Dugger: Job Creation Agenda Benefits Farmers

"Freedom has never been so fragile, so close to slipping from our grasp as it is at this moment. ... You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we'll sentence them to take the last step into a thousand years of darkness" –Ronald Reagan

Without a doubt, we as Americans are facing difficult times. A long recession has hindered economic growth and job creation. Unemployment rates continue to soar, and many families are struggling to meet their day-to-day needs. All the while, reckless spending and a failed stimulus bill from Washington continue to cloud the economic well-being of our nation.

Meanwhile, the General Assembly in Missouri has diligently worked to create a job friendly environment in our great state.

In his inaugural speech earlier this year to the Missouri House of Representatives, Speaker Steven Tilley outlined the legislative goals of the Missouri House, “our top priority must be job creation. But first let me be clear. Government does not create jobs. Entrepreneurs, small business owners, and large employers do. Government’s role is not to run the economy, but to facilitate a business climate where the entrepreneurial spirit can thrive”

Answering this call, Missouri legislators passed several key pieces of legislation this year that will hopefully foster new jobs across the state, and help to lift the burden of economic woes so many Missourians are facing. HB 458 established the Missouri Farmland Trust to provide young famers with the means to acquire land through a low-cost lease and to allow land to continue to be farmed in the future. HB 109 extends a highly successful, low-interest loan program for farmers and small businesses. Yet, when the gavel fell on the final day of session, much work still remained.

Rather than prolong the suffering of many Missourians, legislative leaders in both the House and Senate felt it pertinent to complete the unfinished business. A little over a week ago, legislators traveled the state announcing a groundbreaking job creation plan. In order to make this plan a reality the legislature will convene in a special session sometime in September.

We must get Missouri back on track. Too many Missourians have struggled for far too long. Hopefully, with a special session focused on economic development we can finish the important task of putting Missourians back to work. Missouri truly has a “rendezvous with destiny.” By fostering legislation that will have a long lasting impact on the health of Missouri’s economy we can ensure that economic prosperity will once again be a reality and we can secure that prosperity for future generations of Missourians.

God Bless.