Like you, I will take some time this week to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with my family and take a little time to count our blessings over the past year.

There can be no doubt this Thanksgiving comes at a difficult time for many of us in Tennessee. Many of our neighbors are struggling to find work or make ends meet. Many of our families are missing a loved one who is defending our liberty on the other side of the world and the problems that face America can sometimes seem overwhelming.

As we pause to observe the holiday, I hope you will join with me to remember those who are less fortunate, families that are struggling and our friends and neighbors who need our help most as the season begins.

I am convinced that, while our problems may seem overwhelming, we have it within us as a nation to overcome any challenge and solve the problems that concern so many Americans. I believe the first step to overcoming our problems is to elect representatives who will truly listen to you and reflect your values, but there will be plenty of time to discuss that as the calendar turns and the campaign season begins. For now, it is a time to be thankful for our freedoms and to reach out to those who need the compassion of their fellow Tennesseans.

One thing I am thankful for is the outpouring of encouragement and support I have received since announcing my candidacy for Congress. Taking on a task like this is never easy and I am grateful for every expression of support I receive. Your words of encouragement convince me every day that taking on the career politicians who care more about their titles and power than the people is the right thing to do.

So on this Thanksgiving, my family will save a special moment of thanks for you.

I hope this season finds your family happy and healthy. I look forward to seeing you on the campaign trail soon.

In these tough times, it’s important for Americans to have faith in the accuracy of information their government provides to them. It’s become clear in the last few months that the Obama Administration has some problems with math.

You might remember in February, President Obama and Nancy Pelosi told us that unless we passed their $787 billion “stimulus” plan, they would be unable to keep unemployment below 8%. Their sales job worked and the pork plan passed. Bart Gordon was right there first in line to cast a yes vote for more debt and a weaker economic future for our children.

Here we are in November and unemployment sits at 10.2%. Vice President Biden tells us, “everyone guessed wrong.”

After nine months we cannot get an accurate number of the jobs the administration claims to have “saved or created” with the pork plan. We do know from reporting that the president is claiming jobs have been created in 15 of 25 Arizona congressional districts.

The problem with their estimates is Arizona only has eight congressional districts.

Faced with an avalanche of new debt, the House moves to Nancy Pelosi’s 1,990 health care takeover bill costing $1.3 trillion, but we are told it will lower costs. A week after the bill is passed, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services informs us that it will actually INCREASE costs by $289 billion over the next decade.

Now comes word that the Department of Health and Human Services will revise the number of available doses of the H1N1 flu vaccine down from the original number of 100 million to 40 million and today down to 28 million. This after the HHS Secretary told Congress earlier this year that there would be plenty of vaccine available. Since September, 3,000 Americans have died as a result of H1N1 and 29,000 have been hospitalized. The administration blames the manufacturers for their staggering overestimation of available doses, but excuses don’t solve the problem.

Whether the administration’s problems giving accurate numbers to deal with policy issues are a result of politics or incompetence, the fact remains that we as citizens deserve an honest accounting of our government’s activities. The Obama administration has not learned that lesson and the Congress has failed in its oversight responsibilities.

Welcome and thanks for checking in. Here I hope to discuss the issues in more depth than you get in news reports or commercials. I also will be keeping you updated on my campaign for Congress and the exciting things that are happening. Please let me know your thoughts and get involved. 2010 will be an exciting year as we finally give Middle Tennesseans a true choice and a representative that stands for our values.