Jackson County Democratic Committee

Alongside a host of his colleagues, friends and members of the business and labor communities, Attorney General Chris Koster Thursday night announced he is running for a second term.

Guests at Party Chairman Steve Bough’s home included State Party Chair Susan Montee; County Executive Mike Sanders; Sheriff Mike Sharp; State Senator Jolie Justus; State Representative Jason Kander, County Legislator Theresa Garaza Ruiz; Kansas City Mayor Pro Tem Cindy Circo; Kansas City Councilmembers Jim Glover, Jan Marcason, Scott Wagner; 
and 
The Jackson County Democratic Committee.

The Koch Brothers of  Wichita Kansas are famous for owning one of the worst polluting oil companies and for being the largest financer of the Tea Party. They now are funding an attack on public education.

Warning Strong Language NSFW

Former President Bill Clinton gave the commencement speech and received an honorary doctorate degree at the school’s commencement ceremony for graduate students at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg. 

UCM is finishing a $36.1 million energy retrofit this summer. The Clinton Foundation was closely involved with the work that began in 2009 and will involve a dozen buildings on campus.

Last night, Claire went to the Senate floor to call out the hypocrisy of those who supported an earmark ban last month, but requested and received earmarks in the ‘omnibus’ spending bill. Republicans tried to claim credit for killing the bill due to wasteful government spending, but Claire called them out on their participation in the bill, including millions of dollars in earmark requests. Claire opposed the bill because it did not include strict spending caps and because it included over 6,000 earmarks.

Dear Friend,

Today, on Veterans Day, it is particularly important to send a special thank you to those who have risked their lives or died heroically serving in the United States Armed Forces. Join me and your fellow Missourians in saying thank you to America’s veterans – you can share your family’s thanks at facebook.com/senatormccaskill.
But I know words of thanks are not always enough. Part of my job as a United States Senator is working to make sure Congress also expresses the nation’s gratitude to veterans and their families by delivering the benefits they earned and need.

Earlier this year I had the privilege of once again traveling across Missouri to hear to the concerns of veterans. At VFW halls around the state, I am always reminded of the Greatest Generation – the women and men (including my own dad) who protected this country’s freedom during World War II.

But like you, I have also seen first-hand a new great generation of heroic warriors coming home from repeated deployments with new injuries, both physical and psychological. This year marked the end of combat troop deployment in Iraq, but conflict continues in Afghanistan and our forces continue to serve in Iraq in a new role. I worry about the dramatic increase in post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse and suicide among our men and women in uniform, including our brave Guard and Reserve members. Unfortunately, the mental health and substance abuse services available to veterans have not kept pace with the overwhelming need.

During my time in the Senate, I’ve fought passionately for better health benefits for veterans. The HERO Act, which I co-sponsored, is now a law helping to evaluate the needs and improve the physical and mental health resources for service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. After a whistleblower at Fort Leonard Wood revealed that the substance abuse programs in our Armed Forces were not sufficient to meet the growing needs of our service members who are seeking counseling, I introduced legislation to overhaul the Defense Department’s substance abuse programs and provide a path for treatment to remain confidential so those who seek help are not disciplined for getting the care they need.

I’m also proud to have helped this new generation of veterans pay for their education. I was a cosponsor of and outspoken advocate for the Post-9/11 GI bill, which provides unprecedented educational benefits to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families. Thousands of Missouri veterans are now taking advantage of this great program, just like my dad did with the original G.I. Bill when he returned from World War II.

Despite these improvements, there’s still a lot of work to do to help veterans.

I’ve been working with my Senate colleagues to pass legislation that would expand access to mental health counselors covered by TRICARE and embed mental health professionals in National Guard units during stateside training. And young men and women coming home also need to be able to provide for their families: we need to look at better ways to incentivize employers to hire returning veterans and help veterans get their own businesses off the ground.

Following World War II, Missouri’s own President Harry S. Truman said, “Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices.”

65 years later, President Truman’s words still ring true 

All the best,

Buy American for Christmas

The holiday shopping season is almost upon us. If ever there was a time when buying American made sense, it is now. Most Christmas purchases are optional, so why not choose something made here and help keep Americans working.

Here are a few links the feature American Products.

http://madeinusaforever.com/

http://www.madeinusa.org/

http://www.americansworking.com/

http://www.buyamerican.com/

http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/

Please leave comments on where to find American made products locally.

crossposted from RaytownOnline.Com

BY VIRGINIA YOUNG

• Post-Dispatch Jefferson City Bureau Chief vyoung@post-dispatch.com > 573-635-6178 | Posted: Friday, November 5, 2010 12:20 am

JEFFERSON CITY

• The new leader of the Missouri Senate pledged Thursday to pursue a business-oriented agenda, including legislation that would make Missouri a right-to-work state.

Sen. Rob Mayer, R-Dexter, defeated Sen. Kevin Engler, R-Farmington, to win the nod to become the next Senate president pro tem.

The 26 Republican senators and senators-elect made the choice in a closed-door meeting. While all 34 senators must vote on the selection when the Legislature convenes in January, that vote is normally a formality.

The president pro tem plays a big role in determining which issues advance by appointing legislators to chair committees and referring bills to committees.

Mayer said improving Missouri’s business climate will be his top priority, and making Missouri a “right-to-work” state is a key part of that plan. Right-to-work laws bar closed-union shops, where all union-represented workers can be required to join the union and pay union dues.

Mayer said Missouri has had trouble competing for new automobile manufacturing plants because of the right-to-work issue. He noted that all states that border Missouri, except for Illinois and Kentucky, have such laws.

“We have to look at some things we’ve not looked at in the past, and we need to be bold about this new agenda,” he said.

The issue has been on the back-burner since 1978, when Missouri voters overwhelmingly rejected a right-to-work law placed on the ballot by initiative petitions.

In recent years, some business groups have been trying to resurrect it. Those groups, such as Associated Industries of Missouri, helped elect many of the candidates who prevailed on Tuesday, when Republicans won record majorities in both chambers. The GOP will have 106 of the 163 seats in the Missouri House.

Labor groups strongly oppose right-to-work laws, and with a Democrat in the governor’s office, the Legislature might have to put the measure on the ballot to bypass a veto from Gov. Jay Nixon.

Mayer said tax restructuring also will be on the Senate agenda. But he sounded less than enthusiastic about the so-called Fair Tax proposal, which would replace the state income tax with a higher sales tax on a broader base.

The state’s largest campaign donor, retired financier Rex Sinquefield of St. Louis, has championed that idea. While promising “healthy discussion” of it, Mayer said it needed a lot of study.

Mayer, a lawyer, served four years in the House before winning his Senate seat in 2004. He has headed the Senate Appropriations Committee the last two years.

He got into the leadership race at the urging of some conservative senators who were frustrated with debates that drag on, bogging down their priorities. Several sources said senators repeatedly deadlocked on Mayer and Engler and Mayer finally won through a drawing.

Engler did not attend the Republicans’ press conference afterward. Talking to reporters in his office, he said some colleagues didn’t like his style of seeking compromise.

“I was accused of being a consensus-builder,” Engler said, “and I’m proud of that.”

Engler said he was unwilling to promise to shut down debate to pass a right-to-work bill. “That’s one of the things that killed me,” he said.

Sen. Tom Dempsey of St. Charles bested Sen. Brad Lager of Savannah to become the new majority leader.

Lager said Republicans would unite behind common goals of shrinking government, holding the line on taxes and lessening the burden on business.

Democrats re-elected Sen. Victor Callahan of Independence as minority leader.