Missouri 7th Primary Election Candidates and Issues Aug 3rd 2010

We are just a few days away.  Voting is important, Everyone needs to get to the polls in the Primary Elections.  Maybe the most important thing on the Missouri Primary Ballot this year is Proposition C which will put the MO Constitutional  Amendment blocking Obamacare on the Ballot in November.


To see what State Senate District you live in Click below:
http://www.senate.mo.gov/pdf-maps/newdistricts.htm
To see what State Assembly (State house of Representatives) District you live in click below:
http://www.house.mo.gov/billtracking/maps/2001statehouse_e.pdf
To see Candidates for Missouri State Offices click here : http://www.votesmart.org/election_state.php?state_id=MO 
To see Candidates for Federal Office Click here:
http://www.votesmart.org/election_congress_state.php?state_id=MO&go33.x=19&go33.y=11
To Find out WHERE you Vote click here:
http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/goVoteMissouri/default.aspx
Ballot Measures include:
2010-11-02
Constitutional Amendment 1 Election of County Assessors
2010-11-02
Constitutional Amendment 2 Former Prisoners of War Property Tax Exemption
2010-08-03
Proposition C Participation in a Federal Health Care System  WHICH I WILL BE VOTING YES ON…we want this  so we can avoid the personal mandate of Obamacare.

There are 7 Candidates for US House Of Representatives 7th District running on the Republican Ticket.  I will not say who I am voting for.  What I will say is that there are 4 Good Candidates in my Opinion, they are: Jeff Wisdom, Jack Goodman, Gary Nodler, and Michael Wardell.  I have spoken to these four each briefly and only long enough to make a first impression (with the exception of Wardell who I have spoken to quite a bit).  Any of these four would be acceptable if they do as they have stated they will do.  I do have a candidate picked out, he is the one I believe balances ability to win in November with true constitutional values.
Who I WILL NOT be voting for is Billy Wrong…er I mean Long.  A vote for Billy Long = terrible decision on the part of the 7th district.
For the State Senate we have one Republican Candidate running unopposed…RON RICHARD
For US Senate the only real Choice for me is Roy Blunt
For Auditor we have : ALLEN ICET or  TOM SCHWEICH 
There has been some nasty ads and accusations for the auditor job.  Schweich supposedly gave 500 dollars to Claire Bear in 2001…which makes me gag, but he worked for John Bolton and John Ashcroft, and is a bit of an outsider.
Icet is a term limited Missouri state representative…. with just about all the Missouri Congress behind him.  He seems to be the GOP establishment favorite…
THE MAIN THING IS BE AN INFORMED VOTER AND VOTE!
-KOOK

Missouri needs to affirm its tenth amendment rights.

Message from Gary Nodler Missouri State Senator

When our forefathers created our great nation, they designed the country to function as a compact of states with the federal government being the creation of these states. They included the 10th Amendment when writing the Constitution, which says that, “Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence, and every power, jurisdiction, and right, which is not by this Confederation expressly delegated.” At the time, the federal government’s power included federal taxing, federal police, and federal regulations. Over the years, however, the power of the federal government has expanded to the point where many fear that the federal government may be overreaching its bounds and violating the sovereignty of the states.

In recent years, and particularly with the current administration, the federal government has expanded significantly, especially in its costs. Throughout the country, states are becoming increasingly interested in the issue of state sovereignty and federal infringement. It is a concern of mine as well, which is why I proposed Senate Bill 587.

This legislation, which was discussed on the Senate floor this week, would give the voters of the state of Missouri the opportunity to create a commission that would review the actions of the federal government to see if the state’s sovereignty has been violated. The governor, President Pro Tem of the Senate, and Speaker of the House would each appoint two members of the commission and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court would appoint one member of the commission. If the commission finds that the federal government violated the 10th Amendment, the findings would be sent to the attorney general to allow him to pursue the state’s rights in federal court.

While several resolutions have been proposed this year to express the state’s disapproval of federal actions, SB 587 is more than that because it helps the state to take action. The state has always had the power to challenge the federal government in federal court, but SB 587 would allow our state to truly have an organized system to identify when our state’s sovereignty is being threatened.

One of the strengths of SB 587 is that it puts the issue to the people of the state. If the General Assembly approves the bill, the voters would have the opportunity to decide that this commission is necessary, making it truly a reflection of the people of Missouri’s desire to reestablish out state’s constitutional rights. When our forefathers wrote the constitution, they did so with very specific principles in mind, and SB 587 makes sure those ideals are respected and recognized.


