E-Newsletters
Most people know that when you have dug yourself into a hole, the first thing you do is stop digging. Unfortunately, this kind of common sense has escaped many in Washington. Currently, the federal government owns over a quarter of all land in the United States. This is far more land than it is able to maintain; the National Park Service alone has a maintenance backlog over $12 billion.
A wise person once said, "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result." Well, if you look at the current approach of not enforcing our laws, not securing our borders, and ignoring the will of the people, it is nothing short of insanity. Unfortunately, this is the approach we have come to expect out of the Obama Administration and liberals in Washington.
The United States is an energy rich nation that continues to act like an energy poor nation. During one of our busiest travel periods of the year, it is important to focus on policies that will drive down costs at the gas pump.
This week, the House of Representatives passed three bills intended to lower gas prices, create good-paying jobs, and unlock domestic sources of energy. We can do that right here at home, without looking to nations overseas.
"What is the difference between a taxidermist and a tax collector?" Mark Twain once asked. "The taxidermist takes only your skin."
President Reagan once said that our "Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." 28 years later, anyone who cashes a paycheck, files their taxes, or even picks up the local newspaper knows that these words ring true just as they did in 1986.
I always hear stories about how government bureaucrats are becoming increasingly aggressive. Our out-of-control government is putting the squeeze on Missouri's middle class, and the biggest bully of the bunch is the EPA.
You and I know there are already too many regulations on the books, but the EPA has more coming everyday with no end in sight.
By now, many Missourians are aware of the proposed water rule by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and United States Army Corps of Engineers to vastly expand their power authority. When you get down to it, the EPA's rule means a bigger government will create more headaches while costing Missourians time and money for such things as building a home, a pond, or raising cattle.
This Memorial Day, we celebrate the courage of those men and women who have fought for the United States of America. From Lexington to Pearl Harbor, and from Normandy to Afghanistan, Americans have always stood for freedom and liberty. Today, we reflect on those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect the American way of life, and defend the U.S. Constitution. Throughout our proud history, men and women from every walk of life have rallied to the call of freedom, and we are forever in their debt.
Last week, I traveled to Chillicothe, Cameron, Trenton and Gallatin, talking with small business owners, farmers, and families. As part of my Small Business & Middle Class Relief Forum Tour, these events featured a productive dialogue about ways for the middle class to achieve relief from overbearing regulations. Blake Hurst, President of the Board of Directors for the Missouri Farm Bureau, also joined me at the events to offer his insight and perspective.
This week marks the 51st annual National Small Business Week, which is a time to celebrate the contributions of small businesses to the economic well-being of America. North Missouri, like the rest of the nation, depends on the strength of our middle class families that rely on small businesses to put food on the table. Small businesses afford us the Missouri way of life, and it's something worth fighting for.