This week was unprecedented in the General Assembly as we paused to honor Missouri State Auditor Tom Schweich, who unexpectedly passed away last Thursday, Feb. 26, from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in his hometown of Clayton, Missouri. Busloads of lawmakers and staff traveled from Jefferson City to Auditor Schweich’s funeral. His eulogy was given by his close friend and mentor, former U.S. Sen. John Danforth, who condemned the negativity that permeates the landscape of politics today in Missouri.
I wholeheartedly agree with Danforth’s statements, and I made a speech on the Senate floor asking lawmakers and campaign organizers to take a closer look at how negative propaganda affects us all. How do we gain the trust of Missourians and their belief in all of us? We could start today by making a commitment to the people of this state and ourselves that we are not going to use propaganda. We are not going to destroy people’s lives at all cost just to win elections. Instead, we can start talking about who we are and articulating the differences between ourselves and our opponents by being honest with the facts. I will personally commit that I will no longer stand by and let people destroy other people’s lives using false accusations and demeaning statements in the name of money and winning elections. Nor will I support candidates that use such tactics. Tom’s tireless dedication and service to our country and our state is the memory I will hold onto.
Monday night, numerous state legislators and several statewide elected officials, including the governor, traveled to Ft. Leonard Wood to demonstrate their opposition to the potential loss of 5,400 military and civilian jobs at the military base over the next five years. Fort Leonard Wood is already preparing for a loss of approximately 1,200 positions by October due to cuts in the Army’s budget. Any additional, significant job loss would substantially impact the Fort Leonard Wood community and surrounding areas.
The proposed cuts are part of the Army’s broader plan to reduce their current number of forces over the next five years, from a war-time high of 570,000 to a possible low of 420,000. Fort Leonard Wood is a critical installation within the United States Army, training between 80,000 to 90,000 military and civilian personnel each year. I hope that the presence of so many community members, lawmakers, state department officials and public university representatives showed just how committed Missouri is to the future of Fort Leonard Wood.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact my office.
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