A New School Year Started...

The beginning of a new school year is upon us and the excitement for all students is fun to observe. I'm inspired by the hope for the future that many students have as they realize this may be their last year in school. I particularly enjoy seeing the light that occurrs as young people begin to understand the choices they make affect their future. As I witness the adversity that some students must overcome and the way they overcome and compensate for this adversity I never fail to be stunned. The investment we as citizens make in our children cannot be over stated. We must continue to offer the necessary support for our children while at the same time expect and demand the best from them and ourselves. The strength of our nation is dependent upon the next generation, my hope is that we all see the responsibility we have for our future.

The Spirit of the Olympics

Every two years we have the chance to enjoy the Olympics, alternating between the summer and the winter. I have particularly enjoyed the performances of this Olympics. To see the many individual performances of world class athletes, the gold medals being won, world records being broken, the performance of our swim team, the women's gymnastic team, the beach volleyball energy, the athletes of our track and field team and the push for gold by our basketball and volleyball teams creates a sense of patriotism. I love to watch the response of these men and women as our national anthem is played and the red white and blue are lifted to the sky above them to celebrate their individual and team performances.

Athletic competition between nations and individuals presents a stage for sportmanship and blurs the boundaries that sometimes affect our judgement. I love the spirit of the Olympics and am grateful for those men and women that prepare themselves for this world stage.

Campaign Season

Campaign Season will soon be in full throttle, the mailers, the phone calls the door hangers and the cottage meetings. It's always a challenge to get your message out to those that you hope will elect you. Running a campaign is much like an extended job interview, you have the chance to respond to many different constitutents. I generally enjoy the interaction and the feed back, to be challenged on issues and to defend your position is always useful and makes you a better candidate for election. I look forward to the next couple of months and hopefully will have a chance to visit with many from my area.