This is an odd way to write my annual letter to my friends, but we are in desperate times. All the more reason to write a letter of encouragement and hope!

It is that time again. Every year it gets faster and faster. This year again we have no more children to report. They are growing pretty quickly now and seem to eat like a swarm of locusts. We are beginning to feel the full force of the activities that 4 children create. We had them in soccer this fall in North Branch and, with only 3 in soccer and 1 in volleyball, we had as many as 8 practices and 4 to 6 games in a week.

People ask me every year whether or not I will continue to do taxes and my answer is the same, “Until God stops me from doing it, I will be meeting with clients and doing tax returns.” I always enjoy seeing the folks during tax season! I have lots of changes in my life but one thing that is constant each year is tax season. In my practice, we continue to grow the legal services offered each year and we now have no slow season. We are doing estate planning, elder law, probate, tax resolution, bankruptcy, and some litigation. It is best to stay busy and not complain about having a lot of work in this crazy economy.

Biblical Servanthood – whether you are a Christian or not, I think you will appreciate what I am saying. My heart is definitely torn for the great many families in our state facing economic ruin. We have a failure of leadership; many will serve but do not understand servant leadership. Many elected officials don’t understand that serving is supposed to be a sacrifice and not a gain for themselves at the expense of those who elected them. Our Founders were not paid to serve and some paid a sacrifice of everything they had, including their lives, to serve their fellow countrymen!

As many of you know, I am again running for office and seeking to serve as a State Senator for our district. The district that I would be representing is the 25th district and encompasses both Lapeer and St Clair counties. The role of a senator is to represent the citizens and give them a voice in government decisions.

This pursuit has been a challenge and has stretched me and my family. My children and my wife have been on board and sacrificing a great deal to see this campaign through. I have to say I have never heard of children who are so intent on praying for their dad. It has more than once broken my heart and is incredibly humbling. They are constantly in prayer for me, asking God to provide the donations for the campaign, the volunteers to run the race, and for victory. They are ages 10, 7, 6, and 4 and all are old veterans now of the campaign trail. They were witness to the personal attacks that came in the last election. They are literally growing up on the campaign trail.

I am, like a lot of folks, fed up with the troubles our state is in and the failure of leaders to address the troubles! These same leaders just expect to be reelected and promoted. Unbelievably, they generally get promoted without one bill ever being passed into law from their office. We have a huge government and it is overfed.

Many wonder why I am running and they have asked if it is what God wants me to do with my life. I really don’t have a good answer for that, other than to say, “Greater love hath no man than to lay down his life for his friend.” That is what changing things in this state will require: men and woman laying down their own goals and dreams to fight to create a better place for others who come after them. When men of principle are not willing to stand and fight for the rights we are losing, who are we left with to lead us?

I have seen my own Republican party fail to provide leadership in this state when we created the worst business tax in the country. Without an end to the MBT (Michigan Business Tax) we will not see growth return. We watch now as the last few businesses struggle to survive. My own party fails to accept its responsibility for helping to destroy the most impressive manufacturing state in the history of the world! (Please read that last sentence again!) Yes, the other party has its own problems and they should be held to account by the voters of this state. Forgive me for being so critical but this just weighs heavy on my heart. We need to have a state that is able to provide businesses a good environment to make a profit. If we do this, there will be jobs for our citizens.

I have found that the price is tremendously high for anyone who is trying to lead by principle. Things are broadcast and said that are in no way true. I will fight on with every last breath I have. Please pray for me as I pray for you. We can all appreciate the fact that we are not alone in all of this economic destruction. God is still faithful and is completely in control! On this we can rest assured! May God bless you and your family!

Todd A. Courser Friend and Candidate for State Senate