As the mother of six, it pains me that five of my children work and live with their families out of state due to better career opportunities elsewhere. And now, just as Albany’s freewheeling approach to the spending of taxpayer dollars has damaged the Central and Western New York economies, similar attitudes in Washington are laying waste to the national economy.

Government doesn’t create jobs, small businessmen and women do. So it only makes sense that we lower the costs of doing business and let individuals keep more of what they make in order to encourage entrepreneurship, investment, and sustainable economic growth.

It’s time the people reminded Washington that it is the steward of taxpayer dollars, not the beneficiary. There are strings attached. They will be held accountable for how much they spend and how well they spend it.

My opponent’s economic prescription is a prescription for sickness not for health. Sending more of your hard-earned money to Washington to redistribute will only prolong the economic misery. The same can be said for New York politicians that want to feed the beast that is Albany.

To make New York once again the Empire State, we need pro-growth policies in Washington and in Albany. I will carry that message to Washington, but we need to sweep out the tax and spenders from Albany as well.

I am a proud signer of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge which binds me to the promise that I will oppose federal tax increases. I strongly urge you to support candidates for state and local offices that will make a similar pledge to oppose increases in state taxes.