The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America relays the core values adopted by our founders:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Our commitment to a more perfect union requires that we return to those core values in times of crisis. I am running for Congress because I believe in our core values, and I believe I have the qualities necessary to engage our nation’s leaders in meaningful, respectful dialog that will help us meet the challenges ahead.

Justice

Justice requires that we look not only at the ideologies of our policies, but also at the outcomes of those policies. Justice requires that we think not only of ourselves, but that we respect others as people of equal worth.  Justice requires us to make real the promise of equal opportunity for all. That means ensuring that all children receive a sound education, decent nutrition in school lunch programs and access to health care. Justice requires that all people who work receive a living wage, so they do not have to work two or three jobs just to make ends meet, and they have time for their families, for rest, for education, and for civic engagement. Justice is found not in hand outs or in hands up. It is found in joining hands to solve the problems facing this great land.

Domestic tranquility

Domestic tranquility requires an economy that serves all its citizens and allows all to participate in work that is fairly valued and fairly compensated. Today, economic dislocation and lack of jobs challenge the union. The road to a livable wage is blocked for many citizens. For the majority of Americans, real wages have not kept up with inflation, and available real dollars available have continued to decline. Half of our citizens now live in poverty or at low levels of income. Over the past 30 years, the vast majority of increased wealth in this country has gone to those at the top, to the 1%. History provides ample lessons about economic disparity and civil turmoil. We must come together to ensure domestic tranquility.

Common defense

Common defense comes not only from military might, but also from developing relationships with people of other nations. Our dependence on foreign oil threatens our defense and our relationships abroad. We must strive for energy independence to strengthen our relationships across the globe.

General welfare

America is best served when we see her people as her most precious resource. While individuality is important and essential, the role of government is to protect and to promote the general welfare. Affordable, effective healthcare for all Americans is essential for a good and stable society. We must protect the most vulnerable among us, with sound safety nets such as Medicare and Medicaid, Social Security, and other forms of government assistance for those in need. We must find ways to meet these needs without collapsing our economy or crippling the middle class with a heavy tax burden.

Blessings of Liberty

The blessings of liberty are available to all Americans only if we, as her citizens, support policies that make them possible. Our commitment to our posterity -- our children and future generations of Americans -- must include protection of our natural world.  The most basic and essential thing we can leave our children and generations to come is a beautiful and inhabitable world. We must take seriously the threats to natural resources including air, water supplies, and topsoil. John Locke, one of the theoretical fathers of capitalism, wrote that one may make profit off land, but only "where there is enough, and as good, left in common for others."

The challenges ahead to form our more perfect union

We live in complicated times. One thing we all can agree on is that we, as a nation, need to rediscover our common ground. The problems we face will not be solved by a retreat into pat answers. As tempting as it may be, ignoring the concerns of those with whom we disagree will not help us move forward. Our problems do not exist because anyone wanted them or deliberately created them. It does no good to point fingers, to argue about which party or which corporations or which institutions were the "most wrong" in creating them. We do need, however, to figure out what ideas or beliefs are problematic because of the negative results they create. We must come together to generate the political will to implement fair and equitable solutions. We, as Americans and as North Carolinians, must join together with respect and good will -- across ideological, class, religious, ethnic and social differences.

I believe I have the qualities needed to be a member of the United States Congress representing you, the good hard working people of the 5th District of North Carolina. As a healthcare provider with more than 20 years’ experience, I have learned to listen carefully. I have learned to care deeply about people with a wide array of experiences and ideologies. I understand the humanity we all share. As a mother, I have raised three wonderful children who inspire me and motivate me to protect the world they will inherit. As a school board member, I have built relationships inside and outside the school system to meet the challenge of serving all of our children.

I stand with you, my neighbors across the 5th District, and I invite you to stand with me as your Congressional Representative. I want to hear from you, to learn from your experiences and to understand your aspirations for your community and for our nation. We can, indeed, form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.