E-Newsletters
The 20th Amendment to the Constitution requires that Congress convene at least once a year on January 3rd. Missouri became the 36th state to ratify the Amendment on January 23rd, 1933. All 48 states would ultimately ratify it within the next four months.
January 3rd will be the first meeting of the 113th Congress. At that time, the Sixth Congressional District of Missouri will officially represent all or parts of 36 counties. This North Missouri district will be bigger than 9 states in total square miles.
Albert Einstein once remarked that, "the hardest thing to understand in the world is the income tax." And that was before Congress invented the Alternative Minimum Tax or AMT. The AMT was designed because the government thought some people were not paying enough in taxes.
One of the issues that has been lost in the debate about the fiscal cliff is the change to who has to pay the AMT. Every year Congress has to go in and fix the alternative minimum tax so that it does not hit middle class families because of inflation.
In life there are a few things that are certain. They say you can count on life, death and taxes. I might add one other thing to that list: farm dust. However, in Washington that does not prevent them from trying to find a way to stop it.
We don't have many one-way streets in North Missouri. For most of us that's a good thing. If you've ever tried to run errands in a downtown area with one-way streets, you know how hard it can be to get them done. Sometimes you have to take three lefts just to get to the next street over. It's a lot simpler to get around when you have streets that go both ways.
November 26, 2012
Some of the most famous cliffs in the world are the White Cliffs of Dover, found on the English shore. They rise dramatically out of the sea up to 350 feet high. You've probably heard a lot about another kind of cliff lately, but what does it mean?
As you read this, hopefully you have already selected your bird, stocked up on sweet potatoes and stuffing and have a pumpkin pie cooling. Thanksgiving can easily become another holiday full of to-do lists, but we must take time to remember that we are blessed. There is no doubt that we have much to be thankful for.
We are blessed to live in a society of heroes. We have men and women who are willing to travel halfway around the world to fight terror so that we can be safe. In this holiday season, we should remind them that we are proud of their service to our country.
Not too long ago President Barack Obama said, "I don't care whether you're driving a hybrid or an SUV. If you're headed for a cliff, you have to change direction." This may be one area where I agree with the president.
Our 31st President Herbert Hoover once said, "blessed are the young, for they shall inherit the national debt." I believe that we have a responsibility to leave this country better off for the next generation. Part of that duty should include addressing this debt crisis head on, not leaving it for the next generation to worry about later.