On Thursday, April 1st, Todd visited students at Schrop Intermediate School on Pickle Road in Akron. Schrop student Nathaniel McMullen, a cousin of Ryan Bolyard (Todd's webmaster and campaign volunteer), asked if Todd could come and speak to his class, which has recently been learning about Congress and the Constitution.

Todd spent nearly an hour teaching about the Constitution, the roles of the President, Congress, and the Supreme Court, and how a bill becomes a law. Todd also discussed the sacrifice of others to secure our freedom and explained that freedom is not free.  The students were engaged and excited about the topics and Todd was impressed at how knowledgeable these students from the Springfield Local School District were about the American form of government and with the great questions they asked.

More photos on Todd's Facebook page.  Become a fan today!

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The Ohio Project

On Tuesday, March 30th, Todd signed the petition for The Ohio Project and signed on to be a petition circulator.   The Ohio Project, which is sponsored by the Ohio Liberty Council, aims to nullify the Obama-care mandate.  500,000 signatures are needed to place the amendment on the Ohio ballot, so Todd, along with hundreds of other concerned Ohio citizens, will be circulating petitions throughout the state.

While states across the country are filing lawsuits saying that requiring Americans to purchase health insurance violates the "commerce clause" of the U.S. Constitution, Ohio is not one of them.  Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray, a Democrat,  said, "I do not think it would be an advisable expenditure of taxpayer dollars on the part of the taxpayers of Ohio."

State Senator Gary Cates, R-West Chester, wrote a letter to Cordray on behalf of Republican members of Congress and Republican State senators, saying, "What's important here is that the people of Ohio can't rely on their attorney general to do what's in their best interest.  He's working to defend the Obama administration rather than the best interests of Ohioans."

The proposed amendment would provide that:

1. In Ohio, no law or rule shall compel, directly or indirectly, any person, employer, or health care provider to participate in a health care system.

2. In Ohio, no law or rule shall prohibit the purchase or sale of health care of health insurance.

3. In Ohio, no law or rule shall impose a penalty or fine for the sale or purchase of health care of health insurance.

Read the entire amendment here.

Sign the petition here.

What: 13th District Republican Candidate Forum

When: Wednesday, April 21, 2010 7:00 PM

Where:

Brunswick Recreation Center

3637 Center Rd.

Brunswick, OH 44212

Map

The City of Brunswick will be hosting a Candidates' Forum for those seeking to represent

Ohio's 13th Congressional District.

The event will be held at the City's Recreation and Fitness center at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday,

April 21, 2010 and is expected to run approximately two hours.

The event will be co-moderated by Gary Werner (Mayor) and Vice Mayor, Patrick McNamara.

Learn more here:

http://www.meetup.com/Akron-912-Project/calendar/13023102/

I wanted to thank Jim Albright and John Amrhein from WHLO 640AM's morning show (listen here). It was a pleasure have a chance to meet them and talk about my candidacy for the 13th district U.S. Congress. I would have loved to been able to continue the conversation with the two of them.

Unfortunately, we ran out of time. Here are some of the other items I would have liked to discuss:

• Health Care - We need to work to repeal the bill,  but for now the states and other organizations will need to push the fight in the court systems. Second, we need to elect conservatives that will stand behind the Constitution and defund the program. We can do that without having to override a Presidential veto. Then in 2012, we will need to elect a conservative president who will work with congress to ultimately repeal the bill. During this time we can begin working on real health care reform that addresses the cost of care and not the rationing of care.
• Educational Choice - In addition to my comments on the air, I would add that we need to reinforce the right of the parent to choose the educational program that best meets their family's needs, either through public school, private school, charter school, or home school.
• Energy Independence - We need to build new refineries and harvest our own natural resources - coal, oil, and natural gas. Without energy to fuel our economy, we cannot grow. And building new refineries and exploring for these natural resources will put Americans to work. Why should China and Russia be able to drill in the Gulf of Mexico while we tie our own hands?

These are just a few of the issues I would have liked to have discussed.

Thanks again to Jim and John. 

I had the privilege of meeting with the editorial staff, Michael Douglas and Steve Hoffman, at the Beacon Journal, on Tuesday, March 23. Four other candidates for the 13th District Republican primary and I answered questions on health care, energy independence, job creation, and other issues affecting the district and the nation.