Senator Chuck Purgason
33rd Senatorial District

Missouri is in a very unique position. Located in the central part of the United States and bordered by eight surrounding states, we are in a position where we must not only compete for jobs across the nation and with foreign countries, but we must also compete with the states that border us.

Missouri, like all other states in the nation as well as our federal government, is experiencing major financial problems. The Governor this week met with the Senate to discuss lowering our consensus revenue estimate and to take an additional $300 million out of our state budget.

Our economy continues to slide, dropping over 14% last month alone. Last week, I spent some time in the St. Louis area and as I was driving home, I drove by the abandoned Chrysler plant near Fenton. The sign out front said, “For sale or lease” and the parking lot was empty. All across the state in small towns are the sights of empty stores and closed businesses.

Our unemployment rate continues to climb and our budget continues to decline. This past week we debated a tax credit bill that again puts the legislature in the position of picking winners and losers in the free market system. Every year we pass tax credits and tax incentives to try to out-bid other states and countries in pursuit of good jobs for the citizens of the state. These credits and incentives usually go to only large companies and put small businesses at a competitive disadvantage — all this while small business comprises over 90% of the job creation in the state.

This is the time when we put forward new ideas and design a new way of competing in today’s economy. That is why I put forth the Missouri Jobs and Prosperity Act.

This act would put before the voters of the state the opportunity to go to a completely different method of fostering economic activity in the state. The act, upon voter approval, would begin a five-year program to increase sales tax and a phase out individual income tax. Also, all corporate and franchise taxes would be eliminated.

The tax base would be expanded to include services while exempting motor fuels, insurance, education (k-12, higher education and vocational-technical), charitable donations, purchases and government snap payments. The maximum sales tax rate would be no more than 7% to guarantee budget neutrality. Also, every individual would receive a pre-bate to insure the first $2800 of purchases were tax-free up to $11,200 per household.

Everyone’s take home pay will be more because state income taxes would no longer be deducted. Also businesses would be able to lower the cost of doing business and would not have to include the hidden tax costs that none of us see in the price of their products.

Instead of taxing someone for working harder and earning more, the tax would be a consumption tax based on the amount of things you buy while empowering you as an individual to make your own choices.

Businesses prefer to re-locate to states that have no income tax. This has been proven by the growth of businesses in states that use tax income versus the states that do not. Missouri ranks 49th in the nation on new job creation. This cannot continue if we are to be prosperous as a state to ensure jobs for our families.

To recover from the current economic recession and to attract new jobs from competing states, Missouri needs to create a “Jobs-Friendly Environment.”

The best way to create such an environment is by developing a tax policy that promotes economic growth and encourages the creation of new jobs. A second way to work toward a “Jobs-Friendly Environment” is to provide greater stability to funding quality schools and universities, adequate and safe roads and affordable healthcare.

The Missouri Jobs and Prosperity Act would create over 20,000 new jobs in Missouri each and every year. It would create more than 200,000 jobs over a decade. It would do this at a time when jobs are needed the most.

The system created by this act would be more stable than income taxes. Income taxes are collected annually and are impacted greatly by economic downturns. Sales taxes are collected monthly and have a history of being less impacted by shifts in the economy; therefore providing a more stable stream of revenue that would ensure more consistent funding for our local schools, universities, transportation and healthcare. That stability would make it easier to make long-term funding projections for important programs.

Change is not very welcome in government. Many lobbyists and special interest groups like the current system that redistributes wealth. As someone once said, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. This is the time to begin the conversation on changing government for the better.

The only time politicians can ever make tough decisions is when they can no longer beg, borrow or print themselves to the next election. Now is the time to bring the Show-Me State to the forefront as a leader in job creation and begin renewing the promise of a growing Missouri economy.

As always, I appreciate hearing your comments, opinions, and concerns. I can be reached in Jefferson City at (573) 751-1882, you can e-mail me at chuck.purgason@senate.mo.gov or you can write to me by regular mail at 201 West Capitol Avenue, Room 420, Jefferson City, MO 65101.

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P R E S S R E L E A S E
For immediate release [February 23, 2010]
Contact: Senator Chuck Purgason

Today I filed to enter the race to seek the Republican nomination for the United States Senate from Missouri.

For the past nine months, I have traveled this great state and have found that the concerns I have for our country are shared with thousands and thousands of hard-working, everyday Missourians. Most people are simply looking for leadership and someone to tell them the truth.

