By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Monday, October 31, 2016, candidate for Congress David J. Putman (D) sat down for a lengthy interview with The Alabama Political Reporter (APR).
Putman is running in the November 8 General Election for Alabama’s Sixth Congressional District seat against incumbent Gary Palmer (R-Hoover).
Putman told APR that his four priorities in congress will be: fighting economic inequality; immigration reform; term limits; and gun safety, not gun control.
Putman said, “My main focus is economic inequality.” Putman proposes what he called, “The grand bargain.” Corporations would get a zero corporate income tax rate. In exchange, they would have to support a $15 an hour minimum wage.
Putman said that the end of corporate income taxes would end corporations sending jobs corporate headquarters and facilities overseas. This brings operations back to the United States. “Those people who are working on minimum wage can not live on minimum wage.” Raising the minimum wage would make them ineligible for all of the government assistance that people on minimum wage receive now. This would reduce the cost of the government.
Putman said that with a minimum wage of $30,000 per year for an individual people would be much more likely to get married and stay married because they have less financial issues. “If you want to reduce guns and killing in the streets, reduce economic inequality.” Putman said that there would be less: abortions, less divorces, more contentment, and more college educations as people could make enough to work their way through school on a minimum wage job.
Putman said, “I am advocating that very strongly.” It is, “A solution that ought to appeal to everybody.”
Putman promised, “I would push for term limits.” Everywhere I go that is what gets the biggest applause. Putman proposes limiting members of the House of Representatives to six two year terms (12 years), Senators could serve just two six year terms (also 12 years). Putman said, “I would propose for the President a single six year term so a President would not have to focus on reelection.” Putman said that now our congressmen and the President stay up there too long and get bought by lobbyists because they are so concerned about being reelected
On immigration he proposed a plan where everybody who is in the US not a citizen would be categorized on an ID card into what they can do here (work, live, go to school, etc). After everyone has been given the opportunity to become legal those who don’t have the proper documentation which have a more difficult time staying here and less illegals would be likely to even come.
Putman said that some people think the wall would solve the immigration issue, but 40 percent of the people who are here illegally came here legally. They came here with a visa to visit, go to school, or work. They liked it and they stayed. Putman said that we have too many illegals. His plan would get everybody right with the law.
Putman’s fourth issue is gun safety as opposed to gun control. Putman said that in order for someone to have a license to own a gun they ought to pass a safety program similar to getting a driver’s exam. Putman would require that would be gun owners pass a written test and a practical test to show be required to show that you know how to properly use and store a weapon. Putman said that we go to the NRA and ask them to design the testing and training program.
Putman grew up in Homewood and went to Georgia Tech where he got an engineering degree. Following college, he entered the US Army during the Vietnam War era, although he was never deployed to Vietnam. He left the Army as a first lieutenant and went to work for Alabama Power at a coal fired power plant in Mobile. Over a thirty-year career Putman held a variety of executive jobs including the manager of labor relations for Alabama Power and GM of fuel administration for the whole Southern Company (the parent corporation of Alabama Power) where he was in charge of procuring all the coal, oil. and gas for the company. While at Alabama Power he went to the Birmingham School of Law school law degree where he was the valedictorian.
Putman retired after 30 years and got heavily involved with soccer, founding the Homewood Soccer Club where more than 1000 kids now participate. He was heavily involved in advocating construction of the Homewood Soccer Complex. Putman and his wife have been married for 49 years. They have two children and six grandchildren.
The election is November 8, 2016.
