Defining Myself- 18 April 06
Georgians,
Having spent the past couple of months
traveling Georgia from one end to the other, I have heard the
concerns of Georgians just like you. Folks often ask me to explain
exactly what an independent is. Am I conservative or liberal?. I
thought it time to define myself along the lines of my belief
system. Here it is.
Governor Zell Miller said he did not
leave the Democratic Party. It left him. I believe the Democratic
Party he was talking about was the Southern
Democratic Party. It was conservative.
I submit to you that,
other than a few moral and social beliefs, the Republican party has
gone the way of the Democratic Party.
Both state parties
mirror their national counterparts- spend, spend, spend and be all
things to all people.
Money is no longer
invested so as to empower people or solve problems.
It is spent on entitlements and repaying political
debts. The situation has escalated to the point that every
cross-section of our population has an expectation that their
government owes them some form of entitlement.
On the other
hand, no one wants tax increases to pay for them.
As a
result, our government has adopted the “money grows on trees”
mentality. High levels of debt have become acceptable. Providing
more and more subsidies is good politics, but it is at the expense
of meeting constitutional responsibilities adequately.
State
and federal governments are inching closer and closer toward
socialism. Both parties are guilty.
This situation is not
acceptable to me. It is why I chose to become an activist for change
and why I chose to seek the office of governor as an independent.
The governor is the CEO of the state. A CEO advances a
vision. A vision is a destination emphasizing goals. Goals are
achieved by identifying and solving problems that impede realization
of the vision. How you arrive at the destination is the plan. The
plan cannot be developed without access to all the factual
information and input from all stakeholders.
Like you I am
simply a private citizen. I do not have access to either. The
governor is the only person in the state that has total access to
all factual information and to all movers and shakers in government
and in the private sector.
Therefore, I cannot present a
plan. But, I can present to you my belief system and my vision that
will serve as the fundamental basis of any plan that will be
developed by a John Dashler led administration.
This is my
belief system. You can call it whatever you think it should be
called: conservative, compassionate conservative, centrist, liberal,
or whatever. That is immaterial. What is important is this. There is
no need to guess. I do not call myself one thing and do something
else.
I believe:
- The rule of law and our constitution dictate.
- Government institutions are created to fulfill constitutional
responsibilities and should do so in an exceptional, cost
efficient and professional manner.
- Government programs are not the solutions to every problem,
but visionary and effective leadership is.
- Commissions, Task Forces, Special Committees, and Boards are
created for specific purposes. Once their roles are fulfilled,
they should and will be terminated.
- Unfunded mandates are wrong. If it’s important enough to
mandate, it’s important enough to fund. If it can’t be funded, it
won’t be mandated.
- Taxation should be fair, mixed and fund true needs.
- All children are entitled to a quality, basic education.
- The general public is entitled to safe and secure schools,
neighborhoods, communities and highways.
- I believe in accountability and personal responsibility of the
individual.
- I believe in charity for the disabled, infirmed, and those
unable to care for themselves and partnering with faith-based
organizations.
- Families are the foundation of our society.
- I am pro-life.
- I believe marriage is between a man and a woman and children
should be raised by two parents.
- I believe in equal access and equal opportunity.
- Extraordinary circumstances justify extraordinary actions.
There is another set of equally important principles that guide
me. They are principles of leadership. Here they are:
- Take the lead. Get the facts and be decisive. Set the pace.
Set the priorities.
- Define the mission in clear terms. Everyone and every action
must advance the mission.
- Consistently demonstrate moral courage. That is, without
regard to popularity or political consequences, do what is
right.
- Communicate often, honestly and thoroughly. Be open,
informative and forthright. No hidden agendas. No secrecy. No
spin. No political correctness. No sugar coating. Trust those that
are governed to handle honest assessments.
- Be highly visible. Manage and govern by “walking around”.
- Demand high levels of performance. Provide public servants
everything they need to get the job done.
- Constantly search for problems. Bring about apolitical and
collaborative solutions. Prevent problems from escalating to
crisis situations. Campaigning is the time for politics. Once
voters decide on their leadership, governing takes priority over
politics.
