What issue would be your top priority if you were elected to represent North Carolinians in the Senate?

Creating an environment for the the growth of private sector jobs has to be the top priority for the citizens of North Carolina and the nation.

This year, North Carolinians are worried about the economy, specifically finding and keeping jobs. What measures would you take as a U.S. senator to spur job creation?

We have for too long over-taxed and over-regulated small businesses to the point of quenching the entrepreneurial spirt that drives the economic engine of the nation. We need less government intervention and lower taxes on businesses and individuals. We need to also implement the Fair Tax. This consumption tax will spur the economy like nothing the so called "stimulus" was supposed to do by keeping more money in citizens' pockets and creating greater demand for American goods and services.

There's been a lot of talk about budgets and deficits lately. What do you believe should be the nation's fiscal priorities? Is there any area of current spending that you think should not be a priority? Are there any areas that you think should have a higher priority?

We must curb spending. If you "Google" Federal Agencies, you'll be astounded at the numbers of redundancies we are funding. That's the easiest place to start cutting expenses, and there are too many to address in a brief questionnaire. We need to begin repairing and rebuilding our own crumbling infrastructure before we experience catastrophic consequences soon. Another priority has to be addressing the needs of the tremendous shortage of primary care physicians in this country. I have a plan, which is on my site at burks4senate.com, that concerns this issue, whether or not the healthcare legislation is ever repealed.