Thread by @BigElad

A friend of mine is on a ventilator fighting COVID-19 while our state legislature abandons us.

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#moleg

You know I don't campaign on party. I think the Attorney General should be a nonpartisan position, one that holds folks accountable regardless of party affiliation.

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I never look at an issue as Democrat or Republican. I always think about our state, our people, and our kids, and I try to do what's right. I think that's why we've gotten so much support from so many people on this campaign.

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This week, I watched the budget hearing where our state legislature was choosing how much money to spend on Coronavirus response.

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I watched as Democrat after Democrat proposed shifting more money to help our first responders, to help our hospitals, to give the Governor - a Republican - more flexibility. And I watched as every plea for action was rejected.

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I've met a lot of people on this campaign, made a lot of friends. One of them is fighting for his life on a ventilator because of this virus. He wasn't appropriately tested because we aren't appropriately stocked with tests. So he was sent home. Now he's back and in bad shape.
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This morning, like every day, I called it like it is. I said our legislature - dominated by a Republican supermajority - failed to step up when we needed it the most.

I wasn't the only one who said that. Our Republican Governor did too. He needs more money.

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Apparently, I caused some Republican elected officials to get upset. Folks started claiming I was "playing politics." They said they authorized $40 million in spending, that that should be enough.

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First, I don't play politics. It doesn't serve anyone, and I ain't got time for that.

Second, our legislature did not spend $40 million on Coronavirus response.

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$7 million of that money is state money we have right now that was already available for emergency response.

The other $33 million is federal money that Missouri doesn't have. It's the hope for money. It's, maybe, money we get in the future. It's not money that's here today.
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These folks are trying to play us in the middle of a pandemic. We can't afford it. The virus is here today, and it's not waiting.

No matter how you spin it, the party in power left our first responders and our families on our own.

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And now our representatives say they can just come back and vote again to authorize more money if they need to, the same money they just refused to spend that the Governor is demanding.

That's not how this virus works.

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Representative Runions has COVID-19. Thank goodness he's recovering, but that means many of our legislators should be self-quarantining.

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They shouldn't be driving back to Jeff City to spread the highly-contagious virus amongst themselves, vote on money they should have already voted on, and then come back home to every county in our state to spread the virus even more. It's irresponsible.

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We need leaders right now. We need representatives to take this seriously. We need folks who are going to stand for the People, not for a party, not for talking points, but for us.

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I'm going to keep advocating for Missouri, for the doctors and nurses and grocers and everyone keeping us going right now. I'm going to advocate to protect our right to vote, to increase access to affordable care, free testing, and free treatment.

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I'm going to advocate for economic relief for our people. These shouldn't be partisan positions, but they sure look like they are right now in Missouri. And that's more than a shame. That's hurting us all.

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I want to point out that two Republicans voted with Democrats to give the Governor more funding: Reps Reedy and Bondon. Maybe folks who couldn't be there would have voted with them.

Some folks get it.
We need more who do.
And we need to send the many who don't back home.

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But RIGHT NOW we have to save our country and stop playing with Missourians' lives, and we have to do everything we can for that man - a veteran - breathing through a ventilator and the many others who are about to follow if we don't start treating this the right way.

19/19