Making another stop on his West Tennessee campaign trail, Congressman Van Hilleary, republican candidate for governor, was in Memphis Monday to address his supporters at the General Meeting of the Shelby County Republican Women.
As keynote speaker, Hilleary touched on issues important to his campaign such as his position on an income tax for Tennessee as well as education standards.
Directly following his address, he answered questions regarding his position on state gambling laws, which Hilleary said he is against, as well as higher education funding.
During his visit, Hilleary complimented the Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality and Resort Management for its productive use of private-public partnerships as a way of bringing revenue into The University of Memphis. When questioned about the current trends of both Tennessee university faculty leaving the state due to inadequate salaries and the almost double-digit tuition increases Tennessee college students are facing yearly, Hilleary was unclear in his methods of solving these problems.
Regarding students attending universities, Hilleary said that financially aiding K-12 programs would help to provide remedial training to high school students. This will, in turn, produce Tennessee graduates who have adequate backgrounds and will be successful in their college years, Hilleary said.
Hilleary said that private investments as well as partnerships between the public institutions and private businesses would also be beneficial for higher education funding. The U of M’s Holiday Inn, Hilleary said, is a perfect example of such a partnership, as it not only produces revenue for the school but also serves as a laboratory for the school’s hotel and resort management program.
In addition, Hilleary said that financially focusing on TennCare will eventually aid the public colleges and universities of Tennessee as the first money made from the program once the rate of growth reaches 8 percent is already earmarked for higher education purposes.
While education is obviously a major issue on his campaign platform, Hilleary appeared both more concerned as well as better informed about matters of early education rather than those regarding higher education.
He began his speech to the Grand Old Party’s women’s group by recognizing the important woman in his life, his wife Meredith Hilleary, who was in attendance. He pointed out that she intends to focus on early childhood education issues during his term, as that is her background.
“She’ll make a great first lady,” Hilleary said.
Hilleary dedicated a major part of his speech to early childhood education issues. He gave statistics, indicating that only 25 percent of children in Tennessee read proficiently at their grade level and only 17 percent are proficient in math. Hilleary said these numbers are hurting the state, as jobs that do not require these skills are no longer in the United States but only exist in other countries such as China and Mexico.
“If we don’t give every child their chance, we aren’t doing our duties as American citizens,” Hilleary said.
Hilleary said the government should not be responsible for supporting its citizens from the cradle to the grave, or possess the power to change its citizens; however it should be able to offer opportunities. He said that the power to offer these opportunities inspired him to run for office.
“I am running because of a cause more noble than me, giving children their chance,” Hilleary said.
Hilleary told the group of approximately 50 republican supporters to think about positive experiences that they or people they know have had in school at an early age. He said the key to improving education is to duplicate such success stories. He said the main focus should be on principals.
“Our principals must be qualified for their positions and not only be good at winning football games,” Hilleary said.
He also maintained that the principals must hold their teachers accountable by knowing and understanding the curriculum being presented to the children. Hilleary said that too often, children are being promoted to the next grade level when they haven’t mastered the material covered in their current classes.
Establishing discipline is also crucial for the development of Tennessee’s youth, Hilleary said. His idea for putting money back into public schools of Tennessee is called Education Corps. He equated this program with alumni associations of universities and colleges. While alumni often donate money to their alma maters, early childhood institutions are often overlooked. Hilleary said it is important for anyone who is looking to support public schools in Tennessee to do so, not only financially, but also through services or talents.
“If you have the money, donate it,” he said. “But if you possess plumbing, painting, or gardening skills, donate those too.”
“Those schools once helped us; now they need us to help them.”
In addition to his position on Tennessee’s education, Hilleary made his position on a statewide income tax clear, saying that it is time the state put the income tax issue behind it once and for all.
“An income tax says this, ‘If you work harder, we’ll punish you.’ It is anti-republican and anti-productivity,” Hilleary said. “As taxes go up, freedom goes down.”
Hilleary said the last four years have been tumultuous, as Tennesseans have let income tax energy take up all other focuses, especially those on education, and improving the way business is done. Hilleary suggested this focus would be more pro-active if it was on TennCare.
“If the money situation in Tennessee isn’t good, nothing else will be right,” Hilleary said.
He said TennCare has soaked up every additional dollar in Tennessee, and what needs to be done is to stop the flow of people coming into the state and to verify the roles of those who are already here. Hilleary said TennCare should be restructured in order to save the people who need it and fixed to help Tennessee in general.
Hilleary told the group of republicans that directly following the primary elections, a debate was held between himself and the democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Bredesen in Nashville. Hilleary said he beat Bredesen in the debate because of how knowledgeable he is in regard to health care and TennCare. He also said that as mayor of Nashville Bredesen raised taxes, yet the teachers union just announced their endorsement of Bredesen.
“I’ll work with anyone who’ll work with me,” Hilleary said. “But if there’s a group unwilling to work with me, we will do battle.”
Alan Crone, chairman of the Shelby County Republican Party, said that while both Bredesen and Hilleary both said they are against a statewide income tax, it is only Hilleary who means it.
“Putting Bredesen, former head of an HMO, in charge of TennCare is like putting Arthur Anderson in charge of the state’s accounting department,” Crone said.
Hilleary expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to address the group of his supporters Monday. He assured the group that they have what it takes to make a difference - not only for Tennessee but also for the country.
“Folks like us in rooms like this can make a difference,” Hilleary said. “Once again, Tennessee will be key in the politics of the United States.”
He told the group that Al Gore is currently attempting to mend fences in his home state. He urged them to give President Bush their support in two years and suggested that the best way to do this is to elect a republican governor.
