Kentucky’s businesses continue to struggle in our slow and shaky recovering economy. Our economic prosperity depends on state government eliminating government regulations and overburdening corporate taxes that put our businesses at a competitive disadvantage. We must stop punishing successful companies that create good jobs.

I have stood firm, making difficult decisions to protect Kentucky jobs. In the 2010 session, I voted against the budget that contained $1 billion in new debt and $300 million in job-killing taxes.

I will continue to work for tax relief, and fiscal policies that will grow our economy.

Since serving as your State Representative, I have supported sound fiscal policy and worked to reduce excessive government spending and lower the overall tax burden.

Kentucky Club for Growth Executive Director Andy Hightower recently said of Representative Addia Wuchner: “As reflected by her top finishes on our annual legislative scorecard, Representative Addia Wuchner has proven to be a trusted watchdog for the Kentucky taxpayer year after year.”

We cannot tax or spend our way into prosperity. Today, almost every state faces structural deficits created by overspending and antiquated budgetary practices. Over the years counties, communities and agencies have continued to increase their demand on state budgets. Often trying to please the folks in their home counties with projects, Kentucky–like most states–has restructured its spending over the years and increased our debt burden. Most of the legislative “fixes” for state budget gaps over the past few years have merely postponed or obscured problems rather than addressing them directly.

To solve our current budget shortfalls, I believe we must change not only our spending habits but our budgetary procedures. We must move from an outdated reapportions model of budgeting to priority-based budgeting, implementing procurement best practices and more efficiently delivering core government services. Now more than ever, Kentucky needs a strong fiscal conservative to help state government get its house in order.

I am honored to receive the 2011 Kentucky PTA Paul Mason Legislator of the Year Award. As I said during my speech at the Kentucky PTA annual dinner, “Children are 25 percent of the population but 100 percent of the future! Quality education is the key that unlocks a future of possibilities for our children and grandchildren.”

If our children are going to succeed in a world economy, they must have the skills to compete. Since elected I have supported legislation to elevate our math and science standards. I have fought for excellence in public education and to ensure public school teachers have good salaries and benefits in order to attract and retain the best instructors for our children.

At the same time, I support parental rights to make the educational choices they deem best for their children–public, private or home schools.

Putting people in charge of their health care decisions, while reducing costly mandates and regulations, is critical to expanding consumer-driven health care in Kentucky.

There is much to be done to improve health care in the Commonwealth. We have more than 4 million residents with approximately 800,000 of those residents on Medicaid. Last year the Medicaid enrolment was growing at a rate of 3,000 a month, but as the economy slowly improves the enrollment is now approximately 1,500 a month. Unfortunately, our culture does not value health. We have to improve this situation.

As former hospital administrator and VP of Strategic Planning and Corporate Development, I worked to streamline efficiencies and develop more efficient and affordable ways to provide excellence in health care delivery. Tort Reform, Insurance Transportability (across stateliness), and Inter-State Compacts are just a few of the reforms that must be addressed by the Kentucky General Assembly to protect and improve the quality of health care in our state. These are just a few areas in which we can move Kentucky forward, if we can get 60 percent of the House of Representatives and 60 percent of the Senate to take action.

I am a member of the NRA and a gun-owner. I was co-sponsor of the Kentucky Castle Doctrine legislation. I have an “A” legislative rating with the NRA. I believe that law-abiding citizens have the right to defend themselves and their families.