In these tough economic times there is no more pressing need than the creation of jobs for Kentuckians.

I know what it takes to create jobs and to keep them in the community. My father, a mechanic by trade, together with my mother, worked to build up a family business that has employed three generations of residents in our region. As a small business owner myself, I know first-hand the stresses that our current economy has created for families and small businesses. Now more than ever, we need strong leadership to help guide us through these rocky economic times.

I believe my 45 years as a businessman give me the ability to bring people together to help attract jobs to Kentucky.

We have to make sure hard-working Kentuckians have the job skills to meet the needs of new employers. As State Senator I will be committed to providing adult education and retraining programs that will allow our workers to participate in the 21st Century economy.

We need to bring in new jobs and, at the same time, we must protect the jobs we have. Let’s look at some facts: Over 100,000 people have jobs in the Kentucky horse industry. If you put Toyota, Ford, Delta, and UPS all together, their employees would only amount to 1/3 the number of employees in the horse industry.

We have got to protect Kentucky’s signature industry and major provider of jobs. And that is why I am in favor of Video Lottery Terminals at our horse racing facilities. We already have gaming in all 120 counties – it’s called the lottery. And right now Kentuckians are going to surrounding states to spend money at the casinos. The money they spend in those states stays there – none of it comes back to Kentucky!

We need to keep Kentucky money here - to pay for education, public protection, and economic development. If the bill to approve VLTs had passed in the last General Assembly, the money would have been used to replace all schools that are 40 years or older and some that are 30 years or older. Think what that would mean in our communities.

Let me be clear: I oppose allowing casino gambling in Kentucky. We do not need or want a casino on every corner or slot machines in every gas station. The proposal I support will confine gaming to only existing racing venues. In the face of compelling public financial need, why should we continue to fail to provide a state option at existing gaming venues to Kentuckians who choose to gamble?