The debt that has been rung up by both the Republican and Democrat parties while in office is massive and real. With every person in American owing over $170,000.00 on the national debt and the unfunded debt of our nation reaching over $65,000,000,000,000.00 (trillion), the issue of this debt can no longer be ignored. The Blunt and Carnahan families, while in office have both contributed to the debt.

This race is shaping up to be another political slugfest between two political powerhouses that will continue to pound each other while our deficit continues to grow and our nation’s economy continues to slide. While the ads from the Carnahan camp will bring up TARP votes, failed leadership, Delay/Abramoff scandals, Cash for Clunkers, and family members as lobbyists and as the Blunt campaign continues to hammer Pelosi, Reid, Carnahan and Obama, I hope to be talking about what real Americans are interested in —things like jobs and whether we will be able to find one or keep the one we have. Things like education and will we be able to send our kids to college and make our house payment. I want to talk about balancing our nation’s budget.

Will the same old policies and leadership of the past continue to add more and more to the enormous debt that our children and grandchildren will have to pay? As a Republican, I hope to return our party and its elected officials to its the base — the things our party has always stood for: balanced budgets and a return to fiscal responsibility.

I believe I offer a clear choice in this election. Do we continue to elect our Congress based on the amount of money raised, who has the slickest commercials, and who pounds the other into submission or do we elect some one not beholden to special interests and Washington’s money and influence. It is time we elect someone who talks about the real issues that are on the minds and hearts of everyone who loves and cares about the direction that this county is heading.

I look forward to speaking to groups all across Missouri on these issues as this campaign moves forward. You may learn more about my campaign at www.keepyourchange2010.org or you may contact me at 417-257-4456.

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Sharing a View of the State

Chuck Purgason
State Senator 33rd District

“The principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale.”

- Thomas Jefferson,
letter to John Taylor, May 28, 1816

As I mentioned in a previous column, the Governor and the House and Senate budget leaders have agreed upon the revised consensus revenue estimate (CRE) for the remainder of this fiscal year which ends on June 30, 2010, predicting that revenues will be 6.4% less than expected at $6.97 billion in general revenue. The fiscal year 2010 budget was passed based upon an overly optimistic revenue estimate of $7.76 billion.

They also agreed upon the consensus revenue estimate for the next budget year which begins on July 1, 2010, suggesting a growth in state general revenue collections of 3.5% resulting in $7.223 billion of general revenue.

It was revealed last week that January revenues are 22.36% less than they were in January of last year with year to date revenue collections now falling to a negative 12.55% down from 10.5% last month year to date. As a result, Governor Nixon announced another round of withholds from the current budget of $74 million.

Unlike Congress, we must have a balanced budget. The state of Missouri can’t print money to satisfy unrestrained and politically motivated spending habits – even in an election year. To have a balanced budget, the General Assembly and the governor’s office must build a state budget at or, preferably, below that target.

The Governor’s budget proposal would spend $8.317 billion of general revenue, a number that exceeds the agreed upon CRE by $1.09 billion, or 15% – this is not a balanced budget proposal. The governor would pay for these excessive increases with federal “stimulus” money, which I contend is federal “dependence” money. This money, which Missouri is expected to receive, is about $900 million plus a phantom $300 million that might come from the federal government even though the legislation has not been passed by Congress yet.

After years of fiscal discipline, a budget is now being proposed that relies on significant one-time monies that may or may not materialize. Our budget difficulties earlier this decade stemmed from uncontrolled spending that relied on one-time monies. This can’t be done, but politicians are often afraid of making the difficult decisions that require discipline, because they fear unpopularity, especially in an election year like this one.

The disciplined decisions of the past few years have put Missouri in better financial position to weather this economic downturn than most states. Missouri remains one of only seven states that still have a triple-A bond rating from the three major bond rating agencies.

The proposed budget suggests that $900 million of one-time monies be used to pay for ongoing operating costs of government and its programs. This money will not be available next year.

It may be considered good politics by some, but it is lousy fiscal policy. We can’t allow the federal “stimulus” to lead us down the path to ever more federal dependency and greater threats to the pocketbooks of Missourians.

How out of touch with our existing economic situation can we be to accept a budget that requires 15% more in general revenue knowing that we are currently experiencing 9.6% unemployment in Missouri? It just won’t happen – even the 3.5% CRE is too high and is setting us up for even bigger budget problems next year and for years after.

This is a time for restraint, a time to prioritize, and a time to drive efficiencies into the state bureaucracy. It is a time to shed the hindrances that hold back innovation and invention, a time to empower Missourians to build dreams, not sustain them where they are.

