Political Opinions of Rod Jetton

My comments on Politico's The Arena question of the day

2012-02-13T06:05:00.000-08:00

Politico's The Arena

Rick Santorum is back with a bang after winning both Minnesota and Missouri by healthy margins last night. He is currently in a dead heat with Mitt Romney in Colorado, according to recent results.
Is Santorum’s success a sign that the GOP base is not ready to embrace its national frontrunner? Should Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich be worried about serious competition from Santorum?

While last night was a disappointment for Romney and a big boost for Santorum, it was a blow for Newt. This makes it harder for Newt to make it a two man race, because these wins not only give Santorum hope, but they probably help his fundraising.
I know Romney would have liked to win, but it may be a blessing in disguise. Newt seems to be staying in till the end, and as long as Romney has two opponents splitting his opposition he will continue to pick up delegates.
Unless these wins can bring a huge influx of cash into the Santorum campaign I do not think they propel him to victory over Romney. Again, it shows Romney's weakness with the base, but this only makes him a better general election candidate. The margin of victory for Santorum in very concerning, but I still don't believe Santorum is ready to pull away and take the nomination from Romney. The bigger question is how last night’s results effect Newt.

The RPs Debate Tim Tebow: Rod Jetton Responds

2012-02-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

The RPs Debate Tim Tebow: Rod Jetton Responds

The RPs Debate the GOP Mudfest: Rod Jetton Rebuts

2012-02-13T05:57:00.000-08:00

My thoughts on the Recovering Politician's presidential primary debate.

The RPs Debate the GOP Mudfest: Rod Jetton Rebuts

Politico- My Thoughts on the State of the Union speech

2012-01-20T19:32:00.000-08:00

Here is a copy of the post I wrote about the state of the union speech.

Rod Jetton

http://www.politico.com/arena/perm/Ex-St__House_Speaker_Rodney_Jetton_0A3B8CFF-8C7C-4790-924B-C39CD4C395B9.html

The RPs Debate Presidential Leadership: Rod Jetton Responds

2012-01-09T08:47:00.000-08:00

My response to others commnets

The RPs Debate Presidential Leadership: Rod Jetton Responds

The RPs Debate Presidential Leadership: Rod Jetton Defends Romney and Rebuts

2012-01-09T07:17:00.000-08:00

My thoughts on Romney and his chances. Some of my democrat friends are trying so hard to pick him apart and find a way to feel better about Obama, but if the economy does not improve they will be sad this November.

The RPs Debate Presidential Leadership: Rod Jetton Rebuts

Rod Jetton: Remembering a Hero, Part 4: A Final Farewell to a Real Hero

2011-12-30T09:14:00.000-08:00

Rod Jetton: Remembering a Hero, Part 4: A Final Farewell to a Real Hero

Here is a link to a tribute site for Trane. You can leave a comment that the family can read here.

http://www.legacy.com/Link.asp?I=GB000020195173

Maggie and the kids. Trane was a huge Tennessee fan

Rod Jetton: Remembering a Hero, Part 3 – Living, Dying, Remembering

2011-12-28T11:16:00.000-08:00

Rod Jetton: Remembering a Hero, Part 3 – Living, Dying, Remembering

Rod Jetton: Remembering a Hero, Part 2 – Trane McCloud, Putting Duty First

2011-12-27T07:56:00.000-08:00

Rod Jetton: Remembering a Hero, Part 2 – Trane McCloud, Putting Duty First

Rod Jetton: Remembering A Hero, Part 1 — Losing a Good Friend

2011-12-22T13:34:00.000-08:00

This is a link to the blog post I wrote about my best friend who was killed in Iraq.

Rod Jetton: Remembering A Hero, Part 1 — Losing a Good Friend

Some of us from A Company. Trane 3rd from the left next to me.

Missouri's New Redistricting Maps Help Democrats

2011-11-30T14:43:00.000-08:00

These new maps are unbelievable. I could not believe what I was seeing. I helped draw the lines in 2000 and the judges also had to finish the process that year as well. But in 2000 the judges seemed to draw districts that kept the Republican and Democrat voting percentages close to where they had been before unless it was an open seat.

