This campaign has certainly been a life-changing experience. The more you engage in the debate over the direction of our great nation, the more you appreciate the importance of the fight, and the need to fight even harder. However, it has become clear that fighting in this campaign will do more harm than good, which is why I am announcing the end of my candidacy.

While I am withdrawing from this campaign, I am not withdrawing from the fight. I simply believe I can promote the ideas that I am so passionate about – those of a small, decentralized government and personal responsibility – in a more constructive manner by helping other candidates who agree with this philosophy.

There are difficult and important decisions that are going to be made here today. As someone who has been outside the political process, I wanted to share with you what I have witnessed during my eight months on the campaign trail.

Ordinary Americans want to trust their government again, and are looking for leadership that will ensure our great nation honors the sacrifices of those who have come before us, and leaders who will work tirelessly to provide the same opportunities we had to those who will come after us. It is the party that wins the trust of the American people that will be the majority party for years to come.

For us, the path forward should be very clear – we must send leaders to Harrisburg and Washington that live by the principles that everyone in this room holds so dear. And we must be able to communicate why these values should matter to every American, and why the concept of centralized power in Washington will in the long run fail the very people it claims to help.

We have a unique opportunity in 2010 to bring this party back to its core values. To elect a Senator like Pat Toomey, a business-owner who has been on the side of reason, logic and the American people his entire career. We can elect a Governor like Tom Corbett who has worked in the private sector and run his own business, who has fought corruption and the structural problems that plague Harrisburg.

Here in Chester County we can send Jim Gerlach back to Congress and ask him to champion the ideas of the party and lead the way to restore trust in government.

Let’s make sure we support principled candidates who represent the Republican values and those of the American people; candidates who can bring new people into the fold because of their honesty, integrity and willingness to make the tough choices that lay ahead; candidates who will focus on the problems we face, not the petty politics that drag us down; candidates we can build the party around because they lead with a compass.

I want to thank you for all of the hard work you have done, and all that you will do in the coming elections. I look forward to joining you in restoring the faith and confidence of voters in our principles, and making sure that the American Dream is available for all of our children, just as it was for us.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to run as a Republican candidate for Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District. Over the past several months, I have met with countless voters and community leaders who discussed their concerns and shared their ideas about how we can turn this economy around. While I was raised in Chester County, built a thriving business here and now am raising my family here, I have a deeper appreciation and love for our communities today than ever before.

This campaign has certainly been a life-changing experience. The more you engage in the debate over the direction of our great nation, the more you appreciate the importance of the fight, and the need to fight even harder. However, it has become clear that fighting in this campaign will do more harm than good, which is why I am announcing the end of my candidacy.

While I am withdrawing from this campaign, I am not withdrawing from the fight. I simply believe I can do more by helping other candidates who share my vision of a new direction for our country, and who will work tirelessly to bring back responsible results to government.

I cannot thank my family, friends and supporters enough for all of their sacrifices and hard work. I am very proud of the campaign we ran which focused on substance and thoughtful discussions about policy.

I look forward to continuing the fight to ensure that our children have the same opportunities we do to achieve the American Dream, and to make sure that we elect principled leaders in 2010.”

Having spent the last 6 months talking with voters throughout our area, I can tell you that they are equally frustrated with both parties. People want to change the way Washington is working. They detest the backroom deals that have absolutely nothing to do with effective policy making and everything to do with special interests and ensuring that politicians get re-elected at the expense of moving our country forward. Whether it’s the infamous “Bridge to Nowhere” or the sweetheart deals that were cut in the Senate to force passage of healthcare legislation, Americans are sick and tired of earmarks and pork barrel spending.

The result of this process is centralized power where Washington bureaucrats make decisions not based on merit, but based on politics. Sadly, this approach has destroyed the confidence that many Americans had in our system of government.

It is time we take serious measures to restore our confidence in government once again. It is time we put an end to the pieces of Washington that clearly exist for political gain. At the top of this list should be an end to earmarks.

Proponents of earmarks claim that they represent only a small percentage of the federal budget. While this may be true, it ignores the detrimental impact earmarks have as the root of runaway spending. Perhaps Congressman John Kline of Minnesota, who recently swore off earmarks entirely, put it best when he explained, “In order to secure funding for a transportation project in my district . . . I was forced to vote for a bloated $286 billion transportation authorization bill that included the infamous $223 million ‘Bridge to Nowhere.’” While the “Bridge to Nowhere” was never designed to benefit many people, I’m sure it would have earned a lot of goodwill from the few Alaskans that it would have affected.

Let’s be honest about this. Not all earmarks fund “Bridges to Nowhere” or “Mule and Packers Museums.” But even if an earmark is going to a worthy project, good elected officials at some point will have to choose between supporting their local funding or voting against legislation they know to be flawed, at the peril of those very projects. Earmarks are at the root of the problems with big-government, and fuel a process that favors those who believe in using their power for political gain.

Over time, too many elected officials begin to think Washington is the solution to all of our problems, which is the very mentality that has lead to massive intrusions in the free markets and runaway government spending.

