Warner: We need to return to core values
By Jackie Warner
As a candidate for N.C. House District 45, I pledge to uphold the integrity, wholesome intent and principles upon which our state constitution was written.
For more than 200 years, our country has been a role model and leader among international governments. We have given freedom and liberties to our people like no other country on earth. We have, perhaps, taken too much for granted because, now our country faces serious challenges in an uncertain future.
Like our nation, our state continues to sink deeper into debt, while our politicians seem to be in a complete denial of our financial and internal dilemmas. We have record unemployment and a very weak economy: yet our elected officials seem to think that new, additional taxation will bring our economies out of this downward spiral. If anything, we need to cut taxes, now. We can create jobs by being state friendly to business markets. And, we need an immediate and thorough overhaul of our state's tax structure. We need to provide necessary services and progress for our people; but we must do it within revenues available - not revenues projected.
It is my firm belief that for too long we, as people of our state and nation, have "laid back" and watched our governing leaderships overtax our people and overspend their budgets simply because they can! We have watched, from the sidelines, the greed of career politicians who have "lined their own pockets" or pushed legislation into law for special lobbies and not for the benefit of our state citizens as a whole. We have watched our state budgets rise, dramatically, over recent years with growing bureaucracy rather than services for our people. We have witnessed the deterioration of freedoms for our people in just one generation as government tightens its grip on our rights and liberties. Where do these things end? They can end quickly and painlessly if "everyday citizens" rise to be candidates and voters for all governmental offices, and re-direct services to the people they serve. Government belongs to the people, not vice versa!
As an educator who has supported the rights of our constitution, I have committed myself to the service of others. As a wife and mother, I am committed to family values that enhance good leadership for our future. As a family business owner, I am committed to good will as we have known it in the past and laws that protect the law-abiding - not, the law abusing. And, as a taxpayer, I believe that we, as citizens of our state, must spend and prioritize our own family budgets.
We've heard campaign slogans over and over again expressing the need for "change." Well, it is no longer an overused and trite expression. We do need a real change! Now! In all elected offices from cities, counties, state and nation.
If we expect our independence to be as it was given to us, I feel a voters' revolution is a necessity. We must rise up and upheave those presently elected who say one thing and, yet do another.
We must then elect quality, dedicated people to these positions who will return our governments to us - the taxpayers. This is the only way we can re-establish financial stability in a country with a budget overspent and in shocking disarray. And it is the only way we can rein in a state-spending frenzy from a liberal government simply out of control.
Hopefully, we can return our government to its people with services and progress that we can financially afford.
In closing, I decided to run for the District 45 House seat because of my experience and my concern for our need for jobs and an improved economy. I am an advocate for education, a balanced budget and the elimination of wasteful spending. I will work with the team to create jobs, improving the state's economy and reducing the tax burden on working families and small business.
Family values are a priority. We need to return to the core values of North Carolina. We've had enough taxes, enough spending and enough cronyism.
Enough is enough!