Vote for Hal Brown in 8th District

Our founders never visualized this country being like the country they left. But we are increasingly being governed by a ruling class. Our government, through their bureaucracy, makes rules and regulations every day that impact our lives. But most importantly, our government continues to spend money that will have to be paid back by our children and grandchildren. The big worry I have is, who will we be paying that debt to? No, the founders would not have agreed to that.

They envisioned having "citizen legislators" who went to Washington as a service. These citizens would do what they were elected to do and then go home to their own livelihoods. Government "service" was not supposed to be a career.

Our politicians are some of the richest people in this country, and the Washington, D.C., area is one of the most affluent. They have voted themselves unbelievable benefits, exempted themselves from laws passed and have wasted more money than we can even imagine. So we can understand why someone would want to keep this job.

I have always thought that a little friction between elected officials is better than everybody getting along. I do want elected officials to strongly question how and what we do in D.C., Jefferson City, Missouri, and local politics. The current system of doing what the "party leadership" tells you to do has gotten us to this place. Some will say that we have to let our elected official stay in office so that they can get on good committees to have some impact. Well, all the longest "serving" representatives certainly have had an impact. I refer you to a previous statement about being corrupted by money and power.

For this reason, we must change how we view our politicians. We must acknowledge that anyone can be corrupted. We must realize that self-imposed or voter-imposed term limits are necessary. We must demand accountability.

That is why I'm supporting Dr. Hal Brown for Missouri's 8th Congressional District. He is a concerned citizen who is willing to sacrifice his time and money to change Washington. He will not go along to get along. He has a career here and will gladly go back to it. But he, like most of us, is very worried about the mess we are leaving our children and grandchildren.

I believe if we send committed citizens and hold them accountable, then we can slowly change Washington. Citizens should rule Washington, D.C., not the other way around.

LINDA REUTZEL, Cape Girardeau