Thanksgiving brings out how great Central Missouri is with the giving attitude that Central Missourians have, especially during the Christmas season.
Thanksgiving is a great holiday, but keep in mind Christmas is coming up and there will be many Christmas activities throughout our communities. I would encourage everyone to find a program that they can become involved in to help our community. Your participation encourages others to become involved, and is vital to ensuring that our community takes care of those less fortunate.
You have all seen the many organizations and individuals who are carrying the spirit of Thanksgiving forward. Thanksgiving is also a reminder of the great power of gratitude when we practice it in our daily lives. Many of us have had moments in life where we have what I call the "poor me attitude." We feel underpaid, overworked and unappreciated. But taking a minute to look around at all we have been given and being grateful eliminates that poor me syndrome.
The Capitol is alive with bills being drafted and discussed, and with political moves being made. I am continuously working with senators and other representatives to obtain consensus on certain bills that we are attempting to pass.
While at the Capitol this week, it was again brought to my attention that there is a bill being directed to end presidential primaries as we know them. This means that our political candidates would be chosen purely by caucus. You would not be able to go to your local poll booth and vote in primaries. For those of you who are not caucus members or don't have the time or money to go to caucus, you would have no say in who the presidential candidates are. I think this is fundamentally wrong. Our presidential primary may not be perfect, but it's a far superior to candidates being picked in the back room.
Why would we want to tell all of the military, our first responders, people living in nursing homes, or any of the millions of Missourians who are busy working to support their families that we don't care what they think, that we don't want their input on who the presidential candidates should be? A caucus primary system is designed so that those with political power have far greater influence over the presidential primaries than people not deeply involved in politics. This is the opposite of democracy.
I filed an amendment last session that maintained the presidential primaries as we have them currently, and it was successful. Hopefully it will do so again this year. I am working with other legislators now to carry that message across. I am hoping to educate enough legislators so that this bill does not get to the floor again. If it does, I will again fight to protect presidential primaries.
Good high-speed internet to our constituents is not only a concern of mine, but good internet is a concern of most people in the legislature and also the Governor's Office. With the new federal money coming, and federal money that has already came, it appears as if there is going to be money that, if not wasted, could make high-speed internet available for all. The important thing is figuring out the right method for getting widely available high-speed internet in places of need. Recently we had an interim committee studying high-speed internet in the legislature. It is clear that many people need high-speed internet, including students, businesses and families. It is an economic and educational necessity for our rural areas, some urban areas and our children.
A provider of wireless high-speed internet came to Blair Oaks High School and demonstrated a proposed wireless system for county commissioners, school administration, representatives and senators. Jim Jones, the superintendent of Blair Oaks Schools, was very accommodating for everyone so that we could see this wireless system offering they have for high speed internet in underserved areas.
It is another alternative but it is worth looking into in that (1) it's much more economical; (2) it would provide a much quicker internet connection for our children and citizens and (3) it could be available as a public service to all students, law enforcement, emergency medical responders, fire responders and still provide good service to those in the rural areas for a fee that is substantially less than fiber. Everyone concedes that fiber may be the best, but if we cannot afford it or it's not economical, we may need to look to alternatives. Not every home may be able to afford or want internet, much less high-speed internet, but if we make it available to people such as students who must use computers for school, firefighters, EMTs, and law enforcement, that would cover a very critical area of our needs.
As always, your input is vital to my ability to represent you effectively. Please call and email with your questions, thoughts and concerns. Email: [email protected], Phone: 573-751-0665
State Rep. Rudy Veit, R-Jefferson City, represents Missouri's 59th District and shares his perspective on statehouse issues twice a month.