John Davis for President visits Havre, Hi-Line

Havre Daily News/Nikki Carlson

John Davis, weilding his wrench, brings his campaign to tthe Hill County Courthosuse Thursday morning.

A candidate for the Republican nomination for president braved the chilly Hi-Line weather this morning to bring a message of fixing business and morality in the country.

John Davis of Grand Junction, Colo., 54, was at the Hill County Courthouse at 8 a.m. today, his first stop on his way across the H-Line to his last planned stop for today in Bowbells, N.D.

Davis is trying to stop in every county in America before the election in 2012.

Davis said one key issue for him is bringing God and morality back to the country. He cited the number of abortions every year, and the programming on television, as evidence that the morality has dropped.

"I believe God is giving us one last chance" to bring morality back, Davis said.

He said the other top issue is fixing the economy — which he said may take longer than his lifetime.

He said the key to that is removing red tape, reducing regulations like those from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and reforming the tax codes.

Davis said he wants reduced taxes, including eliminating the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and replacing all personal and corporate income tax with an embedded retail sale tax, called by its proponents a fair tax, and imposing a 5 percent to 10 percent import tax, or tariff, and reducing the corporate tax rate at 10-15 percent.

Davis said his qualifications include being a family man — his wife, Debra, is with him on his "Votercade across America" — with four children and six grandchildren, his not being afraid of hard work, and his 35 years as a self-employed home builder.

His business experience is what will make him able to serve as president, Davis said, adding that that is what the federal government is — big business.