Issue Position: Common Sense Governing

Issue Position

The current trend is for the legislature to micro-manage much of the state bureaucracy, replacing oversight with interference. While the House of Representatives and the Senate have a constitutional obligation to oversee state operations, part-time elected officials cannot become expert in all facets of the work done by thousands of Missouri government employees.

For example, the department budgets control (on paper) every 1% of each employee's time. That is impractical. And, it leads to abuse by the legislature.

Program budgets must be based on outcomes -- the services provided. The legislature should give clear direction, and expectations, to department directors and senior administrators and let them do their jobs.

Even a penny of waste ought to be stopped. A well spent dollar delivering necessary services is a good investment. The state needs to constantly examine what services are needed by the people of Missouri, then work to deliver those services in a fair and cost effective manner. The correct amount of revenue to meet those needs should be raised from taxes which are progressive and predictable.

Missouri's revenue stands almost four billion dollars below the Hancock limit. That means the state can invest more on services without hurting the economy.

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