2012 Federal Candidates Questions

2012 State Candidates Questions

MR. D. C. MORRISON ADDRESSES THE
SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS TEA PARTY

BY LINDA DAVIS

At a recent meeting of the Southeast Arkansas TEA Party, Mr. D. C. Morrison and Mr. John Cowart, both candidates for U. S. Congress for Arkansas District 4, spoke about their campaigns and hopes for the future of Arkansas and America. This article will give a summary of Mr. Morrison’s discussion with the TEA Party.

 Mr. D. C. Morrison introduced himself by detailing his long, successful career in the field of agricultural. He has done extensive work with the cotton farming industry and the timber industry selling chemicals to enhance both. Having grown up on a cotton and soybean farm in Craighead County and being responsible for making the crop during his last three years in high school due to the loss of his father made Mr. Morrison aware of the need for a college education. He learned early in his career that when dealing with farmers or anyone that telling the truth and having a sound science-based program helped him succeed.  Morrison stated, “If you have a conviction about such things as the national debt, the right to life, secure borders, tax reform, and the fact that retired legislators should live on Social Security like the rest of us; you go out and sell it. The American people and Congress need to be educated about some things.”

 Mr. Morrison told the group that he favors the Fair Tax and the elimination of the IRS. He said that with a Fair Tax, we would give American consumers and industries a choice. People would be able to decide for themselves where to spend all their money with a fair tax. Morrison also said that there are too many regulations in the tax code and that 16,000 more IRS agents are being hired by the Obama administration to enforce Obamacare. In addition to stating that Obamacare should be repealed, Mr. Morrison said that when people get into trouble with the IRS, there is no getting out of it. They can do drastic things to try to collect money from those who get into difficulty with them.

 On the subject of government waste, Mr. Morrison said that he would cut every agency except the Department of Defense by 2% across the board each year until the public indicated that they need the agency. “We would not miss them,” he said. Also, Mr. Morrison stated that on the subject of foreign aid, “we have been pretty stupid. We cannot buy friends, and dictators hold the people of their countries hostage.”

 Mr. Morrison told the group that he has the energy and drive to do a good job as a Congressman. He also said that his first job in Congress would be to vote his conscience and to vote for what he thinks the people of District 4 want. His second job would be to find sources of good jobs for District 4.  When asked why he is interested in running for office to represent Southeast Arkansas and District 4 when he lives in Little Rock, Morrison stated that the Founding Fathers stated that a person need not live in the district he represents. He also said that he loves South Arkansas and wants to retire here. “I want to make a difference in South Arkansas, so don’t paint me with a Little Rock brush.”

 Mr. Morrison stated that he will soon travel to the Arizona border to see first-hand the problems with illegal immigration and drug trafficking there, and to reinforce his belief that our borders must be secured. He is against amnesty for illegal immigrants and is appalled that the Federal Government would sue Arizona for trying to enforce federal immigration laws.

 When Mr. Morrison was asked why he is running as a Democrat when he seems to have such conservative values, he stated that he indeed does have conservative values. He said that since District 4 voted 60% Democrat in the last election, his strategy is to beat the liberals in the primary rather than in the general election. Therefore, he is running as a Democrat.

 Mr. Morrison was asked to list his greatest priorities for Southeast Arkansas and America. He listed his top eight as follows: Stop abortion because it is a sin and a crime on the nation; A Fair Tax to help businesses; Border security: Energy exploration; Term limits for Congress; Ending government waste; Stopping the institution of Sharia Law and the infiltration of radical Muslims into our country; Jobs. “We need jobs in Southeast Arkansas very badly,” he said.

 Finally, Mr. Morrison told the group that he would not be swayed by lobbyists’ money. “Playtime is over, and the long splurge is over. The country needs Congressmen who will make decisions according to the Constitution, Christian convictions and the good of the people.”

 Mr. D. C. Morrison in the center with Southeast Arkansas TEA Party members Wilbur Calloway to the left and Levi Davis on the right.

MR. JOHN COWART MEETS WITH THE
SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS TEA PARTY

BY LINDA DAVIS

Candidates for U. S. Congress for Arkansas District 4, Mr. John Cowart and Mr. D.C. Morrison, met with the Southeast Arkansas TEA Party recently. Because both candidates spoke at length about their campaigns and what they hope to accomplish for Southeast Arkansas and America if elected, I have written separate articles about the comments of each.

John Cowart introduced himself by saying that he returned from a tour of duty with the United States Marines in Afghanistan on January 30, 2012. Upon his return, with the support of his family, he decided to run for Congress. He stated that he wants to be able to look his children in the eyes and know that he has worked to do what is best for our country. Cowart, who when not serving with the Marines, is a police officer in Texarkana, Arkansas; enlisted in the Marines in 1999 as a private and rose to the rank of Lt. Colonel. He not only served in Afghanistan, but in Iraq as well. He has owned a small business with his brother, and he knows the time and sacrifice needed to make a business provide a living for a family. Mr. Cowart said he believes these life experiences and his faith in God qualify him to run for Congress.

Some of the issues Mr. Cowart listed as reasons for his running for Congress were energy, the economy, illegal drugs and immigration, and the moral decay in America. He stated that here in Arkansas, “We are standing on a lot of energy sources. Energy is important to every aspect of our lives. We could expand the use of gas, clean coal technology and nuclear power in Arkansas and use our energy resources to the good.” Mr. Cowart went on to say that many countries are living in the Dark Ages where energy is concerned; and we could use our coal resources, not only here at home, but to help those countries improve the lives of their people.

On the economy, Cowart stated that the present economy is “like a machine gun shooting at us. People are having hard times due to the economy. Excess and wasteful government spending and stringent regulations and taxes on individuals and businesses are making it difficult for American families to succeed.” Mr. Cowart told the group that if he is elected, he plans to cut out funding for wasteful government agencies such as the EPA. He stated that he would like to put education back in the hands of state and local governments and get the federal government out of education. He also said that he would cut foreign aid to all countries except Israel because they must have our military aid to keep from being overtaken by their enemies. He would cut the aid money for all other countries to zero and then go back and see where the need is.

Mr. Cowart also stated that he believes we must continue the war on drugs and secure the borders to eliminate the free flow of illegal drugs and illegal immigrants into this country. He told the group that illegal drugs have probably, in some way, touched the lives of almost every person in America, and he wants to eliminate them. Cowart also strongly believes in the repeal of Obamacare and in ending the President’s power to indefinitely detain Americans without judicial review.

Finally, Mr. Cowart said that the moral decline in America is a large problem. He stated that taking prayer and the Bible out of schools, the lack of monitoring the content of movies and television programs, and the attack on Christian values in this country have led to the lax morality and loss of family values in America. When asked what one thing Mr. Cowart would most like to accomplish as a U. S. Congressman, he stated that he would like to do away with abortion. He told the group that people are inherently important, and that 50,000 abortions per year in this country are robbing us not only of working citizens who would contribute greatly to society; but are also robbing the world of brilliant minds who could further the cause of mankind.

Mr. Cowart stated that the main reason our country is in the dilemma we are in is due to the fact that we are turning our backs on God and turning against each other too much.“We have to get back together in this country,” he said. “We are all working people and need to find it in our hearts to love the people around us and not be divided.”

In the picture on the following page, Mr. Cowart on the left speaks with Mr. Bob Majors, a TEA Party member.