Over the course of the campaign,
we will unveil A Plan for Change.

A Plan for Change recognizes the following principles about our state:

As A Plan for Change is released, we will propose an approach to making South Carolina the kind of state where our kids can have a safe and prosperous future, by making a series of commitments -- 

Jobs Matter Most – At its core, the mission of our next Administration must be to recruit, develop and protect jobs. With our state’s record unemployment, we can no longer afford inaction. Our next Administration must create a business environment in South Carolina that creates jobs. 

Protecting the Jobs We Have – When existing jobs disappear, we can’t just sit back and hope for the best. We must help people when their jobs vanish – whether it’s assistance with finding a new job, or retraining to start over again.  

Making South Carolina a State of Innovation – While we protect the jobs we have, we must also be looking to the future. South Carolina is already the home of innovative software, drug, research and other hi-tech companies. Our research universities are home to cutting edge developments and innovations that can build new industries and create new jobs. We must send a message to the country and the world that South Carolina is a state of innovation, where private and public capital joins with a capable workforce to encourage the development of 21st Century ideas and jobs.  

Focusing on Schools - We must work with our teachers, parents and principals to improve public education by cutting class size, returning discipline to the schools, and making sure money goes into the classrooms -- not the bureaucracy 

Reform – Professional politicians have failed us too often. We must make whatever structural changes are necessary in our government to reduce the incentives for partisan politics and games. South Carolina cannot afford to continue the partisan posturing, gridlock and waste that have held us back for the last six years.  

A New Energy for South Carolina – As we push further into the 21st Century, South Carolina deserves a new energy policy that creates jobs and supports industry, while encouraging conservation and developing a green economy. We can advance these goals through citizen involvement, university and private sector research, and tax credits. 

Health Care – Too many families are one illness away from financial crisis. We must encourage progress in Washington DC, while utilizing the free market (through drug re-importation) to lower the cost of medicine. 

Infrastructure – Poor roads slow industrial development and tourism. We’ve made steps on big projects, but many mid-size communities have fallen by the wayside.  

Lower the Tax Burden on South Carolina Families – Over the last eight years, too many South Carolina families feel that their tax burden has increased. We must lower the tax burden on South Carolina families.   

I hope you will join us on this journey as we roll out our plan over the course of the campaign.

Mullins McLeod