Before speaking to the congregation of My Father’s House Church of God Thursday evening, Republican gubernatorial candidate Ray McBerry spoke to The Griffin Daily News about his platform.

“I’m the one constitutionalist and states’ rights Republican in the race,” he said when asked why he is running.

He said the other Republicans are all middle-of-the-road and career politicians. He said he is the only full-time businessman in the race.

The issue closest to McBerry’s heart is what he calls state sovereignty or states’ rights.

“Most of what the federal government is currently involved in is unconstitutional, including health care,” he said.

He said the state governor has the responsibility to demand the federal government provide constitutional justification for anything the federal government seeks to do within a state’s borders.

“The governor is the one who has the responsibility of defending the people’s liberties against anything from Washington that’s unconstitutional,” he said.

The next big issue for him is taxes.

“I’m the only candidate for governor, Republican or Democrat, who has proposed repealing the income tax and property tax in Georgia and replacing both with a simple state sales tax,” he said.

He estimated the tax would need to be 13 to 19 percent in order to replace the revenues provided by the income and property taxes. The abolition of the property tax would cover local property taxes as well as state property taxes; local governments would collect the sales tax and keep most of the money.

McBerry’s third issue is education. He listed three ideas that could improve education without spending any extra money.

His first idea is for the local school boards to reject federal monies and thus federal oversight. He said only 3 percent of educational funds come from the federal government and getting local control back would be worth giving this up.

His second idea is to provide tax credits for parents to use for public, private or home education. He said private schools and home-schools typically cost less than public schools, so this will save money.

His third idea is to emphasize vocational training. He said that not everyone has the same talents and a four-year liberal arts degree is not right for everyone. He said those who want vocational training should get that training, since it would benefit both the students themselves and the state of Georgia, which would gain a more skillful work force.