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To make Missouri the best it can be, we need to shift our government’s priorities. Instead of judging our government’s success by the amount of money it collects in taxes, we should instead judge its success by the prosperity of our citizens. The best way to improve that prosperity is to get government out of our way as much as possible and off the backs of small businesses. Here are some real solutions to Missouri’s economic challenges. Jobs and Our Economy 
In January of 2001 – the month Governor Holden took the oath of office – Missouri’s unemployment rate was a miniscule 2.9%. That unemployment rate was the lowest since 1978. As of December 2003, our unemployment rate had grown to five percent. It is painfully clear that we must make Missouri friendlier to business, especially small businesses. Small business is the backbone of our economy. More people in Missouri work for small businesses than work for large corporations. Our state government has lost track of this. To support and encourage those who take the risks of business and employ Missourians, we must:
We must be cautious and skeptical when it comes to adding to the regulatory burden on small businesses. The cost of compliance to business diverts money that could be used to invest in and grow existing businesses. Basically, the more regulation we impose on small business, the more economic damage we inflict to local communities and to Missouri. I will support legislation that protects our business community from excessive regulation. One such bill is already being considered in the Capitol. It would create an advisory committee that would be allowed to review all proposed regulations on business before the rules and/or fees could be imposed on small business.
Any new regulations imposed on businesses in Missouri should have an "end date" to them. I propose that any new regulation imposed today come with an expiration date. If a rule, fee or tax isn’t worth at least reviewing, re-debating and reauthorizing 10 years from now, it should automatically be removed from Missouri law. The demands on businesses change, we must make sure our regulations are limited to allow Missouri’s businesses to keep up with competition from other states and with changes to our economy.
I propose that the next Lt. Governor convene a committee specifically designed to comb through the regulations on small businesses in Missouri. The Lieutenant Governor’s Committee on Small Business Regulation, if created, will highlight outdated laws still impacting business so the Legislature can more easily repeal them. Solutions Part Two: Taking Care of Missourians First, Missouri’s Government Last Solutions Part Three: Making State Government Accountable to Us |