The shocking election results over the past several months show that voters are sick and tired of politics as usual in Washington and are looking for real leadership. The individuals who provide this new leadership will find that they not only will earn the trust of voters, they will have handed back power to the American people. After all, isn’t this where it belongs in the first place?

“The candidate forum was a great opportunity to discuss my platform and share my ideas on how we can turn this economy around,” said Welch.  “I am honored that so many activists and attendees agreed with my message of bringing back accountability in Washington, and will continue to work hard to earn the respect and support of 6^th District voters and leaders.”

The Tea Party Coalition Candidate Forum was a chance for Gubernatorial, Senate, Congressional and other Republican candidates throughout the region to share their positions and discuss the important issues facing Pennsylvania voters.  The forum was sponsored by numerous organizations and coalitions, including the Republican Party of Pennsylvania, Let Freedom Ring, the Pennsylvania Conservative Council and the Republican Jewish Coalition.

The straw poll results were Steve Welch – 63%; Pat Sellers – 31%; Congressman Gerlach – 6%.

Steve Welch is the founder & former CEO of the Mitos Group, a leader in biotechnology solutions. Steve is also the co-founder of DreamIt Ventures, a unique venture firm that helps technology start-ups get off the ground. Over the past two years DreamIt has funded over 20 small businesses and helped nearly 100 entrepreneurs. In 2008 Steve was named Philadelphia Business Journal’s “Entrepreneur of the Year” as well as selected to its “40 under 40” list.

Most recently Steve was awarded the prestigious Eisenhower Fellowship to build bridges internationally in small business communities to drive job creation and economic development.

In the movie Shawshank Redemption, the character played by Morgan Freeman cautiously defends his friend, Brooks, after he has acted out irrationally. Realizing that his friend has become institutionalized, Freeman notes “The man has been in here 50 years…this is all he knows.” Freeman goes on to say while most of us hate big institutions at first, “then you get used to them, enough time passes you get so that you depend upon them.”

The institution that has rightfully come under great scrutiny lately is our federal government. Over the last decade, we have all watched the federal government grow dramatically in both size and scope. To put this in prospective, while the federal budget represented 33% of GDP in 2000, it is projected to represent 45% in 2010.

While it is easy to proclaim that the government is too big and as a result needs to be shrunk, these are empty words until we address the root cause of the problem.

Democrats will blame Republicans, and Republicans will blame Democrats. The simple truth is that this explosion of government occurred over a time when both parties were in control, and this cannot be simplified into a partisan issue.

Though the problem is very complex, it also contains a simple truth – the walls of government are being built each day by the very people that depend on them. This is why politicians on both sides of the aisle continue to make decisions not based on ideology, but on what centralizes power within the federal government. These decisions have the unintended consequences of continuing a cycle where political leaders accumulate more power, making it more difficult to replace them. This centralized power in Washington unfortunately also leads to more influence and government spending, further distorting our free market system.

Only in Washington could we see misguided policies such as bailing out the automotive industry, and then turning around and creating a program like “Cash for Clunkers” for people to buy cars from the very companies that are now government-owned. This is only one outrageous example of many where the government has grown in scope and continues to interfere with free markets.

In fact, during 2009 approximately $3.3 billion was spent in Washington lobbying elected officials, $19 million which came from bankrupt GM and Chrysler. I am sure it is no surprise to hear that the average elected official who voted for the automotive bailout received almost twice as much in political contributions than one who voted against it.

While we have quietly been going about our lives, we have a government that has entrenched itself. We must now take the steps to change this. It will not be easy, but the reward is well worth the fight. To do so, I believe it is time we revisit term limits.

We must return to our Founding Fathers’ notion of citizen legislators, not career politicians. Previous attempts to move this agenda forward focused on 6 year term limits enacted immediately. This attempt in the mid 1990s to change the way Washington works did not succeed for two reasons. First, many people did not feel 6 years was enough, noting that it takes time to bring about change and understand the complexities of our government’s problems. Second, the fact that an overwhelming majority of Congress would effectively be voting themselves out of a job was insurmountable.

Due to these shortcomings, I believe we can make 2 straightforward changes to the term limit platform which can help bring them to fruition. We should first double the limit to 12 years, allowing for 2 full Senate terms, or 6 terms in the House of Representatives. In addition, there should be a “grandfather clause” excluding all sitting legislators. While this is not a perfect solution, I believe it provides the best chance of enacting this needed reform. These changes can help ensure that we have elected officials who will focus more on the needs of the nation, rather than the needs of government which is the source of centralized power.

83% of Americans support term limits, because they know it will create a churn of leaders, which will provide a continuing flow of fresh ideas and individuals with outside perspectives, which we need now more than ever.

This will get at the root cause of the problem. It will create a completely different mentality and dynamic within Congress. It will allow us to have political leaders that are looking to tear down the walls of government, as opposed to those who are propping them up in an effort to centralize more power in Washington.

