E-Newsletters

President Ronald Reagan summed up the federal government's flawed idea of an economic policy best when he said, "If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." That is exactly what we are seeing today. We have a tax code that is unworkable and an endless stream of unnecessary regulations coming out of bureaucracies in Washington.

President Reagan once famously stated that, "government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem." I couldn't agree more. I've long said that government does not create jobs. What government can do is enact policies that set the table for economic growth and provide certainty to small businesses.

There was a time when even liberals in Washington understood that our focus must be on jobs. "It's the economy, stupid," as one top strategist in the Clinton Administration famously said when talking about what is most important to the American people. I wish the current Administration understood this.

Growing up in a small north Missouri town like Tarkio, we learned from an early age the importance of doing what you say you will do and always keeping your word. Unfortunately for millions of Americans, President Obama has fallen short on keeping his word.

During the August district work period, I held a number of townhall meetings to hear from you on the important issues facing our nation. From St. Joseph to Hannibal, and everywhere in between, the concerns raised were largely the same – the federal government is spending too much, regulating too much, and stifling economic growth.

During a recent town hall meeting I held at Hannibal-LaGrange University, one thing was very clear: the people of Missouri's 6th District are rightfully upset by government bureaucrats who are becoming increasingly aggressive in attacking our way of life. The biggest bully of the bunch, by far, is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

These days, it has become clearer than ever that Washington is out of touch with the rest of America. This could not be more evident than with the new Common Core education standards.

With all of the scandals we have seen out of the current White House, it feels more like we are living in 1974 than 2014 in many ways. I can think of no better example of this than the discovery that law-abiding Americans were being targeted by the IRS for their political beliefs.