Miami, FL June 15 – Economist Farid Khavari announced today that he has withdrawn from the August Democratic primary and will run for governor as an independent in November.

Khavari’s Economic Plan for Florida has received national attention and gubernatorial candidates in at least five other states have adopted parts of the plan for their campaigns. In prepared remarks, Dr. Khavari said:

“A governor should not serve party bosses, banks, insurance companies or other special interests. A governor must be above party politics. He or she must represent all of the people of Florida.

“I sincerely seek the support of all Floridians who care about our future, whatever their party affiliation.

“Republican and Democratic party leaders long ago chose their candidates for governor, and put millions of dollars behind those candidates, without any input from the people. As a result, the presumptive candidates of the two major parties are just like Tweedledee and Tweedledum. If you throw in Buddy Chiles — an unaccomplished candidate running on his father’s legacy — we might describe the current field as a choice between Tweedledee, Tweedledum and Tweedledumber. Voters can decide which one is which.

“If these are our only choices, then the banks, insurance companies and other special interests win, and Florida loses. Voters in both parties are disgusted, and who can blame them? Ask yourself where those millions in campaign funds came from!

“Now Democrats and Republicans, and everyone else, have a real choice.

“I’m an economist, not a politician. I have an Economic Plan to create over one million new jobs in Florida, without subsidies or “stimulus” money. These jobs will create more jobs automatically. We will create a bank owned by all the people of Florida. This bank can earn billions for the state while slashing interest costs for state and local governments—and for every citizen of Florida. Our 2% 15-year mortgages will create a thousand times more jobs than any so-called stimulus plan, while stabilizing Florida’s housing market at fair prices. Low interest-rate credit cards will earn billions for our state treasury, while saving average Florida families billions per month. This money will stay in Florida to drive our economy, not to serve Wall Street.

“With over 1.4 million unemployed Floridians, and almost a million foreclosures, we can’t afford crony politics any more.

“Unencumbered by partisan politics, my candidacy offers Floridians a real choice: a healthy economy, a million new jobs, a stabilized housing market, and unparalleled prosperity. Or you can limit your choices to the two major-party candidates and we can lose another million jobs and another million families can lose their homes.

“I look forward to winning the support of all Floridians who want a bright future for our state.”

Farid A. Khavari, Ph.D. is a respected economist and author of nine books, including Environomics. His Economic Plan for Florida is at www.khavariforgovernor.com.

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Media Contact:

# # #
Contact: Bob Waterstripe, Spokesman
Khavari for Governor Campaign
P.O. Box 570502, Miami, FL 33257
bob@khavariforgovernor.com
305-259-5340

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Miami, FL May 2 – “The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will be a blight on the Gulf Coast for many years to come, noted economist and Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Farid Khavari said today. “It will cost billions to try to clean it up. It will devastate the economies of the Gulf states. Thousands of square miles of damage, all from just one little underwater oil well. This spill reminds us just how lucky we have been until now.

“We don’t need Florida’s offshore oil. In the years it would take to bring in that oil, Florida can fix its economy and protect our environment by using clean solar energy. The new generation of plug-in hybrid cars will dramatically reduce the amount of oil we need. But it’s not just about the environment, it’s simple economics,” Khavari said.

“There is plenty of oil being produced. High gas prices over the past couple of years, and today, were due to speculators. Supply and demand remained stable while prices went off the charts. We can reduce consumption while we rebuild Florida’s economy. We can have a thousand times more jobs and a thousand times more revenue for Florida, starting now, rather than a few jobs and the pittance we would get from our offshore oil five or ten years from now. Anyone who thinks offshore drilling will help Florida’s economy should consider the facts and think again,” Khavari said.

“As governor I will fight tooth and nail to block offshore drilling in Florida’s waters. We will tie the government and the oil companies up in court until they just go away. We don’t need to risk our environment or our economy to enrich a few fat cats.”

Khavari’s Economic Plan for Florida promises to create 1,000,000 private sector jobs in Florida, without subsidies or tax dollars. Many of the planned jobs involve solar and other alternative energy manufacturing and implementing the technologies on homes and businesses throughout Florida. The plan has gained national attention in part because it also includes the creation of a bank to be owned by the people of Florida. Gubernatorial candidates in five other states so far have included aspects of the Khavari Plan in their campaigns.

Farid A. Khavari, Ph.D. is a respected economist and author of nine books, including Environomics. His Economic Plan for Florida is at www.khavariforgovernor.com.

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Media Contact:

# # #
Contact: Bob Waterstripe, Spokesman
Khavari for Governor Campaign
P.O. Box 570502, Miami, FL 33257
bob@khavariforgovernor.com
305-318-4984

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Miami, FL April 21 – Noted economist and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Farid Khavari today challenged voters to think about their own futures and the future of Florida. “People should vote in their own interests, not for candidates who represent special interests,” said Khavari. “It’s not complicated, but this year, with over a million Floridians unemployed, and over 800,000 foreclosures in Florida, our choice of governor is a more important decision than ever.”

Khavari offered a simple comparison:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW COMPARISON CHART

Farid A. Khavari, Ph.D. is a respected economist and author of nine books, including Environomics. His Economic Plan for Florida is at www.khavariforgovernor.com.

