Issues
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Jobs
As a business owner I have seen the impact of the downturn in the economy on my businesses, other local businesses and the people in our community.
I personally know people who have lost jobs, lost homes and
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are facing situations that they would have never imagined only a few years ago. It will take creative solutions to address these problems. We must work together with the local business community, labor, community groups and local governments to develop specific plans to revive our economy.
Our goal must be to protect and create jobs that sustain middle class families so that people are able to buy a home, send their children to college, have affordable health care and save for retirement.
Education
The students of today are the work force of tomorrow. We must give them the tools to develop themselves. I have children in the public schools and recognize that improvements are needed to ensure our children receive the education they need to be successful.
We spend too much time on testing and following multiple layers of mandates. Restoring local control, involving parents and allowing teachers more flexibility to teach are critical to rebuilding our education system. It is painful to see vast amounts of money spent on administration while classrooms often go without needed equipment and supplies.
Our Community College and State University systems provide essential tools for the community in higher education and provide the ongoing education that our community needs. As our economy improves we need to restore the cuts that have been made that directly impact our Education System, while continuing to find ways to reduce costs and administrative overhead.
Health Care
As a family man I completely understand the need for affordable health care and it is becoming a greater challenge each year. Prioritizing preventative health care and finding ways to reduce the use of emergency rooms for basic health care would be a couple of key places to start in reducing overall costs.
I know how important it is for our family to choose the heath care providers that we want and make sure that our parents are treated with dignity and respect. I would hope you feel the same. One way to do that and save money at the same time is to make sure we make every effort possible to assure that the elderly and disabled are able to stay at home.
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