- Be accountable and accept responsibility. Admit mistakes. No
excuses offered, none accepted.
- Use your imagination. Don’t be afraid of new ideas. Be afraid
of old ones that don’t work.
- Foster civility, personal dignity and be respectful of those
who disagree.
- Protect everyone’s right to disagree and voice their opinions.
- Conduct yourself at high levels of personal integrity and
ethics.
This belief system and these leadership principles will guide my
pursuit taking Georgia where it needs to go.
When done well,
it is called effective leadership.
When done poorly, it is
called failed leadership. Failed leadership permits manageable
problems to transform into crises.
Let me relate these
principles to current circumstances.
- Illegal immigration is a crisis situation. But, it is not
alone.
- Here are some other problem areas that have, or soon will
escalate from manageable to crisis status:
- Georgia’s public education system.
- Adult literacy.
- Illegal drugs.
- Large numbers of our population that depend on government
assistance programs.
- Accessible and affordable healthcare for all Georgians.
- Child welfare issues.
- Public safety and Georgia’s correction system.
- Job creation that meets Georgia’s present and forward going
needs.
- These problems have existed for years. Each was once
manageable. They no longer are. Each is at or near crisis status.
They didn’t have to be. They are a result of partisan politics,
the influence of special interests, piecemeal legislation and
absence of a determined commitment to advance the public good.
Most importantly, they are examples of failed leadership.
- Each is an extraordinary situation that necessitates
extraordinary actions.
- The future of Georgia, your future and the future lives of
your children or grandchildren demands that they be solved.
So what can you expect from a John Dashler led
administration?
The first step toward solving any problem is an admission the
problem exists. Then, all that is required is a leader’s commitment
to solve them.
I pledge this commitment to you:
We will fix our problems in public
education.
To do so:
- We must resolve the issue of “local control”.
- We must recognize that many of our problems in education are
rooted in social problems.
- We must increase educational performance expectations. Every
child must be able to read, write and express themselves clearly
in the English language.
- Education will be about educating children.
- Everything will be on the table for discussion, including
systemic change which focuses on:
- Governance
- Leadership
- Funding and taxation
- Accountability
- Student performance
- Issues related to NCLB and testing.
- We will increase the education level of our adult
population!
- We will end the welfare state and the poverty
culture. We will create meaningful and accessible
opportunities for the poor so as to restore hope to their lives.
- Law enforcement will be tasked to rid Georgia of
illegal drugs and re-gain control of our highways.
- We will make the public safe and we will
establish meaningful contingency plans for future occurrences of
terrorist attacks and natural disasters. Georgia will not be
another Gulf Coast embarrassment. Our law enforcement officers
will be restored as the most professional, best equipped, and best
compensated in the South. And I will hold them accountable to
accomplish their missions!
- Our prisons will not be friendly habitats rife with contraband
and gangs and our Department of Corrections workers will no longer
be at the bottom of the law enforcement food chain! Compensation
rates and benefits will be restored to levels that will be
professionally comparable and enable restoration of strict hiring
standards and improve retention rates of experienced personnel.
- I will personally accept responsibility for the “macroeconomic
performance of Georgia’s economy” defined as the creation
of good paying jobs.
- Georgia will be a clean state. Our waterways and our air will
be clean.
- Tort reform will be re-visited.
- Georgians will be kept informed.
- All 9 million Georgians will know they have a
governor!
- Everyone’s circumstance will be represented. I will be
your voice!
The bottom line?
- Managing our way through our problems and throwing money at
them is no longer acceptable. I will lead Georgia
out of our problems.
- Georgians should expect a proactive, reformist and problem
solving form of governance under a John Dashler led administration
and you will get one!
- Every element of my agenda is about business—the business of
Georgia, not the business of politics.
- Georgia will be restored as the best place to live,
raise a family, work and do business!
In closing I will say this. I do not believe party politics have
served Georgia very well the past several years, nor do I see it
changing? Governance of the few, by the few and for the few must
end.
Georgians, I urge you to cast off the partisan chains
that bind you and make it about you, not the few!
Thank
you.
John Dashler
Independent Candidate for Governor
|
