The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled on four occasions that the way our state chooses to fund schools violates the rights of taxpayers, parents and students.

Instead of fixing the system, the GOP has made a conscious effort to ignore the Court's ruling. The schools in our state have fallen behind in educating our children because the Voinovich-Taft regime did not fix the system and taxpayers are being asked to approve more and more property tax issues as a result of this inaction.

Our state needs a comprehensive overhaul of the school funding system. Ohio's Constitution clearly states it is the responsibility of the state to provide a "thorough and efficient" system of schools in our state and the answers to the funding woes of our school districts must come from our General Assembly, but our legislators aren't listening. Not only is the General Assembly ignoring the school funding problem, it continues to make it worse by giving increased amounts of money to charter schools. Although test results clearly show the charter school experiment to be a failure, some continue to promote charter schools as the solution to our school funding problems.

Ohio needs legislators who are dedicated to reforming the unconstitutional system of school funding that the Voinovich-Taft regime refused to fix, and I'm proud to say we've taken steps to make that happen.

The friends of George Voinovich and Bob Taft made the Bureau of Workers' Compensation a cesspool of corruption and left it in shambles. I'm proud to have supported Governor Strickland's proposals for comprehensive reform of the BWC. I voted to increase oversight of the operations of the BWC and to provide better monitoring of the investment decisions made by the BWC.

This is one of the many areas where we have made significant steps to clean up the mess that Taft left for us.

It's an understatement when people say that we need to end our dependence on foreign oil, and Ohio has a chance to be a leader in this field. As a member of the Agricluture and Natural Resource Committee and the Alternative Energy Committee, I am dedicated to helping create an environment in this state where private businesses will want to start up efforts on products like biodiesel, ethanol and coal liquification.

The development of these types of products can revolutionize our nation and Ohio can become a hotbed for this development, much like the Silicon Valley is for computers. We must seize upon this opportunity before it's too late.

The topic of abortion and personal health choices is one of the most personal and divisive issues in politics. I am 100% pro-life and my religious faith leads me to not support abortion. However, I think many people who call themselves pro-life have a woeful record when it comes to improving the quality and culture of life for children.

I believe in what is called "a consistent ethic of life." This means that while I do not support abortion, I also do not support eliminating programs for pre-natal care or instruction for new parents. I also believe in the sanctity of all human lives, not just those at the beginning of life.

As a reflection of those beliefs, I voted for Governor Strickland's proposals to increase the availability of health care for children and I also voted to increase access to PASSPORT for elderly Ohioans.

Ohio's budget and the limited resources our state has forces us to continue to make tough decisions as to how we spend our tax dollars.  In my experience as State Representative, I've learned that you can't govern with talking points and quoting politicians from the past won't help our state spend taxpayer dollars in a fiscally responsible way.  That's why we need folks in Columbus who have the energy to gather, process and act on the information with an independent point of view.   

Unfortunately, many residents of our area are grapping with poverty on a daily basis. These tough economic times are requiring many people to go without necessities that you and I take for granted.

Governor Strickland's budget is a good first step in rebuilding our commitment to ending poverty in Ohio. I will continue to work with groups that help those in need to make sure that we don't leave anyone behind.

Our part of Ohio has a rich tradition in agriculture. Generations of families have worked the same pieces of land to provide stability and prosperity for loved ones and their communities.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture has been a partner in this prosperity with programs like the Clean Ohio Fund, which supports the permanent preservation of Ohio's most valuable farmland by creating easements to keep a piece of property in agricultural production in perpetuity.

I support keep the Department of Agriculture a cabinet-level department and pledge to fully finance the Clean Ohio Fund.

In 1987, Ohio voters authorized the sale of bonds to assist localities in making capital improvements to their infrastructure. These bonds are vital to our township, village and county governments. Without them, many of the roads we travel every day will not be repaired, which not only puts the safety of drivers at risk, but also makes our area less attractive to businesses. I fully supported the renewal of these bonds in November, 2005 and wrote columns advocating their passage. This program is vital for the continued upkeep and expansion of our infrastructure for rapidly growing areas in our state.

I wholeheartedly support gun ownership for self-defense and for hunting purposes. My "A" ratings by the National Rifle Association during the 2004, 2006 and 2008 campaigns, as well as my endorsement in 2008 by the Buckeye Firearms Association, demonstrate my commitment to gun ownership and the Second Amendment. 

As State Representative, I have shown a consistent commitment not only to our right to bear arms, but also our rights as sportsmen to ample woods for hunting and clean lakes for fishing.