I'd be honored to receive your vote on August 2nd to serve as your U.S. Senator. A Personal Reflection from Governor Eric Greitens— Why I Want to Serve Missouri Hey there, It’s clearer now than ever that we need people who are willing to buck the establishment handlers, the political insiders, and the lobbyist class to fight for real people. I’ve stood up for what’s I believe is right my entire life. I learned the hard lesson in 2018 that taking a stand against the political uniparty Swamp comes at a cost—vicious lies, constant unfair attacks on my family and the people I work with, and even fake criminal charges from a Soros-funded prosecutor. But I honestly believe that God sometimes gives us pain and on the other side there is wisdom. Sometimes God gives us unwanted suffering and on the other side there is strength. ‍ I’ve seen the face of the enemy we are facing in America today. I feel stronger, wiser, and more courageous than ever before in my life. ‍ As we near the August 2nd primary election, I took some time to reflect on the incredible successes we accomplished together, when I was your governor. Our team accomplished more than anyone ever thought possible. Here’s just some of what this team accomplished: - We fought for jobs. We grew 38,400 new jobs from January 2017 through April 2018. That is the highest rate of job growth in modern Missouri history. We jumped 9 places in the rankings for best states to do business, and we now have the lowest unemployment rate in 18 years. We passed a bill to make Missouri compete for steel mills and other advanced manufacturing, to bring quality jobs back to our workers. Those jobs are now coming, hundreds of workers have already started, a steel mill and aluminum smelter are open, and hundreds more jobs are on the way. - We cut burdensome regulations and got the government off people’s backs. We signed a law allowing Uber, Lyft, and other ride-sharing apps to create more jobs in Missouri. We did a complete review of every red-tape regulation on the books, and we identified 33,000 regulatory restrictions to be wiped out—one out of every three. We made it simpler for people to get the licenses they need to find work. - We fought for ethics. We banned lobbyist gifts for executive branch personnel. We slammed shut the revolving door between executive branch employees and lobbyists. We took on insiders and rip-off artists to cut spending on Missouri’s biggest, most corrupt tax credit from $1.3 billion over the last decade to $0.00. - We got better results with less taxpayer money, and cut taxes. We cut over $700 million in spending in our first six months in office to balance the state budget without raising taxes. We cut Missouri’s tax rate for businesses from 6.25% to 4.0%, while simplifying the tax code and eliminating special rules that benefited companies that only invested and hired workers outside of Missouri. We got rid of cars, planes, and any government vehicles Missouri didn’t need to save taxpayer dollars. We reformed our state workforce to make it easier to hire good people, reward the best performance, and shrink government. We eliminated and merged dozens of boards and commissions, to get rid of 138 politically appointed positions. - We stood up for law enforcement officers and first responders. We passed tougher penalties for attacks on police officers and first responders. We protected everyone’s constitutional rights, while ensuring safety during civil unrest in St. Louis, and had the backs of our law enforcement officers. Major threats of violence ended after 48 hours. We established a Blue Alert system to make sure the public is aware when an attack on an officer occurs, so that the cowards who would attack police can be brought to justice quickly. We let first responders and police officers know that, no matter what some people might throw their way, the people of Missouri respect and love them. - We fought for our principles. We called a special session to pass the strongest pro-life bill in Missouri in a generation, which has stood up to challenges from the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and the Satanic Temple. We appointed strong, conservative judges to positions around the state—including Missouri’s Supreme Court. We stood up for people of faith ended the state’s policy of discriminating against religious groups purely because of their religious identity. - We kept people safe. We launched a comprehensive statewide response to the opioid epidemic, including establishing a prescription drug monitoring program, cracking down on chronic over-prescribers, increasing the availability of lifesaving medications, and improving training for providers. We cracked down on the trafficking of heroin and other drugs on state highways, with a new cross-departmental enforcement initiative. We launched a major initiative to bring state assets including the Highway Patrol to bear against the crime problem in St. Louis. We overhauled the state’s emergency response philosophy, adopting a “go early, go big” approach that has consistently minimized damage and lives lost. Through tornados, floods, and ice storms we were able to keep families out of harm’s way and get assistance to communities quickly. - We passed reforms that conservatives have fought for, for generations. We signed a comprehensive public sector union reform