I recently participated in an interview with a newspaper reporter. Here are some highlights from that interview.
Question: What decisions did you make as a county commissioner that you are proud of?
Bert Jones: 1) I kept my word to the voters. I never told anyone I would do one thing and then did something else. I never made promises I could not keep.
2) I voted against more tax increases and against more borrowing against our dwindling county emergency funds.
3) I consistently worked to improve government services through efficiency and common-sense businesslike initiatives. At the same time, I treated our employees with respect, and worked to hire good people and pay them competitive wages.
4) I also worked diligently to defend citizens’ property rights, but NC laws are very poor in this area and need to be reformed. For example, 48 states protect citizens from forced annexation better than our state does.
5) I demonstrated leadership on tough issues. We built the needed courthouse and jail for safety and security reasons, but it would have saved the taxpayers a lot of money if it had been done years before. I worked to keep costs down where possible.
Question: Why are you deciding to run for state house as opposed to any other political office?
Bert Jones: I saw firsthand as a commissioner that several changes are needed at the state level. We are consistently losing jobs because our state has the highest tax burden in the South. North Carolina is in the top 10 in unemployment in the country, and our county is particularly hard hit. Our state’s “borrow, tax, and spend” government is crushing our economy. The state treasurer has warned that we cannot continue to amass more debt. Another huge issue is that all state legislative and congressional districts will be redistricted next year. The current district lines are grossly unfair, and are largely drawn to benefit incumbents and Democrats. It is time for our representatives to reflect the will of the people.
Question: Do you believe running as an independent improves your odds of defeating Mr. Cole in the general election?
Bert Jones: The biggest challenge is that people have to know not to just vote a straight party ticket. They must vote specifically for me or their vote will be wasted. As long as people know this, I do not think it will affect my odds of winning the race.
Question: Why should people elect you instead of the incumbent? What has Cole done specifically that you disagree with?
Bert Jones: Mr. Cole and I disagree on many important issues, including borrowing, taxing, and spending, because we disagree about how much government control is best. This is a primary national and state issue this year. For 16 years, he has consistently voted to increase our debt, to raid and deplete important dedicated funds (such as the Highway Trust Fund and the Rainy Day Fund), and to increase taxes and spending. He is even interested in more new taxes, such as the Vehicle Mileage Tax that would be a huge burden to many families and businesses. The state budget is up 300% (adjusted for inflation) during the time when the state population increased just 60%. People are figuring out that this is unsustainable and we will not be able to repay the debt. Many politicians like Mr. Cole may mean well, but bigger government is not the answer, nor can we afford it.
