Local Radar

---

---

Jack Montgomery responds

web posted August 27, 2007
WEBNEWS – Answers to the questions for Republican Candidates for District 25 Senate by Jack Montgomery.

1 What do you feel is the single most important issue facing the 25th District and explain how you would address the issue if elected?

Skilled Labor - We must improve our school drop out rate and develop technical skills. We need good paying jobs, but we will never get them without a skilled labor force that can compete. We must enhance our computer, diagnostic and comprehension skills. I will travel District 25, and with input from businesses, educators, religious groups and parents develop an action plan to address this issue. Columbia can’t solve this for us we as a community must step up to the plate and solve this problem.  

2 Over the last few years there have been increased calls for a smoking ban imposed by the State General Assembly. If elected, would you support a statewide ban on smoking in private businesses? 

No. Private businesses must complete with other businesses and if they can compete while allowing smoking in their business that’s their choice.

3 What is your position on abortion? Do you feel abortion should be a state or federal issue?

This issue is a double edge sword. We have the religious side that teaches us life is given by God and only he can or should take it away.  I love both of my children and my 7 grandchildren and I would never entertain the though of abortion. But, love carries a burden for all of us when it comes to deciding to risk the life of your spouse for the child or requiring your daughter to carry a baby resulting from rape or incest. I hope my children never have to make that decision. But, I will support the decision they make. Do I support abortion for social behavior the answer is NO.


4 The last two decades have many feeling a marked erosion of the Home Rule Act by the General Assembly on local and county governments.  Do you:
A) Agree or disagree with the premise and B) What would you do, if elected, to support the Home Rule Act and the autonomy of local governments.

Yes. But we must manage our local incorporated areas in a responsible manner. We can’t ask for total control and then waste our resources and expect the State to bail us out time after time. Home rule carries responsibilities, and we must step up to those responsibilities.

I will work with local incorporated areas to insure we are spending our resources to meet the needs of the community and reduce the concern of state government to interfere with our right to make our own decisions, but make them with sound judgment.


5 What quality do you possess that would make you uniquely qualified to be the next District 25 Senator.

Government is a business. I make decisions everyday that could cost my company millions of dollars, and I’m held accountable. I have 43 years of business leadership experience. I’m 65 years old and can retire from my current job and be a full time Senator for the people of District 25. I have been a consultant for many years in areas ranging form Diversity, Leadership, Team Work, Lean Manufacturing, Cost controls for companies like DuPont, Westinghouse, Hearst, springs, S.C. EEOC, US Post Office and many others. I was the 1998 recipent of the prestigious Dr. George D. Heaton Award for Leadership given by the Blue Ridge Conference on Leadership. I’m fully qualified to represent the people of District 25 in Columbia. A Leader has to have the ability to make changes, and you don’t do that by intimidation, but through the ability to show your colleagues in the Senate that what is good for you and your district is also good for them and their district.


6 Illegal immigration has become an undeniable problem in District 25 and other districts across the state. It is a growing drain on the state and local government resources, schools, and health care facilities. Do you feel this is a federal issue and the states are powerless to confront the problem? What would you do as a Senator to address illegal aliens accessing government resources and jobs in South Carolina?

It is estimated by some that there could be as many as 25 million illegal immigrants in the US today and that number growing. This must not and can not continue. Now, what to do? First, we must close our borders to illegals. Second, we must start the reduction of those illegally in the country. Third, we must build a workforce to replace the work they are doing and, fourth, we must pass laws the hold businesses responsible for hiring illegals. This will take years to accomplish, but we must start today.


7 With the increasing number of undocumented and illegal aliens in our state and the threat of terrorism growing each day, what would you do to protect the citizens of South Carolina from attack?

First, South Carolina is not a high value target for terrorists, so we don’t need to alarm our citizens unnecessarily. But, we must face the fact that we never know where and when an attack may come. I will insure that District 25 and South Carolina gets its share of Home Land Security Funds to protect the people of District 25 and the State of South Carolina.  


8 Gov. Sanford has often said that South Carolina is wasting millions of dollars in tax revenues that could aid in reducing taxes. Do you agree or disagree and what would you do to reduce or increase taxes?

As I stated in ”why I should be elected your Senator”, Government is a business and if we run our company like the state of South Carolina is run we would have been out of business many years ago. South Carolina has too many layers of staffing, too much unnecessary paper work and a total lack of accountability. We have 1050 employees at our manufacturing site, and we have no night or weekend management on site. We accomplished this by holding people accountable and developing a tracking system to insure our processes is operating at expected levels. Government can and should be run the same way. It’s just a matter of leadership and stepping up to the plate. I have a tax reform platform. I will eliminate the 7% state income tax. How? By allowing land based casinos not more that 5 miles from the coast. We have a state run lottery and casinos are just a matter of time on Native American land. I will eliminate the Blue Law of South Carolina. We have millions of dollars and hundreds of jobs going to Georgia and North Carolina due to S.C. Blue Laws. Six and one half work hours a week for every service employee in South Carolina will be developed just by allowing our businesses to open a 7 A.M. on Sunday. That adds up to millions of work hours that could go into South Carolina employees’ bank accounts, not GA or NC workers. 


9 District 25 and the surrounding area is said to lead the state in infant mortality, births to teens and unwed mothers, and high school dropouts. South Carolina as a whole, in spite of above average spending per student, ranks among the lowest in the nation educationally. What would you do to improve these statistics in the state and specifically in District 25?

Education / Education. The only way to improve the standard of living is to create a good job base that allows individuals to have money for health care, food, day care and continued education. We also must support the family. Support of family is what is needed in our District to turn around the school drop out and teen birth rates. Teaching family values in our schools and churches. Seeing that every child has a health check up yearly and a support system (child day care) for unwed mothers to get them off the welfare role and back into school and then work.   


10 As a whole, what are you most passionate about?

Drugs, we must stop (not control) the drug problem in District 25. I will do this by using the RICO Act that was used by J. Edgar Hoover on the Mafia. We currently lock up our children as users while the distributors live in million dollars home in our neighborhoods untouched by the total distraction he/she is creating in our community. These people are using 13 years old children to push their drugs and then turning them into addicts and selling them as prostitutes until they overdose or get AIDS. I’m a drug dealer’s worst nightmare.
 

EdgefieldDaily.com is a member of the
Edgefield County
Chamber of Commerce
New Link Below
Information and Activities

---

-----
Parting Shots
A new book by Columnist Carl Langley

---

JAM Straight Customs

---

Featured Dining

La Cantina

---

---

'08 Debate
Get involved

---

NOTICE:
We still need recipes for Cooking Section
WEBNEWS –  Send in your favorite or favorites. There is no limit to the number of recipes you can send in. With the Editor’s wife being the driving force behind her own personal section, help her create an exchange of local favorites, home cooking, grilling, sauces, and deserts!  Send in your submissions here.