As I write this it’s late morning on Thanksgiving Day.  In just a few hours our extended families will get together for what is always one of my favorite days of the year.  That is particularly true this year because it has been such a remarkable year.  There are many things that I am thankful for this Thanksgiving and I’d like to list a few:

I am most thankful to have such a wonderful family.  My wife, and two girls, who have made considerable adjustments as I serve the people of Ohio’s third district in Washington, D.C. 
 
I am thankful to the voters of the third district for demonstrating their trust in me by electing me to Congress last year.  It has been an honor to serve during this important year with the war on terror, the conflict in Iraq and the struggling economy.

I am thankful the country has a leader with the strength of his convictions and moral courage of George W. Bush.  September 11, 2001 was among the worst days in our nation’s history.  It is fortunate that we had this strong leader to guide us during the war on terror as well as the challenging economic times we’ve faced.

I am thankful for the progress we’ve made in the war on terror and hopeful for the continued progress we’ll make in the year ahead.  I am thankful that Saddam’s regime of terror is no more.  During my trip to Iraq, it was clear that the Iraqi people are thankful for the U.S. presence and our effort to stabilize that country.

I am proud and thankful for our brave fighting men and women in Iraq, Afghanistan and all over the world.  I want to say thanks to their families who share the burden and worry.  May God look over all of them.  This past year, as part of my duties on the Armed Services Committee, I met many of the Soldiers who are protecting us and defending our freedoms, several were from Ohio.

I’m proud to be part of this 108th Congress and thankful that some long overdue legislation has been accomplished including:

• The Ban on partial birth abortion, which President Bush signed into law this past month.
• Medicare reform was passed by both houses of Congress and will soon be signed by President Bush, which will soon make prescription drugs affordable to 40 million seniors and provide a new modernized  Medicare.
• American families are taking home more of their pay because of tax relief -- and we got rid of the death tax—that forced many families to have to sell their farms.  Thankfully the economic policies President Bush wanted and Congress passed have began to work.  In the third quarter the gross domestic product grew at an annual rate of 8.2% (raised from the initial estimate of  7.2% and the highest quarterly growth since 1984 when Ronald Reagan was President).  Further, in the past three months the economy has added 286,000 jobs.

It truly has been a remarkable year and I am thankful for every moment of it.  I am looking forward to even bigger and better things in the coming year.  I wish the same for you and your family.