What Elbie Powers wants to do

I was kind of surprised this week that when Republican gubernatorial candidate Elbie Powers sent a lengthy email to the media (and me) announcing that he would file on Monday and what issues he would be running on, it went virtually ignored. I assume it's because the press doesn't view Powers as a viable candidate but he's only running five points behind Bob Orr in the polls and the Capital Press Corps seems to treat his every word as the gospel.

When Powers first announced he would run last year he showed an ability for self deprecation that the rest of his opponents of both parties have sorely lacked by declaring that he was 'the first politician who will admit he's straight out of the nut house.' Powers, of course, is a pecan farmer.

Anyway here are his top three points, in his own words:

1. Creating minimum of 1,000 jobs per county. Expect this number to go higher. MUCH HIGHER!!!

2. Dropping the price of automobile gas to consumers, diesel to farmers and consumers, aviation fuel to commercial carriers in the state.

3. Lowering cost of many everyday items to consumers, i.e. Milk, Eggs, Bread, Coffee, Beef, Insurance, and many more. Keeping more of your hard earned money in your pocket.

This teetotaler spends over $400 a year on milk. So if Mr. Powers wins the Republican primary and can produce a viable plan for how he's going to cut down on my annual milk bill, maybe I'll vote for my first ever Republican. I'll be especially impressed if he can outline how he's going to create 1,000 new jobs in places like Hyde and Tyrrell Counties.

Best of luck to him.