With the greatest of passion, I am a fervent defender of all rights enumerated in our state and federal constitutions to the letter. The Tennessee Constitution, Article I is our Declaration of Rights, which is by far more protective of individual rights and rights of the people, than the federal constitution.
Right to life, right to keep and bear arms, right to reform government, right to instruct representatives, free speech, … I will defend all rights to the best of my ability.
Tennessee founders further protected the Declaration of Rights in Article XI, Section 16 as follows.
The declaration of rights hereto prefixed is declared to be a part of the Constitution of the state, and shall never be violated on any pretense whatever. And to guard against transgression of the high powers we have delegated, we declare that everything in the bill of rights contained, is excepted out of the general powers of the
government, and shall forever remain inviolate.
Tennessee's growth has created new opportunities, but growth should never come at the expense of our communities.
Government often favors growth because it expands the tax base and increases revenue, while industries such as construction and real estate naturally benefit from new development. Those interests should never take priority over the long-term interests of Tennessee families.
I support responsible, sustainable growth that protects productive farmland, preserves our communities, and ensures that roads, schools, water, sewer, and energy infrastructure keep pace with development.
I strongly support private property rights. Government should not use its authority to favor politically connected developers or special interests, nor should it shift the costs of rapid growth onto existing residents.
Tennessee's heritage, values, and way of life are worth preserving. I welcome those who choose to make Tennessee their home, but growth should strengthen our communities—not change the principles and character that make our state unique.
I oppose unbridled growth pursued simply to generate more tax revenue or financial gain for government and special interests. Responsible growth should always serve the people of Tennessee first.
I am teaching the people how to exercise their right to alter and reform government (Art. I, § 1), instruct representatives (Art. I, §23), exercise sovereignty (Art. I, §31), and make application to government (Art. I, §23), to put in place term limits ourselves for all state judges, senators, and representatives
It is my strong opinion that lawful immigration is not only appropriate but essential to maintaining who we are as a nation and republic. Illegal immigration should be eliminated as much as possible. Illegal immigration is unfair to those who seek to enter this nation lawfully.
I will vigorously defend the state against illegal immigration. Illegal immigration strains our social services, costing the state millions. Most illegal immigrants send money back to their home country to support their families which drains our economy so it is a doubly harmful to our society.
Among other violations, presently judges are holding prohibited second offices in gross violation of our state constitution, Art. VI, §7. Those prohibited offices held by judges are the root of all corruption in government.
The heart of my work is to reform government back into compliance with our state constitution.
We all know 1s and 0s on a hard drive cannot be verified. I intend to organize the people in exercise of the rights in Article I, §§ 1, 23, and 31 to ensure election integrity though hand marked ballots, scanned to PDF, and made available on government websites, so any citizen can tally the votes.
State and federal taxes and fees are generally abusive to the American people while discouraging investment and growth. We must gradually eliminate punitive income taxes, and fees that are essentially double taxation, and move our tax system toward that originally established by our Founding Fathers.
Government mandates, as a form of martial law, are prohibited to govt. in Art. I, Sect. 25 state constitution, as inconsistent with the principles of a free government.
Constitutionally prohibited to govt., and for the same reasons, such power should also be prohibited to all agencies & business formations.
Life begins at conception and continues to the end of natural life. It is proper and just that all human beings, including preborn children, possess the same unalienable rights as all other people, and are entitled to the full and equal protection of the law.
Like our founders, much of my ethical and moral standards are based in religious and philosophical principals. Religious and philosophical principles provide rational and reasonable explanation of what is to be considered rightful or wrongful conduct. Much of my philosophy in determining the difference between right and wrong is based on the modern philosophy of John Rawls’ Theory of Justice (1971), a variant of the social contract theory.
Essentially, Rawls defines a rightful action, as one that a rational and reasonable person would choose in their “original position”. “Original position” is not knowing your station in life, not knowing if you are the victim or perpetrator, not knowing if you are the fetus or the person choosing to abort a fetus.
Under Rawls’ Theory of Justice, each interested party is included in the “vote” on whether a choice or action is right or wrong.
Would any rational reasonable person vote in favor of slavery, not knowing if they would end up a slave or slave owner? Would any rational reasonable person, choose to abort a preborn child, not knowing if they were to become the aborted fetus or the aborting doctor or parent? Of course not.
Moreover, we must all be responsible for the actions we take. Responsibility of each person for their own conduct is fundamental to our society. And so, when a man and woman choose to engage in an act of procreation, without contraception, they become responsible for the results of that act. To assert otherwise is to throw out thousands of years of legal doctrine, religious and philosophical principles, and the principles upon which this nation was founded.
The solution to the current moral decline in our nation is a return to the principles and standards of morality which our Founding Fathers placed into the Constitution. Essential to our right of self-government, are the unalienable and indefeasible rights stated in our Tennessee Constitution, Art. I, Section 1.
Also, essential to self-government is the right of citizens to instruct our representatives, petition our government for redress or other proper purposes by address or remonstrance. See Tenn. Const. Art. I, Sect. 23. These rights have been forgotten or we have been intentionally kept ignorant of these rights. I endeavor with all my being to restore these rights.
