Political Blogs
Congressman Jason Smith's Capitol Report - Maxed Out America's Credit Cards
September 18th 2017 by Dee Loflin
Congressman Smith Capitol Report
Maxed Out: America’s Credit Cards
September 15, 2017
How to be more popular online, what causes my fear of the dentist, angry birds. Does this sound like someone’s Google search history or over $6 million dollars of wasteful government spending? If you guessed spending, you would be correct. A recent report found billions of government dollars wasted on everything from training monkeys to use a treadmill to paying government employees to do nothing.
President Obama and his army of liberal bureaucrats added more than $9 TRILLION dollars to our debt. When he was sworn in on January 20, 2009, the debt was $10.626 trillion. On January 20, 2017, it was $19.947 trillion.
Yearly federal tax collections currently amount to $3.3 trillion a year. Unfortunately, your government sees it fit to spend more than $4 trillion a year. Such an imbalance is not only unsustainable, it’s downright dangerous. Just this week we got the terrible news that the U.S. debt has now topped $20 TRILLION DOLLARS. That’s more than $61,000 per person, more than most families make in a year. With the United States’ debt, you could wrap $1 bills around the Earth 77,362 times or, if you stacked them on top of each other, get to the moon and back twice!
Imagine you make $33,000 a year, but you spend $40,000. Your credit card is out of control, you owe more than $200,000 dollars, but you’re still asking the bank to lend you more money. That’s a big hole to dig yourself out of, especially if you’re not changing your spending habits. Americans have a real problem because this is exactly what our government is doing.
Washington is spending without stopping and with complete disregard to the burden of debt they are leaving Missouri’s children and grandchildren. Last week, I voted NO on a bill that continues to let Washington’s reckless spending habits go on without putting any type of reforms in place to reel in out of control government spending. This vote definitely does not make me the most popular guy in D.C., but with the liability of our national debt weighing heavily on Missouri families, I could not vote to let that burden keep increasing. Bottom line, if we are going to spend money in one place, we need to make sure we are cutting back in others.
Politicians who want to increase the government’s ability to borrow money without making changes to how we spend money is like a family back home in Missouri going to their local bank and asking for a loan with no money down, no repayment plan, and no strings attached. There is not a banker in Missouri who would make that loan. Yet, that is what is happening in Washington.
Like all of the hardworking families in Missouri, the federal government must start living within their means. Only in Washington would the solution to a $20 trillion-dollar national debt be to increase the amount we borrow without a plan to pay it back. It’s time to cut up the credit cards and start living within our financial means.
Last Updated on September 18th 2017 by Dee Loflin
https://showmetimes.com/Blogpost/v8h0/Congressman-Jason-Smiths-Capitol-Report--Maxed-Out-Americas-Credit-Cards
Governor Greitens Appoints Brad Jarrell as Associate Circuit Judge for Stoddard County
September 14th 2017 by Dee Loflin
Governor Eric Greitens has appointed Bradley D. Jarrell, of Dexter, as Associate Circuit Court Judge for the 35th Judicial Circuit, which covers Stoddard County. Brad Jarrell will replace the Honorable Stephen Mitchell, who retired earlier this month.
Brad Jarrell is a lifelong resident of Stoddard County. He is the principal attorney and owner of the Jarrell Law Office, LLC in Dexter. Jarrell previously served as District Aide and Associate Attorney to the Honorable Robert N. Mayer.
Jarrell received his law degree from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale and his undergraduate degree from Arkansas State University. He is a member of the Dexter Rotary Club and Vice President of the Board for the Stoddard County Children’s Home.
“Brad Jarrell will be an excellent judge for the 35th Judicial Circuit,” said Governor Greitens. “As a lifelong resident and dedicated community member, I am confident he will serve Stoddard County well on the Associate Circuit Court.”