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Media Contact:

# # #
Contact: Bob Waterstripe, Spokesman
Khavari for Governor Campaign
P.O. Box 570502, Miami, FL 33257
bob@khavariforgovernor.com
305-318-4984

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Miami, FL April 16 – Noted economist and Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate today congratulated Florida Governor Charlie Crist on his veto of SB-6.

“I know it was a tough decision,” Khavari said, “and I am pleased that Governor Crist did the right thing, despite heavy pressure from Republicans in the Legislature. I am speaking as a parent and an American, not as a Democrat or Republican.”

Referring to the controversial bill, Khavari added, “SB-6 was tossed together and passed in the dead of night. It was political posturing rather than a constructive change. We all agree that teacher evaluation is an important component of improving education, but it is not the whole answer.

“We need more input from teachers and less input from legislators if we are going to find the right solution. We also need to evaluate student performance in terms of the home environment and parental involvement. Where student performance is worse, we need better, more motivated teachers. Let’s look for carrots rather than sticks.”

Farid A. Khavari, Ph.D. is a respected economist and author of nine books, including Environomics. His Economic Plan for Florida is at www.khavariforgovernor.com.

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Media Contact:

# # #
Contact: Bob Waterstripe, Spokesman
Khavari for Governor Campaign
P.O. Box 570502, Miami, FL 33257
bob@khavariforgovernor.com
305-318-4984

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Miami, FL Mar. 30 – Noted economist and Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate today called on Alex Sink, also a Democratic candidate, to withdraw from the governor’s race. “The poll numbers are bad enough, with Republican Bill McCollum 15 points ahead of Alex Sink,” Khavari said, referring to the March 29 Mason-Dixon Poll showing McCollum leading Sink by 49% to 34%. “But these poll numbers are really much worse than they seem.

“Florida has 17% more Democratic voters than Republican,” Khavari continued. “24% of Democrats already support the Republican. This is not because Democrats like McCollum. It is because Democrats simply don’t support Sink. If the race were evenly divided along party lines, Sink would be eight points ahead of McCollum.

“This means that 24% of Democrats prefer to vote for a Republican who was a 20-year Congressman on banking committees, then a lobbyist for the Mortgage Bankers of America, rather than a Democrat who is a multimillionaire retired banker. Even Democratic women don’t support Alex Sink.

“Democrats see through the rhetoric in Alex Sink’s ‘Business Plan’ and realize that the same old schmaltz didn’t create jobs before and it won’t create jobs now. If the Chief Financial Officer of Florida knew anything about creating jobs, why hasn’t she done anything about it? Over a million Floridians are out of work and she just found out about it?” Khavari said.

“Alex Sink was hand-picked by Democrat Party leaders, who lavished over $1.5 million on her campaign, without any input from Party members. We can’t afford crony politics in Florida any more, not with a million Floridians out of work and 800,000 foreclosures already, and worse to come. It is time for her to step aside,” Khavari said.

“My plan to create 1,000,000 new private-sector jobs in Florida, without subsidies, is spelled out in detail. Voters from all parties support it because everyone can understand that it will work. And, above all, we need jobs, jobs, and more jobs here in Florida. We can get them with my plan,” Khavari said.

Another aspect of Khavari’s Economic Plan, the creation of a state-owned bank, has received national acclaim. Since it was announced, gubernatorial candidates in five other states have included proposals for state-owned banks in their campaigns. The proposed Bank of the State of Florida would slash interest costs for state and local governments, and for all Floridians as well, while turning a profit for the state. “This is common-sense economics,” Khavari said. “2010 is about economics, not crony politics.”

Farid A. Khavari, Ph.D. is a respected economist and author of nine books, including Environomics. His Economic Plan for Florida is at www.khavariforgovernor.com.

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Media Contact:

# # #
Contact: Bob Waterstripe, Spokesman
Khavari for Governor Campaign
P.O. Box 570502, Miami, FL 33257
bob@khavariforgovernor.com
305-318-4984

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Miami, FL Mar. 24 –“Barack Obama has joined the great Presidents of the past century by signing the historic Health Care Reform Act into law. He has realized the dreams of Republican and Democratic Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton”, said Farid Khavari, noted economist and Democratic candidate for Governor of Florida.

“All Americans will benefit greatly from this historic legislation. Seniors, children, young adults up to the age of 26, employees of small business will all benefit. In addition, 32 million more Americans now will be covered by affordable health care insurance,” Dr. Khavari said. “For seniors, the Health Reform Act will extend the viability of Medicare for an additional ten years, from 2017 to 2027. This is critical to many of the citizens of Florida whom I hope to have the privilege of serving.

“My Republican opponent for Governor has greeted this historic advance for all Americans not by welcoming it, but by suing the United States government for passing it”, said Khavari. “My Democratic opponent has been silent on this major Democrat-led victory.”

“All Floridians should cheer this historic Act. Now health care is not a privilege restricted to those with money, but a right of all citizens of the United States”, said Khavari.

“Of course the Act needs changes and adjustments,” Khavari continued, “just as there have been in the landmark Social Security Act since the 1930s and the Medicare and Medicaid acts since the 1960s. These two acts to protect and enhance the lives of our seniors were Democratic-led battles which have now been embraced by all Americans.

“No health care plan can succeed unless it controls costs. The Khavari Economic Plan offers a detailed solution based on efficient super-clinics. We can reduce costs and get better health care, not worse. By improving productivity, we improve quality and availability of health care at greatly lower costs. Doctors and insurance companies will make plenty of money, but the cost to all of us will be much lower.”

