Jim Barksdale in State of Georgia Archives
On Abortion:
Comprehensive reproductive health care services for women
The United States is the only industrialized nation that does not provide paid family and medical leave and paid sick days, meaning that women are forced out of the workplace whenever they chose to start a family or whenever their child is ill.
While the Affordable Care Act made strides to make women's health care more affordable, more has to be done to ensure that all women have access to comprehensive reproductive health care.
Jim has always sought to ensure the business he started is family friendly and flexible for all his employees.
As a U.S. Senator, Jim will be a vote for equal pay for equal work, paid family and medical leave, paid sick days and comprehensive reproductive health care services.
Source: 2016 Georgia Senate campaign website JimBarksdale.com
Aug 8, 2016
On Budget & Economy:
Audit the federal government to weed out double-spending
- In Georgia and across America, [due] to the Washington crowd's inability to pass comprehensive immigration reform, our elected leaders in Washington are doing the bidding of the special interests and their lobbyists rather than listening
to people.
- It's time we audit the Federal Government and weed out double-spending, reduce overlapping programs, simplify the nearly 75,000-page tax code and eliminate tax loopholes that do not help our economy.
Source: 2016 Georgia Senate campaign website JimBarksdale.com
Aug 31, 2016
On Civil Rights:
The gender wage gap is a real economic crisis
Jim feels strongly that we as a nation must live up to our ideals and today, that means ensuring all who live in this country, including women, are treated justly and fairly, as espoused by Eleanor Roosevelt in the first article of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights." We cannot continue to have women paid fractions compared to their male counterparts. In Georgia, women earn 82 cents for every dollar earned by men,
and for women of color the disparities are even more stark. The wage gap is a real economic crisis and has to be addressed by our elected leaders in Washington.
In Georgia, 562,000 households are headed by women.
Eliminating an unfair wage gap would give a much needed boost to Georgian families who need to pay rent, buy a car to get to work, save for retirement and educate their children.
Source: 2016 Georgia Senate campaign website JimBarksdale.com
Aug 8, 2016
On Civil Rights:
Eradicate anti-LGBTQ discrimination codified in legal code
Legislation passed in North Carolina aimed at the LGBTQ community threatens to codify discrimination where it does not belong--inside of our legal codes.
Jim is opposed to discrimination in every form and as a U.S. Senator, he will be an ally in the effort to eradicate it from our society.
Source: 2016 Georgia Senate campaign website JimBarksdale.com
Aug 31, 2016
On Crime:
Better training for police, to avoid confrontations
Recent confrontations between law enforcement and citizens they protect, including a case in Coweta County where a handcuffed individual was repeatedly tasered until he died, have created understandable unease for Americans interacting with police.
As these types of incidents are too numerous to count, Jim believes improved education and training, and better use of technology needs to be addressed at the Federal level.
While Jim believes people who commit crimes should go to jail, he wants to see crimes by non-violent offenders addressed with alternative sentencing strategies.
The best way to reduce crime is increase job opportunities as it is better for our society if non-violent offenders are rehabilitated instead of only being locked away.
Source: 2016 Georgia Senate campaign website JimBarksdale.com
Aug 31, 2016
On Education:
Invest in education without "Opportunity School Districts"
When elected, Jim will never forget that he was elected by Georgians to represent Georgia in the U.S. Senate. In the U.S. Senate, Jim will focus on making investments in education and infrastructure that we know will help put people back to work, train
our workforce, grow our economy and increase the quality of life in Georgia for all of our citizens. Jim is opposed to the so-called "Opportunity School Districts" that will harm Georgia's educators and children.
Source: 2016 Georgia Senate campaign website JimBarksdale.com
Aug 8, 2016
On Energy & Oil:
Irresponsible to refute evidence of man-made climate change
Climate change is a reality and if left unchecked, rising ocean tides will harm Georgia's Atlantic coast and threaten our state's robust tourism and shipping industries. It is grossly irresponsible that so many elected leaders in the
Washington crowd listen to special interests and their lobbyists to refute the scientific evidence of man-made climate change in exchange for campaign cash to fuel their reelection campaigns at the expense of the people.
