WELCOME to all of you who are READY to take our Country back!
My name is Tamera Frank, and I am a native mountain woman, raised in the small mountain town of Burnsville, NC.
If I could sum up the heart of my life, it would be the intrinsic joy of waking up in a FREE country and watching the sun rise with a cup of coffee in my hand...smile.
I still tear up when I hear "God Bless the USA" and see our beautiful flag whipping in the wind. I am SO proud to be an American.
Growing up on a farm, I learned about hard work. I remember picking up potatoes, fencing, and planting tobacco after school. I learned that living meant working, and sometimes sacrifice.
Hard work ethics, however, do not seem to be enough in the rural mountain areas. There is little to no industry, the highest taxes and unemployment in years, and no one, it seems to hear OUR cries for help.
This is one reason I am running for NC state Senate - to bring the TRUE voice of the western NC people to Raleigh.
My philosophy is that we have way too many politicians and too few Patriots running our country. We have too much resume and too little guts and integrity - too much knowledge, and way too little wisdom.
I believe WE THE PEOPLE demand something more than a politician who feels entitled.
WE THE PEOPLE are seeking PATRIOTS to lead; WE THE PEOPLE are looking for a Leader who will stand in the trenches and fight to defend the greatest country on earth - America.
I am one who sees all of America as WE THE PEOPLE and there is no place for one who sees himself as better than his neighbor. One man may pull the cart, but he is no more or less than the brother who follows behind. We are a Republic, one Nation, under God and indivisible.
I believe a man's list of accomplishments is not nearly so important as the things that hold us intrinsically erect - our character, our perseverance in the face of great adversity, our courage in the midst of fear, and our love for mankind, even in the company of those who hate us. These, I learned from God.
I graduated from Mars Hill College with a Bachelors Degree in Public Relations and Communications, and a minor in Journalism.
As a career Air Force wife, my work roots are in America, and abroad.
I've done time in family business and the factory. I've been a waitress and a writer. I have planted trees and built local hiking trails. I've been a journalist, an airline agent, and a volunteer - from America to Asia. I've even served burgers - smile, and none of these am I ashamed of.
I have been an adoptions social worker, trained foster-parents, and provided case management and supervision to many foster children and families during my career in childrens services.
On all accounts, I am "One of Us."
My life has not been easy. I know what it's like to be successful and to fail. I know what it's like to be hurt. I also know what it's like to empty the change jar so the check won't bounce...smile.
Very honestly, I probably have walked a mile in "your" shoes.
I have learned that the only constant, truly, is change.
In October of 2006, my son Nikolai was diagnosed with a rare Leukemia. His chances of survival were slim. We prayed. We moved to St. Jude Children's Research hospital, where we lived for the longest and hardest seven months of my life.
There were nights I didn't know if Nikolai would live or die. I couldn't remember the bible verses, so I wrapped my bible in a towel and stood on it in my bathroom. I told God, "I can't remember your words, so I am just going to stand on them."
Through many tears and prayers and so much help from all of these mountain counties, our Nikolai survived. We were soldiers.
We got to come home in spring of '07, following Nikolai's bone marrow transplant. The battle with cancer may have been nearly over, but a new one began.
On November 11th, 2008, following my appointment to the Department of Social Services Board of Directors. I would find myself, over the next year, entrenched in a great battle to hold local officials accountable for their actions.
For the past year, I have stood toe-to-toe with people much bigger than myself, not unlike a David against Goliath. And I have not flinched, but have stood firmly, fighting to uphold the Constitution and laws of North Carolina and the United States.
When I was asked about running for NC state Senate, I began to carefully consider. Was it something I could do? Did I have the political clout? Did I have a polished-dime sort of resume? What did I have?
I knew I had something more than empty words and promises. I had God, and I had an army of soldiers like myself tired of a country being lost to unprincipled leaders and a country that has nearly forgotten the message of the founding fathers...our Constitution.
I am, at the very core, a strong, Constitution-loving woman, hard core on principles and values. I stand tough against political corruption; I am pro-life, pro-God, pro-Constitution, and even own a gun (yes, I believe I ought to be able to carry one and use it if I need to!).
As your Senator, I will work for lower taxes, limited government and the preservation of our individual rights...those Freedoms given to you and me by God and backed up by the good old Constitution.
Most importantly, I don't back down. I fight to the bitter end for what I believe in.
I believe, as evidenced from the March on Washington that YOU, too, WILL NOT BACK DOWN. You want to take your country back, one state, one seat...one good strong servant at a time.
Well, I am here to do just that. With your help, we CAN take the PATRIOT to Raleigh and we CAN turn it upside down, and get this derailed government back on track and into the hands of the people, the way our forefathers intended.
If what we have in Washington and Raleigh is experience, I say we don't need it! We don't need political baggage; what we do need is strong, PRINCIPLED Leadership and Constitutional back bone.
Together, WE can make this happen. In 2010, YOU will have a rare opportunity to vote for someone with integrity and proven grit, one who will Stand by America, Stand WITH YOU, and who will fight for what YOU believe in. Together, we CAN do this. Together, we WILL TAKE back America - one state, one seat at a time!
As I always say, most affectionately - to the country and the Patriots I so love -
"Rock on AMERICA!"
