E-Newsletters

As I travel North Missouri, I catch a glimpse of the American flag almost everywhere I go. It's not just at government buildings; it's prominently displayed at many homes, farms and businesses. It's a constant reminder that we live in the greatest country on earth.

One overly large flag was on display during an important battle in our nation's history and inspired a song we sing to this day.

America's tax code is now more than 2.4 million words long. To put that into perspective, the King James Bible is roughly 783,137 words – or less than one third as long as our tax code.

When the House returns to Washington in September, we will begin the process of passing comprehensive tax reform.

In just a few words, what that means for Missourians is lower taxes and a simpler filing process.

It's easy to praise the work our military men and women do. We can talk about how grateful we are for those who defend our freedoms, or how we owe it to them to provide every resource possible in return for their sacrifices.

But without action, all that talk is just talk. And when people in Congress or the White House don't appreciate how important the U.S. military is for global security, it has significant - and dangerous - consequences across the world.

Thomas Jefferson is arguably the most important person in American history.

He executed one of our biggest ever land deals, he forged alliances with foreign powers that were critical to the survival of our union, and his philosophies on liberty and self-governance became central tenants of the U.S. Constitution.

But of all his accomplishments, perhaps most important was when he put down these 55 words in the Declaration of Independence.

On July 1, 2015, 32-year-old Kate Steinle was tragically shot and killed while the walking the streets of San Francisco with her father. The bullet came from a gun stolen by Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, an immigrant who had re-entered this country illegally after being deported for committing a separate crime.

Rural hospitals are a literal lifeline for tens of millions of people across this country. In communities that don't have enough primary care doctors or health facilities, rural hospitals provide a critical, lifesaving service that otherwise would not be here for us.

We see it all the time when Washington tries to step in and solve all of our problems. Laws that are well-intentioned but poorly designed end up causing more harm than good, creating new problems and new things for Washington to "fix."

A perfect example of that is the Dodd-Frank Act, which was signed into law under President Obama in response to the financial crisis of 2007 and 2008. The law was meant to put a check on the Wall Street banks whose irresponsibility helped create that crisis, but the issue was much more complicated than that.

Memorial Day is a time to honor all of those who have given their lives in defense of this country. It reminds us how lucky we are to live free in a land of democracy and opportunity. It also reminds us that this freedom has come at an extraordinarily high cost.

Nothing we do on Memorial Day will bring back those we lost in battle. Scars of families torn about by war fade, but they never heal.