Sater: Economic Stimulus For The State

Since I last spoke with you, the Missouri House and Senate have been in negotiations on an agreement for an economic stimulus bill for our state. With unemployment around the 9% level, we at the state level want to do all that we can to stimulate employment. There is only so much we can do since federal policies have a more overriding effect on our economy. Both chambers have agreed on a bill that would encourage business while not costing anything in state revenues, or at least not much. We have some tax credits that have expired, and a few amount to over 300 million dollars. We can use these savings more effectively by stimulating jobs with economic incentives for businesses throughout the state of Missouri. As of the first of August, it seems our Governor is in agreement to the proposed legislation. We probably will not go into Special Session until September when we are called for the mandated Veto Session. This way we can do two things at once and a Special Session will not cost the state extra monies to get everyone up to Jefferson City, since we will be there anyway.

I have been reading, as you all have, of the debt crisis in Washington. We in Missouri, as many other states, have a balanced budget. Irrespective of what political party is in power, we cannot spend more than we take in revenues. So no matter what political party is in charge, they cannot spend more than we have. I am all for this and would be for this at the federal level as well. Our federal debt is now around 60% of gross domestic product of the United States and we are spending more than 1.5 trillion dollars more than we are taking in. To finance this, we are selling securities to countries like China. This could and might all blow up in our face. Politicians of all persuasions cannot seem to grasp the idea of spending within ones means, unless there is a national emergency. So again, it does not seem to matter which side of the political fence you are on, we need to learn to live within our country’s means.

Later this week I am meeting with Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services in Washington. She will be in the Ozarks this week, and I have been invited to attend a private meeting with her. I was invited because of my pharmacy and political background. I want to get her ideas on how the Affordable Health Care Bill is going to affect services that we have in place in our state. I will represent especially the rural areas of our state. We have one physician for every 1750 people in our area, while the metropolitan areas have one physician for every 900 residents. In 2014, when the health care mandate goes in to effect, how can we take care of the hundreds of thousands of new insures in our present system. It will overload emergency rooms and physician offices. There is just no existing structure to take care of all these new patients. We should have been expanding our medical schools of all disciplines before this ever took place. Anyway, it should be interesting.

The end of May and June, I was busy getting around to functions through out the district and some out of the district. My daughter Samantha, graduated from KU the end of May, and I drove her out to the state of Washington where she will live and work. I hated to see her leave, but glad she graduated and even more glad that she has found employment. It is great to see your kids grow up and become responsible adults, but you never give up being a father.

Thanks for letting me serve as your state representative. My Capitol office is only open on Mondays & Thursdays now (interim hours), so leave a message if no one is there. You can also call me at my home in Cassville (417/847-4661).