They also did not put incumbents together. I have only made a quick review of these new maps but from what I can see some of the districts have much different numbers and there was no benefit given to incumbents unless it's a Democrat incumbent. There also appear to be several places where incumbents are put into the same district. So far it looks like more Republicans than Democrats.

I will need to take a close look at the suburban seats to make a complete analysis, but at first glance there will be several Republican legislators not very happy with this map.

It is surprising to see judges go this political with the process and I wonder what the Republican leaders were doing to make their case. Did the judges just blow them off and only listen to Democrats? If they didn't scream loud enough behind closed door they better start screaming now.

Sincerely,

Rod Jetton

Wall Street Protests Already Lowering Unemployment

2011-10-07T12:06:00.000-07:00

Looks like they had to hire some of the protesters. That is great for the guy looking for a job. I wonder if it pays more than those low level part time jobs my liberal friends complain about?

Here is the link to the video.

http://dailycaller.com/2011/10/06/organizer-admits-to-paying-occupy-dc-protesters-video/

Rod Jetton: New Year’s Resolutions for Some Famous Politicos

2011-10-05T14:39:00.000-07:00

Rod Jetton: New Year’s Resolutions for Some Famous Politicos

Rod Jetton: Hypocrisy Abounds, But Jobs Can’t Be Found

2011-10-01T13:13:00.000-07:00

By Rod Jetton, on Mon Sep 26, 2011 at 8:30 AM ET

Being out of politics is such a peaceful life. Reading the press reports about the debt ceiling debate, special election campaigns and overall fight between the President and Republicans in Congress makes me chuckle.
Watching the Republicans and the Democrats tear each other apart would be a lot more funny if their decisions did not have such serious consequences on us poor average citizens. What is so infuriatingly funny is the hypocrisy.

Let’s start by looking at the debt ceiling debate.

Normally, raising the debt limit or borrowing money is a no-brainer for elected officials. Politicians are heroes when they spend money. They are given awards, trips and plaques, for just spending your money. Sometimes they even get buildings and bridges named after them, even before they die all because they spent someone else’s money. I still have a few of my old plaques hanging on the wall.

It doesn’t take long for even a stupid politician to learn that spending money, not cutting budgets, is the path to admiration, love and that most important priority of all, winning re-election. There are two ways to get the money everyone wants them to spend. They can raise taxes (not a very popular option), or borrow the money. As you can imagine, borrowing the money is very popular because most citizens don’t care or understand borrowing or deficits, and the majority of elected officials are more worried about the next election than the future re-payment plan.

Amazing how both parties can change their mind so FAST!

Usually, raising the debt limit happens quietly with little fanfare or press attention. With the exception of a few “hardcore fiscal conservatives,” the President’s party always supports raising the limit, and the other party opposes it. Apart from a few campaign mailers sent out in freshmen legislators re-election campaigns, it is never even used as a campaign attack. (It’s hard to attack an opponent for voting the same way you have voted)

But this year was different. With deficit spending exploding faster than anyone thought possible, along with Republicans throwing out the Democrats in November, the stage was set for a showdown. Normally, the President could have cut a deal to increase military spending or throw a few key projects in big highway bill, and they would have increased the debt limit; but because these pesky tea party “crazies” have the general population stoked up over deficit spending, the Republicans were forced to play hardball.

Us average citizens had to listen to President Obama, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi tell us how deficit spending was no big deal, while Speaker Boehner and company lectured everyone on the virtues of paying our bills and living within our budget.

What makes this so sad is, just a few months ago before Obama was president and the Democrats took over congress we had to listen to Pelosi, Reid and Obama tell us how dangerous deficit spending was and how terrible President Bush and the republicans were for overspending. Here are a few of their best quotes.