Farid A. Khavari, Ph.D. is an economist and author of nine books, including Environomics. His latest book, Toward a Zero-Cost Economy, is available in stores or for free download at his website, www.khavariforgovernor.com.

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Media Contact:

# # #
Contact: Bob Waterstripe, Spokesman
Khavari for Governor Campaign
P.O. Box 570502, Miami, FL 33257
bob@khavariforgovernor.com
305-318-4984

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Miami, FL Mar. 22 — Noted economist and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Farid Khavari congratulated President Obama and Congressional Democrats for passing the Health Care Reform bill, but cautioned that states must take action on health costs now, or face bankruptcy by 2020. “No health care plan of any kind can succeed until we reduce costs dramatically. Florida must prepare for over a million new Medicaid enrollees. The federal government is supposed to pay for the extra cost, but only until 2016. Then Florida can look forward to billions per year in additional Medicaid costs even if Washington chips in the usual 54%. Rising unemployment will increase Medicaid enrollment even higher,” Khavari said. “All states face similar problems.”

Khavari continued, “Bill McCollum’s response to Health Care Reform is to threaten suit on Constitutional grounds. Alex Sink has said nothing at all on the subject—but she just found out a week ago that there is huge unemployment and a lot of foreclosures happening in Florida. Neither of them has offered a plan to fix our health care before it bankrupts our state and our people.” McCollum is Florida’s Attorney-General, and a Republican candidate for governor. Sink is Chief Financial Officer and a Democratic candidate for governor.

“My detailed plan to improve efficiency in health care delivery is on my website for everyone to see. You can read my newest book there for free. We can make quality health care available 24 hours a day to everyone, for much less than we are paying now. Stop and think about the fact that Florida right now spends about $5,000 per year per Medicaid recipient. That’s what many so-called Cadillac health plans cost. Does anyone believe that Medicaid patients have the same quality and availability of care that executives get? We can do better for half the cost,” Khavari said. “Taxpayers are paying for waste and fraud that has grown under Republican administrations. For this kind of money, we could send every Medicaid patient to Switzerland for health care and save 30%. Now imagine what we could do if we got good value for our money.”

Khavari has also gained national acclaim for his plan to establish a state-owned bank, which would save state and local governments billions per year in interest expense, while offering 2% fixed-rate mortgages and other programs to save Floridians more billions per year. Since announcement of the Khavari Economic Plan, gubernatorial candidates in California, Oregon, Vermont, Michigan and Illinois have declared state-owned banks as part of their platforms. “Our Bank of the State of Florida will balance state and local budgets without higher taxes. We can finance the reforms we need to make the best quality health care in the world available to every Floridian, 24 hours per day, and reduce costs for everyone, including private insurers ,” Khavari said.

Farid A. Khavari, Ph.D. is an economist and author of nine books, including Environomics. His latest book, Toward a Zero-Cost Economy, is available in stores or for free download at his website, www.khavariforgovernor.com.

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Media Contact:

# # #
Contact: Bob Waterstripe, Spokesman
Khavari for Governor Campaign
P.O. Box 570502, Miami, FL 33257
bob@khavariforgovernor.com
305-318-4984

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Miami, FL Mar. 18 — Noted economist and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Farid Khavari dismissed Alex Sink’s new “Business Plan for Florida” as “nicely written but completely lacking substance.” Sink, Florida’s Chief Financial Officer and another Democratic candidate for governor, unveiled her plan Wednesday.

“Last week, Alex Sink finally recognized that we have a lot of unemployment and foreclosures in Florida. That’s a big step for her,” Khavari said. “We have over a million people out of work here, 800,000 homes in foreclosure, and more job losses and foreclosures to come unless we do something. Apparently it takes three years for a multimillionaire ex-banker to catch on.

“Alex Sink has held one of the most powerful jobs in Florida for three years now. She is in an ideal position to fix Florida’s economy and she is counting paper clips and canceling Blackberries while the State Board of Administration has lost tens of billions of dollars on her watch. If she had any idea how to create even one job or stop even one foreclosure, why didn’t she do anything about it?

“Let me offer Ms. Sink a little lesson in economics,” Khavari smiled. “You can’t create jobs with subsidies and tax cuts. Businesses will not hire people unless there are customers for their products and services. With rising unemployment and escalating foreclosures, high interest rates and reduced credit, insurance and health care costs out of control, how many people can afford to buy anything? No customers, no jobs, it’s really not so difficult to understand.

“Here’s another lesson in Econ 001: when you create one good job, the economy naturally creates two more jobs within a year, and those jobs create more. When you lose one good job, you lose two more within a year, and more after that.

“My economic plan for Florida was released nine months ago. It explains step-by-step, with specific examples, how to create 1,000,000 new private-sector jobs in Florida, without subsidies. All you need is leadership. You have to focus on the demand side. When there is demand, businesses will hire people regardless of subsidies and taxes.”

Khavari has also gained national acclaim for his plan to establish a state-owned bank, which would save state and local governments billions per year in interest expense, while offering 2% fixed-rate mortgages and other programs to save Floridians more billions per year. Since his announcement, gubernatorial candidates in California, Oregon and Illinois have declared state-owned banks as part of their platforms. “Our Bank of the State of Florida will balance state and local budgets without higher taxes, and make Florida recession-proof forever,” Khavari said.

