In 1999, Tennessee Governor Sundquist announced a state income tax would need to be implemented in order to balance the budget.  Frustrated by this revelation, a group of activists went to the Capitol and held protests against the fiscal irresponsibility of the General Assembly.  These activists would go on to form the Tennessee Tax Revolt.  And they were successful in their efforts to stop the income tax.

In 2001, the issue of a state income tax came up again.  Outraged by the blatant disregard of the people’s opposition to the tax by our state legislators and motivated by the protestors, I decided that I needed to take a more active role, I made a sign, drove up to the Capitol and became a full fledged “horn honker”.  We all spent many long days and a few nights at Legislative Plaza expresses our opposition to the income tax.  We also had many discussions on how we could put an end to it once and for all and decided that until we ran for office, nothing would change.  Inspired by this message, I decided to run for a seat on the Wilson County Commission.  I won the seat. 

I spent my two terms in office executing the values that were discussed on the steps of the State Capitol – fiscal responsibility with the taxpayers’ dollars, allowing the free market to operate without government interference and adhering to the Tennessee Constitution.  When the State House District 57 seat opened up, I was approached by several people asking me to run. 

Frustrated by the disregard our federal government has for the wishes of the people, the same disregard that I saw in 2001 from our General Assembly and recalling the protest discussions, I decided to run for the seat.  Having seen firsthand, the costs that mandates from upper levels of government impose upon the County, I’m compelled to take a more active role in limiting these mandates by returning government control to the local level. In order to save our republic, we have to restore fiscal sanity, revive our economy through the free market and assert the right of Tennessee’s statehood under the 10th Amendment.

We’ve got to return our government to one that is limited and driven by the people from the bottom up versus the mandated top down method under which we operate now.  If you agree with me on these issues, I’d like to ask for your vote on November 2.