Weekly Columns

For more than 237 years Americans have sought opportunity and pursued what has come to be known as the American Dream. And even in the midst of a broken economy, that desire still burns brightly in the hearts of most of our fellow countrymen.

Despite President Obama's promise to create jobs, we still have a severe unemployment problem. While there are many factors hindering job creators, including regulatory costs or Obamacare implementation fees, the American people have yet to see real solutions from the Administration that grow the economy or improve the workforce.

The Affordable Care Act remains vastly unpopular across the country, and problems with the program continue to be revealed. These realities could actually prevent the president’s healthcare law from going into effect at the start of this year. On January 1, those enrolled for coverage under Obamacare became eligible to receive it. But the days ahead are likely to uncover more insurmountable problems for patients, doctors, employers and insurers.

It’s hard to believe that 2013 is already reaching an end. While Congress didn’t solve everything we could’ve hoped for this year, there were numerous victories for the country. Most importantly, I was encouraged to watch both sides work together on several occasions to find common ground and display true bipartisanship. It’s a reminder that when we start where we agree, we can function in divided government.

The state of our nation’s economy is easily the issue that should concern our leaders, lawmakers and citizens most. Not only does it impact who we are and how we’re perceived today, but it also determines what kind of country our children and grandchildren will get to enjoy in the days and years ahead.