Last week the community of Big Oak invited all three candidates to share their platforms with area citizens and answer any questions they might have.
“Everybody I talked to didn’t know much about the candidates,” said Billy McDill, fire chief at the Big Oak Community Volunteer Fire Department. “So I figured this was a way of getting people out, to let us hear from the candidates, get to ask them our questions and to just enjoy each other.
“The more people we bring out to hear the candidates, the more they are going to realize that we are a part of this district and we are going to get better representation. We deserve our fair share.”
Independent candidate Carol Hagan touched on many of the same issues she has been running on.
“This past week, I spoke with two small business owners and they both told me that for every dollar they brought in, they had to pay out 55 to 57 percent to the federal, state and local governments,” said Hagan. “Our elected officials go about finding new programs to spend money on, then go about finding new ways to tax us to get the money. That is the wrong way to go about it.”
Hagan’s solution to this problem is her tax plan that would repeal all of the Alabama state and local taxes and institute a flat rate income tax. She makes her tax plan available for anyone interested to see at www.carolhagan.com.
“We have so many hidden taxes that in order to get a new employer to come to Alabama, the state government has to promise to give the state away like they did when Mercedes and other companies came here,” said Hagan. “Just this past month, I heard on the news that another company wants to come to Alabama and they are being given $150 million dollars in tax concessions to come. With my tax plan, that would be totally unnecessary.”
Hagan then talked about rewriting Alabama’s Constitution. She said that by letting the already elected state legislature rewrite one section or subject at a time, then letting the people vote on each section, everyone one would know that is being accepted or rejected.
“Of course, I believe that the first part that should be rewritten is the section on taxes,” said Hagan. “Once we get that part right, the rest will fall into place much easier.”
According to Hagan, more and more people are claiming to be independent.
“For 20 years, I have heard people say, ‘I will just hold my nose and vote for the lesser of two evils.’ Now over 70 percent of us say we’re sick and tired of what the Democrats and Republicans are doing and are saying we’re independents,” said Hagan. “One of those same business owners who told me about paying all those taxes said she couldn’t vote for me because an independent couldn’t win. If all 70 percent of those who say they are independent vote for the independent candidate, an independent can win.
“If we keep doing what we’ve been doing and expect to get a different result, that’s the definition of insanity. So, let’s do something different this time, let’s vote independent.”
When asked how she will handle working with members of the two parties Hagan said it’s all about communication.
“You don’t stand up and rant and yell,” said Hagan. “You go up to each one of the individuals and talk to them.”
Hagan was asked how realistic was the chances of her tax plan being adopted. She responded by saying that it will never be put into effect until it gets started and that she is going to be the one to start it.
Democratic candidate Ricky Whaley was next to address those in attendance.
“I want to talk to you tonight about some things that are important to me,” said Whaley. “Number one, I want to make sure that you understand that I am not a Washington Democrat. There is a significant difference between Alabama Democrats and Washington Democrats. The true reason I am running as a Democrat is that it is the best way for me to run and have an opportunity to help the people.”
Whaley said that his two main issues he is focused on are jobs and education.
“We have got some really good schools in this district,” said Whaley. “And this issue of charter schools keeps coming up over and over.”
According to Whaley, charter schools end up outsourcing many of the jobs to other companies.
“I don’t think that’s good because you don’t know who’s coming in there,” said Whaley. “And they take money away from the public schools.”
Whaley said that he had two plans that could bring up to one billion dollars back to Alabama to help fund public schools.
“We have people in Alabama that are getting out of paying their state income taxes using corporate loop holes,” said Whaley. “Now, me and you pay ours, but you got Lowe’s and Walmart and people like that who go and file their corporate taxes in Delaware, and they don’t pay a dime of Alabama state income taxes. If you closed all those corporate loop holes, that would about half a billion dollars.”
Whaley said that this would not be a plan to raise taxes, but it is letting “the big boys” pay what they owe.
The other half a billion dollars come from gambling that is already taking place in the state.
“To think that people are not gambling in Alabama would be like taking your head and burying it in the sand. They are already doing it,” said Whaley. “I am talking about in a big way. In Atmore, Montgomery and Wetumpka, the Alabama Porch Creek Indians are already there under federal court order, and there is nothing we can do about it except go to those people who want to work out a compact or treaty. You have an opportunity to sit at the table with them and limit, regulate and tax it. If you do that you are looking at a half a billion dollars there, so that’s billion dollars right now.”
Whaley said he was not personally for gambling, but believes that people are supreme and deserve the right to vote on that issue.
On the issue of jobs, Whaley says are biggest asset is our people.
“I would have Alabama Industrial Development Training, AIDT, do an assessment of the skilled labor in this area,” said Whaley. “I think that would are going to find that we have got good people here available to work.”
Whaley was asked if he would continue to teach ay Jacksonville High School if he was elected.
“I can’t quit if I win immediately because the election in November, if I quit then I wouldn’t have a job. Now, if I am elected in November, then in a year or so, then I would probably give it up for good,” he said. “I am not going to say the day I will go because I don’t want to be committed on something to get somebody to vote for me. I am going to play it day by day, whatever it takes to do the job, that’s what I will do.”
While the forum was open to all three candidates, Republican K.L. Brown was not in attendance. According to Brown, he hated to miss the forum, but had a prior engagement that had him out of town that day.
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