Farid A. Khavari, Ph.D. is an economist and author of nine books, including Environomics. His latest book, Toward a Zero-Cost Economy, is available in stores or for free download at his website, www.khavariforgovernor.com.

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Media Contact:

# # #
Contact: Bob Waterstripe, Spokesman
Khavari for Governor Campaign
P.O. Box 570502, Miami, FL 33257
bob@khavariforgovernor.com
305-318-4984

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Miami, FL Mar. 16 — Noted economist and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Farid Khavari spoke out today against proposed legislation tying teachers’ pay to students’ test scores.

“This idea is completely unfair and we need to stop Senate Bill 6 before it gets started,” Khavari said. “There are too many variables beyond teachers’ control. Teachers have little say about curriculum, and no say about tests, scoring or how student results would be evaluated.

“Too many teachers are buying basic classroom supplies from their own pockets,” Khavari continued. “Many districts are suffering from lower funding and lack basic necessities. Further, this bill would penalize teachers who work with economically disadvantaged kids, who need extra help just catching up to grade level.

“We must remember that teachers are the key to our society’s future. We need to find ways to pay them more, not less. When I see teachers working second jobs to make ends meet, it breaks my heart.

“I urge all Floridians to contact their legislators and demand that this bill be killed,” Khavari said.

Khavari has gained national acclaim for his plan to establish a state-owned bank, which would save state and local governments billions per year in interest expense, while offering 2% fixed-rate mortgages and other programs to save Floridians more billions per year. Since his announcement, gubernatorial candidates in California, Oregon and Illinois have declared state-owned banks as part of their platforms. “Our Bank of the State of Florida will solve the financial problems plaguing education in Florida. When money is not a problem, we can easily improve education by supporting teachers, not threatening them,” said Khavari.

Farid A. Khavari, Ph.D. is an economist and author of nine books, including Environomics. His latest book, Toward a Zero-Cost Economy, is available in stores or for free download at his website, www.khavariforgovernor.com.

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Media Contact:

# # #
Contact: Bob Waterstripe, Spokesman
Khavari for Governor Campaign
P.O. Box 570502, Miami, FL 33257
bob@khavariforgovernor.com
305-318-4984

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Miami, FL Feb. 16 – Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink’s candidacy for governor in 2010 has many Democrats worried. Polls show her 10 points or more behind the leading Republican candidate, state Attorney General Bill McCollum. After months of campaigning, it is becoming clear to Florida Dems that Sink has no message and no plan to lift Florida out of its economic mess. Voters look at her lackluster performance as CFO, and many assume that the next occupant of the governor’s mansion will be a Republican.

However, more Democrats are turning to the number two Democratic candidate in the primary race, noted economist Farid Khavari. Khavari’s plan to create 1,000,000 new private sector jobs in Florida, without subsidies, is winning support from Democrats and Republicans alike. His plan to create a state-owned bank has gained national acclaim, and candidates in other states are jumping on the public banking bandwagon.

“Many Democrats are outraged that the state party leadership anointed Sink as the favored candidate without any input from the local chapters,” said Khavari. “The Democratic Party of Florida has thrown over $1.2 million in support behind Sink, making her look like a champion fundraiser. In Florida, the media only pay attention to which candidates have raised the most money, not where it came from. The Party is not supposed to support any candidate until after the primary.

“But people from all parties are disgusted with crony politics,” Khavari continued. “They have gotten sick and tired of politicians who look after the interests of banks and insurance companies, while neglecting the people. We have a different approach. We’ll never get – or take– a dime from a bank or an insurance company, but our plans will help millions of Floridians get jobs and achieve real financial security, without higher taxes.”

Noting Sink’s focus on counting paper clips while over a million Floridians are out of work and 800,000 Florida homes are in foreclosure, Khavari said, “As CFO, Alex Sink stood by while the State Board of Administration lost tens of billions of dollars. McCollum is also responsible, along with Charlie Crist.

The only people who profited from the SBA in the past three years are investment bankers who sold so-called securities to the geniuses at the SBA.” Sink, McCollum and Crist are the three trustees of the SBA, which handles state retirement funds and other funds from about 1,000 government-related entities. “Ignorance, neglect, or corruption?” asked Khavari. “The results are the same. We can’t afford crony politics any more.”

Farid A. Khavari, Ph.D. is an economist and author of nine books, including Environomics. His latest book, Toward a Zero-Cost Economy, is available in stores or for free download at his website, www.khavariforgovernor.com.

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Media Contact:

# # #
Contact: Bob Waterstripe, Spokesman
Khavari for Governor Campaign
P.O. Box 570502, Miami, FL 33257
bob@khavariforgovernor.com
305-318-4984

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Miami, FL Feb. 5, 2010 — Noted economist Farid Khavari, a Democratic candidate for Florida governor, has gained national acclaim since announcing last July his plan to create a state-owned bank in Florida. Following Khavari’s move, gubernatorial candidates in Oregon and Illinois have made state-owned banks part of their policies and other states are looking closely at the idea of state-owned banks. The Virginia legislature has a pending resolution to establish a committee to consider a proposed state bank.

While other states seem to focus on interest savings for state and local governments, they are vague about benefits for ordinary citizens. In contrast, Khavari’s approach is to dedicate the bank to the service of all Floridians, while the state will win both in interest cost reductions and in profit from the proposed bank.

