Thanks for taking an interest in this campaign. I decided to run against Kay Granger, the GOP House Conference Vice Chair, because, for one, I live in her district. She has always voted the Republican line and I don’t think that’s always best for our country.

In 2006 American voters said they had had enough of President Bush and the Republicans running the government—they tired of the endless war in Iraq and the mounting deaths. At the same time Afghanistan had been ignored and the Taliban (the original enemy, remember?) had re-established strongholds in some parts of the country after being evicted in the months after 9/11. It is as if three years after World War II, the Nazis had won some elections in Germany and was mounting a comeback. The allies would never have tolerated that and we should not allow it now.

Too many citizens cannot obtain health insurance and some who can, cannot afford it. Every industrialized nation in the Western world has some form of national health insurance which works. There is no reason why we cannot have an affordable and workable health insurance plan in this country. I pledge to work with the next President to make that happen.

We must balance our budget, trim the national debt and restore confidence in the dollar throughout the world. This will not be easy and it will not make a lot of people happy but it must be done! Most of us have had times we had to get out of debt and each of us was better off for doing it. So it is with our country.

Republicans and Democrats in government should work together instead of trying to embarrass each other while the problems here and abroad remain. That is what people want and that is how I will act in Congress.

So, let’s roll up our sleeves, win this campaign, begin to tackle our problems and rejoice in what is good about America.

Tracey Smith

Fort Worth, Texas