E-Newsletters

There are some who believe that the United States government has an endless supply of money to do all things. I don't believe that. I believe that budgets are about priorities. These are the kinds of decisions that Missourians make every day with their budget.

For instance, you may want a new pickup truck, but you may not be able to buy it this year because you need to fix a leaky roof. We have to decide which of our needs gets the limited amount of resources that we have.

In Northwest Missouri, we are anxiously watching the Missouri River as the run-off in the Mountains begin. We all remember last year's devastating flood and its remarkable duration. It's important that we act now to prevent a repeat of this disaster.

I believe that we are asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to juggle too many responsibilities. Oftentimes, those demands are counterproductive. We should instead be focused on one overall priority.

In today's world, we've become accustomed to getting things quickly. We now have 24 hour access to electronic mail. We have instant coffee machines. You can heat up a meal in a microwave in a matter of minutes. Everything today is about getting it done now.

Unfortunately, there are very few quick fixes for rising gas prices. We are paying the price for being dependent on other nations for our energy. The only solution is a long-term strategy to increase our supply of energy.

Energy prices continue to climb, having a major impact on family budgets in Missouri. Meanwhile, our nation's unemployment rate continues to hover around double digits. In Washington, those problems are seen as two separate issues. They shouldn't be. We can create a win-win situation for Missourians if we find solutions that tackle both problems simultaneously.

We can both create jobs and push us further down the path of energy independence. I would pursue an all-of-the-above solution for energy independence. A part of the solution is nuclear energy.

I've said before that you cannot tax your way to prosperity. I also believe you cannot tax your way to energy independence. Yet there are still those who want to increase the gas tax or implement a cap and trade-style energy tax to reduce our energy consumption. I believe the best thing to do is increase our supply of American energy.

Here in Missouri's Sixth District, we are helping create American energy. Farmers, and the renewable energy they produce, can play a role in reducing our high energy costs. We also are leading the way in wind production.

Missouri has a long 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.

The coal industry is booming. The United States is one of the world's largest exporters of coal. According to the Energy Information Administration, there is enough coal to last for the next 200 years.