PLATFORM
The blessing of serving in the South Carolina Senate and working to build a stronger community in Horry and Dillon counties is an opportunity that I take very seriously. I wake up every day and ask myself, “what can i do today to make the citizens of our state safer, smarter, healthier and more prosperous.”
South Carolina has a colorful and important history, we have a beautiful state, rich in natural resources, and we have some of the best people in the world; but we also have challenges and difficult problems to solve. Every South Carolinian has a responsibility to shoulder their part in building a better state, but those of us in the Senate have been selected to fight for solutions to the biggest issues facing South Carolinians.
I believe that our first responsibility is to keep our fellow citizens safe.
I believe that we must provide every child in South Carolina the opportunity for a world class education-we should strive to make the starting line the same for every child, regardless of where they live in South Carolina.
I believe that South Carolinians desire and deserve the dignity of work, and that a business friendly environment that creates jobs for our citizens is a moral obligation.
On this page there are a few key issues that I have strong feelings about. However, there are many more that I fight for, and I would be glad to speak with you about my beliefs on any issue.
K-12 EDUCATION
“Providing every child in South Carolina with the opportunity to receive a world class education is the greatest accomplishment state and local government could achieve.”
Providing every child in South Carolina with the opportunity to receive a world class education is one of the most fundamental responsibilities of state and local government. To build a world class K-12 education system we need world class teachers and education leaders. We should teach children what they need to know to be good citizens and to be employable; not what they need to know to pass the test. Finally, every South Carolinian must understand and appreciate the value of education and of our teachers. Simply throwing more money at a below average system is not the answer.
PUBLIC SAFETY
“We must keep our citizens safe. If we fail the rest of our work doesn’t really matter.”
Governments are formed to keep their citizens safe. The men and women that protect the rest of us need our support in the form of training, equipment, and encouragement. Our justice system must be fair to all that enter, defendant and victim alike, with the goal of rehabilitating those who choose to be rehabilitated, and punishing those who chose to victimize others. That punishment, when necessary, should be certain and swift.
INFRASTRUCTURE
“We can solve our long term road maintenance issues, we have the money to do it, and we should do it now.”
Our state highway system is the responsibility of state government that affects nearly every citizen on a daily basis. Safe, well-maintained roads are essential to our economy and to our everyday lives. Unfortunately, for decades the State legislature underfunded this priority, and we now face a crisis. The good news is that, over the last four years, we have significantly increased funding to repair our highways in Horry and Dillon Counties. That said, with unprecedented growth our area has experienced, we must continue to fight for our fair share of funding and do a better job on long-term planning into the future.
JOBS
“South Carolina has a strong state economy and if we are smart we can make it even stronger and grow more good paying jobs.”
In many ways South Carolina is ripe for economic development and for new jobs. We are a right to work state, have a strong technical college system, have a business friendly political environment, and have some of the best people in the world. But we can do better. Our tax system is “business conflicted” with lots of strange and unfair exemptions and it needs reform. Our infrastructure is great in some places and a crisis in others. Lastly, our regulatory system is complicated and confusing, and needs to be simplified and streamlined to make it easier for small businesses to begin, grow and thrive. A job is the key to financial independence and happiness.
TAX REFORM
“Eliminate the special interest exemptions and loopholes and restructure the brackets and rates to strengthen working families and small business.”
The General Assembly recently approved $2 billion in tax cuts — the largest tax cut in State History! This is great news, however, even with this we are still at a competitive disadvantage of our neighboring states. Under our current system the middle class and working poor are in the highest tax bracket! We should permanently reform our tax code by collapsing the brackets, eliminating special interest exemptions and loopholes, and increasing the amounts at which the rates are imposed. This would provide a smarter, more equitable system for all South Carolinians, especially working families and small business. Nibbling around the edges is not a sustainable long-term solution for working South Carolinians.