“The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies. Over the past 5 years, our federal debt has increased by $3.5 trillion to $8.6 trillion. That is “trillion” with a “T.” That is money that we have borrowed from the Social Security trust fund, borrowed from China and Japan, borrowed from American taxpayers. And over the next 5 years, between now and 2011, the President’s budget will increase the debt by almost another $3.5 trillion. Leadership means that ‘the buck stops here’. Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.” -
Senator Barack Obama, Senate Floor Speech on Public Debt, March 16, 2006

“After years of historic deficits, this new 110^th Congress will commit itself to a higher standard: pay as you go, no new deficit spending. Our new America will provide unlimited opportunity for future generations, not burden them with mountains of debt.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, January 2007

“Why is it right to increase our nation’s dependence on foreign creditors? Democrats won’t be making an argument to support this legalization, which will weaken our country.”
Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid, March 16, 2006

“I shouldn’t have done that. I’m kinda embarrassed I did. It was a political maneuver by we Democrats. The Republicans were in power – there were more of them. “The president voted when he was in the Senate the same way. I heard him apologize for it. The one time I tried to make a political issue of it, I wish I hadn’t.”
Senator Reid, April 14^th 2011 on ABC’s “Top Line”

As much as I would like to hit the D's on this my party has it's own problems

Of course the hypocrisy is a bipartisan issue. The same Republicans who voted for federal programs that have led too much of the deficit spending, are now anti-spending disciples. They seem to forget their support for massive highway bills, prescription drugs, no child left behind, Medicaid, TARP bailouts, and every liberals favorite reason to for the deficit, war funding.
And before we leave this subject let’s not forget that all of these “leaders” have voted for and against raising the deficit- most more than once. These comments and these votes have been documented by others but each side seems to sweep it under the rug.

Fast forward to today where we have the great presidential pied piper and his blind mice followers in Congress haplessly wandering down a path of higher deficits, and bigger budgets with no explanation on how the increased spending will improve our economy. So far, all we have is a bigger deficits, higher unemployment and increasing prices with no believable or reasoned explanation of where they want to lead us normal folks. They keep telling us it’s all Bush’s fault, and that if we would only raise taxes on the rich (after 2012) and spend just a few billion more, all our economic woes would disappear. (Never mind that the proposed future tax increases on the rich don’t bring in enough revenue to even cut the annual deficit in half.)

Not to be outdone, Bro. Boehner and his fiscal deacons in the house have gotten that old time fiscal religion by attending the Tea Party tent revivals. But after giving their testimony and extorting the faithful at the rallies, they gather back in their Capitol offices and quietly pledge their support to the voters back home about protecting social security, prescription drug programs, Medicare, local military bases, post offices, or any other “good” program their voters want. They rail on the president for cutting NASA, farm subsidies, road projects, post offices or any other pork they can bring home. Then at their first invitation, they show back up to the Tea Party rallies and profess their hatred of earmarks.

Here is the sad part. The democrats spent eight years bashing Bush and hoping the economy would tank while he was in office so they could regain power and fix America. Unfortunately for them, they got their wish. Now, the Republicans are bashing Obama and praying the economy doesn’t recover before next year’s election so they can take back control. They both seem to be more concerned with who is in power and who can prove that their policies and economic hypotheses are right.

From what I can tell, both sides seem confused. The democrats gained total control, advanced their fixes, spent trillions, and it hasn’t worked. They have no idea what to do next. The Republicans also seem clueless and are just hoping that if they get control back, the economy will start improving. Many of my friends in politics are now saying the economy just has cycles and the best you can hope for as an elected official, is to be in office when the cycle is improving.

No one in either party seems to know what to do. Republicans say, “If we would just cut taxes, along with regulations and get out of the way, the American people will improve the economy.” Democrats argue, “We need to raise taxes on the super rich and spend just a little more money to prime the pump and it will all improve.” Seems to me we have tried both of these approaches.

Democrats say the first one led to the “great recession” and begged us to let them fix it. We did, and they spent trillions to “fix” things, but average guys like me feel things are getting worse. Is it any wonder why no one trusts politicians? We all feel like their main concern is getting reelected and staying in power. Their words and actions convey that message and their hypocrisy is sickening. As a conservative, I don’t share my liberal friends’ views of how to improve our economy, but I also get tired of watching both parties play the blame game and musical chairs while so many of us hardworking citizens are suffering.

