“Educational and economic mobility are the most certain ways out of poverty. I am dedicated to bringing as much opportunity as possible to struggling communities and those who have been left behind. We owe it to our neighbors to offer a hand up, not a handout!”
Jeff breaks ground on e-VAC’s $500 million investment in Sumter County with City of Sumter, County, and Vac leadership.
Economic Development
§ You speak a lot about economic mobility and the need to broaden economic opportunities to the citizens of District 36, please elobrate on your vision of how create those opportunities.
The district has areas that could greatly benefit from renewed economic development, such as job creation and improved infrastructure. However, some parts have expressed a desire to limit this growth due to concerns about gentrification and displacement. We must prioritize the demands and needs of the district's residents. Your voice matters in shaping our economic future. We will not bow to the influence of special interest groups and lobbyists. By doing so, we can ensure that the decisions made are fair, just, and in the best interest of the district as a whole. I am committed to implementing sustainable and responsible economic development strategies that benefit all residents in all corners of the district.
“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive.”
Honest Government
§ A vast majority of of South Carolina voters see goverment corruption as a major roadblock in achieving expanded opportunites for citizens and protecting individual rights. How will your leadership allow for the restoration of trust between the State government and the people?
While we have many good and honest statesmen, there is a significant perception of corruption in the rural parts of the district. We need someone to fight the system from within and hold it accountable to the people it serves. We can fight for our principles while maintaining honor and dignity. Unfortunately, many established and entrenched political incumbents use their influence to bully and silence dissent. Every citizen deserves to be heard and listened to, and I’ll work with anyone willing to work with me in good faith. We must thoroughly examine our elected officeholders' policies, practices, and behaviors. When there is legitimate evidence of corruption, it must be rooted out to the maximum extent possible. I have a strong track record within the Air Force and on the School Board for bringing extreme scrutiny to the bureaucracies and institutions that should serve our citizens, not hurt them. I am committed to this! I will fight bullies in every capacity to protect the innocent. I aim to root out corruption at all levels of government, that’s my promise!
Crime
§ Over the last several years the district has seen sharp increases in violet crime and theft. What are your ideas about making the district safer for everyone and restoring a sense of public safety?
The district's murder rate is a serious concern that needs to be addressed effectively to ensure the safety of the residents. Orangeburg's position as the second-highest county in violent crime rate per capita is alarming and demands immediate attention. We must take decisive action to restore effective policing methods that have reduced crime rates. We need to invest in violence prevention programs that have been proven to work and modify social and emotional instruction to integrate effective techniques. Our law enforcement agencies must have adequate resources, training, and equipment to perform their duties efficiently. We must enact stiffer penalties for gun crimes and ensure guns stay out of the hands of criminals.
Medical Freedom
§ Do you support or oppose vaccine mandates for employment, school attendance, or public activities?
I am generally against vaccine mandates because I believe it's important to balance public health with individual bodily autonomy. I understand the need for reliable, accurate, and long-term data on diseases and their vaccines to determine their effectiveness. However, I find it concerning when the government forces individuals to comply with vaccination requirements.
§ In the event of a future pandemic, ideally, how would you propose balancing public health directives with protecting individuals' rights?
The government keeps changing the definition of what vaccines are for, and forcing vaccines for diseases with little data is wrong. It isn't good for the federal and state governments to make people do things against their will, and I stand opposed to any experimental vaccination mandate. If folks want the vaccine, that’s their choice, but it’s also your choice not to. And without question, we should not be shutting down government organizations over the lack of vaccines as well. That is immoral.
Government Overreach
§ In regards to 2nd amendment rights, where do you draw the line between public safety measures and potential government overreach?
The Second Amendment states that the right to keep and bear arms shall not be violated. Disarmament of a population is frequently a step towards its oppression. I support the broadening and improvement of mental health services and crisis intervention facilities and the enforcement of more severe penalties for crimes involving firearms. Nevertheless, I am opposed to any governmental limitations on the individual's right to firearms and ammunition. If anywhere in the proposed solutions to helps curb gun violence, I welcome, but without question if any part of that solution restricts the abilities of our citizens to own a firearm, ammunition, and accessories in any way, I will vigorously oppose it.
