Issues

Economic Development

Every candidate claims to be for Economic Development, but Jim Patterson has a true understanding of the subject. Economic Development is not just creating jobs, but creating a long-term sustainable source of income for the citizens of House District 21 and North Alabama alike. It takes a three-fold approach to be successful at developing the economic strength of a region.  Those three elements are educating the workforce, providing enough roadways for workers to travel to and from work safely and efficiently, and a state tax structure that is attractive to business. Below are the details of Jim’s three elements to successful economic development.

Education

It is a reality that a traditional four-year college is not the path for everyone. Only about twenty percent of our young adults who pursue a four-year degree complete their course of study and graduate. But those who do not attend or complete a four-year degree, nearly eighty percent, still need training to compete in today’s global economy. Jim Patterson has a plan that partners local industries with the two-year college system to create Certificate and Associates degree programs that are tailored to their workforce needs. In our district we have a great opportunity to have this partnership with Drake State Community College and companies such as Hudson Alpha and Toyota. A partnership like this would benefit citizens of North Alabama who have become unemployed or are seeking a better job to improve the quality of life for their families. This program could make Madison County and the State of Alabama a global leader for high tech jobs.

Jim would also like to see a revival in Technical Education in the high schools as well. Again, college is not for everyone and there are several successful models out there that train those children a useful trade so that they can legitimately enter the workforce out of high school and earn a very good living. With our State drop out rate exceeding 30 percent, we need to take a proactive approach and start offering these students a comprehensive trade-skill education.  It’s time to give our future generations a better opportunity to succeed.

We cannot talk education without starting at the K thru 12 levels.  We need to reform our public schools starting by overhauling the teacher tenure laws so that bad teachers are no longer protected and good teachers become rewarded. This is not an elimination of the tenure laws, but making changes so teachers have incentive for going above and beyond in the classroom as so many do, but the way the current system is set up it does not work that way. As a husband of a retired teacher, and the father and father –in-law to two current teachers, Jim Patterson will stand up to insure that our children receive the quality education they need to compete in this new global economy.

In addition, Charter Schools need to be a viable option in Alabama. As your State Representative, Jim Patterson will work to give parent a choice in their children’s education.

Jim Patterson is a supporter of the Tim Tebow Bill that would allow home school students the opportunity to participate in high school athletics.

Jim Patterson will also insure that our school infrastructures are a clean, safe learning environment. While on the Madison County School board, he helped secure the construction and renovation of nine schools including Hazel Green High School, Meridianville Middle School and Riverton Middle School.

Ethics

Its time to change the landscape of Montgomery and return the power to the People of Alabama. It all starts by passing meaningful Ethics Reform Laws. Jim Patterson will work with Rep. Mike Ball, Rep. Mac McCutcheon and Sen. Arthur Orr to insure that Alabama's political ethics laws are strengthened. Alabama is currently rated the #4 most corrupt state in the United States. Jim will work to insure that transparency and accountability are applied to our elected officials by doing away with PAC to PAC transfers and requiring Legislators to report all Lobbyist expenditures on a public financial reporting platform, such as the internet. This is real reform that you can see!

Roads

For a long time we have been hearing how Winchester Road is going to be a four-lane and Jordan Lane would be four lane all the way out to the Tennessee State line, and Research Park Blvd (formerly Rideout Road) should be finished all the way to the east end of I-565, and look where we are now. It is time for a State Representative that is going to join a team to bring funding for roads to North Alabama. Jim Patterson will join a team of North Alabama delegates, such as Rep. Mike Ball, Rep. Phil Williams, Rep.  Mac McCutcheon, Rep. Howard Sanderford, Sen. Arthur Orr and Sen.  Paul Sanford, to work together to bring the roads we need to insure that the jobs at Redstone Arsenal stay there in future BRACs. We need better, safer roads and with his team of North Alabama delegates, Jim Patterson can work to make this a reality.

Illegal Immigration

Jim Patterson believes that in order to have a truly sovereign nation, we must be able to secure our borders and put an end to illegal immigrants’ infiltration of our jobs, our hospitals and the social services that were intended for our country’s citizens who are in need. Jim is a supporter of the Arizona Immigration Law and the use of the E-Verify internet verification systems. In addition, as the campaign progresses, he will unveil a comprehensive plan that, when fully implemented, will eliminate the threat that Illegal Immigration poses on the citizens of the State of Alabama.

Taxes

In addition to good schools, a trainable workforce and safe roads and infrastructure, the final piece of the puzzle to attract new corporations and their jobs is low taxes. The less a corporation pays in taxes, the more people it can hire and the more competitive and profitable the company can be in the global marketplace. Jim Patterson will fight to keep taxes low for businesses and citizens alike, making Alabama and our District attractive to business. This will give our citizens and children the jobs they need to stay at here at home in the Tennessee Valley instead of having to search for work out of state.

Socialized Health Care (Obamacare)

Obamacare, or recent Healthcare Reform Bill that forces the people to subscribe to or participate in a social healthcare system, is the biggest breach of personal rights and responsibilities that has ever been enacted on the citizens of the United State in our history. Jim Patterson will fight to insure that the citizens of Alabama are not forced to abide by this Bill, or any other Bill that violates our personal and Constitutional rights. He will fight against it by supporting State legislation that invokes our State’s 10th Amendment rights and exempts us from this Law.

Gambling in Alabama

Though Jim Patterson does not personally believe that gambling is something we need in Alabama, he will allow a clean bill, free from special interest protections, loop holes for corruption and creation of gambling monopolies, to come to a vote by the people of the State of Alabama.

2nd Amendment - Gun Rights

Jim Patterson is an active member of the NRA.  Jim is also an avid sportsman and conservationist. He will always insure the citizens of Alabama never have there 2nd Amendment right to bear arms taken from them.

Pro-Life

Jim Patterson appreciates the sanctity of life and believes that life begins at conception.  Jim will fight to protect innocent lives and oppose Abortion legislation.

Marriage

As a born again Christian, Jim Patterson knows that the definition of marriage is the union between a Man and a Woman. Jim will not support legislation to allow same-sex marriages in the State of Alabama.