Our nation was founded upon Judeo-Christian principles and those principles must guide us moving forward. I have been and remain a life-long student of religion and philosophy. Religious and philosophical principles are the underlying foundation of a lasting republic and harmonious society. Understanding and adherence to those principles are essential to the proper form and conduct of government.
I support protecting Christian schools especially from government overreach, and I support prayer in schools.
I belong strongly in the words of our state constitution, Article I, Section 3 which states as follows.
. That all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own conscience; that no man can of right be compelled to attend, erect, or support any place of worship, or to maintain any minister against his consent; that no human authority can, in any case whatever, control or interfere with the rights of conscience; and that no preference shall ever be given, by
law, to any religious establishment or mode of worship
I strongly support the free enterprise system as the best hope for men and women to fulfill their economic hopes and dreams. Free market is the most efficient and the least costly system to deliver the highest quality goods and services at the lowest price to the consumer.
It is a fundamental right of parents to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their children, without government interference through our schools, or legislative houses. I will always stand in defense of parental rights, and oppose all forms of governmental interference.
I believe in the traditional American family, beginning with one man and one woman, are the cornerstone of our American society, and the government should protect the integrity of the family unit through legislation and tax policies.
I also believe that every person is created equal with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness. To that end each persons’ choice in how they pursue Life, Liberty and happiness is their own, so long as their choices do not infringe on the same rights of others.
In 2021, Tennessee enacted legislation requiring participation on girls' and women's athletic teams in public K–12 schools to be based on a student's sex as determined at birth. The law was later expanded to include collegiate athletics. I support that legislation. I oppose biological males participating in girls' and women's sports.
I oppose school vouchers because they are in clear violation of Article XI, Section 8 of the Tennessee Constitution, since private schools are unavailable to many rural residents.
Our public schools need to improve, as most would agree. Here are some of my thoughts on improving education.
We need to cut administrative overhead and non-teacher staff who are an unnecessary drain on school financial resources. This will free up financial resources that can be reallocated to front-line teachers and student resources.
Tennessee should seek waivers related to federal education mandates to reduce costs, perhaps decline federal funding in certain cases, and advocate as a state for changes to federal laws that create burdensome costs that don’t directly affect student education.
Front-line teachers, principals, and vice principals should be eligible for bonus compensation if their students achieve certain academic standards, with bonuses heavily weighted toward test scores. This will tie compensation to results, which has worked well for me in business.
We need to strip unnecessary topics out of the curriculum and get back to teaching the basics: math, science, language arts, and social studies.
The Constitution of the State of Tennessee must be taught comprehensively, beginning in the fifth grade and continuing through high school. Today, based on my own surveys, half our population is not aware that we have a state constitution. The current curriculum only teaches why we have the 1870 Constitution, which was to prohibit slavery. The current curriculum DOES NOT teach that citizens have a right to address their government, that judges may hold no other office, or that the legislature has no power to pass special-interest legislation.
I have been a Certified Public Accountant, businessman, and entrepreneur for more than twenty years. I’ve worked for large and small business across a diverse range of businesses including; Retail, Service, Printing, Healthcare, eCommerce, Technology, Payment Processing.
I served eight years as a Force Recon U.S. Marine, and have worked as a laborer, accountant, auditor, CFO, COO, and business owner. No other candidate or incumbent brings such a diverse range of work experience or industry experience to the table.
As a businessman, I know first-hand the most effective means to create jobs is less government intrusion and regulation, creating tax incentives that provide a return on investment to the people and government, and less “pretended legislation” enacted though the lobbying efforts of the legal profession, to create torts for attorneys to bring class-action and other suits against businesses.
I hold with the founders of our Republic in the supremacy of the power of individual citizens over the powers they choose to delegate to the state, a principle enshrined in the Tenth Amendment.
Only a small government truly serves the needs of the people and that those governments closest to the people are most responsive to their needs. I affirm the principle of Federalism, and its establishment in the form created by the Founders.
Our nation is a Republic, not a democracy.
A republic is not democracy (rule of the many), a republic is not a monarchy (rule by one). A republic is not an oligarchy (rule by a few).
A republic is governed by rule of law. The supreme law of the land is our state and federal constitutions.
A republic is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. A government where power is inherent in the people - a power exercised through vote AND through their right to instruct their representatives AND through their right to address or remonstrate (petition) to the powers of the government. See Tenn. Const. Art I, Sections 1 and 23.
The Unites States shall guarantee to every stated in this union a republican form of government: U.S. Constitution Art. IV, Section 4
The authority of the government under which they are appointed, as well as its republican character, is recognized by the proper constitutional authority. Luther v. Borden, 48 US 1, 12 L. Ed. 581, - Supreme Court, 1849. (at 42).
The very idea of a government, republican in form, implies a right of its citizens to petition for redress of grievances. United States v. Cruikshank, 92 US 542, 23 – Supreme Court 1876 (at 553).
" "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. "
Neither Supreme Court opinion, nor our federal Constitution, refer to or describe our form of government as a democracy. We are a REPUBLIC.