SCORE is hosting a debate for Tennessee gubernatorial candidates January 14, 2010. They have set a fund raising minimum of $250,000. This favors Democrat and Republican candidates, who are within the framework of parties, which have long established political ties. When Democrat candidate Ward Cammack withdrew, he echoed this concept. “long-standing political alliances proved impenetrable and fund raising ground to a halt.” These are the very political ties, which the average citizen is upset about. Rather than attempting to raise a quarter million dollar from the hard working citizens of this state, I am petitioning SCORE to allow an exception for an independent candidate. Most people are not affiliated with either the Democrat or Republican party, and recent Rasmussen poll indicated more people said they would vote for a TEA party candidate over a Republican candidate. If SCORE represents the people, then they will acknowledge these facts. Please, sign my petition to admit me to the January 14, 2010 debate. I need your signature by December 31.

My campaign stance on education is as follows:

• I oppose truancy laws on the grounds they violate the 5^th Amendment.

  • If a parent does not want his child in school, he will not co-operate with the school in disciplining the child. Truant children do not learn very much, disrupt classes, consume resources which could be dedicated to attentive children.

  • There is a considerable financial and emotional investment pursing truant children. It can demoralize staff, which constantly fights with the same parents over and over again. Some school districts have stopped pursuing truant children for this reason.

  • The battle with truant children and parents, teaches disrespect for authority. Parents are fined. If they don't pay, they are jailed. Jobs are lost. Children are taken away from parents. Foster care is over loaded. Job laws should be relaxed to allow people to hold productive jobs at a younger age.

  • Repealing truancy laws would not cost any money. Funds currently spent on fighting truancy could be better used in productive education.

• Veto state expansion into pre-K education

  • Education system is big enough to begin with. (44% of state budget)

  • I don't know where supporters of state run pre-K education plan to get the money.

    • Taxes are high enough to begin with. The people will not stand for another tax increase.

    • The system is financially strapped as it is. Diverting money would only make matters worse.

  • State run pre-K education will hurt day cares and likely close local businesses.

• Work to end state subsidy of higher education.

  • Tax dollars are spent with little to show for the money.

• Subsidy increases demand faster than supply. This causes the cost of higher education to go up.

  • The target population is eventually priced out of the market.

  • The population, which could originally enter the market without subsidy, may now require the subsidy to enter the market.

• On jobs side of the process, supply of degrees increases and average quality of the degrees decreases, without a significant increase in demand for the degrees. This means the value of the degree decreases. People graduate with debt from a subsidize loan, who can only find a low paying job or no job at all.

• The lottery should be ended.

  • The lottery is morally objectionable. The state should not be in the business of gaming.

  • The lottery only produces about 1% of the state's revenue.

  • The lottery most significantly effects lower income people.

  • The lottery hurts some businesses.

• Education should work from the bottom up rather than top down.

  • There is a lack of interest in local politics. This is due, in part, to the fact the local politician is often bound by state and federal regulation.

    • The local politician is the politician with whom we can interact directly. He is most accountable.

    • The local politician has current, working knowledge of reality, because he is closest to the field rather than separated by distance.

  • The state could benefit from diversity.

    • Communities will likely develop different characteristics in their schools if left to do so. This means some schools will specialize in different things.

    • Innovation is improved by diversity.

    • Innovation comes from the top students, not the mediocre students. Bringing the top down so everyone is equal hurts innovation.

    • There are different types of knowledge. In general, this does not seem to be recognized by top level educators.

  • If education is again a privilege rather than an entitlement or a mandate, then acceptance of corporal punishment may reasonably a pre-requisite for admission into school. This should impact discipline problems. Schools may individually choose to include or exclude corporal punishment, and school boards will again answer to the voters for their decision either way.

• Trades need to be recognized as valuable.

  • A college education isn't for everyone.

  • Agriculture and manufacturing were important in the growth of this nation. Now we are loosing these industries to other nations.

  • In an true economic crisis, gold will be worthless. The ability to grow food and actually build or repair something will be true assets.

  • The value of trades is already reflected by reality, even if there is little public recognition of it. High school drop outs can earn six figure salaries or start their own businesses, if they know trades. Compare this to the current value of a college degree.

• The Bible was the original text book.

  • The state should never mandate prayer or Bible study, but should local communities choose to incorporate these into their schools, the state should defend the communities should outside forces choose to infringe on the rights of a peaceably assembled people.

  • The English language was fairly unchanged from the early 17^th century to the mid 20^th century, in large part due to the influence of the King James Bible.

  • Defending prayer in schools is a no cost answer to many of the discipline and criminal problems in this state. It won't eliminate delinquency or crime, but it can't hurt.

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