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EDITOR'S NOTE: What's on the minds of Butler County voters as they prepare to vote in the presidential election? In this series of stories leading up to November, we let them tell us.

HAMILTON — Kathy Garrison says she's never seen the United States in such bad shape.

Garrison, 63, of Hamilton wouldn't say who she thinks can cure the country's ills, but said the Nov. 4 presidential election is extremely important.

"It's very critical who wins," Garrison said. "I don't think anything is going to change overnight. I just hope it's someone who can bring the two parties together because we're in bad shape."

The major issues, according to Garrison, are the nation's weak economy, its dependence on foreign oil and health care.

Garrison said she's most concerned about health care because she's been uninsured since she retired three years ago.

"It's too expensive to get. It's like $400 a month or $5,000 a year," Garrison said. "I would have to either draw it out of my retirement or go without."

Garrison plans to go without health insurance until she turns 65 and qualifies for Medicare.

It's a gamble. But it's a risk she's willing to take for the next two years.

"The medicine I take now isn't that expensive. But if something were to happen I would be paying the rest of my life," Garrison said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2180 or tlatta@coxohio.com.