WEBSTER LAUNCHES BID FOR GOVERNOR'S OFFICE

Saying people want smarter, not bigger, government, Missouri Attorney General William Webster formally announced his candidacy for governor during a campaign stop in Cape Girardeau Thursday.

"They don't want more government, they want smarter government," the Republican candidate said at a morning press conference at the Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport.

"Some candidates are content with saying, `Let's just tinker around the edges, let's retool government.' Well, I think we have to go beyond that," said the 38-year-old Webster.

With his wife, Susan, at his side, Webster told a crowd of about 20 supporters that "concrete changes" are needed in state government.

Among other things, he said he favors privatizing government services, enacting zero-based budgeting and sunset laws to eliminate unnecessary programs, and downsizing government.

Webster, who has served as attorney general for eight years, said he also favors term limits for all state elected officials.

"The primary goal of politicians is getting re-elected instead of getting results. It's time to change that priority," said Webster.

Privatizing government services, or in other cases applying private-sector principles, would result in more efficient and effective government, said Webster.

As to the need for sunset laws, the attorney general said: "It's time to make every program justify itself or be sunset."

He said that in zero-based budgeting, every government program would be reviewed on a regular basis, with every program ranked from top to bottom.

"So when the crunch comes, instead of taking an across-the-board meat ax to government, which we all too often have to, you can identify the programs that work, keep them, and the ones that don't, will be eliminated."

People are concerned about the economy, Webster said. "But I think we're past the time when politicians can come before you and say our agenda is jobs, jobs, jobs. We have to go beyond that."

Webster said he would push for improvements to Missouri's roads. Such improvements, he said, are vital to attracting business and industry to the state.

Nationwide, businesses are leaving high-tax, highly regulated states. Missouri, said Webster, offers businesses a skilled work force, competitive cost of doing business, low tax rates and "frankly a better place to build a company."

Webster told the crowd of supporters and reporters, "Missouri is at the center of this country. We are the heart of America and I think the center can lead the nation."

The gubernatorial candidate called for improvements in education to make schools more accountable to the taxpayers.

He said he's opposed to expanding the state education bureaucracy.

Instead, Webster said he favors education report cards for schools to let the public know how schools are measuring up.

Webster said citizens feel they were lied to in regards to the use of state lottery revenue. They felt the money would go to education, which has not occurred, he said.

"It has been a bureaucratic shell game. The money hasn't gone there. Every penny of the lottery money should go to education," he insisted.

Webster said that once the federal desegregation cases have ended in St. Louis and Kansas City, he would push for reallocating funds to the school districts in Missouri that have suffered most from state monetary withholdings.

"We cannot afford gold-plated schools at the expense of every other school in the state of Missouri," said Webster, referring to the state having to funnel millions of dollars to the St. Louis and Kansas City school districts to pay court-ordered desegregation costs.

Webster called for "real" welfare reform. "It was not a lifetime of dependency but rather a temporary springboard to self sufficiency, but it hasn't worked out that way."

He said a system is needed to encourage people to work and go to school rather than a welfare system that encourages "generation after generation of idleness and irresponsibility."

Said Webster, "Until we empower these people, they are going to continue to be in a lifetime cycle of poverty."

Webster said ideas and issues matter and a governor has to be more than a competent administrator, he must have a vision.

Missouri, he maintained, can lead the nation in dealing with a number of important issues. "We can lead the nation in reforming education, in demanding responsibility for people in our welfare system, in reforming government and in fighting crime and drugs."