Last Updated on September 14th 2017 by Dee Loflin
https://showmetimes.com/Blogpost/v8g8/Governor-Greitens-Appoints-Brad-Jarrell-as-Associate-Circuit-Judge-for-Stoddard-County
Jason Smith Stops Federal Funds for Sanctuary Cities
September 08th 2017 by Dee Loflin
Smith Stops Federal Funds for Sanctuary Cities
Smith authors and passes bill to prevent Sanctuary Cities from using Missourians’ tax dollars
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Jason Smith authored and passed an amendment this evening by a vote of 225-195 that stops federal highway funds for sanctuary cities. Cities like San Francisco use federal tax dollars to improve their roads, highways and bridges while at the same time breaking U.S. law by protecting all illegal immigrants in their city from deportation. The legislation echoes an earlier executive order by President Trump to cut off federal grants to sanctuary cities by prohibiting all federal transportation, housing and development funds from going to sanctuary cities for the coming fiscal year.
“We are a nation of law and order, and cities that actively work against the law of the land should face consequences. I am proud to say that my home state of Missouri doesn’t have any sanctuary cities which is exactly why Missourians’ hard-earned federal tax dollars shouldn’t go to U.S. cities that cannot follow the law of the land,” said Congressman Smith. “The bottom line is, cities and counties that fail to work with us to make America safe cannot be trusted with federal funds.”
Over 300 cities and counties have policies to stonewall the federal government and prevent the Department of Homeland Security from effectively enforcing the United States’ immigration laws. Smith’s legislation would keep more than $56.5 billion federal tax dollars from going to sanctuary cities.
“I completely agree with President Trump, sanctuary cities are a threat to the safety of Missourians and all Americans,” said Congressman Smith. “That is why I am fighting to keep federal funds away from cities like San Francisco that violate federal laws and use Missourians' hard-earned federal tax dollars to harbor and shield criminals from the full reach of the law.”
This amendment builds on Smith’s No Transportation Funds for Sanctuary Cities Act which would prevent sanctuary cities from receiving any federal highway funds.
Smith has a strong record of voting for and passing legislation that secures America’s border and puts the safety of Missourians first.
In June, with the support of President Trump, Smith acted to give U.S. Customs and Border Protection more resources to secure the border by making it easier for them to hire military veterans and law enforcement officers. In July, he continued his work to enhance U.S. security by advancing Kate’s Law which will keep Missouri and all Americans safe from the danger of crimes committed by illegal immigrants. At the same time, he voted for the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, which increases penalties for Sanctuary Cities and disqualifies them from receiving some federal funds.
The text of Smith’s legislation can be found here.
Last Updated on September 08th 2017 by Dee Loflin
https://showmetimes.com/Blogpost/v8ef/Jason-Smith-Stops-Federal-Funds-for-Sanctuary-Cities
Congressman Jason Smith's Capitol Report - Up Close: A Presidential Pay Raise
September 05th 2017 by Dee Loflin
Congressman Smith Capitol Report
Up Close: A Presidential Pay Raise
September 1, 2017
Our tax system is rigged, designed to help only the most powerful people who can afford the most expensive tax lawyers to find their way through tricky tax loop holes. This week, I joined President Donald Trump in Springfield to talk about our complicated and unfair tax code, the work we must do to fix it, and how we are going to give hardworking Americans a pay raise in the process.
Since 2001, the tax code has changed 6,000 times. That’s more than one time a day. Due to these constant changes, most Americans have to hire a tax expert to crack our tax code and figure out how much they owe the federal government, spending their own hard-earned money to find out how much more of their paycheck they are going to have to send to Uncle Sam. It doesn’t need to be this complicated! Your tax return should fit on a single sheet of paper.
The U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means is the only committee in Congress that has the authority to fix our broken system. As the only member of Congress from Missouri on this committee, I have had the privilege of fighting for a fairer and flatter tax code, not only for our congressional district, but all of Missouri.
We have not seen true tax reform since Ronald Reagan was President, and it is high time for a better deal on taxes. The work I am doing with the Ways & Means Committee and the White House is going to jump-start America’s economy and help Missourians win again. The bottom line is, the government should be taking the least amount of money from you as possible. We must make major changes to our tax code will lower tax rates and give folks in southeast and south central Missouri an instant pay raise so they can spend more of their hard-earned money on raising their families and investing in their futures.
Truly changing and fundamentally reforming the U.S. tax code is the best way to give American workers an increase in their take home pay. When America’s economy is healthy, it grows at roughly 3.5%, but since the beginning of the Obama Administration, it has hardly topped 2%. Our tax plan is going to return our country to more than 3% growth. Over the next ten years, this growth will result in $10 trillion dollars of new economic activity, 12 million new jobs and a $7 trillion dollar pay raise for the American worker.
