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A conservative Democrat dedicated to the children of SC.

 

1) EDUCATION

I am excited to be affiliated with Edfirst and to have the endorsement of its founder, Patrick Hayes. Edfirst is a grassroots effort to improve the level of support for the public schools of South Carolina. Please visit their website at www.edfirstsc.org.

My primary purpose in running for the SC State House is aligned with this organization. I believe that public schools are the backbone of our state, and that we will not move forward without a strong public school system. Children are important; they are our most precious resource, and we have a moral obligation to give each child a quality education.

Many in our legislature seem to be on a mission to dismantle our current system of schools. Many of these legislators, senators and representatives, are receiving thousands of dollars from a New York billionaire by the name of Howard Rich. He is the owner of several corporations and can therefore skirt the ethics laws that limit a single contribution to a total of $1000. I understand that Rich funnels $12,000 to each of his senators and $5000 to his representatives. We all know that money buys influence, but I never imagined that one person could buy a whole state's legislature. Our state should not be seen as this cheap. I can assure voters that I would never take money from Howard Rich, and I would never let my vote be bought by him or anyone else.

 

2) ETHICS

The opinion that the public has about politicians is alarming to me. When I tell folks that I will be an honest politician, many laugh and say that they did not think that there was such a thing. One of the values that I took away from The Citadel was this quote, A cadet does not lie, cheat or steal, nor tolerate those who do."

This is a good code for everyone to live by, and I can assure the constituency of House Seat #14 that I will always tell the truth, and I will always vote my conscience.  I want to be elected, and I want to make a difference, but my integrity is more important than keeping my job as a politician.  I recall telling parents when I was a principal, that my principles would always be more important to me than my principalship. If more individuals would value their integrity, perhaps the general opinion about politicians would change for the better.

 

3) BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE FOR THE CHILDREN OF SOUTH CAROLINA

Our children are our future and we should all be committed to giving each of them a good life.  One of the issues at a national level is the “right to life.”  I believe that all babies that are brought into this world should have the right not just to live but to have a good life.  Many children don’t have ideal home lives these days, there are a lot more single parents than in years past, and many of our children are being raised in poverty.  The great equalizer is education.  If we can provide a sound educational system, then each of these children has the opportunity to realize the American dream. This should be more than a dream, it should be a reality.

One of the most undervalued resources in South Carolina is our core of teachers and other educators. I can recall during my childhood, the teacher was always right. Now, although teachers are better trained than ever before, many parents and community members are quick to blame the teachers or the schools for the failures of society. For years, there were good job opportunities for people that did not finish school, but those days are past.  If anyone is to have a successful career, he or she must stay in school and complete high school and possibly to complete 2 or 4 year college degrees.  This has placed a much larger burden on the school systems and makes it even more important that our society supports our schools. 

Teachers make a difference every day, and I believe that we must all recognize that difference if we are to meet the needs of our changing society.