People are outraged with the unparalleled and unabated spending spree in Washington, D.C., that denies the economic reality that we live in. Missouri cannot, and must not, follow in those footsteps.

As always, I appreciate hearing your comments, opinions, and concerns. I can be reached in Jefferson City at (573)751-1882, you can e-mail me at chuck.purgason@senate.mo.gov or you can write to me by regular mail at 201 West Capitol Avenue, Room 420, Jefferson City, MO 65101.

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From Senator Chuck Purgason

For the past several months, I have had the opportunity to travel our great state and talk to the people who live and work and struggle to provide for their families. I have found out that the concerns I have with the growth of our federal government are real and are shared by the citizens of this state.

Mounting federal debt and the growth of government in general are major concerns as more and more of the debt is passed on to our children and grandchildren. Currently, our debt is reaching unsustainable levels that put our nation’s financial future at risk. This year alone our debt ceiling been raised to $14,000,000,000,000.00. At the current rate of growth, by the year 2020 this debt will be almost doubled unless we begin electing people who will deal with these problems instead of passing them on to our children and grandchildren and other future generations to pay for.

As we will elect a new Senator from this state in November, I think it is very important that we elect someone who will deal with these issues and not become part of the problem as so many of our elected leaders have become.

In my race to be your United States Senator, I have published a Contract with Missouri. This contract can be seen at KeepYourChange2010.org.

Our country is at the crossroads, do we continue down the road to bigger and bigger deficits with the same leadership that got us into this downward spiral or do we elect a new generation of leaders that will make the hard choices and work to renew our nations promise for future generations?

The terms of the Contract with Missouri include voting only for a balanced budget. Voting for a budget, wishing it was balanced, and putting off tough decisions cannot continue. We must have leaders willing to stand up and work until the budget is balanced and committed to voting for a budget only if it is balanced.

With the federal government borrowing $20,000,000,000.00 a week just to pay the bills, we must swear off the passing of earmarks. We cannot allow members of Congress to continue with the credit cards running up debt on this country.

The failure of Congress to regulate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac contributed to the fall of the housing market. We must have leaders willing to stand up and fight against the special interests that want to continue business as usual in our nation’s Capitol.

Congressman Blunt has taken more PAC money from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac than any member of Congress.* We must have leaders that swear off the taking of campaign funds from companies that have been bailed out or operate on taxpayer funds.

Other campaign contract issues include pledging to serve only two terms, no campaign fundraisers outside the state of Missouri, and no members of my family will be employed as lobbyists.

I truly believe that we must have leaders willing to stand up to the special interests in Washington and begin working for the long term viability of our nation. They must show leadership and tell the truth about the problems we are facing as a nation. This is my commitment to the people of the State of Missouri.

* Update: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Invest in Lawmakers
http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2008/09/update-fannie-mae-and-freddie.html

January 29, 2010

Sharing a View of the State

Chuck Purgason
State Senator 33rd District

“The States can best govern our home concerns and the general government our foreign ones. I wish, therefore … never to see all offices transferred to Washington, where, further withdrawn from the eyes of the people, they may more secretly be bought and sold at market.”

- Thomas Jefferson,
letter to Judge William Johnson, June 12, 1823

As the national debate on health care continues in Washington, D.C., several states across the nation are taking steps to protect themselves and their citizens in their state constitutions. Missouri is one of those states. This week a public hearing was held on Senate Joint Resolution 25, which is essential in securing the rights of patients to make their own health care choices.

Even before the events in Washington, D.C., the question of patient rights has been bubbling to the surface as an issue important to those interested in keeping the relationship between patient and doctor in tact.

The essence of the proposed constitutional amendment is this, “To preserve the freedom of citizens of this state to provide for their health care, no law or rule shall compel, directly or indirectly or through penalties or fines, any person, employer, or health care provider to participate in any health care system.”

The proposed amendment ensures that:

• “Each Missouri citizen has the right to pay for health care services with their own money,

• “Health care providers may accept direct payment for services rendered by Missouri citizens,

• “The purchase and sale of health insurance shall not be prohibited by law or rule, and;

• “No person will be required to pay fines or penalties if they choose to purchase their own health care and accept payment for providing health care services.”

In other words, an individual cannot be forced to participate in a health care system without their consent and individuals have the freedom to participate.

