For generations of Americans, public education gave life to the American Dream, lifting all boats and giving hope and opportunity to millions of people, no matter their station in life. My entire family is the product of the public education system and it has lifted our boat higher than any of us ever dreamed possible.

But America's proud education system is failing, threatening our ability to compete in the global economy and compounding a multitude of social problems. Tragically, South Carolina is 50th in graduation rate and 49th in SAT scores. Our schools are inconsistent: some exceptional, others terrible; and, sometimes just miles apart. A quarter of South Carolinians are functionally illiterate, lacking the reading skills to find a good job. We can, and we must, turn this situation around; and it must be now.

Our country is failing to meet even the basic needs of the men and women who fight for our country. My dad is a World War II veteran who served 36 months in the European and African theaters. It was my generation who fought Vietnam and many of my friends didn't come home. I know the toll that military service takes on our soldiers, their families and loved ones, and I believe that it is our responsibility and our duty to see that their sacrifice is honored - not just in words but in deeds.

We must honor a Veteran's Bill of Rights to fulfill the promises made to our soldiers, and to extend the best care available, including:

• Provide full disability and retirement benefits to disabled veterans. 
  Under current law, disabled veterans receive only part of their military retirement pension because their disability pay is deducted from it.  Veterans deserve both benefits in full.

America has almost always been a country where hard working people could expect to provide decent housing, education and health care for their families.   But shrinking salaries, increased taxes, and the rising cost of housing, gas, food and health care are making that more and more difficult.

I'm not an economist, but I have been a management consultant to business, government and nonprofits for over 30 years.  I know when things are out of balance within a system or an organization and our economy is dramatically out of balance.  This is about working together to find solutions to complex problems. 

We need health care that provides personal control over a system that maintains quality and affordability for all Americans. 

Government's role in our country's healthcare system should be that of watchdog and policy-maker with the responsibility to reduce costs and increase the numbers of insured Americans.   That includes reducing expensive bureaucratic redundancy, eliminating waste, rewarding prevention and bargaining for the American healthcare consumer, rather than buckling under to lobbyists and special interests.

American ingenuity can find solutions that offer quality, affordability, choice and fairness for those who work hard, pay taxes, and play by the rules.   

Now is the time for energy independence and freedom from the political, military and polluting consequences of it.  Now is the time to reduce our carbon emissions and improve the quality of our air and water, as well as reduce the impact of the greenhouse effect.   This must be a priority for the next administration and congress.

Local Impact

Dumping and run-off from developments near streams, rivers and marshes in our district have polluted our waters with fertilizer, pesticides, industrial chemicals, oil and metals from tires.  These pollutants have produced dangerous environments for our marine life, causing them to become ill, and to pass those poisons up the food chain to us.  

We live in one of the most beautiful places in the country.  Visitors are drawn to our coast and our communities - and many stay. While this growth is good for our economy and our local businesses, how do we grow without destroying the beauty and quality of life that we and our new neighbors cherish? How do we avoid the mistakes made by other coastal communities?

American soldiers won the war in Iraq long ago.  This is what soldiers do; they win wars and our American soldiers are the best.

Our troops are now being asked to give the Iraqi government time to behave responsibly, as well as to rebuild infrastructure.   They have done the police and non-military jobs extremely well.   But should we keep our soldiers in Iraq for a decade or more as the Administration has suggested?  My answer is no and my reasoning is below.

Outcomes 

We entered Iraq with the stated outcome of finding and destroying weapons of mass destruction.  When we found none, the outcome either changed, or became more evident, depending on your perspective.    We were faced with insurgents but responded by fighting a traditional war for several years before re-learning what we had already learned in Vietnam about fighting insurgents.   

When I'm in Congress, you can count on having the resources and information you need.  My plan is to have one staff member who is an expert in all the laws and procedures of Medicare and Social Security; another who is an expert in Veterans' Care.  We'll give you a number to call and our staff member will stay with you through solving your problem or answering your question.  The first job of our office is to help you and we'll take that job seriously.

 We'll be there for seniors, for veterans, for baby boomers with questions about the services available to their parents, for those with disabilities, for people needing passports, people requesting help with any problem in our government.  It will be our privilege and responsibility to help you.