James brings campaign to county
Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim James paid a visit to Russellville Wednesday as part of his statewide bus tour leading up to the June 1 primaries. | Jonathan Willis/FCT
Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim James brought his Common Sense Express campaign tour to Russellville Wednesday.
James, a Greenville businessman and son of former Gov. Fob James, told a crowd at Taylor’s restaurant that he wanted to “put common sense back in government.”
“We have tried everything else in this country, so I thought we would try a little common sense,” James said.
James has become nationally known in recent weeks for his television advertisements where he vows to only give the state driver’s license test in English.
“In 1990, we passed a constitutional amendment saying that we are an English-only state, which means state services are English,” James said.
“We are currently giving the driver’s license test in 12 languages. That is political correctness run amuck, that’s all that is.”
James argues that the English-only test will save the state money. Some opponents say the state will lose millions of federal transportation dollars in the process.
“Latino Americans agree with me by about 75 percent,” James said. “They want a better life for their children and they want them to be assimilated into our culture.”
James also hit on a few other points he has emphasized during his statewide campaign tour.
“One thing we’ve got to do is help our existing businesses,” he said.
“We have to offer the same types of incentives to our existing businesses that we do to the ones we are recruiting to come to Alabama. We also have to keep taxes low. As governor, I will veto any bill that would raise taxes on Alabama’s working men and women.”
James also wants to require convicted sex offenders to re-register every 90 days.
“We have 11,000 convicted sex offenders in this state. Statistics show they are four to one more likely to commit another sex crime than other criminals are to be charged again.”
James told the group that this year’s political races are crucial for the nation’s future.
“I believe the 2010 election cycle is the most important in the history of the nation,” he said.
“We have to put common sense back in government at all levels.”
James faces six candidates in the June GOP primary, including Robert Bentley, a dermatologist from Tuscaloosa; Bradley Byrne, former chancellor of the state’s two-year college system; Bill Johnson, former director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs; Roy Moore, former Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court; and James Potts, financial adviser.