Think about it, there are two general obligations for citizenship in America: paying taxes and the draft. Proposals in Congress today would add a third obligation of forcing each American to purchase health insurance. Never before has the federal government used the force of the federal government to compel every citizen to purchase a product or service.

We can have the debate about whether it is responsible for someone to go without health insurance, but that is a completely different conversation than saying that every citizen must, by the force of law, purchase health insurance or enroll in a government program thereby binding them to the will of faceless bureaucrats.

Some argue that such an amendment to a state constitution is unconstitutional. They argue that the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution trumps state actions. It is time that we consider another constitutional principle, that of federalism. As a constitutional principle, it is important not only to the appropriate division of powers between the federal government and the states, but also the ever important pursuit of individual liberty and limited government.

Traditionally, states have been considered laboratories of democracy and innovation. The states were able, even expected, to develop policies reflecting the widely varying local conditions of our great land, and that is especially important in health care. Today, the federal government is asserting, if not amassing, it’s authority over the American life in regards to health care, imposing a “one size fits all” policy. Now is the time to reassert the proper constitutional role of federalism so that future power grabs become more difficult and less likely.

We should allow the people of Missouri to vote on this proposed amendment, allow us to voice our belief in liberty, allow us to direct the future of our state, allow us to direct the future of health care, allow us to retain the freedom that we already enjoy. If a constitutional challenge arises, then let’s have that discussion, but let us not be intimidated into silence and inaction with threat of litigation.

Federalism is all about keeping government within the reach of the people, about keeping government in its place. Health care is personal, it is about us, each of us, and we deserve our rightful place in making health care decisions. The Health Care Freedom Act which Senator Jane Cunningham and I, along with several of our colleagues, have sponsored keeps government in its place. As Alexander Hamilton proclaimed before the New York ratifying convention, “Here, sir, the people govern.”

As always, I appreciate hearing your comments, opinions, and concerns. I can be reached in Jefferson City at (573) 751-1882, you can e-mail me at chuck.purgason@senate.mo.gov or you can write to me by regular mail at 201 West Capitol Avenue, Room 420, Jefferson City, MO 65101.

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By Esther Cho
Lake of the Ozarks, Mo.

About Purgason

• Age 49
• Family: Wife, two sons, daughter
• Served as a state representative for 8 years, elected to state senate in 2004
• Known for his fiscally conservative viewpoint
• More info: www.keepyourchange2010.org

Q What made you decide to run?

A I’ve decided to run after going out and talking to people who are frustrated with the direction our country is going in and seeing a vacuum in leadership for what direction our country needs to go. We can’t keep spending away and borrowing from other countries and hope to be a strong nation. Some of the leadership in the past has failed to live up to the promises of limited government and a balanced budget. It’s time for people to see new faces, new ideas and to see people who will stand up to for their convictions.

Q What are your main points of focus you want Missourians to know?

A I want to use my experience in Missouri to help balance the budget and stop the federal government from running a deficit our grandkids will have to pay for. I want to stop the earmarking process – this makes it impossible to get a budget under control.

Q How do you plan to campaign in other counties in Missouri you didn’t represent?

A The same way that you do it in a small town campaign – you get into the coffee shops and cafes, everywhere there’s people and tell them what you stand for.

Q What issues concerning Missourians do you want to bring to Washington?

A Again, living within their means and not burdening future generations with mounds of debt that later generations will have to pay for. Most people don’t realize that our national debt is at 55 trillion with the unfunded liabilities. The liabilities are the promises Congress has made for medicare, medicaid and social security, which adds to $200,000 of debt for every family in America.

Q Where do you stand with achieving affordable health care in America?

A You can’t have a system that has no personal responsibility and control costs. Right now, the system allows someone who smokes and is addicted to drugs to face no penalties – you receive healthcare regardless. Individuals should recieve discounts on insurance if they don’t smoke and do drugs – it’s an incentive for healthy living. We should have a system where you can shop for healthcare like you shop for your auto insurance. People who need help buying insurance can buy it through vouchers from their employer or government. If the government has to be in the healthcare business, they can provide vouchers so people can shop for their own healthcare. Rather than entitlement programs, we should entitle individuals and empower them to make their own choices. If I take out auto insurance, I decide what I want covered. With insurance, it could work the same way and be more expensive depending what level of care I want.

Q What sets you apart from other candidates?

A I don’t have Washington connections – I’ve just worked hard for my district. I’ve worked by talking to people on an everyday basis and I try to carry certain values into my jobs. I believe Washington has become disconnected from the general pubic and I think it’s time that we start changing and going in a different direction with more of a citizen-led type of government.

