Jason Carter in State of Georgia secondary Archives

On Corporations: Review tax giveaways and corporate loopholes: do they help?

A: One of the biggest problems we have is all these tax giveaways and we don't know whether any of them are actually helping or not. What we have proposed in the past is legislation that would review all of those tax giveaways and loopholes to ensure that the only ones we would keep are the ones that are actually productive and improve our state and generate jobs.

On Corporations: Job creation tax credits for small business

A: would support job creating tax credits for small business. We give all these tax credits that are industry specific and we need to review those. If we allow small business to receive the same kind of treatment from the Governor that big businesses get, we will see a lot more job growth. At the end of the day, I want an economy and a community that is inclusive and works for everybody.

On Drugs: Medical marijuana ok, if carefully crafter policy

A: I tend to be a Libertarian on issues like this. I do think it would have to be a carefully crafted piece of legislation with respect to medical marijuana to ensure that there are no unforeseen consequences. As a general matter, if we can structure something that we think is viable, I would have no problem with it. With respect to the research, I would need to know more. My assumption is that there has been a giant amount of research done already, since the eighties, and I would want to know what the costs and benefits would be toward funding additional research. One of the things you will find about me as an elected official, and hopefully as Governor, I will listen to facts and will look at data and will make decisions based on that and not based on rigid ideology.

On Education: Separate out education budget from General Funds budget

A: We are going to balance the budget no matter what. My biggest budget proposal that I think is the most important thing we can do for our state is to change the way we budget for education. Right now, we have a complete shell game. We say education is important but then we cut the same way we do everything else. I think that if we bifurcate the budget and have an education budget that is separate and the rest of the General Funds does everything else, then the politicians in Atlanta will be forced to vote yes or no; that this is the education system that we want to provide for our state. If we do that, you will enforce education as the top priority of the state. Then you have to balance the budget on everything else. I don't think you can ask the people of Georgia to pay more from a revenue standpoint given the budget in process that we have now.

On Education: Public schools need best-trained, well-supported teachers

A: At a minimum, money is not the only answer. In my opinion, we have to focus almost exclusively on everything we do through one lens, and that lens is ensuring that we have the best trained, most well supported highest quality teaching workforce you can have. That requires us to recruit and retain the best teachers and treat them well and support them and give them the tools that they need to improve and move forward to develop professionally. Right now, we are not doing that and we have a serious morale problem in the teaching workforce and a lot of small indignities that go along with being a public school teacher that should not be there. My wife teaches at Grady High School and those little slights weigh on her and weigh on me. That is very personal to me and I think we have to focus on.

On Education: Charter schools useful as laboratories for innovation

A: I think charter schools are a tool that can be used to support the public school system, but they have to be part and parcel of that public school system. The way charter school can be helpful is, if they allow themselves to be laboratories for innovation and finding best practices. That has to be done with an eye toward improving and providing a good school for every kid not just kids that are in charter schools. I represent some of the best charter schools in the state. Anybody that looks at Drew Charter School, for example, will see a school who is doing exactly what we want schools to do from a student standpoint.

On Energy & Oil: Nuclear power acceptable, but don't pass on cost overruns

A: I'm not opposed to nuclear power. I am opposed to cost overruns being passed on to consumers. I have fought the power company on those issues before.

On Energy & Oil: Spend time & resources developing solar & wind

A: We have to spend time and resources developing those alternatives energies. I've sponsored bipartisan legislation to make it easier for people to finance solar installations. We need to free up the private sector to do that because right now they are not free to do it. I have spent a lot of time with the solar industry folks and with advocates promoting solar energy. I am a strong supporter of those alternative energies.

On Environment: Concept of GMO foods ok, but look at pros & cons

A: I would have to look at the pros and cons. I am not opposed to the concept and would have to look at what the impact would be.