Jobs and the Economy

Unemployment affects everybody. When job growth falters, even the folks with good careers experience slower wage growth, greater risk of job loss, and less assurance of being re-employed. Officially, our unemployment rate has risen to over 11% in Limestone County, and this doesn’t even count the thousands of people who have exhausted their unemployment insurance or those who are working for less than a living wage.

As your state representative, the economy will be my top priority. Jobs will drive Alabama’s recovery from the national economic slowdown and I will work to re-start the economic engine that made us a leader in jobs and income during the early 2000’s.

Education

Alabama children are the foundation of the future. By right of being born both citizens of Alabama and America, our children are entitled to the best education a free society can give. Our education system is failing our children and falling farther behind. What our children and educators need from our legislators is not more requirements, more regulations, or more taxes. Our children need a reformed education system that rewards educators who excel and children who achieve results. Alabama schools must prepare our children for the future. In a global economy, American competitiveness rests on providing each student with the best possible education. Improving Alabama’s schools must be a priority. I will work tirelessly to ensure that our educational system is a model for the 21st century. I look forward in the months ahead to laying out my ideas for how we can improve education in Alabama.

Education Choices

Alabama has a great opportunity to improve the quality of education in the state. While Educators in 39 other states have come together to start more challenging schools with a set of rules that focus on a students success, the AEA has hindered the same process in Alabama. What did the education leaders in the 39 states accomplished, they creating Public Charter Schools and if we are to prepare our children for the 21^st century Challenges and a momentous life we must follow suit. We must trust what is working in other states and use a model similar to theirs to break the one size fits all education system. By acting now Alabama could receive possibly $200 million in school funding form the US Department of Education’s Race to the Top Funds. Alabama needs Charter Schools, our educators need the funds and our children who are stuck in a failing school districts need a chance to succeed.

Diogenes Laertius said “The foundation of every state is the education of its youth.”

The Alabama Budget

Like Cicero, I believe that both national and state budgets must be balanced. Alabama has no reason not to have a balanced budget. Tax dollars and the public treasuries are not the personal accounts of either political party. Although there are times when budget deficits will occur, they should not occur because of the mismanagement of state funds by our legislature. Ending poverty and helping our fellow citizens who have real needs is right, yet there is nothing more wrong that creating a debt that burdens our great-grandchildren with the sins of our generation. Government cannot solve every problem. However, government can lead to a solution. We must balance our budget! Our legislature must balance our budget and provide incentives to citizens who get off the couch and go to the work.

Cicero, in 55 BC stated “The national budget must be balanced. The public debt must be reduced; the arrogance of the authorities must be moderated and controlled. Payments to foreign governments must be reduced, if the nation doesn’t want to go bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance.”

Ethics

Our leaders have taken an oath to represent the people of Alabama with integrity, but they have failed to both represent our best interests and to protect the values on which our nation was founded. Today the wheels of state government are greased by money rather than the will and ideas of our people. Our citizens ought to have the ear of their legislator. Sadly, the only people many legislators are listening to are the “big mule” lobbyists in Montgomery. The only special interest that a legislator should be beholden to is the voters of the district he or she represents. We deserve both honest and responsible government. Leaving the current Democratic legislature in Montgomery is like leaving a wolf (mule) to guard the hen house. There is definitely a better way!

Solon (638 BC – 559 BC) stated “Put more trust in nobility of character than in an oath”

Taxation

Nothing is more unfair and unbalanced than taxation in modern America. The liberals in government have managed to create both the most unequal and the most discriminatory tax systems that man has ever known. There is a great burden now on the “honest poor man,” the “middle class family,” and those who create the jobs that fuel our economy. In the name of progress, democrats have taxed every portion of our society. They have gone so far as to suggest that some taxes are merely “fees!”

The only way to make taxation fair is to tax everyone at the same rate. Society does not ask either the underemployed or the unemployed to pay taxes or penalties for not having a steady job, so why does society punish those who work forty hours (most people work well over forty hours) a week by taxing almost forty percent of their wages? During the past few months I have been studying this issue and I believe that the only way to have fair and just taxation is to tax everyone equally and in the same way.

Many leading economists have suggested several methods that offer fairness and justness in taxation. The most popular is the “fair tax.” I believe that everyone should be taxed at the same rate and in the same way. We need to eliminate hidden taxes, double taxes, and death taxes. I look forward to sharing more of my ideas with you about taxation during the upcoming campaign. There definitely must be a better way to solve our budget problems than to “rob Peter to pay Paul.”

Plato, The Republic Greek author & philosopher in Athens (427 BC – 347 BC) When there is an income tax, the just man will pay more and the unjust less on the same amount of income.

Why I’m Running

As a life-long conservative, I have looked forward to the opportunity to serve the commonwealth by running for State Representative in the 5th Legislative District. I am running because I believe that there is something wrong in America and Montgomery and it’s time to take a stand.

There is something wrong when we want to set terrorists free  and prosecute the people who interrogated them.

There is something wrong when we give bailouts to corporations and do nothing to help workers who are losing their jobs and their homes on a daily basis.

There is something wrong when the government forces socialized medicine on us.

There is something wrong when the government raises taxes on citizens and businesses to pay for the pet projects.

There is something wrong when a taxpayers, who has never been involved in political affairs, attends a town hall to voice his/her opposition against government run health  care, and is discouraged publicly when stating their opinion.

Our elected officials say we are misinformed and angry. I say to them that yes, we are angry and it is time to do something about it! It’s time to take a stand for our rights; it’s time to have our voices heard. No elected official has the right to restrict us from speaking up for our rights!

My campaign is about making sure Montgomery and our elected officials hear us loud and clear. Together we can stop those who are threatening our country or state and our children’s future. We need to demand better.  We need to say NO to the “Montgomery politics as usual” in the 2010 elections. 2010 is your time to let your voice be heard.