Jim believes we have to seek a clean energy future both for the future of our economy and the health of our planet.
Using an "all of the above" energy portfolio that includes nuclear power while renewable technologies develop and become cheaper,
Jim supports targeted investments to develop technologies that can help create good paying jobs in Georgia and solve our energy needs.
Source: 2016 Georgia Senate campaign website JimBarksdale.com
Aug 8, 2016
On Foreign Policy:
Use all the tools of diplomacy in the pursuit of peace
While there is a role for Americans to fight alongside other nations to address global conflicts, Jim believes we must move beyond a time where we are involved in wars of choice,
like Iraq, rather than limiting our actions to those that are key to our national interest and security, like Afghanistan after 9/11.
In the U.S. Senate, Jim will be a voice for using all the tools of diplomacy in the pursuit of peace--including trade deals that provide an equal playing field for American workers and enhance our exports--
and work to end U.S. military involvement in wars that our not ours to fight, as doing so can make matters worse and ultimately leave our country less safe.
Source: 2016 Georgia Senate campaign website JimBarksdale.com
Aug 8, 2016
On Free Trade:
Rewrite trade deals to give US workers a level playing field
On issue after issue, from the pharmaceutical giveaways, bailouts to bad actors on Wall Street, bad foreign trade deals that harm wages and job opportunities in Georgia and across America, to the Washington crowd's inability to pass
comprehensive immigration reform, our elected leaders in Washington are doing the bidding of the special interests and their lobbyists rather than listening to people.- Bad Foreign Trade Deals:
For too long bad foreign trade deals have been written without giving American workers a level playing field.
- Wasteful spending: It's time we audit the Federal Government and weed out double-spending,
reduce overlapping programs, simplify the nearly 75,000-page tax code1 and eliminate tax loopholes that do not help our economy.
Source: 2016 Georgia Senate campaign website JimBarksdale.com
Aug 8, 2016
On Government Reform:
Repeal Citizens United and ban Super PACs
On issue after issue, from the pharmaceutical giveaways, bailouts to bad actors on Wall Street, bad foreign trade deals that harm wages and job opportunities in Georgia and across America, to the Washington crowd's inability to pass comprehensive
immigration reform, our elected leaders in Washington are doing the bidding of the special interests and their lobbyists rather than listening to people.Campaign finance reform: Our broken campaign finance system rewards elected leaders to put
the interests and campaign contributions of the special interests and their lobbyists ahead of the people and good governance. Jim supports repealing the disastrous Citizens United decision through a constitutional amendment that bans Super PACs and
also takes large anonymous donations out of our electoral system. Jim believes it's time to elect new leaders that will hold Washington accountable and that is why he's running for U.S. Senate.
Source: 2016 Georgia Senate campaign website JimBarksdale.com
Aug 8, 2016
On Gun Control:
Stop suspected terrorists from being able to buy guns
Jim Barksdale issued the following statement after the U.S. Senate failed to pass any firearm legislation, even in the wake the deadliest shooting in U.S. history in Orlando at a gay nightclub on June 12th:"When partisans on both sides of
the aisle cannot come together and pass legislation to stop suspected terrorists from being able to buy guns to kill Americans, we can safely say that Washington is broken. Common sense has left the Capitol."
Source: 2016 Georgia Senate campaign website Press Release
Jun 21, 2016
On Health Care:
ObamaCare isn't perfect, but it's a good step
Jim knows the Affordable Care Act is not perfect, but he believes it was a good step toward providing all of our citizens the freedom to get sick without the threat of bankruptcy. While the Washington crowd has focused on repealing health care--
returning us back to the days where insurance companies could terminate your coverage if it got too expensive, a pre-existing condition meant being forced to stay at a job just to maintain some health coverage, and women had to pay much more for
their insurance--Jim would focus on making the Affordable Care Act work better.Jim believes it's outrageous that people in other countries can buy the same prescription drugs for less than we can in the United States, and wants to see
Medicare be able to negotiate lower prescription drug prices in order to cut costs without reducing quality for our seniors. And 10% of Medicare coverage spending goes towards "improper payments," or charges that have no purpose.
