E-Newsletters

In 2001, Congress passed landmark education legislation that put an emphasis on accountability. It was a way to measure our schools and make sure that our children were learning. It also allowed states to pinpoint schools and curriculums that were not meeting the challenge of effectively educating our children.

In Northwest Missouri, the water continues its retreat back to the banks of the Missouri River. This past summer will be remembered both for the devastation of this flood and for its duration. It's important that we act now to prevent a repeat of this disaster.

It has become clear to me 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.

I've often said that Washington, D.C., is 17-square miles of logic free environment. Even so, it's hard to imagine the federal government telling the private sector where it can and cannot create jobs. Yet, that is exactly what the National Labor Relations Board is trying to do.

A Pony Express rider could leave St. Joseph and make it to Sacramento in less than 10 days. Later, the completion of the Pacific Telegraph line ended the need for the express.

In the same way, the United States Postal Service is facing challenging times because technology has evolved. Communication is now instantaneous.

This week we will mark the ten-year anniversary of September 11th. Many of us remember exactly where we were on that day when we heard the terrible news. Like all Americans, I was horrified as I watched television coverage of commercial airliners being turned into missiles and flown into the World Trade Center.

A rumor quickly spread that a plane was headed toward the Capitol, and we evacuated as quickly as we could. I ended up back in the Capitol later that night answering constituent phone calls and trying to make sense of what little information was available.

One of the things I hear from people and businesses as I travel the district is how hard it is to keep up with the dizzying regulations that are being produced by the Washington bureaucracy. Whether it's the Environmental Protection Agency or one of the other federal agencies, it seems that Washington comes up with a new regulation every day.

I have been visiting with a lot of small business owners this August. The topic on everyone's mind is what can be done to get the economy back on track. The unemployment rate continues to remain too high. Too many Americans are without a job and too many have become so discouraged with the job market that they have simply stopped looking.

Last Friday we observed this year's "cost of government day." In other words that was the day the average American had earned enough gross income to pay their federal, state and local taxes and regulations for the year. It was the 224th day of the year, which is 27 days longer than it was in just 2008.

That is why I support the Fair Tax. It would eliminate the federal income tax and taxes on social security, capital gains, FICA, gifts and the much maligned alternative minimum tax. Instead taxpayers would be charged a single rate on new goods when they are purchased.