I want to thank everyone who was able to make it to Medina High School for our town hall meeting this past Monday. I appreciate everyone's feedback and the discussion we had about the challenges our country faces and what I have been working on in Washington. It helps me better serve as your representative.

One of the areas I highlighted at the town hall were the things I do and do not support. These are the fundamental reasons I ran for Congress and the ideas that shape the decisions I make each day. I want to share them with you because I think it is important for you to know exactly where I stand and why.

I believe we need a smaller, more efficient, more effective federal government - a government that is on your side, not on your back. High taxes and heavy regulation stifle innovation and hamper job creation. We need economic policies that foster expansion of the private sector or the "real economy." That's where sustainable job creation occurs. While there are basic functions government must perform, every dollar used to pay a government worker or perform a government task must first be taxed or borrowed out of the private sector. More government means more dollars leaving the private sector to pay for everything government does.

I do not want to see a future full of debt, doubt and despair or more regulations coming from - and more power going to - Washington. Massive debt will lead to a lower standard of living for our children and grandchildren, and to the decline of America as an economic superpower. I don't want that to be the legacy we leave for them. I want America to remain a place where we can dream big and we can strive toward the goals we set for ourselves. We must keep it a place where hard work is still rewarded and anything is still possible.

Like most of you, I am tired of the political gamesmanship in Washington. I didn't run for Congress to score political points. I ran because I believe our country is headed in the wrong direction and new people were needed in our nation's capital to help turn it around. It is past time for politicians to put aside all of the bickering and instead do what is right for America. That is why, at the end of the day, I always try to look for fact-based, common sense solutions - not more heated rhetoric.

Surely, we will not always agree on the best path forward. But we must always be looking for common ground. After all, the problems we face are not Republican or Democratic challenges, they are American challenges and they will require us to come together to solve them.

I will keep you informed as Congress makes progress on these important matters. Please feel free to share your thoughts with me by following me on Facebook (facebook.com/repjimrenacci) and Twitter (twitter.com/repjimrenacci). If you have questions or comments regarding my work in Congress, please do not hesitate to contact my Canton office at 330-489-4414 or my Washington office at 202-225-3876.