Goals We Can All Work Toward

President Bush used the State of the Union Address to speak to the real concerns in most people’s lives.  I think the President’s focus on the War on Terror, healthcare, education and energy independence is a focus the American people share.  While good people can argue about the means by which we achieve our goals, all reasonable people agree with a need to attain stability in Iraq, provide cheaper and readily available healthcare, renew accountability in our education system, and increase alternative energy production.

The President’s call for an increased mandate in ethanol production reinforces the purpose of the Energy Bill which I helped draft.  Before Congress passed the Energy Bill in 2005, we had no ethanol plants operating in Ohio.  Since that time, planning has begun on six ethanol plants in my district alone.  Our ethanol mandates have already led to a stronger market for farmers and will result in the reduction of harmful gases and a decrease in the use of foreign oil.

As Congress moves forward on the ambitious goals President Bush has presented, my job will be to continue speaking for the views of the people of the Fifth District.  I look forward to working with President Bush to achieve those goals which we share, to allow a full and open debate on the goals in which we differ and to continue making the world and the United States a better, stronger, and safer place.