-Kook
via iPhone

Michael Wardell- Candidate for MO-7 Congressional Seat

  I have posted a couple of Press Releases from Michael Wardell and also written about his views of the Billy Long potential ethics violations but I have not posted on Mr. Wardell’s positions.  Yesterday I posted on another Candidate in the race, Jack Goodman, and compared his positions with my own.  Today I give Mr. Wardell the same treatment.  I will say this up front, Mr Wardell is the only candidate I have actually met in person (so far).  On another note, I appreciate his use of facts and figures in his issues statement.

 

National Security

National security is my foremost concern because nothing else matters if we cannot protect Americans and defend our freedom.  We remain at war with enemies determined to destroy us.  They measure time differently than we do. [snip]   …The Afghanistan Conflict needs to end. …  We must DEFEND our nation - not “save” the world.  I want to see Congress issue a Letter of Reprisal as is allowed in the Constitution to continue this conflict. It is the only Constitutional way to continue this fight. If Congress doesn't, then we get out.

The Economy

… Government is notoriously inefficient and an impediment to economic growth, creating a terrible burden on society…Cutting taxes spurs economic growth and generates more revenue for the government. The private sector - the free enterprise, capitalist system is the source of our prosperity, not the public sector.

Once the economy recovers and we see positive GDP (gross domestic product) growth, we need to rein in spending and ensure the Federal Reserve is working to restrain the growth of the money supply to alleviate inflationary pressure. – [IMHO We need to audit and then end the Fed.  We may need some other system to assist in controlling the monetary supply but the Fed is broken and corrupt, is not accountable to anyone but themselves and probably helped create a big part of our current situation.]

We need to encourage entrepreneurship by cutting taxes. Government programs that tend to punish success and reward failure should be eliminated.

US corporations are the second highest taxed corporations in the world, second only to Japan. In Missouri, we are taxed at 38.4% total. That is higher than, Canada, France, Belgium, and Italy to name a few  Then we must pay taxes on any dividends that are distributed to shareholders for a grand total of 50.8 %.

In addition, we are facing proposed cuts in Medicare and Social Security to pay for “Obama-care.” Is there any wonder why our parents, grandparents, and their friends are angry?

Health Care

Let’s fix the problems and keep what is working. The solution is to invite more of the free market in health care, not less. For example, Americans should be able to buy health insurance across state lines. Additionally, we need to address tort reform. In states that have enacted tort reform, insurance premiums have continued to decline.  We cannot trust the current administration with any additional responsibilities let alone trust them with managing health care. 

Education

Eliminating the Department of Education is both constitutionally correct and the responsible thing to do. The needs of educating our children should be decided locally, where we could hold the local Board of Education accountable to the needs of our community. The Department of Education needs to be systematically drawn down with power returned to the states, over a 5-7 year period. The educational needs of children are different in different parts of the nation. No one in Washington D.C. has a vested interest in our children’s needs. The closer government is to the people, the more control the citizens have over these needs.

Second Amendment

I fully support the founding fathers original intent, both what is written into the constitution and the spirit that they all had for this, our most important amendment. For without this, the others could not be enforced.

Tenth Amendment

I fully support the founding fathers’ original intent on limiting the powers of the federal government by providing the states’ rights to pass laws beyond the 18 enumerated powers provided to Congress in Article I Section VIII of the Constitution. Any piece of legislation that does not meet the strict limits of the 18 enumerated powers will be met with a no vote. Now, more than ever, the states must enforce their power given to them by the Tenth Amendment in order to slow down the expansion of the federal government to protect the rights of their people.

Energy

More domestic energy production must be developed:  [SNIP] Market forces need to determine the needs for these energy sources, not the government. If someone can make a profit, someone will. [Snip] There must be a reward in terms of profit for the risk to be worth taking. If the government mandates something to be built there is no risk for the venture taker and it will fail (Freddy Mac et al.).

Social Security and Medicare

With an estimated $65 TRILLION ($65,000,000,000,000) in shortfalls due to the Bernie Madoff school of thinking, our debt to these two entitlement programs are equivalent to 6-8 years of our GDP. We must do the responsible thing and carefully and systematically privatize both programs. Like the health care issue, this matter is best left to the people who pay into it.

As you can see Mr. Wardell agrees with the positions as I see them in virtually every case.  Mr. Goodman and Mr. Wardell in fact both seem to take similar stances on their stated issues.    One thing seems evident, either man would be a ‘bold color’ to send to Washington, the question remains which one is ‘bolder’;  do they both believe these things to their core or will the boldness wash off into a ‘pale pastel’ like so many others have done?

