Legal, Economic Training Aids Davis

Cory de Vera, News-Leader
See the original article here.

Pull up the Tim Davis for Congress website, and you’ll find a series of videos.

No, they aren’t typical campaign commercials featuring dramatic, patriotic music and a candidate casting his eyes determinedly into the horizon.

“I promise not to be boring as I talk about economic and political issues,” says an earnest Davis into the camera, encouraging viewers to tune in to the next episode where he launches into scholarly charts and graphs of economic data.

With a doctorate in economics and his international training in law, Davis believes he’s got the background the country needs in a congressional representative.

Davis’ soft accent might suggest he’s not an Ozarker, but in fact his family’s roots in Christian County date back to just after the Civil War. The accent, he said, probably comes from his Canadian mother.

Davis was practicing law in Toronto and New York — handling corporate mergers and hostile takeovers — when in 2004 he decided to come back to Branson.

“The excitement of practicing corporate law wears off after a while,” he said.

His private practice offers more variety. About half involves government law. He also handles business cases and civil rights cases.

Not all of Davis’ positions follow traditional Democratic party lines. For instance, he opposed Gov. Jay Nixon’s call to create special tax incentives to keep Ford in Missouri.

But he cites clear differences with Republicans when it comes to civil rights, tax policy and immigration.

Democrats simply have a better record when it comes to protecting the rights of women and minorities, he said.

Davis said the so-called fair tax — which is popular among Republican candidates — would be devastating. People earning between $20,000 and $30,000 a year would see their after- tax income drop by $9,000, he said. He said the tax would practically put an end to sales of new homes.

While many Republicans sound hostile to immigration, Davis said the right immigration policy could save Social Security from bankruptcy.

Here’s how: The United States could offer temporary work permits to immigrants skilled in science, math, engineering, business and health care. But those permits would stipulate that the immigrant would have to leave before retirement age. They would pay into the system, but never draw benefits.

“It’s the only way to balance the budget over the long term, if we really plan to take care of older Americans,” said Davis.

When he’s not engrossed in law or economic data, you’ll most likely find Davis doing something for his church, James River Assembly, where he works with junior high and high school students and occasionally offers legal advice.

“I look at this (work at James River Assembly) as just as important as my law practice, just as important as my expertise in economics in the value of my personal life,” he said.