An interview with David Cooper
David Cooper with his wife, their daughters, and their dogs. Photo courtesy of David Cooper Campaign
By PJ Martin
Editor
The Herald-News
We sat down with gubernatorial candidate David Cooper at a local restaurant in Edmonton last week and asked him about the bigger issues facing Kentucky.
First, a little information about David Cooper. He is a Christian and a family man with a wife and two daughters. He is pro-life and believes in 2nd amendment rights. He works for Veolia and has been a blue-collar worker for 24 years. He is not a lifetime politician and this is his first campaign. He is a member of the KY Army National Guard and was deployed to Iraq twice. He has been in the service for 22+ years with twenty of that in a leadership position.
When asked what his thoughts were on China buying America’s farmland he replied, “There was a bill that just got passed that prevents China from buying our land. I am 100% for that bill. If there is any land in Kentucky that’s owned by China…I don’t agree with just taking it. If they purchased it they should get their money back, but we’re gonna take it back.” He further explained that land purchased next to military bases should be recovered, whether it be China, Russia, or another country that purchased it.
Next, we asked Cooper about vocational schools and students being taught everyday skills. He proposes a mandatory class be taught in high schools, “In my mandatory life skills class, I want to bring back a little bit of home ec so they can start saving money by making their own food…right away teach them how to cook.”
“I want to bring a little bit of shop into this class and teach them how to fix stuff around the house. Auto mechanics, how to change the oil. How to change a tire…How to balance a checkbook. How to buy a house. How to save money and about 401k pensions…and in that last portion of that mandatory life skill class, I want a little bit of political science.”
He also relayed that he feels saying the pledge of allegiance each day should be brought back into schools.
Concerning vocational schools, “They need to know that there’s more than just college. If they want to be a teacher, if they want to be a doctor, let ‘em go to college…If you want to be a carpenter, HVAC, a welder…kids need to know there are other things out there. And when they go to these trade schools, when they come out, they’re not gonna be in debt.”
When asked about the teaching of CRT in school he replied, “CRT is a college course, and it’s not being taught in our schools [Kentucky], but I do believe …the new teachers, who took that class they are incorporating it into their agendas and that needs to stop.”
He uses an app on his phone to speak with his children’s teachers and they can contact him directly. “We have the tools, but teachers need to not be afraid of giving kids bad grades.” He went on to explain that some teachers are afraid of backlash from parents and they need more confidence. “They need to be teaching history, but they also don’t need to be shaming white students. It’s not their fault for America’s shameful past…We have a very shameful past, we had black slaves, we had Chinese build the railroads. Horrible, but that wasn’t our kid’s fault.”
“I am for school choice. I think parents’ money should be going towards their kids. Money should follow the child.”
“I’m thankful that HB 150 passed. I’m super happy with that!” He added that he was glad it addressed the problem of biological males in women’s locker rooms and feels that biological men should not compete in women’s sports.
Cooper has a plan for the pension fund stating, “Kentucky’s biggest financial threat is the pension fund.”
He explains his pension plan on video on his Facebook page David Cooper for Kentucky Governor. It uses The Vanguard High Yield Fund which was established 45 years ago.
He is in favor of using Kentucky coal for energy and spoke about several other subjects. More in-depth plan details can be found on his website and Facebook page. It would take more space than is currently available to publish the entire plan for the pension system.
You can read more at CooperForKy.com or his phone number is 859-322-4154. He requested that his phone number be included in this article.
Speaking at a Republican dinner. Photo courtesy of the David Cooper Facebook page
