Here in the Auburn-Opelika area, we are truly fortunate to have excellent local public schools, a wonderful university and a great community college. However, there are young people in Lee County and across Alabama that do not share the same educational benefits that our children have here at home.
One of the most important things we can do for our children to guarantee them opportunity and a chance at prosperity and success is to provide them a strong education system. That’s why I will make a strong, adequately-funded education system for all of Alabama one of my top priorities.
This means protecting the Education Trust Fund from irresponsible attempts to pay for non-educational programs. Education dollars should pay for schools, teachers, and textbooks – that is why we have the Trust Fund. Legislators should not break the public trust by using money set aside for education to pay for other projects.
As your State Representative, I will support continued funding for salaries, supplies, professional development, and sound health insurance and retirement programs for our teachers and school support personnel. If we are to have a strong education system, we must make sure that we can recruit and retain the best education professionals to teach and support our young people.
Under Alabama’s antiquated tax code, our poorest citizens share a larger burden of state taxes than the richest one-percent, and I believe this is wrong. While no one likes taxes, it is moral travesty to punish the poorest of our citizens while our wealthiest citizens pay less. Our current budget problems, the lack of accurate projections, and constant threats of prorated education budgets are a result of this convoluted tax code.
If elected as your State Representative, I will work to find and implement ways to balance our tax system that provides adequate revenues for our schools, roads, law enforcement, and other state needs while ensuring fairness for all citizens – rich, poor, individuals and businesses.
Reforming Alabama’s 1901 Constitution must be a priority if we are serious about bringing Alabama into the 21st century. The current constitution has over 700 amendments, is 12 times longer than the average state constitution, and contains racist language that is an embarrassment to our State and the good people of Alabama.
If that isn’t bad enough, the current Constitution puts all the power over local government in Montgomery. Citizens here at home must get permission from Montgomery before we can pass even the simplest local laws to improve our communities, such as leash laws, fire protection, court costs, and even how to dispose of dead farm animals! Some counties are even required to get the entire State to vote on a constitutional amendment to pass a local law in one particular county.
As your State Representative, I will support the establishment of a Constitutional Convention to allow the citizens of Alabama to draft a new Constitution that reflects the values of our communities and gives citizens more local control over their daily lives. I believe that reforming our outdated Constitution is a necessary step to making government more responsive – and responsible – to its citizens.