The rural nature of our district relies heavily on the profitability of our family farms.

In the five years from 2007 to 2012, we only gained a little over 1,200 farmers. Since we aren't going to stop eating, we have to reverse that trend, or we'll see even more consolidation, more corporate farms, or increasing food imports; none of that is in our interest.

Median home prices within the district are high for a rural community, reflecting the district's attractiveness to buyers of second homes and telecommuters. Residents of the largest town also have access to job centers in the Fresno region, albeit via a one-hour drive to the south. Separately, the district recently lost about a third of its students and will lose about a third of its tax base in fiscal 2007 due to an annexation vote that removed a portion of the district's far southwest territory. This has been incorporated into the rating and we expect continued property turnover and new construction will translate into a growing property tax base within the school's new boundaries.

I live in a rural part of Virginia surrounded by farms and farmers.

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about the paratroopers I served with who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.

Cap-and-trade is a dangerous policy fraught with the potential for significant corruption, and it would hurt my constituents and our economy by raising energy costs.