I, Bob Scott, believe elections should be determined by ideas and principles and not money, electioneering, vote suppression and strategy. I hope that in the near future communications on the internet will allow a candidate to reach the voters without raising a fortune in donations because of the potential for conflict of interest inherent in such fundraising.

I believe that if 150,000 people look at this website, I will win the 2014 election. The You Tube videos include me with a banjo singing about money in politics. (No recording companies have tried to sign me up.)

In 2008 I did not come close to getting the number of hits on the website that I believed I needed. I hope future candidates can find a way of getting their message to the voters without the corrupting influence of campaign money. This 2014 campaign will be about trying to find a way to use the internet effectively.

I have a varied series of YouTube videos. I have left them all up — even the outdated ones.

I am the Democratic Party candidate for U.S. Representative from the Second Congressional District in Tennessee in the November 4, 2014 general election.

The Second Congressional District in Tennessee includes Knox County, Blount County, Loudon County, Grainger County and Claiborne county, and part of Jefferson County and Campbell County.

I am doing this website myself (and with a few family members) and I appreciate any suggestions and help in spreading my message.

My email address is: SCOTTforCONGRESS@AOL.COM
My telephone number is (865) 310-8710
My fax number is (865) 690-0705
My mailing address: 2216 Delta Way, Knoxville,TN 37919

I believe the following are the most important issues facing our country:

1. The environment of the world – and East Tennessee
   The Carbon dioxide content of our atmosphere is rising steadily because people are burning fossil fuels. Our US Representative in his free letter to constituents quoted someone as saying “climate change is a rich man’s issue”. Environmental degradation in East Tennessee is too obvious for argument. What is less obvious but very serious is the world environment- with carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere rising annually. The Republicans in congress are doing everything possible to avoid facing environmental problems, but the problems are not going away and letting OUR current congressman continue to stick our national head in the sand only means the problems will be much worse if we wait until the national Republicans finally wake up.
2. Moving our country into the future
   Economic development of East Tennessee needs to emphasize manufacturing, tourism and support for TVA and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Our East Tennessee manufacturing- and manufacturing throughout the entire United States-must be put on a “level playing field” in competing with foreign manufacturers who are not required to pay minimum wage, clean their environment, provide safe working conditions and pay for unemployment insurance , workman’s compensation, medicare and social security. Inappropriate development of resources cannot be allowed to diminish the attractiveness of East Tennessee to foreign and domestic tourists. TVA needs to get federal funding for non-power functions- as it did in the past. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory needs funding to aggressively do research and development on energy and nuclear options that may be needed in the near future. Federal government programs for long term sustainable energy solutions must be initiated and emphasized. Our country must lead the world in developing and installing electrical generating capacity that will allow us to stop using fossil fuels. It would be great if we could manufacture solar cells in east Tennessee.
3. Economic Fairness
   Economic fairness is a problem in many societies with many prosperous countries having a large number of permanently impoverished citizens (Mexico is an example — they are trying to solve their problem by sending their poor people to our country). The widening gap in our country between rich and poor is controlled at the federal level by taxation- graduated income tax and inheritance tax. The Republicans have been reducing these taxes and have been moving our country toward a third world model- with a few extremely wealthy people and a large impoverished group of people. We need to look to the future and institute an intelligent tax policy, strengthen labor unions and keep high tech and manufacturing jobs in the United States. Everyone needs affordable health care! The orgy of unwise (foolish) financial deregulation has to be reversed- probably back to the policies in place after the great depression.
4. Healing our country
   Republican divisiveness has poisoned the political atmosphere and we need to solve our problems by seeking consensus and moving ahead together.
5. Term Limits for Congressmen
   East Tennessee — and the entire country — is not well served by having career politicians serving unending terms (even dynasties?) in the House of Representatives. The House of Representatives is the PEOPLES branch of government. It is meant to reflect the majority will — even if it is volatile and changing. Our current second district representative has served for 26 years and his father before him served 23 years. Even the Republicans — in the Newt Gingrich “Contract with America“ — called for a constitutional amendment which would limit US Representatives to six terms! Please note that John Duncan was a signatory to the “Contract with America “ and voted for a constitutional amendment. I jokingly (?) like to say the Republicans decided that they really meant term limits only for Democrats.