package, including paycheck protection, more financial record transparency, and re-certification elections. We passed a ban on Project Labor Agreements to protect taxpayer dollars and to ensure that all workers and contractors can fairly bid on public construction projects. Missouri was the 49th worst state in the country for frivolous lawsuits. We protected small businesses from trial lawyers that threaten jobs, by pushing for more tort reform than any state in the country. - We stood up for Missouri’s kids, the children in our foster care system. We launched a comprehensive review of Missouri’s foster and adoptive care system. We passed the most far-reaching reforms of Missouri’s foster and adoptive care systems in a generation, including improving the sharing of information across state lines, strengthening provisions for termination of parental rights in cases of sexual abuse, streamlining the process for establishing paternity, retaining records of child abuse and neglect investigations, allowing judges who makes foster care decisions to modify custody when appropriate, protecting the privacy of foster families, allowing adoptive parents and adopted children to openly discuss their adoptive experiences, allowing teenagers in foster care to set up their own bank accounts, allowing private attorneys to file for termination of parental rights and adoption, and setting up a task force on foster parent licensure and retention. We appointed dozens of strong advocates to the Child Abuse and Neglect Review Boards, Children’s Trust Fund Board, and Missouri State Foster Care and Adoption Board, some of which had been unable to operate because nobody had been appointed. We signed Missouri’s first Foster Care Bill of Rights. We allowed youth in foster care to obtain their birth certificates for free, removing a key obstacle for many to apply for driver’s licenses, jobs, or higher education. We enrolled Missouri in the largest study ever done on how to recruit and retain good foster parents and foster families. We made it easier for individuals to report child abuse and neglect by opening Missouri’s toll-free child abuse hotline to out-of-state phone numbers and improving the Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline Unit. We distributed over 3,200 books that were sitting forgotten in storage to foster families and children all over the state. We joined the National Electronic Interstate Compact Enterprise (NEICE), which allows child welfare agencies to share information electronically. We increased rates for foster care providers and for adoptive and guardian families. - We took great steps to make Missouri the best state in the country for veterans. We made it easier for veterans to transition to civilian life by allowing certain military credentials to count towards getting a professional license. We expanded the National Guard, bringing almost 800 new positions to Missouri. We gave more reemployment rights to out-of-state National Guard members and reservists. We made it easier for veterans to get a designation on their driver’s license. We expanded the Show Me Heroes program, assisting military personnel and spouses with employment and occupational needs. We created new tax deductions for military pay for reservists and members of the National Guard. We investigated abuses at the St. Louis Veterans Home, and took decisive action to replace members of the Missouri Veterans Commission and replace the Commission’s executive director. We created the Missouri Firefighter Initiative within the Division of Fire Safety to recruit veterans and active military to careers in the fire service. We launched an effort to recruit veterans as park rangers. We established a training partnership between the Israeli Defense Fund and the Missouri National Guard. - We fought for the forgotten people in Missouri’s rural communities. We made the money available, for any rural school that needed it, to get the infrastructure for quality broadband internet. We paid off the long-overdue biodiesel funds, encouraging rural economic growth and value-added agricultural production. We worked with leaders at the federal level to roll back regulations that hurt Missouri farmers, and got the government out of their way at the state level. We brought manufacturing businesses back to towns that desperately needed jobs. - We made schools better. We shook up the education establishment to insist on better results. We fully funded K-12 education for the first time in years, and put millions of new dollars into our classrooms. We launched a comprehensive Course Access program to bring virtual classes to students in areas that need them. We set up a statewide adult high school program to help people get the training they need for good jobs. We made Missouri stronger—because of you and your support. I’m not done fighting for the people of the state I love. I’d be honored to receive your vote on August 2 to become your United States Senator. Thank you, and God bless the state of Missouri. ‍ Yours in service, Eric FOLLOW US ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Paid for by Greitens for U.S. Senate | PO Box 989, Chesterfield, MO 63006 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Our Privacy Policy | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] powered by Try email marketing for free today!