I would be very enthused to see them in a debate.

-KOOK

Jack Goodman: Candidate for Congress Missouri's 7th Congressional District

Via BBCW: March 2010

[Snip]One of the challenges for Goodman as a candidate in the Seventh District race is the fact he is one of two men considered to be a politician in a year when anger is directed at the politicians. When I met Mr. Goodman for lunch today and an interview, he comes across as more of a citizen legislator than career politician.

Goodman points out he has always fought for the people of his district. He took on the House speaker over unfair zoning laws. He believes Southwest Missouri needs to look at his experience as a positive and proof he will fight for the the vision our founding fathers established in the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. …read the rest of the BBCW post here

So let’s look at Goodman on the issues…and compare them to My Positions

Life

Jack is pro-life. He strongly believes in protecting life at all stages, especially those who cannot defend themselves…  

Federal Budget

Federal spending is out of control…. Jack’s record proves he believes in and will vote for limited government and lower taxes.

Spending our way out of this current economic situation is not feasible…Jack … believes conservatives must pursue a definite course and not simply be just a little less liberal than the liberals.

Earmarks

Jack believes the federal appropriation process is terribly broken and must be reformed. Not only does the process lack the accountability and transparency the American people deserve, it promotes the vulgar spending of taxpayer money that his given Washington its lousy reputation. Jack proposes a moratorium on earmarks and will call on ALL members of congress and candidates to do the same until real reform can be implemented in the system. [sounds nice…won’t ever happen, this is all a little pie in the sky, but ideologically sound in pricinple]

Second Amendment

Jack is a strong supporter of the Constitution, including the 2nd Amendment. Jack was instrumental in helping to pass Missouri’s concealed carry law. He also wrote and sponsored Missouri’s version of the Castle Doctrine, which allows homeowners to fully protect themselves against unlawful intruders. Jack is a proud member of the NRA with an A+ rating. Jack believes there should be no further encroachment on our right to keep and bear arms.

National Security

Unfortunately, we live in a dangerous world. We cannot make friends with those who have sworn to kill us. Jack will fight to provide all necessary resources to the men and women of our armed forces who lay their lives on the line everyday to protect the American way of life against terrorists and other threats. [No real position given on the wars]

Securing the Border and Immigration

There are many good people around the world who would like to enter our country legally and follow our rules. Jack welcomes all people who want to legally, productively become a part of the greatness of America.
Those who enter the country illegally should not be rewarded for breaking the law. Jack is opposed to amnesty. He will fight for additional funding for border security and training for border patrol agents.

Energy Independence

Energy policy is a national priority. …Congress must open up domestic supplies of energy to exploration and encourage next generation coal, nuclear, wind, hydroelectric power and other energy sources if we are to reduce dependence on foreign oil. .

Healthcare

Jack believes there is a general consensus on the principles that Americans are looking for in any health care reform proposal: affordability, accessibility, choice, and quality. He strongly believes that putting individuals, families, and doctors, not the government, in control of the healthcare system is the key to success.

Education

Jack supports returning control of our children's education to those who understand their needs the best - parents and our local educators. Family Values

Seems like he talks the talk.  Curious to see what else we learn about him.

-KOOK

Billy Long – Someone Stick a Fork in Him

Billy Long (Failing) Candidate for Mo-7 Congressional seat Race  commits second possibly MAJOR blunder.  Billy (auctnr1) Tweeted this yesterday:

“Wrapping big project for Congressional race- my staff does auction/real estate bus[iness], plus Congressional race and they do a GREAT job THANKS !”

See for yourself Click to Embiggen:

 
I am glad he appreciates his staff and all, and I am sure that they are some great folks, but since Mr. Long is apparently not acquainted with the law let me explain  what is wrong here.