(Posted Jul 24, 2009)

Source: Q&A with Sen. Chuck Purgason on deciding to run for the U.S. Senate
http://www.lakenewsonline.com/homepage/x592694789/Q-A-with-Sen-Chuck-Purgason-on-deciding-to-run-for-the-U-S-Senate

by Rachel Lippmann, KWMU (2009-07-23)

ST. LOUIS, MO (St. Louis Public Radio) – A Republican state Senator known for wearing bolo ties and cowboy boots on the floor will run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Kit Bond.

When he’s not in Jefferson City, Chuck Purgason operates an 800-acre hunting preserve in the southern Missouri district he’s represented since 2004; he served in the state House before that.

Purgason has gained a reputation as a fiscal conservative, and plans to make that a central part of his campaign.

“You can’t give politicians a credit card and expect them to use it wisely, and what we’ve got to do is get our financial house in order or we’re going to be in trouble as a nation,” he said, adding that the issue has wide appeal in all areas of the state.

Purgason championed then Gov. Matt Blunt’s plans to slash about 100,000 from the Medicaid rolls in 2005. Thursday’s announcement means he’s running against the former governor’s father, Congressman Roy Blunt.

The two campaigns, Purgason said, will be a contrast of Washington versus grass-roots-based efforts.

“Ours will be a campaign where my wife helps me, my daughter does my Web site, my son does the press releases,” Purgason said.

He does not expect to out-raise Blunt, who reported having $1.7 million on hand in the latest Federal Election Commission filings.

The winner of any Republican primary will likely face Democratic Secretary of State Robin Carnahan next November.

© Copyright 2009, St. Louis Public Radio

Source: State Senator to run for federal office
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kwmu/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1533940/KWMU.News/State.Senator.to.run.for.federal.office

Air Date 07/23/09

Source:

• Purgason plays David to Blunt’s Goliath
  http://www.missourinet.com/2009/07/23/purgason-plays-david-to-blunts-goliath/

State Senator Chuck Purgason (R-Caulfield) makes it official : He is in the Republican race to succeed outgoing U.S. Senator Christopher “Kit” Bond.

Purgason made the announcement at the Ozark Cafe in West Plains, ending any doubts that might have existed following his setting up of an exploratory committee in mid-June.

Purgason joins southwest Missouri Congressman Roy Blunt in the contest for the GOP nomination. He realizes he faces an uphill climb in terms of fundraising and getting his name known throughout the state.

“It’s a big challenge,” said Purgason in an interview with the Missourinet. “But, you know, I think that people are getting tired of politics as usual. You know, I think that anybody that’s been in Washington is going to need a lot of money to explain what Washington’s been doing and I just want to run a grassroots campaign that gets out and gets back to the basics of what this party was founded on.”

Purgason points out he differs from Blunt in the desire to restore fiscal conservatism to Missouri and the country.

“I believe in the Republican principles,” said Purgason. “And what we’ve been doing is sending people that didn’t stand firm on those principles. and what we’ve got to do is start sending some people up there that just basically say, ‘No,’ we’re going to get this budget balanced and just follow through with it.”

The State Senator sees no future in going down the same road and he feels this makes his a fresh face among both Republican Blunt and likely Democratic candidate Robin Carnahan.

“I believe that there’s a time for fresh faces in politics,” said Purgason. “The two names that are at the top, right now, are longtime names in politics and you can see the direction that we continually keep going. So, I think that people, after a while, are going to wake up and say we need some fresh faces.”

As for whether he thinks he has a realistic chance of winning the Republican nomination next August and the general election in November of 2010, Purgason believes in his chances.

“If I didn’t think there was a chance of winning,” exclaimed Purgason. “I wouldn’t waste my time.”

Asked to comment on Purgason’s entry into the race, Blunt spokesman Rich Chrismer informed the Missourinet: “Our campaign is going to keep the focus on Robin Carnahan and her liberal positions in support of out of control taxing, out of control spending and out of control debt and borrowing.”

Chrismer also pointed out that 19 of Senator Purgason’s 22 Republican colleagues have already endorsed Congressman Blunt.

Source:

• Purgason plays David to Blunt’s Goliath
  http://www.missourinet.com/2009/07/23/purgason-plays-david-to-blunts-goliath/

Missouri State Senator Chuck Purgason announces that he’ll be running for Kit Bond’s Senate seat at a conference held in West Plains on 7/23/09.