Today the Kay for Congress campaign launched "Farmers for Kay."
We are proud to have the support of farmers from each of the 26 counties that comprise the 6th Congressional District.
The outrageous price of gas and diesel is making it difficult for family farmers to make a living. Kay has promised to promote the interests of farmers, especially to help pursue a balanced energy policy.
If you are a farmer who supports Kay Barnes, please contact us at kay@kay4congress.com.
SHOW ME STATE OF MIND
Washington Needs a Lesson on Education
Volume 1, Issue 14: July 14, 2008
As a former school teacher and a parent of two children, I know first-hand that good schools produce young people who can achieve the American Dream. That’s why Washington needs to make it easier, not harder, for teachers to teach and for students to learn. Unfortunately, when it comes to education, Congress has been playing hookie.
The obstacles for schools and teachers only increased when President Bush and Congress passed the flawed No Child Left Behind Act in 2001. This legislation punished schools that lacked resources, such as those in small towns. And instead of helping them out, Congressman Sam Graves and his colleagues consistently voted against funding for these schools.
It’s no wonder that Graves only got a 15 percent rating from the National Parent Teacher Association!
Last month, I called for a suspension of penalties on No Child Left Behind until Washington fixes this failed legislation. I am proud to announce that Congressman Sam Graves — who is undergoing an election-year transformation — is now supporting a bipartisan bill to do just that.
Thank you, Congressman, for finally standing with Missouri’s hardworking parents and teachers. We just wish that you would have done your homework years ago.
SHOW ME STATE OF MIND:
Keeping Your Word is a Missouri Value
Volume 1, Issue 13
We’ve all heard the saying, "actions speak louder than words." My family’s values — that my parents taught me, and that I taught my children — go even farther. We believe that your actions are your word.
This is a lesson that Washington politicians, who often say one thing and do another, need to learn. And as we celebrate the 4th of July, there is no better time to hold them accountable.
When Congressman Sam Graves first ran for Congress in 2000, he promised to protect the economic gains and budget surpluses of the 1990s. Instead, Graves and his fellow lawmakers on Capitol Hill fell right back into their old habits — spending money they didn’t have on pork-barrel projects. Since inheriting a $127 billion surplus in 2000, Graves and President Bush have run a deficit every single year, putting us trillions more in debt. So much for keeping a promise.
It sure is hard to take Congressman Graves seriously when he complains about runaway government spending and waste, since he helped get us into this mess in the first place. He even voted for the $223 million "Bridge to Nowhere" in Alaska and thousands of other pork-barrel projects. Graves talks tough about fiscal restraint, but his actions tell a different story.
Sam Graves needs to accept responsibility. He likes to say that Washington doesn’t have a revenue problem, but a spending problem. In fact, Graves’ reckless spending policies have hurt Missouri families. This year, every American household will pay $2,000 just for interest payments on the national debt! It’s no wonder that the value of the dollar is at a record low and the cost of gas at a record high.
I taught my children to follow through on their promises and accept responsibility for their failures. Congressman Sam Graves has done neither. We need change now to get our economy back on track. We can’t afford more of the same.
The Fourth of July is a day for us to celebrate our remarkable history, enjoy where we are in the present, and envision what is possible for us in the future.
When our forefathers adopted the Declaration of Independence on this day 232 years ago, they set the United States apart as an exceptional place in the world. Today, in addition to enjoying barbecue, parades and fireworks with our families and friends, we ought to remember what our Founders wrote:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
We — and especially our elected officials — should strive to uphold these principles, which although conceived hundreds of years ago are still at the heart of what it means to be an American.
Every day, I, like you, am so proud of America. I am proud of where we are and how far we have come. And I am proud that we can work to make our nation greater — and inspired to do so. Our nation’s Founding Fathers were dreamers, and those that came after them made that American Dream a reality for their children and grandchildren. It is the responsibility of today’s leaders to keep that dream alive.
The United States of America is, without a doubt, the greatest nation in the world. Let’s celebrate this achievement, and work hard to keep it that way.
