BRING HOME THE TROOPS - Honor Their Work and Sacrifice, Bring Them Home

The members of the U.S. Military have done all that has been asked of them and more. Now it is time to honor them by bringing them home. The men and women of our military are needed back in their communities, jobs, and most importantly, their families. With the crisis and emergencies happening  here in America, We need the great strength of these individuals to be available for Natural Disasters such as Hurricane Ivan. And the  spending of BILLIONS on the War, could instead be spent here, on citizens in need, and investing in our future.

 
MORTGAGE CRISIS - Protect the Ohio Homeowner While We Rebuild the Economy
 

The Government failed to protect the Home-Buyers of the 1st District. There was wilfull blindness by those charged with overseeing our banking and mortgage system. We need to protect those who fell prey to the predatory lending practices, and have those that profited be held accountable to their victims. We have seen this before when George Bush was at the center of the Savings and Loan Scandal in the 90's for which you, the taxpayer, picked up the tab while the rich got richer. We need more than lip service, or yet another committee or task force populated by the choices of the special interests and D.C. lobbyists.

I will use the power of the office of the Congressman of Ohio's 1st District to push for a true investigation and legislation to address this National Crisis disproportionally effecting Our District. I will do all I can to keep you in your home.

$700 BILLION WALL STREET BAILOUT

Its Wrong to Privatize Profits and then Socialize Losses

Its time for the NEW New Deal. Instead of giving $700 BILLION dollars to failing companies and their multimillion dollar CEO's and Boards of Directors, Let us use that money to save our economy and rebuild America. Great New Deal Projects like the Hoover Dam were government projects that benefit America to this day. The problems with our infrastructure, bridges, road and tunnels, need to be addressed. USE this money for projects that benefit the country, create productive jobs, and projects that are directed at the communities hardest hit by the economic failure created by corporate greed. Its wrong to Privatize Profits and then Socialize Losses

EDUCATION (National) - Loan Forgiveness for Community Service
 

To help bring back our best and brightest to the community, I will fight to include community professionals in a Student Loan Forgiveness Program. Teachers who work in the toughest schools deserve to be able to focus on the work and not worry about crushing debit of student loans. Lawyers and Paralegals who help our communities through such organizations as the Legal Aide Fund, Physicians and  Nurses that staff clinics and community hospitals, and many others who want to choose to help our communities, should not be stopped because the jobs simply don't pay enough to pay for their student loans.

BRINGING BACK OUR BEST AND BRIGHTEST WILL HELP TO CHANGE
THE FUTURE OF THOSE FROM THE 1ST DISTRICT OF OHIO

The better support our federal government can give to those professional serving the communities needs, the more local and state support will be available for other community concerns.

EDUCATION (Local) - RAISING THE BAR: The Search for Community Supported Programs

There are programs that actually work to improve our educational system. Having been a substitute Teacher I understand there is no one-size-fits-all solution. School districts, Teachers and Parents need choices to find the best solution. One such program is the Literacy Collaborative®

There are other programs that need the time and effort of the community to work. And while my focus will be the concerns of the 1st District at the National Level, I want to strengthen my connection to the communities of the 1st District by participating and supporting community programs. For years I have thought of how great it would be to allow our successful high school students to help guide our grade and middle school students. I promise to help our community leaders to implement programs created and supported by our community.

Administrators, Teachers, and Parents will find there is no greater priority for my office than improving the opportunities for our children.

Columbia Elementary School, a Literacy Collaborative school in Mount Vernon, Ohio, is one of 194 schools in Ohio that received a School of Promise award from the Ohio Department of Education in October 2007.

Congratulations to the team of parents, teachers, and administrators whom these students represent

From the Literacy Collaborative^®

HEALTHCARE (National) - Stop Protecting the Pharmaceutical Companies

George Bush had the opportunity to get rid of the prohibition on allowing Medicare to use its bargaining power to negotiate lower drug prices for 43 million beneficiaries.  Using the bargaining power of being the biggest of clients and reducing costs to taxpayers and Medicare beneficiaries, George Bush protected the profits of big drug companies

Healthcare (Local) - Prevention Saves Both Lives and Money
 

With the loss of jobs in Ohio comes a loss of health care. More and more jobs are not offering health insurance as a benefit. The reality is that  those with medical issues are going to need medical care, either now or later. We can either help those who need medical care while it is manageable or have the state pay for the emergency room visit that the patient can't afford. I want to work with the medical community to find the best affordable solution to address medical concerns before they become emergencies.

"A Harvard study performed in 2005 and published in the respected peer reviewed journal for health policy, Health Affairs, showed that these "medical debtors" (who end up in bankruptcy) are primarily middle class and employed and were demographically typical prior to becoming sick. While many were insured, they blame high copayments and deductibles for their financial ruin. Following their bankruptcy filings, about one-third of debtors continued to have problems paying their bills. Medical debtors reported particular problems making mortgage/ rent payments and paying for utilities, eventually leading to home foreclosures, evictions and, for some, even homelessness" - Choosing Death or Debt: Is This Our Health Care System?By P.J. Pohly, December 20, 2007