Hold Speaker Jetton responsible

To the editor:

Is the Missouri House of Representatives a military state? This question came to me when I heard of the resignation of state Rep. Brad Lager as House budget chair. This year Lager made a proposal to freeze state spending, a reasonable approach in light of all of the cuts made to Medicaid last year. In an interview in the Kansas City Star, Lager referenced all the pork projects the General Assembly wanted to include in the upcoming budget. However, to include these projects would not have been fiscally responsible in tough budget times.

Apparently House Speaker Rod Jetton would rather choose fiscal irresponsibility, as he desires to build stadiums for baseball owners instead of providing health care for single moms.

Is Lager losing his chairmanship because he disagrees with the speaker? I personally know this contradicts the Republican philosophy and the American way of democracy. It's apparent to me that these actions mimic a dictatorship. Independent thinking is punishable under Jetton's rule.

I hope Jetton can put aside his personal agenda in the future and lead by principle instead of politics. It is the House of Representatives, not the House of Rod Jetton. I urge Missourians to hold Jetton accountable for his lack of leadership.

NATHAN T. GARTEN, Jefferson City, Mo.