Ninth District Candidate Hunter Bicknell received a warm welcome in Gilmer County last week. The visit was part of the inaugural Forum of Small Business Free Enterprise Capitalism. Held at Poole’s BBQ in East Ellijay, a host of voters came out to meet and hear the candidate’s views on the issues.

“Free enterprise and capitalism are what has made this country what it is today,”

Bicknell said addressing the crowd,

“It’s my commitment to go to Washington and to reverse the regulations that are strangling us.”

This reversal, he said, will allow the 27 million small independent businesses in the country to expand and hopefully create another 27 million. Continuing, he asserted that in order for the economy to turn around, our country needs a new tax policy.

“I’m a Fair Tax person and I’ll work on the Fair Tax every day I’m in Congress,”

he confided. But, he said our country can’t wait for a Fair Tax, saying we have to address the tax policy in a more immediate way. For Bicknell, this means lowering the corporate tax rate and bringing American industries that have gone overseas back to America. Here, Bicknell showed his business sagacity.

“There are two reasons they leave and go off shore,”

he said. First, he noted these industries are chasing lower wages. However, in finding lower wage labor, Bicknell said these industries are finding they’re not what

“they’ve cracked up to be.”

Considering efficiency, quality of production and other factors will offset the wages benefit, he stated. The second reason is our country’s corporate tax rate. According to the Heritage Foundation, the U.S. corporate tax rate is 39.26 percent, the highest in the world since April when Japan lowered its rate to 36.8 percent. Politfact corroborates this, however it clarifies this is true only in terms of the statutory rate and among the most industrialized countries. Regardless, Heritage calls the rate not competitive, which drives home Bicknell’s point, that the high rate drives away industries from American shores. As such, Bicknell says by cutting this tax, more businesses will be willing to come to the country initially and return.

Further, he declared the country must drill oil domestically, drill on federally owned land and collect royalties, the latter of which is currently threatened by a pending U.N Treaty, The Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST), which President Obama is poised to sign. According to Political Analyst Dick Morris, if the treaty is signed, the U.S. will be required to give half of its offshore mining and oil drilling royalties to the U.N. Seabed Authority. The U.N will then redistribute the money in a gesture of global communism. This analysis of the treaty is confirmed by the Cato Institute and The Heritage Foundation, two leading institutes on policy analysis.

In addition to lowering the corporate tax, Bicknell advocates cutting other taxes, reiterating his supply-side roots.

“Just like Reagan proved,”

he said,

“you can lower taxes and grow the economy and increase your revenues.”

Bicknell’s focus on economic issues may concern some voters, suggesting his disregard for social issues. The candidate however, thwarted these notions.

“You can’t be as conservative as I am fiscally without also being conservative in other areas,”

he said,

“I am a true social conservative. I have been endorsed by the Georgia Right to Life and I have very strong feelings about the sanctity of life.”

Gilmer County resident Bob Hanks argued if the country get its fiscal house in order, by the cessation of wasteful spending,

“Everything else will fall into place.”

Gilmer resident and Post One Commissioner candidate Jerry Tuso seems to agree.

“I want somebody that is an absolute conservative,”

he said,

“and has a definite background because the way the economy is going.”

Poole’s BBQ owner, Oscar Poole said he endorsed Bicknell for his business acumen.

“He was an entrepreneur,”

Poole said of the candidate,

“he owned nine Blimpies and now’s Commission Chairman of Jackson County.”

Poole asserted that when Bicknell goes to Washington, he promises he’ll vote like Tom Graves, seen by many as the epitome of conservatism. He said this, along with Bicknell’s business background, is what we need right now.

With the July election a little over two months away, expect campaigns to grow more aggressive and candidates to become more visible.

In addition to Bicknell’s event, Friday was also Martha Zoller’s last day on the radio, one of Bicknell’s toughest opponents. Among other things, this means Zoller has more time to dedicate to her campaign, potentially unleashing a more aggressive approach. Zoller’s recent MAP for prosperity promotion seems to be evidence of this. In her MAP, Zoller outlines her strategy to return the country to prosperity, focusing on accountability, bold reform and citizen engagement. One of Bicknell’s other top-tier opponents, Rep. Doug Collins, is also vamping up his campaign, who emphasizes his legislative experience and six-year voting record in the Georgia Assembly. Additionally, Candidates Clifton McDuffie and Roger Fitzpatrick have grown more aggressive in thier campaigns. Most voters now, though, in Gilmer and nationally, are most concerned with the economy– Bicknell’s forte.

“I have proven performance when it comes to how to operate efficiently and conservatively,”

he said, emphasizing his business background.