My next post will stick with this hypocrisy theme by taking a look at President Obama and his policies. I think my conservative friends may be suprised with my opinion of his first few years, while my liberal friends won’t like how Obama compares to Bush.

I said in my first post that no politician is as good or bad as you think, and when we take a look at both Bush and Obama, my partisan colleges may be surprised by the virtues of both.

Sewer resolution needed in Sunrise Beach

2011-09-15T07:35:00.000-07:00

Sewer resolution needed in Sunrise Beach

Food Pantry Tax Credit

2011-08-03T13:36:00.001-07:00

Here is a recent Letter to the Editor I sent out.

Thanks and take care,

Rod Jetton

Dear Editor,

There was a lot of talk about tax credits in the last legislative session. I would like to recommend one tax credit that would only cost a maximum of $2 million per a year, but will help thousands of Missourians get enough to eat. It’s the Local Food Pantry Tax Credit Program (LFPTCP) that was started in 2008 and is scheduled to expire August 28th.

The Oversight Division of the Joint Committee on Legislative Research issued a report showing that the first three years of the four-year program, only $1.5 million of the $6 million available credits were claimed, but use has grown significantly each year, with nearly $800,000 claimed in 2010. The average donation was $450 with 99 percent of the statewide credits being claimed by individual taxpayers.

While the battle rages in Jefferson City about how to reform our tax credit programs. This program already includes many of the reforms that have been debated. Most tax credit reformers have four main goals, which include:

1. Cap the amount of tax credits one individual can receive

2. Keep tax credits from being sold or transferred

3. Cap the overall amount that can be spent on any one program.

4. Sunset all tax credit programs

Most reform advocates believe these changes will make budgeting for future tax credit expenditures more accurate. They also feel it will allow the programs to be better monitored, so that needed changes can be made.

I hope the reformers will consider that the LFPTCP program already limits the tax credit amount to prevent one individual or one food pantry from receiving all the benefits. The amount of the tax credit will be equal to one-half the value of the donation and cannot exceed $2,500 per taxpayer. The LFPTCP tax credit is also nonrefundable and cannot be transferred, sold, or assigned to other parties. Additionally, the whole program is capped at $2 million a year and it sunsets after 4 years, which will be August 28th.

I am a strong supporter of tax credit programs to attract jobs and spur economic development in our state, and I realize the budgeting problems many of our current tax credit programs present to our leaders. I also admit that the sale and transfer of tax credits has diluted the economic impact of many of the programs, but eliminating all tax credits would not be wise. I believe the LFPTCP tax credit program should not only be renewed, but should also be an example of how other tax credit programs could be designed.

Right now would be a disastrous time to end a tax credit program that has brought additional resources to our local food pantries. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Missouri is 7th in the nation in food insecurity, and we have the 5^th highest rate of childhood hunger in America. Over 900,000 Missourians are food insecure. In this tough economy with our states high unemployment rate, each additional dollar that is given to our local food pantries is being used to help feed someone in need.

The Southeast Missouri Food Bank stressed that they are serving more people while the cost of food has almost doubled. Just look at these numbers. The first six months of 2008 pantries in their service area helped 383,808, but during the first 6 months of 2011 that number has increased by 37,738 to 421,546. While they have more people needing help they also report higher food costs. In June of 2010, they spent $1,800 for 40,000 pounds of potatoes, and this June they spent $3,600 for 40,000 pounds of potatoes.

As our leaders consider a special session to pass a multi-million dollar tax credit bill, I urge them to include the LFPTCP tax credit program in whatever package they pass. It is a small program that includes all the accountability and reform measures being debated, but it will make a major difference to thousands of Missourians across our state.

Sincerely,

Rod Jetton

Rod Jetton served in the Missouri House from 2001-2008 and was Speaker from 2005-2008. He authored and passed several law changes designed to improve nutrition programs and increase funding for hunger relief efforts in Missouri. HB 453 set up the LFPTCP program in 2007 and the tax credit was first available in 2008. He now lives in Branson, Missouri and works at Schultz and Summers Engineering.