Local Politics

Barbara Howe position statements

Candidates & Issues

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What would your top three priorities be if elected governor of North Carolina?

Restore a sound economy. The road to restoring such an economy includes controlling government spending, reducing taxation, ending the practice of tax incentives and eliminating burdensome regulations and red tape that are barriers to job creation.

Put parents in charge of their children’s education. End the monopolistic model of government education and allow parents to decide how and where their children are educated. The best strategy is to implement a market-based education system through the use of tuition tax credits to allow taxpayers to direct their education tax dollars to a student of their choice.

End the death penalty. Killing prisoners is wrong.

Given the current state of the economy, as governor, what would you do to add jobs and boost the economy here?

The first priority must be to control government spending. Government has no money, you understand. It takes money from those who make it and uses it at the behest of politicians, bureaucrats and special interests. Economies work because they respond to signals given by consumers. Legislators and bureaucrats cannot predict what is or is not needed. To ensure good economic growth in North Carolina, we need to lower taxes, eliminate burdensome regulation, maintain a solid infrastructure and promote free-market education.

Do you support the proposed constitutional amendment defining marriage in North Carolina as between one man and one woman?

I am adamantly opposed to the proposed constitutional amendment defining marriage. Constitutions are to place limits on government, not individuals. To enshrine this abomination into the state constitution would be shameful.

Do you support raising the sales tax in North Carolina to restore cuts in education funding?

I do not support any kind of tax increase. It is popular to believe that if we just spend more money, we can fix a broken system. Nationwide, increased spending correlates poorly with educational performance. Money does not fix the problems we have in education. Our monopolistic, one-size-fits-all model is inefficient and inadequate to address the multitude of needs of the children throughout the state. I advocate a free-market approach to education where parents are in charge of how their children are educated.

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