“That's unacceptable,” said Martin, the Republican nominee for the seat.
There are several factors that are contributing to the high unemployment rate, Martin said. With the problem solving skills he possesses as an engineer and his background in education, he said he is the man for the District 13 seat. He faces Democrat Jimmy Tobias in the Nov. 4 election after defeating incumbent Jim Ritchie in the June primary.
Martin said students should be equipped with job skills and government needs to provide the infrastructure that is conducive to attracting industry. Also, something has to be done to stop the flow of illegal immigrants into the country.
“Illegal immigration and unemployment are tied together,” he said. “We have to give law enforcement the authority and backing to do something about it.”
Martin said he has refused to take special interest campaign money but is proud of the hundreds of small donations he has received from individuals. He said people expect a leader to be indebted to them as a whole, not to special interest groups.
Martin said he stands behind conservatives who are promoting a bill to have all votes dealing with the budget and how tax dollars are spent be roll-call votes.
“These roll-call votes are recorded and allow the public to know how his or her representative actually voted,” he said. “Did you know that the House of Representatives only voted on the record 5 percent of the time last year and the Senate voted on the record less than 1 percent?”
Voice votes are how things are accomplished, Martin said. That is why efforts to enact a tough illegal immigration bill failed.
“Bills are killed behind closed doors and the public never knows who voted for what,” he said.
Roll-call votes will make lawmakers more accountable and help call attention to pork barrel projects.
“When a tough DUI bill is brought to the table and a roll call vote is demanded, people will know who voted against protecting our families from drunken drivers,” he said. “I believe most of our ‘wasteful spending' could be eliminated when lawmakers are required to put their names beside everything and show the public how they voted. The other side will say that it will slow down government and be inefficient, but I contend that it is a positive slowdown that will force our legislature to be open and honest with the people it represents.”
Martin grew up in Pauline, the son of Cheryl and Shellie Martin. He and his wife of 11 years, Amy, have two children, Ashlyn, 7; and Aidan, 2. He is a deacon at Philadelphia Baptist Church and a member of Spartanburg County District 6 School Board of Trustees.
Martin earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering at Clemson University. He owns his own business, Martin Automotive Consulting Inc. He contracts with GM to do all the wind tunnel testing and aerodynamical development for the NASCAR Craftsman truck series and the Nationwide Series (formerly Busch.)
Post a Comment
