Carter, a Georgia state senator and small business owner who is running for the U.S. House of Representatives, talks Obamacare, taxes and running for Congress.
In advance of the midterm election on Nov. 4, NFIB caught up with Buddy Carter, a Georgia state senator who is running for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 1st Congressional District of Georgia. Carter is a pharmacist and businessman who has owned Carter’s Pharmacy—with locations in Pooler, Rincon and Garden City, Georgia—for more than 30 years.
Why did you decide to run for Congress?
I have had the opportunity to live the American Dream. I grew up in a small town with parents that worked blue-collar jobs, and I have gone on to graduate from college, marry my college sweetheart and open my own business. We raised three sons that I am very proud of, but I worry that they do not have the same opportunities that I had at their age because our economy continues to struggle and jobs are so hard to come by. On top of that, the government makes it even more difficult to start and to operate a business, which makes the dream of business ownership almost impossible to reach.
How has your business experience helped you as a state senator?
As a small business owner for 26 years, I understand the difficulties of owning and running a business. This is hard enough without the government getting in the way. As a state senator, I have always worked with the business community to identify and cut red tape, cut taxes and decrease burdensome regulations. As a businessman, I know the importance of supporting pro-growth and pro-jobs legislation that will help our economy grow.
What aspects of the current IRS tax code can be addressed to provide relief to taxpayers and spur economic growth?
A simpler, fairer tax system is what is needed to spur economic growth and to get our country back on track. Today’s businesses, both large and small, find the current IRS tax-code system to be onerous and a deterrent to prosperity. I am a strong supporter of the FairTax plan and will advocate for its passage while serving in Congress.
From your perspective as a healthcare professional, how has Obamacare impacted families, businesses and senior citizens in Georgia?
Obamacare is a train wreck and a job killer. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that it is going to kill 2.2 million jobs here in America. Businesses are cutting employee hours, reducing staff and withholding expansion in order to stay in business and comply with this law. In a time of mass unemployment, finding a good job is even harder because positions that once were full-time and provided benefits have been cut to part-time without benefits, which hurts employees and their families. We need to turn Obamacare into a “3-D Movie:” Delay it, Defund it and Defeat it.
If you are elected to Congress, how do you plan to keep in touch with and seek feedback from small businesses in Georgia?
Constituent services have always been a point of pride for me as a public servant. I have always been active in local business organizations, such as NFIB, local Chamber of Commerce chapters and Rotary Club. All constituents and concerned citizens will always be able to reach me for concerns or issues that they are facing with government. Since entering the state legislature more than a decade ago, I have written a column focusing on issues of interest to my constituents every other week. The only exception to this is when the legislature is in session, during which I write a recap every week. I will continue this practice while serving in Congress.