As it stands today, our outdated tax code actually incentivizes American businesses to move their headquarters and jobs where the tax rates are lower. We can’t compete, and this is unacceptable. By lowering the tax rate for American employers creating jobs in our country, we are going to make American businesses more competitive, bringing more opportunity, higher wages and a better quality of life to people across the country.
When I was with the President in Springfield this week he told me he has his pen in hand, ready to sign historic tax cuts, and that he’s depending on Congress to deliver. The liberal obstruction we saw on everything from confirming President Trump’s cabinet to repealing and replacing Obamacare is unacceptable. The question for liberals in Congress should be simple: Do you believe American workers deserve a raise? I know I do. I am hopeful that the obstructionists and people who are more concerned with defeating our President than doing their job will finally come together to do what’s right for the American families and workers to grow our economy.
Last Updated on September 05th 2017 by Dee Loflin
https://showmetimes.com/Blogpost/v8dm/Congressman-Jason-Smiths-Capitol-Report--Up-Close-A-Presidential-Pay-Raise
Congressman Jason Smith's Capitol Report - Education Our Way
August 26th 2017 by Dee Loflin
Congressman Jason Smith Capitol Report
Education Our Way
August 25, 2017
Another school year has begun and the sights and sounds of Friday night lights are filling the air. The beginning of a new school year and the return of high school football also reminds me about the importance of local choice, local control and local leadership over the education of the children raised here in south central and southeast Missouri.
Parents and educators who live here, who raise their families here and who know what’s best for our children should be making the decision about their education, not some bureaucrat in Washington. Our teachers are in these classrooms to teach, not to spend hours pushing paper to comply with federal testing standards which try to compare our children to ones raised in San Francisco. Teachers should be free to educate, not worrying about Washington regulations looming over them as they work to inspire their students.
I was at Jefferson R-7 High School last spring when the school superintendent gave me a MASSIVE stack of papers that the federal government was requiring him to fill out, wasting hours upon hours of his time complying with government rules instead of using his time to focus on the local school district. This kind of interference from Washington in our classrooms is unacceptable.
When I first joined Congress, we were able to pass legislation that would give local control back to our schools. Unfortunately, Senate Liberals and the Obama Administration wanted to keep their federal power over Missouri schools. They sent a watered-down version of the bill back to us, taking away the local control provisions I fought so hard for. I voted against this legislation because I know our schools run best when they are managed on the local level, and this bill left too much decision-making power about your child’s education in the hands of Washington bureaucrats.
During my time in office, I have visited schools in all thirty counties which make up the 8th Congressional district. I relish the opportunity to interact with teachers, students and parents to hear more about what issues they are facing in the classroom and how I can help them. Beyond the challenges of keeping up with unrealistic and burdensome federal requirements, teachers consistently tell me they are struggling to keep their classrooms stocked with supplies, with many taking money out of their own paycheck to buy materials needed to help their students learn. Because of this, I co-authored legislation that provided hardworking teachers with a tax cut on the supplies they buy on their own which will help our teachers save money while providing supplies for their students.
At almost all of my stops, I also heard about how much waste was being created by programs like Michelle Obama’s federally mandated school lunch plan. In 2010, then First Lady Michelle Obama along with liberal leaders like Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid took their interference from the classroom to the lunch room and unveiled new government rules for how your kids should eat when they are at school, creating more expenses and unfunded Washington mandates for our local school districts – often resulting in schools having to scale back the amount of meals they could afford to serve.
As students get back to school and you head out to enjoy the local high school football game, Congress must get back to work and take action on tax cuts, infrastructure investments, lowering healthcare costs, and improving national security. As we work on these issues, I will continue my fight to keep Washington out of Missourians’ homes, pocketbooks, family farms and children’s classrooms, making sure you and your family can enjoy the freedom of locally controlled schools.
Last Updated on August 26th 2017 by Dee Loflin
https://showmetimes.com/Blogpost/v89l/Congressman-Jason-Smiths-Capitol-Report--Education-Our-Way
