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I learned a lot from growing up on a farm. I learned about responsibility at an early age by caring for animals and working with my family in the fields. To this day, those lessons I learned about the value of an honest day's work have stuck with me.
There is no doubt that society is changing. Nowadays, many kids have to go to a petting zoo to see what a pig or a chicken looks like. I even read about some folks who fly here to spend their vacation working on a farm. They found the hard manual labor a nice change of pace.
Like a cat with nine lives, the Death Tax just will not go away. I believe it's incredibly unfair that after a lifetime of building up your farm or small business, the federal government taxes you one last time when you die.
The current estate tax was enacted in 1916 to help pay for World War I. Like many taxes, it was meant to be temporary. Initially, the top rate was just 10 percent, but it never did go away.
There is a saying that there is no such thing as a free lunch. If you want to get paid, you have to do your job. A lot of people ask me, why does Congress get paid if they don't do their job and pass a budget? It's a good question.
Last week the House passed a bill that will require both chambers to pass a budget by April 15th. If they don't, they won't get paid.
One of the unique qualities of Americans is our willingness to help our neighbors in need. In North Missouri, we know when our neighbors are having a hard time or need help getting back on their feet. It's a part of our way of life.
In Washington, however, every disaster has become an excuse to spend money without worrying about the budget. That's what happened last week when the House passed a $50 billion aid package to help victims of Hurricane Sandy.
It is one of the great privileges of my job to be able to recommend a select group of individuals for admission to the United States Service Academies each year. The military academies offer a unique and rewarding experience for young men and women. And North Missouri continues to produce some of the most outstanding candidates in the nation.
I am both honored and proud to nominate nine students this year to serve their country:
As we begin a new year, many small businesses and families are preparing their budgets for the year. Some families are hoping to save a little more this year and others may be trying to figure out how to make ends meet.
In Washington, the President will present his budget recommendations in February. However, our Constitution gives the power of the purse to Congress. Congress must approve all spending bills, but they are also required to pass a budget.
Once again in the new Congress I will be honored to serve as the Chairman of the Small Business Committee. This Committee will have the ability to look into any regulation or policy that is holding small businesses back. There will be no shortage of targets. The latest job creation figures are steady, but not near enough.
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.