Well the problem with the cart was the spring that pushes the secondary clutch closed was broke into three parts, and wouldn't close the clutch. This cause the cart to have to be at full throttle so the other clutch could tighten the belt enough to get the cart going.
I found a spring from an ATV store that would work in the clutch for $20 and was able to fix the clutch vs. buying a new secondary clutch for $240.
Today the cart runs well, climbs hills much better, and doesn't squeal or jerk when it takes off.
Figured I'd type this in case someone else had a similar problem.