“The Bank of the State of Florida will operate using the same rules that apply to all banks. The difference is, our bank will be created to directly benefit all Floridians, not only the state. We have a very specific plan. The bank will pay 6% for CDs. Under fractional reserve rules, for every $100 deposited, we can create $900 in new money by making loans. In our case, we will concentrate first on 2% fixed rate, 15-year mortgages, both new and refinances,” Khavari said.

“Lending $900 at 2% earns the state $18 per year, while the interest paid on the $100 deposit is $6. This means that the state can earn $12 per year for every $100 in deposits. And by paying 6%, we can be sure there will be no shortage of deposits,“ Khavari continued. “The state can earn even more by issuing 6% credit cards while Floridians enjoy lower payments and get out of debt years faster. Of course we can finance and refinance state and local government projects at low rates, saving taxpayers billions per year while helping balance government budgets.

“We can even repay the tens of billions lost by the State Board of Administration, without raising taxes,” Khavari added. “Eventually, bank profits can replace tax revenue.”

Because the payment on a 2%/15 mortgage is slightly higher than for a 5.5%/30-year loan, the lower interest rate won’t artificially inflate the value of homes, according to Khavari. “Without high interest rates driving up prices, speculators will stay out of our housing market. We will provide mortgages only for owner-occupied homes, and for rental properties that offer stable, reasonable rents for the life of the mortgage. When we focus on what is good for our people, the state wins automatically,” Khavari said.”We don’t need to look to gambling revenues to patch up our budget.”

Benefits for Florida citizens would be substantial. “On a $200,000 mortgage, the homeowner will save over $170,000 in interest and pay for the home 15 years sooner. If the homeowner then deposits the savings each month at the Bank of the State of Florida for the following 15 years, at 6% that money will grow to over $320,000. Ten years later it would be over $600,000,” Khavari said. “That money stays in Florida to power our economy, and make Florida recession-proof. I hope the other states adopt this strategy with their state-owned banks.”

Noting that a few critics consider state-owned banks to be socialism, Khavari laughed. “Socialism is where everyone works for the state. Here we have a perfect example of public capitalism: the state works for everyone and makes a profit by saving people big money.”

Khavari’s economic plan also includes creating 1,000,000 private-sector jobs in Florida, without subsidies. “It’s just economics, not politics,” said Khavari.

Farid A. Khavari, Ph.D. is an economist and author of nine books, including Environomics. His latest book, Toward a Zero-Cost Economy, is available in stores or for free download at his website, www.khavariforgovernor.com.

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Media Contact:

# # #
Contact: Bob Waterstripe, Spokesman
Khavari for Governor Campaign
P.O. Box 570502, Miami, FL 33257
bob@khavariforgovernor.com
305-318-4984

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Miami, FL Jan. 11, 2010 — Noted economist Farid Khavari, a Democratic candidate for Florida governor, has gained national attention for his plan to create a state-owned bank in Florida.

Today he responded to Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink’s recent call for additional oversight of the State Board of Administration (SBA). Sink is also a Democratic candidate for governor.

“The simplest way to eliminate dubious investing by the State Board of Administration is to shine light on every deal. Simply post all documents relating to every transaction on a website. For each deal, show who is selling it, how many other deals they have sold the SBA, what fees the seller is earning, who is buying, who approves it, how many other deals they have done with this seller, and so on, together with a summary of the amount invested and the terms.
“Now who would buy a bunch of derivatives from a company in the Cayman Islands for $650 million, where over half of the money was lost? Who would ignore pages and pages of warnings and buy junk ever again, when people could see what is going on? Thousands of ordinary people with common sense would keep an eye on the SBA for you, all for free,” Khavari said.

“I agree that Alex Sink, Bill McCollum and Charlie Crist, as the three trustees of the SBA, do need plenty of help. On their watch tens of billions of dollars were lost. The people of Florida will have to pay thousands of dollars per person in higher taxes if we can’t get the SBA back on track.” McCollum is Attorney General and a Republican candidate for governor. Crist is governor and a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate.

“In a good year, the SBA’s goal was to earn about 7.5%. Last year their goal was to lose less than 50%. Creating the Bank of the State of Florida could provide the SBA with a guaranteed 10% per year yield,” Khavari said. “This would save hundreds of millions in investment bankers’ fees alone.”

Khavari’s campaign is based on his economic plan involving the creation of one million new private sector jobs in Florida – without subsidies, reducing insurance costs by 30%, and the creation of the Bank of the State of Florida. Using ordinary fractional reserve rules, the bank would pay 6% for savings and provide 2% mortgages as well as low cost financing for state and local governments and Florida businesses, while earning billions per year for the state treasury.

Farid A. Khavari, Ph.D. is an economist and author of nine books, including Environomics. His latest book, Toward a Zero-Cost Economy, is available in stores or for free download at his website, www.khavariforgovernor.com.

Details of Khavari’s plan are at www.KhavariForGovernor.com.

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Media Contact:

Contact: Bob Waterstripe, Spokesman
Khavari for Governor Campaign
P.O. Box 570502, Miami, FL 33257
bob@khavariforgovernor.com
305-318-4984

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Miami, FL Nov. 21 — Noted economist Farid Khavari, a Democratic candidate for Florida governor, has gained national and international attention for his plan to create a state-owned bank in Florida.

