Family
My wife, Claudia, is the oldest of seven children and I am the youngest of six. We have been blessed with four children of our own. Faith and family have always been priorities in our lives and a source of stability and support. Marriage is ordained by God and strong families are essential to ensuring a strong Central Missouri.
I was raised by a single mother who was committed to family and through no fault of her own was left to raise six children alone. Although I was not raised in a traditional family unit, I understand the importance of family and the influence a committed parent(s) can have on the lives of their children.
We cannot and should not allow government to redefine marriage as anything other than the union between one man and one woman. To redefine marriage directly undermines the role of a male and a female as created by God. Central Missourians have spoken loudly and clearly on this issue, and I will vigorously defend against attempts to undermine this view of the family structure.
Pro-Life
I believe God is the Creator of life. The life of an unborn child should be protected and defended. I will vote to protect an unborn child’s life from the moment of conception.
Taxes, Spending and Jobs
One of the greatest rewards of running a business is to look someone in the eye and say, “You got the job.” Missourians value work and personal responsibility. All of us want to earn our paychecks, provide for our families and contribute to our communities. Too often government stands in the way of job creation with higher taxes and increased regulation. I support keeping taxes low to allow individuals and businesses to keep and spend more of their own money. When the tax burden is low, small businesses save money and can utilize those resources to hire employees, provide benefits, expand their businesses and create jobs.
I understand that every dollar spent by the Legislature is one less dollar you and your family have to spend. I will work to ensure Missourians’ tax dollars are being spent responsibly. In my four plus years with MODOT, I came to understand that we cannot balance the budget with new taxes or the unfair treatment of hard working state employees.
Education
I will support every effort to increase the quality of education our children receive. I have tremendous confidence in the teachers and administrators in our schools and the students in each classroom, and I will fight tirelessly on their behalf. Education is the best stepping stone to opportunity and success. Like many of you, I was influenced by teachers who cared about me and helped show me that success is possible, no matter where you come from. Without the involvement of teachers in my life, things could have turned out much different for me.
As a six-year board member of Linn State Technical College, I saw how important it is for employers to partner with educators, parents and the community. Receiving an education does not guarantee success, but it certainly facilitates it. Parents need to be involved in their children’s education in a productive way. Students should meet the requirements of a grade level before advancing to another. High school graduates should have skills in math, reading, writing, science, history and civics to allow them to enter the Armed Forces, enter the workforce, attend a trade school, or pursue additional education. An educated workforce can have a huge impact on the overall success of our state’s future.
Second Amendment
My family and I enjoy hunting and recreational shooting, and as a member of the NRA, I know that Central Missourians value their Second Amendment rights and recognize the rich tradition and economic impact of hunting and shooting sports in Missouri. I will defend the rights of law abiding Missourians to keep and use firearms for self-defense, recreational shooting and hunting, and will oppose legislation that seeks to limit or control the lawful possession and use of guns in Missouri.
Upholding the Constitution
I believe the United States Constitution to be the single most influential document in American history. It has withstood the test of time and has served our nation well. The intent of the founding fathers is captured within the Constitution and should be narrowly interpreted by our judges to maintain its original intent and integrity. In keeping with the oath of office, if elected I will defend and uphold the Constitution.
Small Business
I have been a small business owner in Central Missouri since 1988 so I understand what it takes to create family-supporting jobs, operate a business, manage a budget and meet payroll for employees working to support themselves and their families. In mid-Missouri, we are fortunate to have a successful economic partnership that combines the resources and talents of the business and government communities. Missouri state government should do everything possible to encourage business growth and expansion, because a vibrant and robust business environment creates and maintains jobs, produces wealth and advances opportunities for entire communities. Our current economic difficulties cannot be solved by government intervention, but rather will be cured when businesses expand and grow without excessive government intrusion in the form of regulations and taxes.
