[caption id="attachment_30354" align="aligncenter" width="1306"]<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/green.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-30354"><img class="size-full wp-image-30354" src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/green.jpg" alt="Robert Green" width="1306" height="1829" /></a> Robert Gree7[/caption]

<i>Following is SC House of Representative Democratic candidate Robert Green’s response to why he should be elected to serve District 124.</i>

No matter how many events I attend or homes I visit, I am acutely aware that to personally meet each resident of District 124 prior to the November election is simply impossible.

Please allow me to further introduce myself. I am a self-described social liberal and a fiscal conservative. I am running as a moderate Democrat and am proud of my South Carolina Democratic roots.

When I look at our legislature I see a house on fire, while others seem perfectly content with things as they are in Columbia. If you are happy with the way things are and are happy with your taxes, don’t vote for me! I am focused on the long game, not partisan politics as usual.

I have owned and operated my own financial services firm since 1982, and as a fee-only Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) since 2013. I am well versed in capital markets, fiscal and monetary policy.

I do my own thinking and have developed keen listening skills as a matter of professional survival. It pays to listen and I have learned so much by doing so these last months of being on the campaign trail. In the ‘70s and ‘80s I was active in South Carolina politics and legislative affairs. Now I am running for public office for the first time because this is simply something I cannot not do.

I am the political outsider with decades of business experience and have been a member of the South Carolina Bar since 1975. I am committed to this challenge and qualified and enthusiastic to run for SC House District 124.

Without term limits and due to gerrymandering by the ruling party, we find ourselves in a bad position for the people of South Carolina. We have a moral hazard in Columbia. We have a legislature that is not accountable because it is untouchable at the polls. We have a legislature that accepts huge campaign contributions from every special interest you can imagine and is dominated by ideologues.

I am pro-business by experience. I am pro-education because without a well-educated workforce we will not be qualified to compete for the top economic opportunities of tomorrow. I believe economic prosperity will continue to be unevenly allocated to a small number of counties in the country.

Between 2010 and 2015, 70 percent of the new jobs created were in 50 counties, less than 2 percent of the 1,371 counties in the USA.

I am pro-environment because we all know how our quality of life would suffer if we messed this up. Say “NO” to seismic testing and protect our wetlands and the Port Royal Sound region. I sense that we should explore the possibility of designating the Port Royal Sound region a Marine Sanctuary.

I am convinced that we must fund the repair and maintenance of our transportation infrastructure on a current basis, rather than piling on billions of dollars of more debt as is the current path of the legislature. Eventually interest rates will revert to historic levels and the huge debt burden embraced by my opponent will heavily burden us all and generations to come.

Issuing new bonds and declaring “No New Taxes” is an insult to our intelligence. We have a “spending” problem in South Carolina which is being offset by more and more debt!

Our best opportunity for an immediate economic boost is the Port Royal Development Plan, which sadly has lacked a champion in the legislature. Neither Sen. Campsen nor Ms. Erickson have shown much interest as the town of Port Royal has been left dangling in the breeze for 12 years. It is time for new leadership and new ideas rather than more of the same.

We need citizen legislators who will step up, stand up and deliver. It is time for a change.

I vow to be a very strong advocate in the legislature for Port Royal. Now you have a choice.