Source: 2016 Georgia Senate campaign website JimBarksdale.com
Aug 8, 2016
On Homeland Security:
Protect our military installations from BRAC closures
Whether it's addressing the Tri-State River Wars, agriculture subsidies for our hardworking farmers, or protecting our military installations and the economic impacts on local economies from the Base Relocation Alignment Commission, Jim will put
Georgia's interests first in the U.S. Senate.Those who put on a uniform to protect our values and our freedom need a country that shows its gratitude by honoring them with timely high quality health care. Our Veterans should never be used as
political pawns in the games the Washington crowd plays, and the failures of the Veterans Administration must be addressed in a straightforward and fair way.
Georgia's 752,000 Veterans and their families--including many that live in rural counties
without easy transportation options to VA facilities--need to be able to get timely high quality health care where they live. Jim will work with the VA and hospitals to find a fair and equitable way to get Veterans the health care they've earned.
Source: 2016 Georgia Senate campaign website JimBarksdale.com
Aug 8, 2016
On Immigration:
Pass comprehensive reform & bring 11M out of shadows
We are a nation of immigrants, and Jim strongly believes the time has come for our elected leaders in Washington to listen to the people and pass comprehensive immigration reform. Bringing the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants out of the
shadows and into the full light of our American freedom will strengthen our economy and reduce our deficit. It would also end the wage exploitation undocumented workers face that is wrong and undermines wages for all Americans.
Jim believes we need a comprehensive solution that protects our borders, provides a pathway to legal status and, in some cases, citizenship for undocumented workers that work hard, pay taxes and want to raise their families in our democracy.
After nearly a decade of trying, comprehensive immigration reform passed the U.S. Senate in 2013. Unfortunately, the Speaker of the House did not have the courage to allow a vote on the measure.
Source: 2016 Georgia Senate campaign website JimBarksdale.com
Aug 8, 2016
On Principles & Values:
Against Georgia adopting "religious liberty" legislation
Jim is opposed to permitting college students to carry firearms on college campuses and against Georgia adopting "religious liberty" legislation that proved to be disastrous in Indiana in 2015 and North Carolina earlier this year. Whether it's
addressing the Tri-State River Wars, agriculture subsidies for our hardworking farmers, or protecting our military installations & the economic impacts on local economies from the BRAC Commission, Jim will put Georgia's interests first in the US Senate.
Source: 2016 Georgia Senate campaign website JimBarksdale.com
Aug 8, 2016
On Social Security:
No privatized "everyone on their own" scheme
Since Social Security and Medicare were enacted, poverty among seniors has plummeted. Georgia's seniors have worked hard and paid into Social Security and Medicare, and deserve to retire knowing the benefits they've earned will be there for them.
As an investment manager, Jim has heard too many heartbreaking stories of people losing their retirement savings on risky Wall Street bets in the 2008 downturn. The risk of those approaching retirement age and without the opportunity to
work long enough to replenish heavy losses in their retirement savings is reason enough to never turn Social Security into a privatized "everyone on their own" scheme.
Jim will protect Georgia's seniors today and future generations by never
voting to privatize Social Security or turn Medicare into a voucher program. In the U.S. Senate, Jim will never vote to raise the retirement age or cut benefits earned through years of work.
Source: 2016 Georgia Senate campaign website JimBarksdale.com
Aug 8, 2016
On War & Peace:
No wars of choice without clear purpose & exit strategy
Honoring our Veterans means not going into unilateral wars of choice, like Iraq in 2003, where there is not a clear purpose or exit strategy. Jim's top priority is keeping Americans safe. At times, American foreign policy choices have led to
decisions that have ultimately not made us safe, like the disastrous 2003 Iraq War that Jim vigorously opposed.
The Iraq War cost way too much in American lives, distracted our focus from Afghanistan and finding Osama Bin Laden.
The resulting instability has left the United States in the middle of a religious conflict between Sunni and Shia Muslims and given rise to ISIS.
The war, paid for with borrowed money, also put significant pressures on our long
term debt and short term deficits, and will continue to have significant budget consequences for the foreseeable future. It also put pressures on our VA system that must be addressed.
Source: 2016 Georgia Senate campaign website JimBarksdale.com
Aug 8, 2016
Page last updated: Feb 18, 2023