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Campaign Diary by William Coit
Saturday, January 19, 2002I'm excited to write that on Saturday January 19, 2002, I spoke in Macon, Georgia at the Georgia Grassroots Conference. The text of my speech is below. The event was designed to increase the number of African-Americans voters within the Republican party. It was also an opportunity to meet the announced statewide and federal African-American Republican candidates.
William Coit's speech on "Honesty in Politics"
On February 10, 1957 Dr. Martin Luther King said, the new Negro is a person with a new sense of dignity and destiny with a new self-respect; along with that is this lack of fear which once characterized the Negro, this willingness to stand up courageously for what he feels is just and what he feels he deserves on the basis of the laws of the land. I think also I would like to mention this growing honesty which characterizes the Negro today.
Good Evening,
My name is William Coit and with your support, I will be the first Congressman from the 13th District.
I'm running for Congress because I believe what Dr. Martin Luther King said 45 years ago about a new sense of dignity and honesty and its relevance today in modern politics.
If you have been following metro Atlanta politics the past year, you've probably noticed how money has played a part in influencing political officials. Look no further than the $360 million dollar contract to move dirt for a fifth runway at Hartsfield. Dirt contractor Ronnie Thornton pleaded guilty to violating federal banking laws while funneling illegal campaign contributions to the former mayor.
Then there’s Joe Reid, the leading eyewitness in the City Hall corruption case against illegal government contracts secured by bribing public officials.
This type of behavior is unacceptable for people we have entrusted with carrying out the public's work. We should expect our public officials to be held to a higher standard. Their moral integrity should not be questioned.
In the next couple of months, politicians will hit the campaign trail to ask you to vote for them. Many will tell you stories, some of them will tell you what you want to hear. Some of them will flat out lie to you. Watch out. They are career politicians. I stand here today as a citizen who’s fed up with the lies and empty promises. As a matter of fact, this is what I will promise to you. I, William Coit solemnly swear to Tell You The Truth. Even when the truth hurts.
We have failed. Let me repeat that. We have failed. We have failed in our attempt to improve the education system in Georgia. Our kids rank 49 out 51 states and the District of Columbia. Georgia has the worst 4-year graduation rate in America. Now, we both know that this failure is unacceptable. Some changes need to occur. I propose giving parents the freedom of choice in deciding what schools their kids should attend and how taxpayer dollars are spent for education.
I'm going to continue telling the truth. The majority of the communities in the 13th district did not experience the economic and technological boom of the last ten years in Georgia. There is a great disparity that exists between suburban communities and the inner city. I propose creating a community business plan to prioritize economic development projects. As a nation we must do all that we can to help small business owners and distressed communities prosper.
I know the truth hurts, but I must continue. You are paying too much in federal, state, and local taxes. The middle class is caring an unfair burden while special interest groups and large corporations circumvent the system and pay little or no taxes. This has to stop. I propose returning 33% your federal taxes to you. If you make between $20,000 and $65,000, under my plan you would get tax relief.
Finally, we have too many of our citizens out of work. The state of Georgia ranks 2nd in the nation for unemployment. Our labor department has failed. It is unprepared to retrain individuals for high paying jobs. Tell me, do you know of anybody that has ever received a job from the state labor department? I don't. What I propose is to give every un-employed person a grant for job training. These grants could be used to buy re-employment services from State Labor Departments or private companies. Competition is needed to improve the system.
My agenda is straightforward. I'm not holding back any punches. I need your support and money in order to change the moral integrity of the people we send to Washington, D.C. Please vote for me on August 20, 2002 and for more information about my 8 point empowerment plan and my stand on the issues, go to my website at http://www.williamcoit.com. Thank-you.
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