The last few weeks have been busy at the Capitol with various meetings, but I did have time to also spend time with my constituents in the district and outside the district.
It seems a lot of people think our society is failing and everyday heroes no longer exist among us. Such people listen to the news too much. If listening to the news gets you down, take a drive and look around our community each day, and you will see hundreds of people who are volunteering, using their passions to help others, and so many other good things. I am not suggesting you ignore the news. I am simply suggesting we recognize we not allow the news, especially the national news, to consume us. When we band together as a community to make a difference, as so many in our community do, we have a great impact on those around us, and this impact builds our community, the communities around us and can even affect the national community.
A great example of our community banding together and creating something incredible is the local commitment to Special Olympics events. Jefferson City and Cole County are blessed with the presence of the fall Special Olympics events. I had the pleasure of emceeing the bocce ball tournaments at Blair Oaks High School, which brought out many volunteers including the high school students and St. Stanislaus students. It gave myself and everyone in attendance the opportunity to work with the Special Olympic participants and learn a lot from their attitude toward life. They set their disabilities aside and take their life as it is with all of the blessings God gave them and have become truly inspirational and incredible individuals. I only wish I had half of the heart of many of these Special Olympics participants. People came from all over. We had participants ranging from St. Louis County law enforcement to Cole County law enforcement, as well as numerous other organizations. Without each and every one of them, this would not have been such an enlightening, enjoyable event. I have to extend a special thanks to Cole County Sheriff John Wheeler and his deputies for their participation. I know from talking to the participants that the sheriff and his deputies are very important.
I sponsored the Missouri Catholic Conference so they could use the chambers of the House of Representatives at the Capitol. The privilege of being able to attend and sponsor this great conference was a blessing. We had the bishops from all dioceses, hundreds of participants and great speakers in attendance. They reminded me there are leaders among us who can guide us through challenging times and that we all need to take the opportunities God gives us to step up and use the talents with which God has blessed us.
I also was blessed with the opportunity to attend and to speak at the St. Thomas Parish 150th Anniversary. It brought back many memories, including when we had the 100-year anniversary. As I looked out over the crowd and all of the hard work done by all of the generous volunteers to make this even possible, and thought about what all of our ancestors did to build this parish and keep this parish and church, I could not help but to notice all of the incredible things that make this community such a great community. I saw so many giving so much, sharing with each other and loving each other. How do we take those principles, those acts, and instill them in parts of the state where such principles are far rarer? I know there are some of my constituents who have different opinions about the role of religion, but I don't believe anybody would disagree that if we live by the above principles in addition to other Christian principles, our society will continue to grow and be a better place.
Loving, sharing and giving can be found all over our community. I stopped at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Lohman this weekend. Again, what did I see? People coming together for enjoyment, volunteer, giving back to the organizations, helping the community as a whole, and participating in what makes each community unique.
I was also honored to receive the 2019 Missouri Bar Legislative Award. Missouri Bar presents legislative awards to elected officials who have made significant contributions to legislation that affects the administration of justice and integrity of the judiciary. "Representative Veit works to improve the lives of Missouri by building public trust in our legal system and respect for the rule of law. A diverse practice and wide range experience make Representative Veit a valuable addition to the judiciary committee and a resource for the General Assembly as a whole." I am proud to receive that award because I do have a mission at the Legislature. It is not to pass laws that favor plaintiffs, nor simply to aid defendants or insurance companies, but as a member of our judicial system, to protect its integrity, earn the respect of citizens, and develop a judicial system that is fair and open to all.
I also was given the opportunity to meet with the Heartland Port Authority and the organization that is enhancing the port system in New Orleans all the way through Missouri and numerous other rivers. We had the opportunity to meet with the highway department and the departments of Natural Resources, Transportation, Conservation and Agriculture to keep all the various state agencies informed as to what is happening with the Jefferson City port as well as other ports on the Missouri River. That afternoon, we had the opportunity to meet with the Department of Agriculture, Soybean Association, Poultry Association, Corn Association, Biodiesel Association and other associations to keep everyone informed as to the progress being made.
We are in a new era of river transportation. Ports are more advanced. They have access to computer technology and automation that would have only been dreamed of 50 years ago. Barges are completely different; they are now vessels and should be able to move up and down the Missouri River, through Jefferson City to Kansas City, even in the winter months. This program is being designed to make transportation cheaper as a whole. Better river transportation takes load off of our expensive roads and enable more efficient trade both internationally and across the United States.
As always, don't hesitate to call or contact me with your concerns or thoughts. I always love hearing from my constituents.
State Rep. Rudy Veit, R-Jefferson City, represents Missouri's 59th District, and shares his perspective on statehouse issues twice a month.