Buckhannon announces candidacy for Congress
Isle of Palms businessman Dr. Ryan Buckhannon has announced that he plans on challenging the five term incumbent Congressman Henry Brown Jr. for the U.S. House of Representatives First Congressional District.
“I believe that I have made a difference in my community through hard work and fiscal responsibility,” says Buckhannon in 
regards to his bid for the First Congressional District House seat. “I now want to take that experience and work to make a difference in Washington by correcting the poor decisions that have consistently added to the Country’s debt and put our children’s financial future in jeopardy.”
Buckhannon, who received his Doctorate degree from the National University of Health Science in Lombard, IL, has been happily married to his wife Sonya for sixteen years and is the father of ten year old triplet sons: Ashton, Beck and Collin. He is the owner and founder of Buckhannon Brothers, Inc., a local tile company, and is currently serving his third term on the Isle of Palms City Council.
Decreasing the size of government
As a Representative, Buckhannon’s main goal is to decrease the size of the federal government. Quoting President Ronald Reagan, Buckhannon states that “Government’s first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.” He points out that today’s government has become a self-defeating cycle of handouts and bailouts. “Eliminating the government waste and attached pork within every department of the Congress need to be our number one priorities before any new government programs are created,” says Buckhannon. This includes fixing improper Medicare payments, which total around $17 billion on a yearly basis, and fixing improper Medicaid payments, which run close to $33 billion annually. And on the issue of health care reform, Buckhannon believes that we need to start with tort reform, a loser-pays legal system and the ability to purchase health care insurance across state lines. The bill that passed the in the House this past Saturday will impose a new eight percent payroll tax on employers who do not cover specified percentages of their employees’ health insurance. “That is an additional 8% that has to come from somewhere, ultimately from cutting wages or other benefits,” says Buckhannon. In the end, the full cost of this bill will be over $2 trillion. The new House bill is clearly just more of the same. Increased government intervention and higher taxes will not improve the health care system. Increasing the enrollment in a costly and troubled government program will only add to the rising costs of care.
Fixing the tax system
“We need to replace our antiquated tax code with a fair tax system that will not punish the producers and reward the non-producers,” says Buckhannon, noting that South Carolina small business employers account for over 97% of the state’s employers, and 50% of its private-sector employment. “I represent that group,” he states. “I know firsthand that the harder we work and the more successful our company becomes, the greater the tax burden that we have to bear. It needs to change.”
Belief in the Constitution
Buckhannon believes that the problems with the economy, healthcare and illegal immigration did not start in January, 2009, with the election of a new president. “These problems started long ago when some elected officials forgot who they were supposed to be representing,” says Buckhannon. The answer, he states, is less government intervention, less government spending, and a return of the power back to the people of this great land. “The government has forgotten that our future should be guided by the Constitution,” says Buckhannon. “It is in essence the instruction manual by which our country should be run. I plan on bringing the Constitution back to government and holding accountable those who do not.”
Preservation of our State’s natural resources
As a supporter of the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA), Buckhannon plans on continuing to support the protection of South Carolina’s beautiful coastline and barrier islands, which are both essential to a healthy environment and serve as an economic resource for the State through tourism. “At the time, Reagan belied that ‘this legislation [CBRA] would enhance both wise natural resource conservation and fiscal responsibility’,” says Buckhannon. “It was designed to save American taxpayers millions of dollars while, at the same time, taking a major step forward in the conservation of our magnificent coastal resources.” As a City Councilman on the Isle of Palms, Buckhannon has seen first hand both the devastating effects and financial impact of building too closely to a coast which is continually shifting in response to the forces of wind, wave, and tidal action. “The development of the CBRA was a proactive action to save taxpayers an estimated $1.3 billion since its passage in 1982,” Buckhannon states.
For more information, write to Buckhannon For Congress, #23 27th Ave, Isle of Palms, SC, 29451, call (843) 224-0667, or visit www.VoteBuckhannon.com.
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