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  Black, Phil
CANDIDATE DETAILS
AffiliationDemocratic  
 
NamePhil Black
Address337 Porth Cir
Lexington, South Carolina , United States
EmailNone
Website [Link]
Born Unknown
ContributorJoshua L.
Last ModifedIndyGeorgia
Jun 23, 2016 10:06am
Tags
InfoMy name is Phil Black and I want to thank you for your interest and welcome you to my web site. I am entering the District 2 Congressional race because I want the chance to make a difference in Washington so that our children and grandchildren can have the same opportunities and quality of life in the future that we have enjoyed.

Let me tell you a little about myself... All of my family was born and lived in Barnwell South Carolina. I am a graduate of Riverside Military Academy and the University of Georgia. I have worked in banking, real estate, construction and have been a small business owner (Black’s Supply in Barnwell is still going strong after 33 years). I am retired from the U S Small Business Administration. My wife Martha and I are members of Lake Murray Baptist Church where I have served as Trustee, Moderator and Chairman of the Building Committee. I have served on both Barnwell 45 and Lexington 1 School Boards.

One of my biggest concerns...The President tells us we are in a slow down of the economy --- I am here to tell you that I am afraid we are in a full scale RECESSION. We have sent our industrial base off shore and we are trying to borrow ourselves out of debt. Bottom line – we need change in Washington starting with someone who has lived and walked in the shoes of the working class. I am not a Career Politician. The Federal Government is broken and many of our elected officials are in denial and have their heads buried in the sand. Our problems did not happen over night but with a few quick fix procedures we can begin to cut fuel costs and work on the long range solutions for the economy, immigration, health care, education and national defense. I am asking for your most precious possession, your VOTE. I pledge that when I get to Washington I will work to change the way Washington does business and bring their focus back to the needs of the citizens of this great nation.

Education


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What can we do to fix NCLB? Full federal funding is certainly one thing, but we also know that just merely pouring dollars into the system does not work. Look at the trillions of dollars used in Federal programs over the years. If money were the factor that affected student achievement, then there would be no reason for the NCLB Act of 2002. The primary variables that could make the program succeed are:



Provide quality teachers. The NCLB talks about highly qualified teachers but where will they come from and how will they be paid? Realistically, how do we recruit and keep teachers in South Carolina’s low achieving districts?
Design a different way of measuring success. The use of a single administration of a test only provides a snap shot of what children can do at one particular point in time. The accountability that has become tied to test scores has produced a situation that has placed the importance of the test in a higher position than how we get children to achieve at a rate that is appropriate to them. Worst of all is the fact that now there is so much test taking and preparation that we have severely limited the amount of time for instruction.
The ACT requires the use of “scientifically based research standards”. In fact, the What Works Clearing House was established to examine research and determine whether or not the programs actually had an effect on student achievement. That’s well and good, but in educational research we cannot produce the same types of experiments used, for example, in chemistry. The best we can do is use some random effects design to determine that growth has taken place. In the end, all we have been able to do is to look at programs and say they “seem” to have a positive effect on student achievement. We cannot say there is a direct correlation between the observed use of a program and the score achieved by students. Related to this, education companies are bringing to schools programs they say are based in research but look carefully at how student achievement is defined and measured.
All of the above interacting together will provide a learning environment conducive to each student maximizing his or her potential.
When elected to Congress Phil Black will introduce a bill to revise the NCLB Act of 2002.



The Economy


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The current administration inherited a large budget surplus when it took office in 1990. Through its’ fiscal mismanagement, it has transformed that surplus into the largest national deficit in history. While reducing taxes for a select few wealthy individuals and for corporations, it has failed to restrain spending. Congress has participated in this spending spree by including a record number of so-called “earmarks” in each budget. These fiscal policies, coupled with the huge cost of the Afghan and Iraq wars, have caused the nation to have to borrow money by issuing US Treasury bonds. These bonds are being bought by entities of sovereign nations such as China and Saudi Arabia, which now own a large piece of America. Our children and grandchildren will eventually have to pay these debts.

The effects of our declining economy are devastating average citizens. The current exorbitant price of fuel is affecting every aspect of their lives, from the cost of driving to work, to increased cost of food at the super market. The home mortgage crisis is only making this financial situation worse. Most citizens have stock market investments in the forms of an Individual Retirement Account or a traditional pension plan. Their investments’ values have steadily declined since last Fall. The economy is not in a “slowdown” as President Bush has stated, but has been in full-scale recession for several months. Yet, neither party in Washington is taking meaningful actions to move the economy toward recovery.

In the late 1980’s and early 1990s, the United States negotiated and ratified the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). These agreements, coupled with other free trade agreements, have made it advantageous for American companies (including our own textile industry) to move their manufacturing facilities overseas, where they can take advantage of cheap labor and lax environmental regulations. They can then export these products to the US market without paying tariffs. Our national manufacturing base, along with millions of jobs, is now located overseas. Virtually nothing is made in America anymore.

