I have always said there is only one thing that can bring our nation down – our dependence on foreign countries for food and energy. Agriculture is the backbone of our economy.

How do you tell troops who volunteered to fight for our freedoms that the country they fought for won’t take care of them when they come back? In the time of war our troops and their families are supposed to be our number one priority.

It shouldn’t take an emergency for this Administration to deal with the health care needs of our nation’s heroes. Funding the VA and our bringing our troops home safely should never be treated as an afterthought.

Across the country, people are willing to tighten their belts and sacrifice. The president should ask the oil industry to do the same.

I have always said there is only one thing that can bring our nation down – our dependence on foreign countries for food and energy. Agriculture is the backbone of our economy.

By increasing the use of renewable fuels such as ethanol and bio-diesel, and providing the Department of Energy with a budget to create more energy efficiency options, agriculture can be the backbone of our energy supply as well.

All communities have a right to clean water. The taxpayers of Pueblo should not have to carry the burden of the clean up cost simply because they live downstream.