“Not since the Great Depression has it been so clear,” said Khavari. “We need banks that work for the benefit of the people, not people working for the benefit of the banks. There is no mystery why we are facing another depression: the banks got greedy and stupid, and now they are making us pay for it.

“The economy is collapsing due to lack of demand. The economy needs money, but the banks are cutting credit, and then sucking all the cash out of the economy by raising interest rates to make sure no one has any cash left at the end of the month. The cost of interest is built into the cost of everything. People already work ten years of their lives just to pay interest in one form or another. The Bank of the State of Florida will end that for Floridians. And this model will work for every state.

“We can start the BSF at no cost to taxpayers. We can pay 6% interest on savings. Using the same fractional reserve rules as all banks, we can create $900 of new money through loans for every $100 in deposits. We can loan that $900 in the form of 2% fixed rate 15-year mortgages, for example, and the state can earn $12 every year for every $100 in deposits. That means Floridians can save tens of billions of dollars per year while the state earns billions making it possible for them.

“2% fixed-rate mortgages will create a thousand times more jobs than any so-called stimulus can. By reducing the total interest cost on a home by over 85%, the average family will save hundreds of thousands of dollars, and that money stays in Florida,” Khavari said.

“State and local government budgets will balance without higher taxes when the BSF cuts interest costs,” Khavari said. “6% BSF credit cards will save people billions per month, money that stays in Florida instead of going to the big banks—and the state will make huge profits on that, too. Saving billions in interest costs will create millions of jobs without subsidies just by keeping those billions circulating in Florida. Eventually the state will earn enough to reduce and eliminate state and local taxes while every Floridian has economic security in a recession-proof Florida.”

Asked whether a state-owned bank is socialism, Khavari smiled. “Are public schools socialism? Public roads, police and fire protection, municipal water? Socialism is where everyone works for the state. In these cases, and with our Bank of the State of Florida, the state is working for everyone. I call that general capitalism.”

Farid A. Khavari, Ph.D. is an economist and author of nine books, including Environomics. His latest book, Toward a Zero-Cost Economy, is available in stores or for free download at his website, www.khavariforgovernor.com.

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Contact: Bob Waterstripe, Spokesman
Khavari for Governor Campaign
P.O. Box 570502, Miami, FL 33257
bob@khavariforgovernor.com
305-318-4984
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Miami, FL – Oct. 26, 2009 Noted economist Farid Khavari, a Democratic candidate for Florida governor in 2010, today discussed his plans for health care reform in Florida.

“No matter what health care reform plan Congress and the Obama administration come up with, the states will pay the price and we need to be ready,” said Khavari. “Florida will have 700,000 to 1,200,000 new Medicaid clients, with similar increases in other states. We can expect the mandate from Washington to be unfunded or inadequately funded. This will be a crushing burden on the states unless we have a comprehensive solution to improve health care quality and access, and reduce costs.”

Khavari has gained national attention for his innovative economic plans, including a proposed state-owned bank to slash interest costs in Florida, and a program to create one million private-sector jobs in Florida without subsidies. He addressed health care reform in his books Vultures (1987), Environomics (1995) and Toward a Zero-Cost Economy (2009). Some of his concepts have surfaced in the current national scramble for health care reform.

“Health care is one area where improving efficiency actually improves quality. We can have universal access, top quality care, drastically lower costs—and doctors, nurses and other personnel can earn more with less stress,” Khavari said. “The key is restructuring the delivery system. We can leave practicing medicine to the doctors, not the lawyers or bureaucrats or insurance companies. We can eliminate any form of rationing. We can eliminate redundancy and red tape that add costs and take away from quality health care.” Details including a new clinic model are at www.khavariforgovernor.com.

“We need to slash insurance costs by 30% or more,” Khavari said. “Forcing everyone to buy health insurance will not lower costs, it will just hand a huge piece of the GDP to the insurance companies and destroy our economy. Insurance companies have no interest in improving care or reducing costs. They make a profit regardless. If costs are higher, their business grows. If they could make the same profit at half the price, they wouldn’t do it, because it would shrink the size of their business. Everything from stock prices to executive bonuses is keyed to growth.

“There already is a ‘public option’ called Medicaid. The state is already in the health insurance business. When we restructure our delivery system for Medicaid, we will have doctors rushing to work with us, a quality of care second to none, and costs per patient far lower than we have now. We can offer access to this system to everyone, much cheaper than private health insurance. The insurance companies can join us in lowering costs and improving care, or they can face unbeatable competition from the people. Health insurance cannot continue to suck the lifeblood out of our economy,” Khavari said. “And we will not stand for drug companies charging higher prices in Florida than they do in Canada.

“Restructuring our health care delivery system will create about 200,000 good jobs in Florida, which will cost nothing because they will be paid for by health care savings,” Khavari said.

Farid A. Khavari, Ph.D. is a noted economist and author of nine books. His latest, Toward a Zero-Cost Economy, is available in stores or for free download at the website.

Contact: Bob Waterstripe, spokesman
bob@khavariforgovernor.com
Khavari for Governor Political Campaign Committee
P.O. Box 570502
Miami, FL 33257

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MIAMI, October 3 — Economist Farid A. Khavari, Democratic candidate for Florida Governor, announced his economic plan to revitalize Florida’s economy, replace over 700,000 lost jobs, stabilize the housing market, and regain over $50 billion in losses suffered by the State Board of Administration (SBA) in the past two years, without higher taxes. “This plan will put hundreds of thousands of people back to work as fast as possible,” said Khavari.

