had to transfer to a school that would prepare me to do something important with my life, something other than play football. But I didn't want to move back to Miami-- I would be too distracted there. And given how poorly I had done in my first semester at Tarkio, I couldn't afford any distractions. I wanted to go to the University of Florida, but I didn't have the grades to be admitted there. I heard a couple of kids in the class below me at South Miami High were going to attend Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville, and it sounded like a good fit for me. I decided to attend Santa Fe for a year, improve my GPA and apply for admission to Florida the following year.” |