-Kay
SHOW ME STATE OF MIND:
Americans Retain Right to Bear Arms
Volume 1, Issue 12: June 30, 2008
Growing up in St. Joseph my father and his friends loved to fish and hunt. It never crossed their minds that citizens did not have the right to own a rifle or a shotgun. They believed the Second Amendment protected this right, just as the rest of the Ten Amendments protect rights like free speech.
Therefore, I agree with the Supreme Court’s interpretation last week that an absolute prohibition against gun ownership violates the Second Amendment right for citizens to bear arms. Most legal observers believe the Court did allow for reasonable safety precautions.
To combat crimes committed by those with guns, we need to maintain our support of law enforcement. Congress has not kept its promise to adequately fund our local law enforcement agencies. Congressman Sam Graves is part of this problem. In 2005 for example, Graves voted against increasing funding for state and local law enforcement programs, including COPS, by $200 million. Law enforcement grants were cut by $400 million from the previous year and that year’s level was $226 million below the year before. This isn’t how to keep our communities safe.
Now that the highest court in our country has affirmed the right of law abiding citizens to own arms, we must turn our full attention to cracking down on criminals who illegally possess guns. In Kansas City I worked with the U.S. Attorney and the Justice Department to arrest and prosecute convicted criminals who after serving their sentence again sought guns to use in illegal conduct. Within a matter of a few years, federal prosecutors working closely with local law enforcement agencies identified and charged 1,000 felons with federal firearm violations.
The Supreme Court has settled the issue of gun ownership and the right of citizens to use guns in a responsible manner. Whether that use is to hunt or to protect one’s family in their homes, we now know that they can do so with the full protection of the law.
SHOW ME STATE OF MIND:
Rural Missouri Needs Relief From High Gas Prices
Volume 1, Issue 11: June 23, 2008
High gas prices are devastating our economy. They are making life tougher for everyone, and especially in our small towns, folks are getting strangled.
Small towns suffer more during these tough times. In some rural counties, residents spend three times more on gas than those who live in cities or suburbs. The St. Joseph News Press reported recently that the average commute time for Andrew County residents was almost 30 minutes. At that rate, someone in Andrew County pays nearly $200 per month for regular gasoline!
We can’t just expect people to stop driving. A woman from Holt County who is on Medicare recently told me that she had to skip a doctor’s appointment in Kansas City to treat a degenerative eye disease because she couldn’t afford the nearly $35 in gas to make the trip. I wish that this story were uncommon, but it’s not. It’s just a reminder that the cost of gas affects everything including health care.
And the impact on family farms is hitting everyone in the pocket book. Crop prices may be going up, but they are also getting more volatile. With rampant speculation by hedge funds and Wall Street investors, family farmers are caught in the crosshairs of this already rocky market. And with diesel above $4 a gallon and fertilizer 65% more than it was a year ago, our small farmers can barely keep up. These increases in input costs are enough to add $250,000 to the cost of growing 1,000 acres of wheat, much of which cannot be passed onto the consumer.
Congressman Sam Graves talks a lot about his concern for his rural constituents. But the fact is that he has only made things worse. Graves decided long ago that hefty campaign contributions from Exxon and big oil companies were worth more than taking tough stands for the folks back home. Graves has voted again and again to dole out massive taxpayer subsidies to oil and gas companies and has opposed recent common-sense attempts to redirect those tax breaks to alternative energies.
I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of business as usual in Washington. We need a representative who will side with us and not the special interests.
Last night, Kay attended the opening of the Buchanan County Democratic Headquarters in her hometown, St. Joseph. Several dozen politically active citizens attended and pledged their support for Kay’s campaign. Kay and the campaign staff thank Buchanan County for the warm reception, and for all that the county has done to support this campaign over the past year.
SHOW ME STATE OF MIND:
No Amnesty for Employers or Immigrants
Volume 1, Issue 10: June 16, 2008
When it comes to immigration, Congressman Sam Graves likes to say, "You can’t fix a leaky faucet while the water is running."