A key part of Khavari’s plan is creating The Bank of the State of Florida (BSF). “Using the fractional reserve regulations that govern all banks, we can earn billions per year for Florida’s treasury, while saving thousands of dollars per year for Florida homeowners,” Khavari said. “After we cover the $50 billion in SBA losses, we can reduce taxes.”

“For $100 in deposits, a bank can create $900 in new money by making loans,” Khavari said. “So, the BSF can pay 6% for CDs, and make mortgage loans at 2%. For $6 per year in interest paid out, the BSF can earn $18 by lending $900 at 2% for mortgages.

“The BSF can be started at no cost to taxpayers, and will be a permanent engine driving Florida’s economy,” Khavari said. “We can refinance state and local projects at 3%, saving taxpayers billions and balancing state and local budgets without higher taxes. We can make Florida immune to future recessions.”

The state would earn $15,000 per $100,000 of mortgage, at a cost of about $1,700, while the homeowner would save $88,000 in interest and pay for the home 15 years sooner, according to Khavari. “Earnings on credit cards with 6% interest would be much greater, while consumers would pay off debt years sooner with big savings,” Khavari added.

“Our bank will save people about seven years of their pay over the course of 30 years, just on interest costs,” Khavari said. “We should work to support ourselves and our families, not the banks. Creating this bank is not Socialism, it is General Capitalism, which benefits everyone. What we have now, Elite Capitalism, makes everyone work for a few greedy fat cats.”

Currently, North Dakota is the only state that owns a bank. North Dakota has a growing economy and a budget surplus, in stark contrast to Florida and most other states.

Farid A. Khavari, Ph.D., is the author of several books, including Environomics: The Economics of Environmentally Safe Prosperity. His latest book, Toward a Zero-Cost Economy, is available for free download at the website. This is his first run for any office. “I’m an economist, not a politician,” Khavari said. “Politicians caused the mess we are in, along with banks and Wall Street. This election is not about politics, it’s about
economics.”

Details of Khavari’s plan are at http://www.KhavariForGovernor.com.

Photo: http://www.ereleases.com/pr/2009-Farid-A-Khavari-PhD.jpg

Contact:
Bob Waterstripe
bob@KhavariForGovernor.com
tel. 305.318.4984
Khavari for Governor Political Campaign Committee
P.O. Box 570502
Miami, FL 33257
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Miami, FL October 3 — Noted economist Farid Khavari, a Democratic candidate for Florida governor, has gained national attention for his plan to create a state-owned bank in Florida. Khavari says the bank would earn billions each year for the state while offering 6% CD’s, 2% mortgages and alternative-energy financing, 6% credit cards, and 3% financing for state and local government projects.

Today Khavari described his plan to restore full employment in Florida. “A few stimulus jobs do almost nothing for nearly a million unemployed Floridians,” he said. “We can create all the permanent jobs we need, without huge subsidies.

“We can solve this problem within three years, starting with 200,000 jobs in the first year. We must create the right kind of well-paying jobs to produce goods and services that improve quality of life and reduce living costs for the customers. This will make Florida recession-proof,” Khavari said. “When we create one good job, the economy naturally creates two more jobs within a year, and those three create six more the next year. The key is starting the process the right way.”

The plan is spelled out in Khavari’s website, www.khavariforgovernor.com. One part of the plan calls for installing 500,000 solar water heaters per year in Florida. “When we negotiate the right price for them, they will pay for themselves through monthly energy savings, pay back five times their cost in the future,” Khavari said. “Manufacturers will scramble to hire Floridians. Contractors across the state will hire new workers to install these systems. This simple program will create 105,000 jobs in the first year, leading to 200,000 more in the second year throughout Florida’s economy. Besides, we will reduce greenhouse gas emissions equal to removing a hundred thousand more cars from the road each year.

“This is just one program. There are other programs for alternative energy, efficient health care delivery, and energy-efficient, hurricane-proof construction. We will have the million new jobs we need, within three years. After that, we may need to import workers from other states,” Khavari said. “Never again will a recession put Florida on its knees.”

“None of these jobs will require government subsidies,” Khavari added. “No other candidate has any plan to create jobs. Alex Sink, Bill McCollum and Charlie Crist lost over $50 billion in state retirement funds. If they were as good at their jobs as they are at raising campaign millions from special interests, we would not be in this mess. They don’t know or care about normal people.” Chief Financial Officer Sink, Democrat, and Attorney General McCollum, Republican are also candidates for governor. Republican Governor Crist is running for the U.S. Senate.

Farid A. Khavari, Ph.D. is an economist and author of nine books, including Environomics. His latest book, Toward a Zero-Cost Economy, is available in stores or for free download at his website.

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Contact: Bob Waterstripe, Spokesman
Khavari for Governor Campaign
P.O. Box 570502, Miami, FL 33257
bob@khavariforgovernor.com
305-318-4984

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Miami, FL, September 8, 2009 – - Noted economist Farid A. Khavari, a Democratic candidate in the 2010 Florida gubernatorial race, today labeled Florida’s Governor Charlie Crist, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink and Attorney General Bill McCollum “a dangerous Gang of Three.”

