Donnie Ownby

Donnie Ownby served in the U.S. Army from 1974 to 1977. Ownby earned a high school diploma from Clinton High School and an associate degree from Roane State Community College.

His career experience includes working as a small business owner.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I have never enjoyed talking about myself. That being said, God has taught me humility. The military taught me organization and critical thinking. I am 69 years old, semi-retired, live off the grid and love animals. I am married to the best woman in the world that I know God put in my life. I have a daughter and 2 living sons, one deceased. We have 4 grandchildren and one on the way. I’m a Christian Conservative. I’m no angel but God has been good to me. I believe we live in the greatest country that has ever existed on the face of the earth. I believe in the people of this district and East Tennessee in general. I’ve had a great life. Yes, I’ve had ups and downs but God has always been there by me. I have a great family and many good friends and acquaintances. I’ve had a varied past work experience. It includes military service, power line construction, transportation, X-ray and Ultrasound tech, and running my own small trucking company. I have followed politics since I was in middle school but never had a desire to involve myself in them, until now. I believe that the Founders had a different vision of how our government should work than the politicians that we have today. I am of the opinion that a man or woman should, when elected, serve in that position for a limited time then return to the private sector and resume the position that the Founding Fathers placed as the highest position attainable, that being the work of a dedicated citizen.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Obviously I believe in term limits. 3 for congress, 2 for senate, at most. One may say we have term limits, it’s called an election. If only that were true. TV and radio operate on the pay to play theory. Independents, generally, cannot match the spending of the two parties. Print media, though it may be willing, is becoming more and more obscure and it would seem our attention is focused on digital production. Folks I meet comment that I sound like a Republican. I reply, No, they sound like me. Kinda like Reba said, I was Conservative when Conservative wasn’t cool. The more of the working class that is elected to legislative positions in this country, the better it is for you and me. More citizen participation is required at all levelsEducating our children, truly educating them, is essential to maintaining our position as the dominant power on the earth. We must convince our kids that if they enjoy the benefits of freedom they must participate in the requirements to preserve it. We need skilled tradesmen and women but we MUST have dedicated engineers and scientists as well. Our history must be taught, without bias, but our schools have to also remind our children that their lives lie in tomorrow, not yesterday. Our scores are low because we have lost sight of the most important things our schools are supposed to be there for. Raising our children to have the ability to compete on the world stage at every level is essential to preserving our freedom. Freedom is not free.Manufacturing IS the Middle Class. We hear of the widening gap between the “rich” and “poor” constantly. It started with sending our manufacturing base to foreign countries and turning our country into a welfare state. Having a nationwide base of employment for folks at all education or training levels is how that is corrected. Care for our citizens when they are in trouble gives us a compassionate society. Do not forget though, that writers and artists contribute to the diversity that is the treasure of this country. I believe that there is opportunity in this district for light and medium manufacturing to coexist with the environment. Reducing “foreign aid” that makes it’s way into the pockets of corrupt politicians will help greatly.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Foreign and domestic policy, education and employment. We must protect our borders and citizens. It is imperative that we have the best military in the world. We MUST educate our children. We are falling woefully behind and failing, in large part, in the ability of our children to read and write on grade level. Reading and math are essential skills required at all levels and stations in life. The old saying is true: you spend the first three years of your life learning to read and the rest reading to learn. Full employment of our workforce is a necessity that cannot be ignored. Most folks would rather work than steal. But when your children are crying because they are hungry, and your pockets are empty because of unemployment. What then?