I am 37 years old and have been married to my lovely wife for seven years.  We have the best, smartest, cutest kid ever (sorry if you thought your kid was –wink-) in my 2 year old son Chase.  They have truly been a blessing in every sense of the word.  I could not imagine my life without them.   Like you, my family is very important to me.  I am a regular guy.  Maybe your neighbor, your friend, even a member of your family. 

     But you should know what lead me here…

     I was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio.  My middle class parents divorced when I was in second grade (this must be why I am so messed up -wink-).  Other than that I had a pretty normal childhood.  Unfortunately divorce has become the norm for so many families.  But I digress.

     My routine in school was a little different than most.  While most of our other students would study hard and try to grasp the curriculum, I was in the- both blessed and cursed- position of being able to understand the information on the first presentation.  This, in my opinion, led to some serious problems.  I was bored out of my mind.  And the system wasn’t set up to cater to my special requirements.  An example of how things went follows.

     In my high school social studies class the routine was to cover a new chapter on Monday.  I would pay attention and be great.  Then Tuesday thru Thursday we would review the chapter.  This is when I would sleep. Friday, when the test would come around, I would pass the test and wait till Monday to start the cycle over again.

     While I was in school, my desire to join the work force -which I thought would be more exciting and challenging- combined with my boredom, led me to make what is probably the worst decision I have ever made.  I dropped out of High School. This has both haunted me -and made me stronger- as the years have gone by.

    Since I started working full time I found that I learned very quickly, and quickly moved up through the ranks.  Twice I have been the youngest member of management in company history.  The first was with a multi state shoe company called Acton Enterprises, and the second was with a national Auto Parts Chain called Nationwide Auto Parts.  I was very proud to learn that hard work can really pay off.

     It was during my early years in the workforce that I also used marijuana recreationally (weren’t expecting that were ya?).  I understand that admitting this will cost me some voters but if I don’t then I would not be living up to my commitment to you.  Total Honesty!  I will not try and defend this action, but my sharing it is about owning all my past.  Not just the best parts.  I also understand that everyone who reads this has made poor decisions at some point also. 

     Sales turned out to be something I was a natural at.  More accurate may be to say that I am good with people.  They like and trust me.  This could be, perhaps, because I truly care and I am not afraid to tell the truth.

     I have held many positions in the sales industry since I was 17 years old.  I have sold everything from Lexus Automobiles, Shoes, Homes, and am currently a jeweler.   My Jewelry career of 15 years has taken me to 30 different states as a designer and to several malls as a manager to a sales associate.  Unfortunately for me is the fact that I am not really money motivated.  So I was not interested in moving up the chain of command.  As long as I could pay my bills and have a happy life…I was good.

     I live paycheck to paycheck like a lot of you.  In fact ever since my son was born my credit has gone down the tubes (more of that darn honesty again).  Not only because of his economic requirements but because, at the same time, my wife took a pay cut because of the recession.  And my income was severely reduced when I was trying to establish myself at Lexus.  It turns out I had left the housing market, because it had fallen, to go into the auto industry.   Which, I learned, follows soon after.

     Ever since, we have had to modify our home loan to get it out of the path to foreclosure, try and get rid of any non essential bills (if only the government would do this), and just tighten up our pocketbooks as much as possible.  This also led me back to jewelry -where I have 15 yrs experience- since it is a reliable income for me and my family.

     My experience in sales, though, taught me a lot about people.  In fact the interaction with the public is my favorite aspect of what I do.  But helping people in the retail sector is not a lifelong dream of mine.  That is where my new venture comes in.

     Like many of you I have been trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up (Not that I ever plan on growing up).  I have been looking for something to, not only add meaning to my life but, more importantly allow me to maximize the gifts I have been given.  One thing I noticed in every single position I have held, is that I lacked a true “love” for it.  Therefore I never put my heart and soul into them.  Sure I work hard and I am good at what I do but I want more.

     My interest in Politics started years ago and I have played “Armchair Quarterback” many a time.  I have studied the issues and how things work,  trying to grasp how particular issues actually affect other aspects of our country.  The more I studied and the more understanding about how certain issues intertwine with others the more I realized that not only did I get it but, I loved it.  I had found what I am truly passionate about.  I now know “What I want to be when I grow up”…..A Congressman in the United States House of Representatives.

     The recent turmoil in our country combined with my desire to get involved has brought me to this point.  I hope you will appreciate the things I will do differently than the current politicians that we have…eh hem…representing us.    

     Times are tough.  But I decided, with the support of my family, that I should still take a big risk in order to help, not just ourselves but, every American.  While this is probably the worst possible time for my family,(remember I am not wealthy) I must do this now.  I think it is more important than just me and my family.  America is more important to me than any one person.  And the timing in the country could not be better for someone like me to burst on the scene.  Someone who actually cares about real people’s lives more than anything else. 

     Obama campaigned on “Change We Can Believe in”.   Now that a lot of Americans who wouldn’t normally have paid attention are starting to, I believe it is time to refocus everyone on the “Right Kind Of Change”.  Not political games. 

WE NEED A RESTORATION!  I don’t want to start the system over.  I just want to do things that are…wait for it…Right for the American people!  Not for the special interests, not for my political career, but for the American People.  Lets get back to the constitution and apply it the way it was intended?  To keep America the greatest country on earth.

     I have followed politics for years and as time has gone by I have followed more and more closely.  I even read the bills now.  And let me tell you…I don’t like what I am seeing going on right now.  The current administration, specifically democrats, is proposing an expansion of governmental control under the guise of being in the best interest of the people.  This goes against what I believe in.  And in fact their tax policies are literally going to retard the economy in the long run.

     And the republicans aren’t doing much better.   They are operating with what Newt Gingrich refers to as “the minority mindset”.  They are so used to democrats controlling congress, it seems they just show up to vote NO.  Some are suggesting alternative views but, what I want to know is why aren’t they selling what they would like to see happening to the American People (like pundits do) and let us decide what we think is best and then pressure those in power to implement good ideas?  Or why aren’t they trying to push bills that make sense as far as they can and put the pressure on the commitees to explain why they kill them.  When people in power ignore things like the tea party movement then things like the Massachusetts happen.

     Right now there are a lot of people, like myself, who have educated themselves on the issues and have organized things like Tea Parties to express their concerns.  I think we need someone in Washington who, not only, truly understand the people but, wants to work as hard as possible to make the changes that Americans actually want.   This is where I come in.

     I am sure, like me, you have seen something in Washington that could be done much better.  When I read the, so called, “stimulus bill” it made me sick.  Just dumping an obscene amount of money in the form of digital converter coupons, or dog parks, or even worse expansion of government is not the best way to recover from a recession.  Spending works, but not that kind of spending.  Reducing taxes on everyone and targeting any spending instead would have made a lot more sense and would not have cost the tax payers nearly a trillion dollars. (My son Chase is in debt for 10’s of thousands already)

      So instead of just venting my disappointment to friends and family I made what may be the biggest decision of my life.  I am going to do something about it.   This will be a lot harder without a major party behind me but, then again, that is kind of the reason I am doing this isn’t it.  If I were a party candidate I probably wouldn’t want to do what’s right before ANYTHING else.  I am an Independent because I am an independent thinker.  If I did have party support I would have to appease my party to keep their support.  Well no party is supporting me now and I am great with that. 

     I hope as you explore my website you will learn a lot about me and what I believe in.  Please understand that this site is done in a minimalist style for many reasons, the biggest being that I am a regular guy just like all of you and I don’t have a political machine helping me in this.  So please give me as much feedback as you will.  I will be expanding more as my resources allow.