Citing the recently-reported $266 million lost in just one more bad deal by Florida’s State Board of Administration (SBA), Khavari said, “This is just a tiny part of $50 billion in SBA losses that we know of. The Gang of Three are the SBA’s three trustees. Now two of them are candidates for Governor and our Governor has appointed a crony to keep a U.S. Senate seat warm for him until 2010. We can and we must stop them in the 2010 primaries, if not sooner by impeachment.”

CFO Sink, Democrat, and Attorney General McCollum, Republican, are candidates for Governor. Governor Crist, Republican, is running for the U.S. Senate. Their current positions make them the three trustees of the SBA. “Two years ago the SBA had $138 billion. In March, 2009 they had about $83 billion. They didn’t lose this money in blue-chip stocks. They blew it in phony derivatives and so-called investments that no normal person would even consider, earning tens or hundreds of millions for Wall Street thieves,” Khavari said. “Now they want us to believe that these so-called securities, most of which have no market, have rebounded by $26 billion in the past five months? How stupid do they think the people are?”

Khavari blasted the media. “Instead of doing their jobs, the Gang of Three were out collecting millions in campaign contributions from lobbyists and special interests while the SBA lost over $50 billion, a million Floridians lost their jobs, and a million Floridians lost their homes. The media are dazzled by the millions in contributions, charmed by Sink taking away Blackberries from state employees, and have all but declared the Gang of Three the only candidates for these offices. Not one of them has even hinted at a plan to clean up the mess. The media continue to cover-up $50 billion in losses and print whatever lies they tell about the SBA funds.

“Negligence, stupidity, or corruption? I don’t know,” said Khavari, “but the results are the same. We need to get the Gang of Three out of public office if we are ever going to revive Florida’s economy, put a million people back to work, and slash interest, insurance and energy costs for the governments and people of Florida without higher taxes. The Gang of Three has got to go.”

Khavari continued, “Now these geniuses, fresh from losing $266 million in just one shaky real estate deal, want to invest in Florida real estate for profit. Until we fix the economy, who could ever buy these properties from the state?”

Khavari’s economic plan for Florida, including a publicly-owned bank, has gained national attention since it was released in July.

Khavari praised as an exception a series of articles by four-time Pulitzer winner Sydney P. Freedberg published in the St. Petersburg Times and archived online at www.tampabay.com/writers/sydney-p-freedberg.

Farid A. Khavari, Ph. D., is the author of nine books, including Environomics. His latest book, Toward a Zero-Cost Economy, is available in stores or for free download at www.khavariforgovernor.com, where details of his economic plan can be found.

Media Contact:
Bob Waterstripe, spokesman
bob@khavariforgovernor.com
Phone: 305.318.4984

Khavari for Governor Political Campaign Committee

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Miami, FL (MMD Newswire) August 31, 2009 – - Noted economist Farid A. Khavari announced that he is a Democratic candidate in the 2010 Florida gubernatorial race. “I have published a complete plan to revive Florida’s economy and make Florida recession-proof,” said Khavari. “We can put 700,000 Floridians back to work. The state can earn billions providing 2% mortgages and 6% credit cards. We can cut insurance costs by 30% across the board, and reduce energy costs. All together, an average Florida family will own their home 15 years sooner and save $200,000 in interest, insurance and energy costs with this plan. State and local governments will save billions per year. We can do this without higher taxes.” Khavari’s proposal for a publicly-owned bank has attracted national attention since it was announced in July.

“What other candidate even has a plan?” asked Khavari. “All we read in the papers is how much money they have raised, not a word about any plans except to get elected.”

Khavari cited Alex Sink and Bill McCollum as examples. “Alex Sink is Chief Financial Officer of Florida. She is one of three trustees of the State Board of Administration. In the past two years this fund has lost over $50 billion, about 40% of its value. This is outrageous but it is being covered up.”

When asked how a $50 billion loss could be covered up, Khavari replied, “That’s easy. The other two trustees of the SBA are the Attorney General and the Governor.” CFO Sink is now a Democratic candidate for Governor, Attorney General McCollum is a Republican candidate for Governor, and Gov. Charlie Crist is running for the U.S. Senate.

The State Board of Administration is custodian of funds from about 1,000 state and local government entities in Florida including pension funds for state and municipal workers. “Whether this is negligence, stupidity or corruption, I cannot say,” said Khavari, “but they didn’t lose this money buying blue chip stocks. They lost it playing in high-risk derivatives and other trades that no sane person would consider.

“My plan will earn $50 billion for the state, and much more, without higher taxes. Who else has a plan? The media are dazzled by which candidate has raised the most money. Do you think those millions came from ordinary people? The media made a big scandal over $50,000 worth of rides in state airplanes, but this $50 billion loss is a million times bigger and the media are helping to cover it up.”Khavari noted as an exception a series of articles by four-time Pulitzer winner Sydney P. Freedberg published in the St. Petersburg Times and archived online at www.tampabay.com/writers/sydney-p-freedberg.

Farid A. Khavari, Ph. D., is the author of nine books, including Environomics. His latest book, Toward a Zero-Cost Economy, is available in stores or for free download at www.khavariforgovernor.com.

Media Contact:
Bob Waterstripe, spokesman
bob@khavariforgovernor.com
Phone: 305.318.4984
Khavari for Governor Political Campaign Committee
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