E-Newsletters
In December of 1776, the future of our nation was far from certain. No one knew that America was on the verge of defeating the British army, let alone that it would become the great country it is today. Instead, just six months after signing the Declaration of Independence, things were not going well for George Washington and the Continental army.
"We have to pass the bill, so that you can find out what's in it."
Our country is great because of legal immigration, not in spite of it. America is a nation of immigrants, and we are enriched and strengthened as a nation by our diversity. However, we are also a nation of laws and have a duty to uphold those laws.
Death and taxes. Benjamin Franklin told us that these are the only two certainties in life. Taxes may be a certainty, but paying taxes doesn't need to be nearly as complex and difficult as it is today.
"The notion that I can just suspend deportations through executive order – that's just not the case. Congress passes the law. The executive branch's job is to enforce and implement those laws." These are President Obama's own words on immigration in March of 2011.
As your representative, job creation and affordable energy are two of my top priorities in Congress. The Keystone XL pipeline promotes both of these priorities, and I believe that we must authorize this truly "shovel-ready" project as soon as possible.
"A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces, but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers," President John F. Kennedy once said. This Veteran's Day, we once again reveal the character of this great nation by pausing to honor and remember the tremendous courage and sacrifice of those who have served in our armed forces.
Great American inventor and businessman Thomas Edison once said, "Show me a thoroughly satisfied man, and I will show you a failure." While the economy has made modest gains, in spite of the job-killing policies of this administration, I don't believe we can be satisfied with where we are.
In a 1982 speech, Ronald Reagan said, "We don't have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven't taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much." That was more than three decades ago, and unfortunately, it's still the case. In Washington, basic budgeting is all too often ignored in order to leave the tough decisions for future generations to solve.
Missouri has a long and proud history of producing coal. In fact, the Show Me state was the first state West of the Mississippi to produce coal for commercial use. When it comes to the generation of electricity in the United States, about half of that power is provided by coal.