Where do all OUR Tax Dollars we spend on the Iraq War go?

It's tax day, which means millions of hard working Americans will be scrambling to file their Federal taxes today, many begrudgingly as they watch an escalating cost of the Iraq War exceed $500 billion on the shoulders of working families.

That said, as you file your taxes today you may be shocked to learn exactly where many of those tax dollars go. We all know my opponent Robin Hayes is one of the wealthiest lawmakers in Congress, but this is downright shameful.

Robin Hayes has more stock in defense contractors who profit off the Iraq War than any other Member of the entire House and Senate, save two.

The conflicts of interest don't stop there. I think my campaign manager perfectly summed up the very real frustrations of regular working families in North Carolina's 8th District with their Representative in an e-mail yesterday.

This is the same Robin Hayes who promised "most of our forces will be home by 2008" before voting against a bill which would have done just that!

This is the same Robin Hayes who benefits from a trust fund worth MILLIONS in Exxon, Shell, BP and Chevron stock, but wants us to somehow believe he's concerned about the high price of gas on working families and isn't concerned with more subsidies for his buddies in Big Oil who are raking in the highest profits ever seen in the history of the world.

And this is the same Robin Hayes who voted three times against expanding the Children's Health Insurance program to cover more of our kids citing concern for the tobacco industry, and who owns MILLIONS in tobacco stock.

The people of North Carolina's 8th District can't take two more years of this. The Associated Press has ranked our District among the 20 most economically devastated in the nation, and Robin Hayes knows it.

By contrast with my opponent, I am not a multi-millionaire, textile heir. In fact I worked in a textile mill for 27 years just like most of my neighbors, and still get up and go to work each day, now as a public school teacher, and pay taxes just like all of my neighbors. My friends are not wealthy military contractors or big oil executives. My friends, family and neighbors are good, hard working people just like you and live in the real world.

I'm running for Congress to represent those of us that live in the real world, and I humbly ask for your support. I can't do it alone, and you well know, I'll need those of us who live in the real world to invest in this fight against the special interest money of Robin Hayes. I thank you and the hard working folks of this District thank you for your generosity.

Robin Hayes MUST BE retired this November.