Over the last few months Elizabeth and I have been traveling around and listening to folks in our state. We learned about mining in Elko, ranching in Silver Springs, water rights in Ely and growth issues all over Nevada. We saw wild horses in the Virginia Highlands and burros on Blue Diamond Hill. We are filled with wonder at Nevada's beauty, and filled with pride at the values we Nevadans share. Today, I am going to take the next step toward being our next Senator.

I grew up in a small town of 650 people where I worked in my father's peanut warehouse from the time I was 6 years old until I joined the Navy. When they took my fingerprints, they were so torn up that I had to fill out a special form explaining the reason. I put down "manual labor", the result of long hours with a shovel in my hands. Small town living and hard work are part of our American Values.

When I came home from the Navy, I earned degrees in physics and law before I joined my father's race for the Presidency. During that campaign in 1975 and 6, I was struck by the intelligence, the common sense, and the unselfish drive for honesty and integrity by the average Americans I met. They had no hidden agenda, no special requests for themselves. All they wanted was good government.

Common sense, honesty, integrity and a desire for good government: these are part of our American Values.

For the last 30 years I've been involved in business. I've run small businesses and worked for big ones, in and out of the country. Sound business judgment is part of our American Values.

Americans share a special common core of values, and Nevadans, with our emphasis on personal freedoms and hospitality hold these values more deeply than most.

At our heart is LIBERTY - personal freedom - the right to say what we want, worship how we want, work where we want - to be who we want to be without government interference.

Next comes DEMOCRACY - the idea that all are created equal, and, to the extent that we need a government, everyone should take responsibility for it.

Our forefathers brought forth the CONSTITUTION - the foundation of our government. It guarantees individual rights that can never be taken away. It restricts the amount of power the government can have. And it separates powers among the 3 branches of government so each can watch the other.

We value the RULE OF LAW - the structure that protects our freedoms, defines our property rights, enforces our contracts, and punishes our criminals.

We believe in FAMILY AND COMMUNITY VALUES like helping our neighbors in need, welcoming new friends, caring for the old and sick, and educating our kids.

We believe in initiative, hard work, competition and free enterprise.

We believe in COOPERATION - that in banding together, whether in unions, corporations or communities, we can reach unbelievable heights of accomplishment.

These are the values we Nevadans hold dear. They have brought America to the pinnacle of world power.

I'm proud to be an American. I'm proud to be a Nevadan. And I would be honored to be your Senator.

My friends have asked me why I considered making this race. The answer is that I believe our government has moved away from our core values.

It has abandoned international cooperation by unilaterally rejecting long-term agreements.

In violation of common sense, our invasion of Iraq has been one faulty political judgment after another, punctuated by brilliant military actions.

And where has Good Government gone?

This administration has appointed political cronies to important positions where their lack of experience can be harmful.

This administration has pulled a cloak of secrecy over its operations at the expense of the openness we citizens require.

This administration has encouraged industry lobbyists to write laws which have a sweeping impact on us all.

And it has done all this while piling up the largest budget deficit in history in sharp contrast to the sound economic judgment we NEVADANS practice in our homes and businesses.

These are not the kind of activities we Nevadans value.

The fruits of these actions are with us today, all through the daily news.

In Iraq, we read about a long series of shocks revealing inept political planning, and a desire to fight the war with too few troops and too little armor.

But regardless of the mistakes in the past, we have a responsibility to the Iraqis to leave them with a stable government, and an opportunity to place a democracy in a critical region of the world. I believe it's possible to do that. ALL WE NEED IS A RETURN TO OUR AMERICAN VALUES AND NEW LEADERSHIP.

The medicare drug plan is also in the paper. My mother-in-law, Miz Jane, is 85. She lives in Summerlin. Elizabeth and I received her letter describing 40 different choices of drug programs. After spending hours trying to figure it out ourselves, we finally had to ask our pharmacist to help us choose the right course.

This is an example of laws written by and for the drug companies. It's contorted, complex and unreasonable - geared to enhance profits. There is a specific provision that forbids medicare to use its sheer size to negotiate lower drug prices. Why? The Veterans Administration uses its own buying power to achieve drug prices about 45% cheaper than medicare. The two chief architects of the proposal left for major positions in the pharmaceutical industry as soon as the law passed.

I believe we can provide our seniors with a comprehensive, simple drug package. ALL WE NEED IS A RETURN TO OUR AMERICAN VALUES AND NEW LEADERSHIP.

I believe the security of our nation is paramount. But I don't understand the argument going on about the legality of the President's unilateral eavesdropping program. We Americans live under the rule of Law. Before my President eavesdrops on me, I want my representatives in Congress to have an open debate about whether it's necessary or not. I want the Supreme Court to rule that it doesn't violate my personal freedoms as set forth in the Constitution, and then I want the President to execute that law under judicial review. That's the American way.

I DON'T WANT ANY PRESIDENT TO DECIDE ON HIS OWN THAT I NEED TO BE WATCHED. I believe we can come up with a good balance of security interests and personal freedoms. ALL WE NEED IS A RETURN TO OUR AMERICAN VALUES AND NEW LEADERSHIP.

The response to Katrina was a national disaster in more ways than one, and it is still playing out in the news. This Administration has continued to use this sad event as a showcase for its humanity. But behind the scenes it has been undermining an investigation into its poor handling of the disaster and refusing to provide the financial aid it promised on TV.

This is truly a matter of national security. Can we find anyone who'll say, like Harry Truman did, that THE BUCK STOPS HERE? Yes. ALL WE NEED IS A RETURN TO OUR AMERICAN VALUES AND NEW LEADERSHIP.

And how does my opponent fit into these issues? Does he bring an independent and inquiring mind to these matters, standing up for Nevadans and demanding answers?

During his tenure, he has voted with this Administration 96% of the time. HE'S TIGHTER WITH THE ADMINISTRATION THAN TOM DELAY.

I SAY INDEPENDENCE IS AN AMERICAN VALUE.

The singular difference between the current junior Senator from Nevada and me is that He works for the Bush Administration, and I am going to work for NEVADA.

Let me describe my view of this Senate job. A good Senator listens to define the problems. He ferrets out solutions. He presents the solutions to his people for review. Then he works with his peers to make it law.

That's the job I want.

I don't want to be "one of the Democrats" like my opponent is one of the Republicans. I am a Nevadan and an American concerned with what is best for our State and our Country. I don't care who else is for it or against it. I am a businessman. I want results, not partisan bickering. I want to bring my experience to bear on every major problem we have to develop a long-term solution that will last beyond the next election.

Elizabeth and I did not have the good fortune to be born in Nevada. We spent years in the wilderness before we found this Promised Land. But more than the mountains and the desert, the lakes and the pastures, the neon and the cowboys, we have sunk down into this land which values personal freedoms as much as we do. We love it here. Our home. I told her, "We've been Nevadans all our lives. We just found out a few years ago."

I declare that I am running for the US Senate from the State of Nevada on this premise: I want to replace my opponent who is WASHINGTON'S VOICE TO NEVADA. I WANT TO BE NEVADA'S VOICE TO WASHINGTON. Strong and Independent and as ready to fight as the Battle Born State we are.

I ask you to join me in this campaign. Together we will win this race. Together we will make a better America! Thank you.