Information below taken directly from http://www.fec.gov/pages/brochures/citizens.shtml 

The law … prohibits contributions from corporations … This prohibition applies to any incorporated organization, profit or nonprofit. For example, the owner of an incorporated "mom and pop" grocery store is not permitted to use a business account to make contributions. …Most people think of contributions as donations of money in the form of checks or currency. … [but] anything of value given to influence a Federal election is considered a contribution…The donation of …--anything of value—[like wages of your own business’s employees you have working on your campaign] is an in-kind contribution…A donation of services is also considered an in-kind contribution…

I am not a lawyer or a Campaign Finance expert by any stretch.   The way I see it, though, is that there is really no way Mr. Long can use his employees from his business to work on his campaign in any sort of paid capacity, and I think it would be very difficult for him to allow them to “volunteer” because the awkward position that would put his employees in.  What if they didn't want to “volunteer” to work on his political campaign?  What would that mean for their regular employment? Someone who is a Lawyer or Campaign Finance expert should look into this. If I am proven wrong, I will be the first one to correct myself, but…

Honestly Folks, at this point I can’t tell these three apart:

 

 

 

-KOOK

Latest On MO-7 Billy Long Is Wrong, BBCW, and Michael Wardell

  Michael Wardell , Candidate for MO-7 Congressional Seat wrote on his blog yesterday that he is exploring possible ethics violations against Republican Billy Long over accusations Long attempted to bribe a blogger. Kudos to Mr. Wardell, Someone definitely should,  but why has the media not picked up on this? It is pretty clear to me that attempting to silence the opposition to your campaign by making a job offer to the person criticizing you is a clear ethics violation.  Mr. Wardell also makes a VERY valid point in paragraph four of his press release.  Obama has won most of his victories in his political career by getting his opponents disqualified.  In an area of the country so staunchly conservative, and a House seat that is shaping up to be this hotly contested, does it not stand to reason that someone like Billy Long who is so obviously ethically challenged would be like a roasted suckling pig just waiting to be eaten by the Democrats this fall?  We do not need a compromised candidate in this race, the stakes in the House are too high. Read Wardell’s statement below:

It is with no joy that I make this announcement.

A week ago, Mr. Billy Long, a Candidate for the 7th Congressional District, attempted to bribe or coerce a citizen journalist into killing a blog, critical of his campaign in exchange for a position on his campaign. Fired-Up Missouri, a liberal blog, is already tracking this.
It has been a week and Mr. Long has not denied this charge.
Mr. Long must step down as a candidate, not because I asked him to but because he gives napalm to Tim Davis and the Democratic Majority. If we Republicans tolerate this behavior and sweep this under the rug, we will regret it.
If Mr. Long and his $500,000+ war chest were to win the Primary, Tim Davis, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Barack Obama will pull out all the stops and flood this district with cash and support in a race that the Democrat Majority is losing members at lightning speed.
They will wait until September and THEY will file an Ethics charge, damaging the Republican Candidate, and potentially having him removed from the ballot. Barack Obama used a similar tactic in his own Senatorial race in Illinois and won
I will not stand idle and let Southwest Missouri be hijacked by the opposition, because I lacked the backbone to say something about someone who lacks the capacity to understand the ramification of his actions could potentially damage my Party and my District.

-KOOK

MO-7 Candidate Michael Wardell Issues Press Release

Congressional Candidate Michael Wardell running for Missouri's Seventh District Congressional Seat that Roy Blunt currently holds issued the following statement:

 

“Over the past several days, a report has surfaced that has shaken the very foundation of our District, our Liberty, and our Party and has embarrassed my fellow Conservatives. A candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives should be an example of leadership, Integrity and Character for the community regardless of party affiliation.

We Republicans have railed against the Democrats for their backroom deals, Louisiana Purchases and Nebraska buyouts, and yet one of our own who professes to be the citizen that should go to Washington D.C. believes that those rules only apply to others.

According to blogger Bungalow Bill, who writes Bungalow Bill’s Conservative Wisdom and Billy Long is Wrong, on Tuesday the 2nd of March, Mr. Long attempted to stifle free speech, and buy the bloggers silence. The two met for coffee and the rest, they say, is history. 

This is not the kind of representation we need in the 7th Congressional district, and if confirmed Mr. Long should step down from the race. If Mr. Long is able to weather this lapse in ethical behavior and make it to the general election, his opponent will charge in with bayonets fixed and firing, and the seat could be lost.  I’m not willing to accept that.”

—Michael Wardell 3/5/2010

-KOOK

The K.O.O.K's Manifesto

Billy Long is Wrong

Billy Long is Wrong: With Regret: Discovering the Ugly Side of Politics on a Personal Level Below is a repost from our good friend Clay’s, the purveyor of BBCW, other website covering Billy Long.  Billy Long is a candidate in the Mo-7 race for Roy Blunt’s soon to be vacated seat. This race is shaping up to be HOTLY contested.  Billy Long has been a front runner in the race…up until this latest shenanigan (hopefully).  Billy Long is a wealthy businessman who plays the “Aw Shucks good ol’ boy” but  he appears to be as “crooked as a sidewinder”   Or  “Crooked as a Dog’s Hind Leg”…or for those of our readers not from the south that would be… “unethical”. 