I couldn’t agree more, and that’s why Graves’ record on immigration leaves those of us who live here in Missouri scratching our heads. Sam’s been in Washington so long that he’s left the water running, forgotten to call the plumber, and now demands to know where the water is coming from!
More than 5 million illegal immigrants have entered the United States since Graves and President Bush took office together in 2001. We all know that unsecured borders and attractive jobs are what draw immigrants. That’s why securing our borders and cracking down on lawbreaking employers must be our top priority.
Congressman Graves talks tough on immigration, but he’s really exploiting the issue for political gain while undermining our efforts to fix the problem.
In 2005, Graves voted to cut $48 million from U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. These are the folks charged with keeping our borders safe. How could Graves write in March 2005 that "our current immigration policy is sick," only to vote a few months later to cut funding for border agents?
In 2006, Graves voted against a bill that would have cracked down on smuggling illegal immigrants across the border — only one example of his siding with businesses who knowingly hire illegal workers. Businesses and individuals who break the law by recruiting, hiring, and harboring illegal immigrants must be held accountable for their actions.
Why would Graves do this? Because businesses who benefit from cheap immigrant labor and oppose employer sanctions are funding his reelection campaigns. Graves is so beholden to these special interests that he is still pushing for more work visas even though he knows that millions of immigrants who entered the country on these visas have overstayed and become illegal immigrants.
We need a Representative who will work to fix the immigration problem by strengthening our borders and enforcing our laws. And we especially need someone who will oppose amnesty for illegal immigrants, and for lawbreaking employers.
SHOW ME STATE OF MIND:
Standing with Patients, Not Drug Companies
Volume 1, Issue 9: June 9, 2008
It seems as if every time I meet with a mother, father, or grandparent around the 6th Congressional District, they express their concern and frustration with our country’s health care system.
Health care premiums are rising so fast that many families can’t afford adequate coverage. While median income in the U.S. has dropped since 2001, premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance have skyrocketed — even for plans that can turn you away when you need it most.
This problem only worsens when we make it harder for families to gain insurance. When families can’t afford adequate insurance, kids stay home sick from school, parents miss work, and emergency rooms fill up with people whose illnesses could have been prevented by a simple doctor’s visit.
A parent’s top priority is providing for her children. When I was raising my son and daughter, most of us didn’t have to worry that if our kids got sick, insurance wouldn’t cover the treatment. Today, that’s not the case.
Hardworking parents are afraid to change jobs because of a gap in insurance coverage and fear medical bills that could force them into bankruptcy.
And Washington has done nothing to help.
President Bush and the Congress have rewarded special interests at the cost of hardworking Americans. Bush’s Medicare bill gave over $100 billion in windfall profits to big drug companies and blocked the government from negotiating lower prescription drug prices. Congressman Sam Graves was a champion of this flawed legislation. Meanwhile, Graves advocated to cut Medicare and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), leaving seniors and children behind.
We can’t afford misguided priorities that put a strain on our families and our emergency rooms.
Giving taxpayer funded giveaways to big drug companies is not the answer. Instead, we need to use these funds to strengthen Medicare and SCHIP, efficient programs that keep our families healthy and our hospitals running efficiently.
Missourians deserve a representative who will stand with them, and not with drug companies and special interests.
The Kay Barnes for Congress campaign was pleased to unveil "Teachers for Kay" today.
Teachers for Kay is made up of educators and education leaders in each of the 6th Congressional District’s 26 counties. Its members are responsible for advising Kay Barnes on education policy and contacting their colleagues and neighbors to inform them of Kay Barnes’ positions on education issues.
"As a parent and former teacher, Kay Barnes is a strong advocate for Missouri Teachers," said Teachers for Kay Steering Committee Chair Julee Reese of Linn County. "We need an independent voice like Kay to clean up the mess in Washington and fix No Child Left Behind."
If you are interested in learning more about Teachers for Kay, call or email us: 816 587 5400 or kay@kay4congress.com.