I grew up in a family of six boys - Joe, Jim, Jack, Jere, Julian, and Jeffrey.

My mother taught her six sons that we define ourselves by our deeds, not by our words - by living the values that come from our faith.

My father, who was as proud of this state as he was of his family, instilled in each of us the sense that Georgia is a special place. On Sundays, he would drive us around the state, telling us stories about the landmarks along the way, like the building where our grandfather operated the Linotype machine for Joel Chandler Harris, the editor of The Atlanta Constitution.

My brothers have always been my best friends. When I was eight years old, I contracted polio. My parents had to isolate me from my brothers and take me out of school for fear that I would infect others. For months, I was confined to my bedroom, visited only by my parents and my doctors. I recovered, but some things in life you never forget.

I will never forget what it feels like to need a little help. A government founded on solid principles does not turn its back on children, seniors, or people with disabilities.

After attending the Atlanta Public Schools, I enrolled at the University of Georgia. On December 4, 1963, I was elected freshman class president. That same day, Vince Dooley was named head football coach. I spent the better part of a decade in Athens, earning three degrees (a bachelor's degree and two law degrees). Interrupted only by my two years of service in the U.S. Army, including a tour of duty in Vietnam, I have spent my entire life in Georgia.

I will never forget the lessons I learned serving in Vietnam. I came away from my tour of duty understanding the importance of personal responsibility as well as the importance of working together towards a common objective.

I have been married to Joan for 38 years, and we have four children and three grandchildren. Joan and I had our first child, our daughter Morgan, while I was stationed at Fort Meade in Maryland. Two months later, I was called to serve in Vietnam. The kind of sacrifice that Joan made in caring for our daughter alone is the kind that many Georgia families are experiencing right now.

The Bush administration's failure to provide adequate care for our returning soldiers and their families is nothing short of disgraceful.

As a young legal aid lawyer a few years out of the Army, I saw first-hand how the deck is stacked against working people under the Gold Dome in Atlanta. Most of the folks in the halls of the Capitol had powerful clients with deep pockets. My clients were like most Georgians, folks who work hard and just want a fair shake.

I believe we need to stand up for what is right even when it is not easy.

In 1983, after years on the outside, I was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives. During my 18 years in the legislature, I became a leader on health care issues and helped to create PeachCare, which provides quality and affordable health care to thousands of Georgia's children.

I served as chairman of a number of committees in the House, including the Judiciary Committee, the Ethics Committee, and a subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee overseeing state health care programs. I also served as an active member of the Industrial Relations, Special Judiciary, and Children and Youth Committees.

When the state faced tough economic times in the early 1990s, state leaders turned to me to preserve critical services for seniors, children, and people with disabilities, while making necessary cuts in the budget. Ultimately we cut millions of dollars, but we never turned our backs on the least among us - I made sure of it.

Over the years, I have learned how to get things done for Georgians.

That is why two governors, one a Democrat and the other a Republican, entrusted me to lead the Georgia Department of Human Resources. I took over the department two weeks after 9/11, when the state was facing the most difficult economic times in recent memory. Many of my friends and colleagues told me not to do it, not to take the job. They said, "Jim, this is political suicide. The problems are too big and the resources are too limited." I took the job anyway, because I wanted to make a difference. I successfully cut spending while preserving important programs.

In 2006, I ran as the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor. In a tough environment for Democrats, I won more votes than any other non-incumbent Democrat on the ticket. I was one of the few candidates anywhere in the country to address the looming foreclosure crisis, which has shaken our nation's economy and which threatens homeowners across Georgia today.

I'm running for U.S. Senate because I understand the toll the failed policies of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney have taken on Georgia families, and I can help to put our country back on track.

As an elder in my church, as a proud father and grandfather, and as a Vietnam War veteran, I have tried to live the values of faith, family, and patriotism. No one is going to take those values away from me, and no one in the race for U.S. Senate shares your values more than I do.