Ruthie McIntosh has been campaigning full-time for her husband, Republican candidate for governor, David McIntosh.

She stopped through Warsaw Thursday to share her husband's issues and ideas for governor and give an update of the campaign.

McIntosh said she has traveled around the state focusing on two principle issues: taxes and education.

"He's got a really great plan," she said of her husband's 25 percent tax cut proposal.

His tax cut plan includes five key tax cuts: for Hoosiers 65 and older, freeze property tax bills on their current home after they receive the 25 percent across-the-board tax cut; provide farmers with an average 25 percent across-the-board tax cut with a new Farmland Protection Credit; eliminate the inventory tax on businesses; provide a full 5 percent credit for all new research and development investments; and reduce the insurance premium tax.

"We need to tighten the belt in Indianapolis and return more of the people's money," said McIntosh.

The other major issue she discussed was education.

"If you are for the status quo, if you think our education is fine and there's no need for reform, then go for our current governor. ... If you think we can improve our schools, leave no child behind, then go with David McIntosh," she said.

Her husband has a very aggressive, straightforward, equitable plan called Kids First, said McIntosh.

One main point of the plan is providing local control for schools so that each jurisdiction can determine what their schools need.

"Indiana's a really diverse state in some ways and then we're very similar in a lot of ways," said McIntosh. "We're pulled together as one, but let each area have their own strength."

Kids First has three main points. The first is to replace ISTEP with a common sense annual test that's given each spring at every grade level. This test would take one day.

The second point is to encourage the best and brightest teachers and to maintain the highest teaching standards. McIntosh said teachers should be given competency tests, too. Great teachers should be rewarded with better pay.

The last point is to restore discipline in the classroom.

"It's (the system) not backing up our teachers," said McIntosh.

David McIntosh would protect teachers from frivolous lawsuits and back them up in maintaining discipline in the classroom.

Ruthie McIntosh is also closely involved with literacy.

"I truly believe that reading is the first subject a child studies,"

she said.

She started a program called First Books. McIntosh's campaign headquarters are collecting used children's books to distribute them to children who have a need.

"It's just a really neat thing," she said.

She also discussed the nature of her husband's campaign. She doesn't believe his campaigning is negative so much as it's comparative.

"We don't call ours (campaign) negative. We call it comparative. It's all factual. There's no half truths, there's no quotes taken out of context, there's no half stories," said McIntosh.

"I feel very confident and comfortable where we campaign. ... We're trying to be very factual and show the whole picture."

"(David McIntosh) has always put Indiana first," she said. [[In-content Ad]]