Rand Knight in State of Georgia Archives
On Corporations:
Invest in our communities, not in corporate subsidies
If we are willing to put our own people at risk while we give tax breaks and subsidies to the wealthiest corporations in the world, while we spend billions a day in the Middle East, then something is wrong. We've got to invest in our own communities.
We need a revenue base to take care of our police and fire fighters. We can't just invest in the wealthiest one percent in the country without taking a look at the people on the ground and their safety.
Source: Georgia 2008 Democratic Senate Primary Debate
Jun 30, 2008
On Crime:
Provide inmates with job skills and drug treatment
Knight supports the following principles regarding crime:- Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
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Support programs to provide prison inmates with drug and alcohol addiction treatment.
- Reduce prison sentences for those who commit non-violent crimes.
Source: Georgia Congressional Election 2008 Political Courage Test
Jul 2, 2008
On Crime:
Support the federal death penalty
Knight supports the following principles regarding crime:- Support the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
- Require that crimes based on sexual orientation be prosecuted as federal hate crimes.
Source: Georgia Congressional Election 2008 Political Courage Test
Jul 2, 2008
On Education:
Federal funding for charter schools
Knight supports the following principles regarding Education Issues:- Support the federal government funding universal pre-K programs.
- Allow teachers and professionals to receive federal funding to establish charter or magnet schools.
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Increase funding for the Pell Grant program & Stafford Loans.
- Support federal tax incentives to help families save for college.
- Knight adds, "No Child Left Behind is fundamentally flawed; educational assessment standards must be revamped."
Source: Georgia Congressional Election 2008 Political Courage Test
Jul 2, 2008
On Education:
Raise teacher salaries; build more schools
We have a plan to teach children that does not look at test scores only but also teaching children how to think critically and on the fly. We've got start funding the technology to bring our schools into the 21st century. We've got to raise teacher
salaries and start building more schools and colleges and not just prisons. The long term vision of American competitiveness must begin with the priorities of the future. Our teachers know how to teach and we can't evaluate them based on a test score.
Source: Georgia 2008 Democratic Senate Primary Debate
Jun 30, 2008
On Energy & Oil:
Biofuels & clean green jobs
My central plan revolves around energy, environment and economy. I will sponsor legislation for biofuels from agricultural waste, the retrofitting of municipal buildings to increase water and electrical efficiency, and the development of renewable energy
This newly implemented infrastructure will foster energy independence that puts money back into our economy, providing clean, green jobs. Additionally, we will no longer need to entangle ourselves in the politics of foreign oil.
Source: Georgia Congressional Election 2008 Political Courage Test
Jul 2, 2008
On Energy & Oil:
Tackle energy dependence to reduce terrorist support
We've got to tackle the energy challenge; get off our dependence on foreign oil; and choke off the support we're giving to terrorists in the Middle East. If we invest in clean, renewable energy, we can create jobs & cut energy costs. We're talking about
more than the price at the tank but also the price of makeup & plastics. Everything we touch somehow involves the cost of energy. If we tackle these energy problems we will reward ourselves with national security and economic security here in Georgia.
Source: Georgia 2008 Democratic Senate Primary Debate
Jun 30, 2008
On Gun Control:
Allow individuals to carry concealed guns
Knight supports the following principles regarding Gun Issues:- Allow individuals to carry concealed guns.
- Maintain Status on enforcement of existing restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
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Maintain Status on restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
Source: Georgia Congressional Election 2008 Political Courage Test
Jul 2, 2008
On Immigration:
Pathway to citizenship but with official English language
Knight supports the following principles regarding Immigration:- Establish English as the official national language.
- Support harsher financial punishments for those who knowingly employ illegal immigrants.
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Illegal immigrants should be given a pathway to citizenship.
- Support merit-based visas over family-based visas.
Source: Georgia Congressional Election 2008 Political Courage Test
Jul 2, 2008
On War & Peace:
Get out of Iraq within 12-18 months
We need to get out of Iraq as quickly as possible. This war is bankrupting our country. It's making it impossible for us to invest in our own people. We are building roads and schools and hospitals for countries half way around the world where they are
teaching children to hate America while we ignore our own people who are in despair on the streets.We have a massive opportunity to invest in renewable energy and jobs in this country and instead we're dumping money in a country because they have oil.
I doubt if there were not one drop of oil in Iraq that we would have been there this long. If it were human rights that we were concerned about, we would be helping the people of Darfur and other countries.
We need to withdraw within the next twelve to eighteen months & have the United Nations security force help us out. Right now our leaders have no exit strategy and we are ignoring the pain of our own people.
Source: Georgia 2008 Democratic Senate Primary Debate
Jun 30, 2008
Page last updated: Feb 18, 2023