I am involved with politics today because of the inspiration I received from Ronald Reagan.

As I travel around Idaho and visit with seniors, I hear almost universal concern about the rising cost of health care, particularly the cost of prescription drugs.

While I recognize the great value and importance of prescription drugs and strongly support a continued U.S. focus on pharmaceutical research and development, our nation's seniors cannot be asked to subsidize the drug costs of other wealthy industrialized nations any longer.

We must take action now, by permitting re-importation, to ensure that health care and prescription drugs remain accessible and affordable for everyone.

I realize the answer is not to create wilderness and walk away.

For a variety of reasons, I believe, the time is right to resolve many of the long standing and thorny land use, recreation, and wilderness designation issues in Central Idaho.

While most Americans have access to the best oral health care in the world, low-income children suffer disproportionately from oral disease.