Voters Guide Questions

1. Social Security tax cut.
2. Economy.
3. Health care.

I have held this position for the last six years and I have a proven record for helping seniors, growing a stronger economy and making sure everyone has the right to health care.

Results. St. Charles County is one of the fastest growing counties in the state and it boasts a diverse population with varying needs. I have always been committed to representing my district and this county to the best of my ability and whether that puts me in the crosshairs of something that is unpopular I do it, because it is right for St. Charles County.
This commitment has allowed me to bring the best results back to St. Charles County. We have cut unnecessary government programs and spending, tried to create a better environment for small businesses, protected our traditional family values and invested in our children’s future through education.
Obviously I feel there is still more to do, but the results speak for themselves and St. Charles County is one of the greatest places to live in Missouri and I am proud of what I have been able to do.

Editorial Page Department Questions

First, I think we actually need to take a look at the population that is quoted about being uninsured. Although I would agree the figure is accurate and too high, the difficulty may actually lie in the decision this group makes in not purchasing health care insurance. For instance, like many of us when we were in our 20s there wasn’t much holding us back and we rarely seemed to have health problems. As a result, having health insurance didn’t seem like much of an issue and insurance was just something that “older” people paid attention to.
I think people would find that is partly what we see today, one of the largest groups composing the uninsured are young adults and these people knowingly make a decision to avoid accessing a health insurance plan because they don’t feel there is a pressing need. We also know however, that the unexpected can happen at any moment and people need to be prepared, unfortunately financially young adults often times are the ones who financially are the most unprepared to pay for some catastrophic medical attention and health insurance may have gone a long way in helping them keep their heads above water.
I believe we need to actively look for incentives to show and encourage young adults to purchase health insurance, so they can protect themselves and reduce the risk of even greater future hardship because they can’t pay medical bills.
While I am not an advocate for universal health care, there are some things we should consider. Presently, there is a program in place where individuals who choose to purchase private health care can do so and pay for the plan with pre-tax dollars, much like an employer based health care system works.
However, I also think we should consider making broader steps in working with insurance companies and health care providers whereby in Missouri an individual can gain access to health care if they are willing to make a co-pay and even pay a small amount monthly for access, then when they need health care they can receive it. The advantage being that people will have to pay something and the subsequently access health care only when they need it as opposed to a universal health care system where the demand for health care would skyrocket because people would overuse the system and essentially crowd out some of the people who need attention most, while at the same time decreasing the overall quality and attention of individual health care.

Four years ago we created the Quality Jobs Act. This bill has done a great deal to attract new businesses to Missouri and at the same time offer quality jobs to Missourians. Under the Quality Jobs Act, employers are given tax incentives if they offer jobs that pay above the average county wage and offer their employees health insurance. The companies and jobs these companies offer are exactly the kind we want more of in Missouri. While we are only recently seeing the positive impacts of this program, I believe we need to propose investing more of our economic development budget to this program.
I also believe that we need to look at how we invest our money in economic development projects in general. The old way of thinking is to simply offer tax incentives and allow companies and individuals to take advantage of them. Since taking control, Republicans have started moving away from this line of thinking, now like the Quality Jobs Act we are trying to focus on programs that offer measurable returns on our investment. I believe Missouri needs to spend more of our economic development budget on identifying industries where the state already has a natural competitive advantage. If done correctly we could maximize certain industries and become nation and world leaders in things like advanced manufacturing, research sciences, and information technology.

I think poverty is something that is obviously sad to see in a country like the United States, which is a world leader in so many things, but I think the solutions to poverty are much more than just creating programs that provide financial assistance.
I think one of the first steps is to ensure that we have strong schools, not only K-12 schools, but vocational schools. Not every student thrives in a classroom setting and some never find their true interest because it isn’t in a textbook, but perhaps working with their hands or learning non-traditional skills. I think this concept is something we should look at very closely in the near future because not only could it potentially reach out to students we often have a hard time connecting to, but could set them on a track where they develop a more clear future plan for themselves. A program like this, aside from teaching them valuable job-related skills, would also improve things like literacy, build teamwork skills, and create alternatives and option for students who never thought they had them. It would also increase Missouri’s graduation rates and consequently the number of individuals with valuable skills into our workforce, raising all standards and pulling more people out of poverty.