PAOLI, PA – Steve Welch, Republican candidate for Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District, made the following statement about President Obama’s State of the Union address:

“I am glad that President Obama is starting to recognize the importance of getting government spending under control, though he has only scratched the surface. In order to truly stimulate job growth and help turn this economy around, the President needs to provide a clear plan that will balance the budget and rein in spending, and not based on increasing the size and scope of government.

“Before small businesses and entrepreneurs can create more quality jobs, they need to know what the rules of the road will be. President Obama should abandon any policies that would destroy jobs, which include ‘cap-and-trade’ and EFCA. He should focus the efforts of health care reform on reigning in costs, which will in turn lead to increased coverage.

“We simply need our government to ensure free markets, not interfere with them.”

Related: Mr. President: 4 Free Steps Towards Job-Creation

America has some of the best doctors, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies in the world. The problem is that health care costs are sky-rocketing.

The plans being debated in Washington will only make matters worse. Much worse.

Despite the claims of an “open and transparent” government, Democrat leaders are meeting behind closed doors to force through their version of health care reform. No matter what your opinion of this complicated issue, we can all agree that such a momentous task as this one should not be rushed.

Perhaps the only thing more troubling than the process by which this landmark legislation is being handled is the substance within it. Almost every economist agrees that any true reform must contain costs and work to reduce spending on what is an unsustainable curve. The real debate is about how this can be done.

I believe that the proposals being debated by Congressional Democrats will do nothing to contain costs, and will only succeed in exploding our deficit further.

There are policies we can enact rather quickly, in a bipartisan way, that would help lower the costs of health care and improve access to quality care.

As is often the case, our elected leaders are ignoring some commonsense, reasonable reforms at the expense of radical and unsustainable policies that will bankrupt our children, and cripple our ability to compete in the marketplace. There are ideas that would not result in a catastrophic increase in deficit spending, and that have a track record of achieving meaningful reforms.

Competition is the keystone to open markets, which leads to increased productivity and quality, and a better standard of living. Why not allow purchasers of health insurance to compare and contrast all available plans? Currently, we are only able to purchase health care plans that are available in our respective states. Pennsylvanians can’t get a plan provided in New Jersey, even if it is more affordable and provides the ideal coverage the customer wants. The creation of state health insurance exchanges would provide consumers with the information and options they deserve to make the best decisions for themselves and their loved ones, and to purchase plans available across state lines.

True health care reform must include tort reform as well. It is clear that many primary care providers practice defensive medicine for no other reason than the fear of litigation. This is an unacceptable waste of resources and care. It is time that we encourage states to provide alternative means to address medical malpractice claims, such as health courts or medical expert panels.

While leaders in Washington are looking at ways to create a new, trillion dollar entitlement program, it would be far wiser to allow Americans more freedom to use their hard-earned money that they have set aside for health care costs. Many individuals and families invest in Health Savings Accounts, which allow for tax-free contributions that can be used for qualified medical expenses. Why not allow these individuals and families to use these successful investment vehicles to pay for health insurance premiums, and without penalties? This would empower individuals to take more responsibility and ownership over their health care, and make all of us customers, not merely policy-holders.

I believe if the Pelosi-Reid health care bill is passed, we are marching down a dangerous path that will be very difficult to turn back from: a growing national bureaucracy that will eat-up billions of dollars, and will still leave countless Americans without access to the best health care in the world. Everyone agrees that we need reforms, but we cannot bankrupt future generations and ignore solutions that work.

We don’t need polls to tell us that Americans are not happy with Congress’ agenda. Scott Brown’s win in Massachusetts was a clear signal that Congressional leaders better change the focus of their policies.

Let’s hope Congressional Democrats can hear this message behind those closed doors.

“While Congressional Democrats are meeting behind closed doors to determine what kind of ‘reforms’ we need, I am pledging to work against any policies that don’t lower costs,” said Welch. “While our national debt continues to grow out of control, the last thing we need is legislation that increases the size and scope of government.”

The “Repeal It!” pledge is offered to incumbents, candidates and citizens to sign. The pledge notes that a candidate will:

• “sponsor and support legislation to repeal any federal health care takeover passed in 2010;

and

• “replace it with real reforms that lower health care costs without growing government.”

Thought you would like to hear part of my speech to local Republican leaders about why I am running for Congress. As you’ll see, my passion comes from wanting to make sure that the American Dream is available to all generations, and putting a stop to the excesses and misguided policies in Congress. Let me know what you think!

In short, a victory for Scott Brown will stop Obamacare in its tracks; and it will send a shock wave across Washington.

Scott Brown has pulled within the margin of error in the past few days against his Democratic opponent, and the race is now a toss-up.

Steve Welch would like to invite you to get together at his new headquarters this Sunday, January 17, from noon – 4 p.m.; and Monday, January 18, from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. to make phone calls to Massachusetts voters on behalf of Scott Browns campaign.

There has been a huge grassroots swell to support this fresh candidate, and he now leads his Democrat opponent!

Our efforts to help Scott Brown and strengthen our Party have even garnered national attention.