Clay was feeling sort of mean spirited because of his pretty astringent coverage of Billy Long’s campaign so far, he was just about to extend an olive branch…when BLAM! all of Clay’s suspicions and suppositions turn out to be SPOT ON regarding the W.I.Q., that would be Weasel In Question, Billy Long; who has aspirations of joining all the other “ethically challenged” Weasels in the District of Criminals.

The fact is, Billy Long proved he is WRONG for the position of representing us. Billy Long is Wrong For Missouri.  Billy Long proved he is unethical.  Read the post below and you will understand why; the days where you can Bribe, Blackmail, Extort, and generally Payola your way to office are OVER if we of the Pro-Liberty Coalition have anything to say about it…

In case your were wondering I repeated Billy Long’s name several times in this post to get the Search Engines to crawl this hot breaking Billy Long News faster about how Billy Long is Wrong for Missouri, and how Billy Long is Unethical, and How Billy Long has no business in Washington. I also want to mention that if things work out I will be in Ozark tomorrow night and will hopefully be able to report how Billy Long is a Weasel, Billy Long, Billy Long, Billy Long…

With Regret: Discovering the Ugly Side of Politics on a Personal Level

When I decided to challenge Billy Long’s candidacy for Congress, I hoped that I could encourage the debate of the important issues that face our country and our lives with a focus on the preservation of our Constitution. I saw the massive amounts of money Mr. Long was collecting and feared money would be the deciding factor in this election. As someone concerned for the future of our great Republic, I hoped for better.
This is the reason I decided to challenge Mr. Long. Even if he won the primary, I knew Southwest Missouri would be better off because of the push for a real debate to bring out the best candidate. I never intended this to be a witch hunt. I have spent many hours listening to what Billy Long was saying, and I grew more concerned over his candidacy.
It should be no surprise the Web site ‘LongisWrong.com” was having an impact in the way his campaign was run and possibly the shaping of the race in August. It was my wish to bring about an issues focused campaign that looked beyond the free t-shirts and bumper stickers at the meet-and-greets and the high tech billboards along Southwest Missouri roadways with Mr. Long’s campaign colors. With lots of regret, we may never dive into this seventh district race with a push for the real issues to be addressed.
After seeking counsel through friends, family, religious leaders, and journalists, and considering all the factors that may affect the lives of many people, I have decided to come forward in hopes that my actions will return ethics to Southwest Missouri politics and possibly politics in Washington as well.
I attended the Joplin Federated Republican Women’s meeting on March 2, 2010 at Pizza by Stout. The featured speakers of the event were candidates running for Missouri’s Seventh Congressional District seat now filled by Roy Blunt. After the meeting was over, Billy Long quickly approached me and asked me if I would be willing to sit down and discuss his campaign and my views of his candidacy over a cup of coffee.
While I will leave most of the details of the conversation off the record for now, I was surprised and disgusted by what took place towards the end of our conversation. My wife had just joined us after leaving the meeting room and sat down at our table, and I continued my conversation with Mr. Long listening to him react to the Long is Wrong Web site. I had raised some Constitutional concerns in our conversation about his candidacy, and I had pointed out a few of the great American tales that drive my passion for the Constitution. Mr. Long tells me he is impressed with my knowledge and that I would make a good addition to his own campaign. He asks me to consider it. He then tells me that if I stop doing what I am doing, referring to the Long is Wrong Web site, that I could have a position in his campaign.
I cut the conversation short after this, and as we got up to leave the table, Mr. Long once again invited me over, this time using a Star Wars reference asking me to join the ‘dark side’ (sic).
It is with great sadness that I discuss this today. All I hoped for was to raise the debate in Southwest Missouri to a higher level that directed our country in the right Constitutional direction. Instead, I am having the deal with what I feel is a bribe, to get me to remove the Long is Wrong Web site. This is not what I wanted to bring about in the seventh district. In fact, I have a heavy heart even discussing this as I was exposed to the dirty truth of politics in America today on a personal level by a man who claims a vote for him is a vote to send a citizen to Washington.
I wish I had never sat down and had coffee with him. I hate the position he has put me in, and I hate how this feels inside.

Billy Long is Wrong

Keep your chin up, Clay

-Kook