If elected to Congress, Phil Black will support:

• Renegotiation of NAFTA and CAFTA to insure that the United States is playing on a “level economic field”.

• Revision of tax policies so that companies that locate their facilities overseas are financially penalized, and companies that keep their facilities in the United States are financially rewarded.

• Elimination of budget “earmarks”.

• Renewal of the “Pay as You Go” (PAYGO) policy in Congress, which prohibits Congress from starting new programs unless they also provide a mechanism to pay for these programs.

• Adoption of a real National Energy Policy designed to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, instead of the current policy that was written by the oil companies for their own advantage.



Health Care


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Over the last few decades, the United States has experienced rapidly increasing health care costs. Health insurance premiums have risen on average by double-digit percentage points over the past five years, 2-3 times the rate of inflation. Because of these out-of-control health-care costs, there has been a steep rise in the number of uninsured Americans. Currently, more than 45 million Americans lack any form of health insurance, and millions more are “underinsured”-they have insurance, but lack adequate financial protection for health care costs. However, Federal law requires that uninsured citizens must receive medical treatment if they go to hospital emergency rooms. The cost of this medical treatment is passed to those who have health insurance.

Many factors contribute to this situation, but the single most important cause is the “competitive” nature of our health care system. Under this system, many “for profit” organizations (insurance companies, hospitals, clinics, pharmaceutical companies, etc.) are vying for a share of the health care dollar. Fully one third of health care costs are consumed by these organizations in the form of administrative costs (advertising, claim review, billing, and accounting). Some of these organizations have powerful influence over Congress and the Executive branch, keeping our government from adopting a more efficient and economical health care system.

If elected to Congress, Phil Black will support:

Adoption of a National universal health care system on the model of the current MEDICARE system. Under this system, all citizens would be fully insured, and would get medical treatment on a “fee for service” basis, as they now do. However there would be a single-payer, reducing the huge administrative costs of our current system.
Initiation of “triage” systems in hospital emergency rooms, where only those with serious ailments or injuries would be treated in expensive emergency rooms. Those with less serious problems would be treated in less-expensive facilities staffed my medical paraprofessionals (physician’s assistants, nurses, etc.).
Changing Federal legislation that prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services from negotiating competitive prices for MEDICARE Part D drug coverage.
Energy


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Our country needs a revitalized energy policy that reduces our dependency on foreign oil, encourages research and development of renewable energy sources and encourages private sector investment in natural gas and oil exploration. We must provide relief for our citizens who are struggling at the fuel pump with gasoline prices that drain their funds when trying to get to work and we must provide relief for our citizens who can no longer afford to adequately heat their homes. This country must look beyond carbon based fuels that threaten our environment and poison the air we breathe.

When elected Phil Black will work to reduce our dependency on foreign oil and reduce the price of gasoline at the pump.



Immigration


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Illegal immigration is one of the most serious issues facing our country. We must secure our borders as the first and most elementary step in solving this problem. This situation not only mocks our immigration laws but also makes a joke of our homeland security efforts. We can no longer tolerate open borders. We must have the long promised fence on the border between the United States and Mexico and we must fully fund and support the agencies charged with controlling access through this and every point of entry into this country. Then and only then can we begin to adequately address and deal with the crisis of what to do with the millions of illegal aliens Washington has refused to handle. Amnesty is not the answer. We can start by enforcing the laws that are currently on the books. We don’t need more un-enforced or un-enforceable laws.

When elected to congress Phil Black will work to secure our borders with a combination of real and virtual fences, improved monitoring of foreign nationals entering our country and increased support and funding of the agencies tasked with these responsibilities.



National Defense


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Strong active military forces are the nation’s best deterrent against aggressive actions by rogue nations or terrorist organizations. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, successive administrations, both Democratic and Republican, attempted to reap a “peace dividend” by reducing our active military forces. These cuts were particularly heavy in the support branches (engineers, military police, supply, and logistics) so necessary to conduct stability operations. Accordingly, we have had to rely too much on the Reserves and National Guard to perform these functions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Members of both active and reserve forces are subjected to numerous repeated tours of duty in these conflicts, subjecting both them and their families to many hardships. Furthermore, the Reserves and National Guard are not available to accomplish their first missions of disaster relief and homeland security.

The current administration pays lip service to supporting our troops, while at the same time submitting budgets that reduce benefits to the warriors who are sacrificing for our nation, including:

Reducing the budget of the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, resulting in long waiting periods for veterans to get health care and the creation of Category 8 veterans who have a modest income. Category 8 veterans cannot even apply for VA health care.
Reducing the budget of the military health system, resulting in incidents such as that involving Walter Reed Army Hospital being unable to provide adequate health care to wounded warriors.
Repeated attempts by the Administration to increase TRICARE enrollment fees, premiums, deductibles, and copays, resulting in financial hardship on our warriors and veterans.
When elected to Congress, Phil Black will not only provide moral support to our troops, but will seek to provide funding to strengthen our active and reserve military forces and provide decent benefits to our troops and veterans.

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