§ What is your stance on eminent domain and the government’s ability to seize private property for public use? How would you protect individual property rights against potential government overreach?
I believe that eminent domain is a violation of property rights, which is a violation of your natural rights. It creates the opportunity and potential for abuse by the government against citizens. It usually ends in unfair compensation for the forced sale of their property. It can also contribute to the displacement of communities and result in the loss of community identity.
We have to strengthen citizens' property rights;
We need to ensure that localities and affected communities are present in the conversation and discussions. We need to advocate for stronger property rights by both elected officials and citizens. We need independent appraisals to counterbalance government valuation to ensure that compensation is justified and fair. We need to look at every law in the books to safeguard the citizens' interests and protect property owners from government overreaching.
Fiscal Responsibility
§ What are your plans to identify and eliminate wasteful government spending? What mechanisms would you support to ensure greater accountability and transparency in government expenditures?
We must advocate for a balanced budget amendment to the US Constitution, where other laws and attempts have failed. Of course, we need to always put pressure on the system and our elected officials to maintain good stewardship of taxpayer funds, but I believe we need a balanced budget amendment, laws that force the government to return unused funding back to the taxpayer, minimize public slush funds, and reduce tax burdens on citizens. If the government has less access to our money, they have less chance of wasting it.
We should strengthen laws to force government agencies to report their expenditures, provide mandatory regular audits, and open pathways to whistleblowing so that people inside the government can report fraud, waste, and abuse without fear of reprisal. We must also strengthen whistleblower laws at every level of government.
§ What policies would you advocate to stimulate economic growth and increase government revenues? How would you approach balancing these initiatives with the need to avoid excessive government intervention in the economy?
We must reduce burdensome regulations on small businesses by lowering taxes and cutting the costs of filing and starting a business. We must also heavily invest in workforce development to strengthen our working middle class, adjust low-interest financing rates for small businesses, and ensure reliable infrastructure such as electrical grids, water, and sewage to support businesses, particularly in manufacturing.
Parental Rights
§ What is your stance on parental rights to choose the education their children receive (e.g., public, private, homeschooling)? How would you protect or expand school choice options?
As a school board member, I have seen firsthand how the bureaucracy of public education stonewalls parents. We are finally getting to a point where the district realizes who it works for, the community it is located in, and the taxpayers who pay the light bill.
I have fought and continue to fight for parental rights, openness in communication, increased transparency in curriculum, school policies, etc.
In the recent SC SCOTUS ruling that ESA’s are wrongly unconstitutional, we need to go straight back to that well and start immediately working on the next step. I believe that the Supreme Court's hostility towards anything other than traditional public K-12 means we must be very aggressive in our approach. I am for amending the SC Constitution to remove the codified discrimination of the Blaine amendments. With a supermajority in the House and Senate, we could one day see the opportunity to remove that disastrous clause in our constitution and make it right by removing it.
Lastly, I pledge today that when the Parents Bill of Rights comes to the Senate, barring any crazy “poison pill” snuck into it at the last minute, I will proudly and strongly vote to strengthen parental rights!
§ Do you believe parents should have the right to review and influence the curriculum taught in public schools? How would you ensure transparency and parental involvement in educational content?
100% unequivocally. First, we must craft laws that force government-run schools to be transparent with their educational materials and programs. As an anti-school choice, folks say flippantly, “Public dollars should stay in public schools,” which challenges the assertion of the very idea of “Public Money.” However, If you, the taxpayer, provide the “Public Money” through government force and compulsion. You should be able to access every piece of literature, textbook, and the like at your will and without any obstruction. We should craft laws stating just that.
Lastly, I agree wholeheartedly with Superintendent Weaver that we must have a legal panel made up of disinterested people with full access to all curriculum and educational materials to determine their appropriateness.
I’m bringing new energy, discipline, honor, and respect to the office of the 36th Senate district.