Agriculture
As a farmer, I understand that agriculture is the backbone of Central Missouri and is critical to the continued success of the region. Both the full-time farmer and the part-time farmer, raising either livestock or crops, create and support jobs in and beyond Central Missouri. The value, work ethic, and ingenuity our farm families provide to the economy and to the fabric of our nation are the basic foundation on which this country and our local, state and national economies have been built. I have firsthand experience at how frustrating government and its agencies’ intervention can be to a productive agricultural operation. We need to help foster the same spirit that built our nation’s agriculture base to look towards the future of our country and economy. It’s the farmer who provides the food on our tables and the jobs for our rural communities. It’s the farmer who finds new uses for their products, such as alternative fuels that help our economy grow and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. I will support Missouri’s farmers, and make sure we don’t legislate them out of business.
Veterans
Central Missourians recognize and take great pride in the sacrifice and service of our veterans. These men and women are worthy of honor and esteem. Missouri is a veteran-friendly state, and should continue partnering with the federal government to provide out-patient care at VA hospitals and clinics and long-term care at the state’s veteran homes.
I am proud of our veterans and want to make sure that Missouri veterans are treasured and cared for throughout and beyond their time in uniform.
Health Care
Health care is important to all Missourians and those who seek to have health insurance should be able to obtain it at affordable rates. I will work to find innovative ways to help Missourians obtain health insurance. Our health care system should not encourage people to rely on the government for health care assistance. Instead, we as a society should encourage all citizens to take personal responsibility for their health care and pursue healthy lifestyle choices.
Approximately 845,000 Missourians are currently enrolled in Medicaid. Doctors who are willing to see Medicaid patients should be appropriately compensated for those services. Government health care without access to physicians is a recipe for unnecessary and costly visits to the emergency room. Large amounts of uncompensated care in hospitals drive up the cost of health care for all taxpayers.
To increase the quality of, and reduce the cost for health care in Central Missouri, I support competition in the market. While we may consider competitive prices to still be too high, competition helps hold prices down. Removing competition would drive prices up, quality down, and make quality health care less available to all.
Role of Government
It is increasingly common for citizens to look to government to solve all of their problems; however, no government can do this, nor should any government try. Instead, the appropriate role of a government is one which seeks to promote the general welfare of those who ultimately retain the power of government: the citizens. In almost every instance, with notable exceptions such as national defense and public safety, individual ingenuity, private businesses and the free market are infinitely better than government at meeting the needs of Central Missourians.
I believe our founding fathers wanted “citizen” legislators for this very reason: legislators who have jobs in our communities and understand the pressures of running a business, provide or administer our health care, or teach in our schools. Legislators need to experience the same struggles and frustrations as the constituents they represent. Accordingly, government’s appropriate role is advancing the ability of individuals, businesses and the free market to meet the needs of Central Missourians with minimal regulatory and tax interference.
Energy
Missouri should not treat our state’s natural resources as if they were hazardous materials. Instead, we need to use the abundant resources we have in a responsible manner to both protect the environment and provide affordable rates to Central Missourians. A sensible approach to energy includes hydro-electric, nuclear, wind, coal and other bio-fueled production, including soy-based and corn-based fuel supplements.
I support the present and future use of coal even as we explore ways to make it cleaner. Coal generates much of the electricity in Missouri, and will continue to do so well into the future. Arbitrary and unnecessary laws which handicap our ability to compete economically make us our own worst enemy. Cap-and-trade laws will dramatically increase energy costs to all Missourians and have little to no impact on air quality across the globe. Major polluters such as India and China will continue to burn coal, keeping their prices low and causing more American jobs to be lost.
I support increasing domestic oil production. Domestically drilled oil, in addition to increased refining capacity, is critical to decreasing our dependence on Middle Eastern oil. Nuclear power must be a part of any discussion about the future of energy and has been a great asset to the 6th District. I will fight to protect the existing Callaway Nuclear Power Plant and look forward to advocating for a second reactor in Callaway County.
I will pursue policies and support legislation that make energy cheaper and more available to Central Missourians in a responsible manner.
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