Republican candidates for the Missouri House District 59 nomination disagreed on several things during a forum Thursday night -- among them, what it means to be a conservative.
Challenger George Bacon, of Jefferson City, said his vision of conservatism means a little less government, and a little more control for voters during the forum hosted by the Jefferson City News Tribune.
"To determine what the people want, and act on their behalf and pass legislation that they want passed," Bacon said. "If you're not asking people what they want, I don't understand how you can really represent someone."
Incumbent Rep. Rudy Veit, of Wardsville, said when conservative lawmakers first see legislation, they need to ask themselves if there is a problem or if legislation is necessary. Next, they must consider how to get legislation passed with a minimum of government interference for the public.
"In my opinion, (the gas tax) was conservative. We looked at the need for it. The roads were deteriorating," Veit said. "Every day we put it off."
Lawmakers asked how the state is going to address future needs, when, considering the growth of electric vehicles, gas taxes are less and less useful for roads, Veit said.
One possibility for maintaining roads is charging tolls, but the Missouri Constitution prevents use of toll roads, Veit said.
But lawmakers have to look into the future to take care of the state's needs, he said.
"Passing debt down to your children because we don't want to address it is not being conservative," Veit said.
Bacon is challenging Veit for his seat in the Missouri House. When voters go to the polls for the Aug. 2 primary, their decision about which of the men will represent the Republican party in the general election will determine who takes the seat. There is no Democratic challenger.
Voters elected Veit to the seat in 2018. He retained his seat in 2020, when he ran unopposed. He is an attorney. He and his wife, Jeri, have four children and six grandchildren. He lives in Wardsville.
Bacon is a retiree from construction and nuclear energy industries who lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Mary. They have two children and four grandchildren.
District 59 includes part of Jefferson City (south of U.S. Highway 50 and west of Commerce Drive), and the rest of Cole County (excluding the majority of Jefferson City). The district includes Centertown, Lohman, Russellville, St. Martin, St. Thomas and Wardsville.
During Thursday's event, the men tackled questions about Missouri's expanded gas tax, intended to support the state's crumbling roads. The tax had stood at 17 cents per gallon for decades. Last year, lawmakers agreed to increase it during the next five years. The increase is to occur in five 2.5-cent steps, with the last increase taking effect July 1, 2025. It is designed so each annual increase is less than the constitutional limit on tax increases without voter approval.
Veit, who supported the tax, acknowledged there are people in the energy industry who know much more on the subject than him, and that committees are meeting with experts about various ways to pay for maintenance and improvements to the state's transportation system.
Maybe the state can open toll roads, or a third lane along Interstate 70 that is a toll lane, he said. However, that would have to go back to a vote to change the state constitution, which prevents use of toll roads.
"A long-term plan is what we need because it's changing," Veit said. "Maybe toll roads are the answer. I'm not that smart. You have to bring in the right engineers to do traffic studies. And, you have to know what can pass with the voters."
Get the correct people in place to come up with answers, and take nothing off the table, he said. As a lawyer, it is Veit's job to bring in experts on issues and come up with the correct solutions to problems, he said.
"For me to tell you what the solution is -- is my ego run amok," Veit said.
Alone, the 2.5 incremental steps don't amount to much, Bacon said. But, when they increase the tax by 12.5 cents in total, the tax has increased by 74 percent, he said.
"If we can lower the price of gasoline at the base, then the tax burden isn't as severe on us," he said. "The solution is to get our gas prices back down.
"I hate spending $90 every time I fill up. I know everybody else doesn't like it either."
Lawmakers who passed the gas tax said it would be sufficient to meet the state's needs, but the need for roads continues, Bacon said.
"We're always going to have to revisit this," he said. "There's no end in sight. We're paying a lot more for gas than we did a year ago. And it does hurt people."
The men offered different opinions on the various levels of government within the nation.
The Republican platform, Bacon said, is that government governs best when it governs the least.
"The people are generally pretty smart and know what is best for them," Bacon said. "If you ask them, they'll tell you what's best for them."
Bacon repeated he'd prefer to be asked what he thinks and have whoever represents him ask what his concerns are.
All those levels of government are intended to govern for the people, he said.
"That's what we should be doing is meeting the needs of the people instead of individuals or special interest groups," Bacon said.
Lawmakers should avoid passing bills that create unnecessary crises, Veit said. Lawmakers should look at every bill to see if it might create a problem. If there is a problem, lawmakers should determine whether it can be addressed at a local level.
Can issues be handled better by a local school board or a local city government?
If I want to get rid of property taxes, you should have a way to replace the revenue that creates for the state, Veit said.
"The role for us should be the least amount of government, and get the bill if necessary," Veit said. "But, once you pass that bill, don't pass it just because it's going to make somebody happy. You look at collateral consequences of it."
Try to pass bills that are not going to have consequences. And try to use statutes to do it, Veit said.
The Constitution is your operating manual, he said.
"When we pass something by statute, we can look at it and say, 'We messed up. And this is what we need to fix,'" Veit said. "We can go in and do it. When you do it with the Constitution, that's impossible to go back. You have to go back to the voters."
Don't add everything to the Constitution just because it sounds good, he said.
A common refrain in the General Assembly is there is too much federal overreach.
"Rudy's right -- things should be solved at the lower levels of government," Bacon said. "And be solved by the people instead of people in Washington, D.C. They don't understand our local needs, like we do."
"Everybody talks about federal government overreach, but never says 'no' when the feds hand out money," Veit said.
If you want to end federal overreach, he said, just don't take federal money.
Veit said he listened as a person complained in a Catholic school cafeteria that they had to file too many forms.
"I said, 'No, you don't, just don't take the money.'" Veit said. "That doesn't work either."
If someone is going to take federal money, there are going to be strings attached, he added.
"We're all opposed to big government," Veit said.
But if folks want less federal overreach, they have to consider the benefits they're getting and which ones they would be willing to give up, he said.