America is a great country, with great courage, creativity and compassion. We are also a country with great problems – problems we can and must solve, but problems that will not be solved by denial and distraction. We must deal directly and honestly with the economy, the war and the crisis in health care. We must deal thoughtfully with the challenges of ensuring safety for our country without discarding the values of the constitution. We must preserve the gift of nature and not sacrifice this irreplaceable treasure for short sighted and temporary benefit. We must create a country where children have homes, and families can flourish through hard work and integrity. We must change the path we are now on to one of cooperative spirit and decent debate.

As a father of five grown children, I worry about the world we are passing on to our children. As a health care professional, I am concerned about the tragedies that will occur if our health care system does not itself become healthier. As a veteran who knows the importance of a strong military and understands with regret that some wars must be fought, I am opposed to an unnecessary war that costs us our finest patriots, and prevents us from better responding to the needs of our country. As a person who lives in the country, I am very aware of the consequences of years of bad economic decisions each time I fill my gas tank. As a person who runs a business, I know about responsibility.

I have the life experience, training, and leadership skills to best serve in Congress. I have the maturity, life situation and perspective to represent our interests, not just the interests of a political party. I respectfully ask for your vote.