Join The Tax Revolt - Vote for Jim Holt

Speech for Jim Holt at Lincoln Day Dinner in Jonesboro, April 24, 2010, by Debbie Pelley
(If the first few paragraphs sound familiar, they have been posted before but the rest of the speech is different).

It is a real honor to speak for Jim Holt tonight. He was very disappointed that a scheduling conflict kept him from being here. I am afraid our country is on the brink of disaster today because we voters have listened to what politicians say rather than watch what they do.

I have watched Jim Holt for 7 years now, and I don't have to support him based on what he says, nor on campaign promises or on what I hope he will do once elected. I can support Holt based on his actual voting record and past performance.

I spent many, many days at the Arkansas Capitol during the most expensive legislative sessions in history, when about $3.2 billion dollars were added to our tax burden, and much of our local control destroyed. I was appalled that many Republican legislators voted for all those taxes and government control but watched in awe as Jim Holt actually broke with his own party and voted against ALL those taxes, sometimes being the only senator to do so.

Holt even voted against his own legislative pay raise – Every Time. He took a lot of heat for all those No votes, and those votes have greatly hindered his ability to raise money. If you know anything about politics, you know what I mean.

I have found Jim Holt to not only be courageous, but also one of the hardest working, most spiritual, principled, sacrificial, men I have ever known. He did not want to run this race. He believed he had to.

Even though I have criticized Republicans many times, I greatly appreciate the Republican Party for many reasons. In most cases, the Republican party has fought very hard to preserve our freedom of religion, to prevent abortion, homosexual marriage, gun control, ERA, etc. Had it not been for the Republicans, we would have lost all those battles a loong time ago. And Holt was a leader in Arkansas on all those social issues.

But Republicans on the national and state level have failed miserably in the area of fiscal responsibility and government control. From 2000 to 2010 our national debt went from $5 trillion to $12 trillion. The Republican administration was in charge for eight of those years, and most of the Republican Congressmen, including the one now running for US Senator, voted for increased spending and bigger government time and time again.

And from 2000 to 2010 Arkansas became the 5th fastest government growing state in the nation according to a budget study by Americans for Prosperity. And I knew it was happening because I was watching. Two of our US Senate candidates were in the Arkansas legislature during those exact years, 2000 to 2010. I can find NO significant votes they made to counteract government growth and spending but know of several votes they made to increase taxes and grow government. Jim Holt was in the legislature six of those years - but knowing citizens were Taxed More Than Enough Already, he voted in every instance against growth of government and spending.

Almost 12 thousand new employees in education alone have been hired in Arkansas just since 2000. Through consolidation they got rid of about 60 superintendents but hired almost 12,000 new bureaucrats. That sounds like the government, doesn't it?

It takes a massive bureaucracy to control our schools;
*for teams of bureaucrats to develop the curriculum and all those thousands of tests;
* to come into the classroom to monitor teachers to make sure the state's curriculum is being taught in every school and every classroom;
*to make sure that every rule by the Department of Education is followed and that the schools are living up to ALL the government requirements.

These requirements are the result of the No Child Left Behind law – the law that was sponsored by none other than Ted Kennedy and supported by most Republicans, including all the ones now running for US Senate that have a voting record, except for Jim Holt. Since NCLB was implemented in Arkansas in 2003, educational costs have almost doubled.

The school situation is a good example of how the bureaucrats use our tax money to control us. And they couldn't do it without our tax money. That is why I am so opposed to taxes. I was a teacher for 27 years and saw all this unfold and how they used the money and deceit to do it.

No wonder that according to a recent Rasmussen poll, 74% of the people say our party’s representatives have lost touch with GOP voters.

And Jim Holt is the only candidate running for US senator that can truthfully claim he never voted for tax increases and growth in government.

If we don't reward those who hold to the true Republican platform like Jim Holt , by electing him to a higher office, then how are we going to ever pull our Republican Party back to true fiscal conservative principles? And if we continue to reward those who failed to hold the line on taxes and spending by promoting them to a higher office, how are we going to ever save our country?

The Holt campaign is truly a grass roots organization and run mostly by volunteers. It may surprise you to know that Jim Holt pulled more votes in 2006 with only $200 thousand dollars than our Republican nominee for Governor, Asa Hutchinson did with $4.5 million dollars.

The lobbyists, businesses, and the party establishments are financially supporting their candidates and are being represented. I think we could save our country if the churches and Tea Party activists would sacrificially support the candidates that have a proven conservative record and that represent their interest.

Holt needs your help, but YOU as a conservative need his help as much or more than he needs yours.

So I am asking you to not only Join the Tax Revolt and Vote for Holt but also to Join the Tax Revolt and Support Holt.

(Senator Gilbert Baker and Senator Kim Hendren are the two candidates for US Senate that were in the Arkansas legislature from 2000 to 2010. Congressman John Boozman is the Congressman that voted for government expansion and spending when our national debt went from $5 trillion to $12 trillion. Boozman has been in office for nine years now. He supports the No Child Left Behind law as well.)