Issues
Economy and Jobs
Just as the economy of our country is in turmoil, the economy of Missouri is also in a state of crisis.In 2005, the Congressional Budget Office reported that average income for the top 1% of our country's wealthiest increased by 228% while the middle class' income increased by only 21% and the lower class' income increased by a mere 6%.
In Missouri, the rate of medically uninsured persons has risen at three times the national average, with 770,000 uninsured. Schools and colleges are severely underfunded. Missouri's unemployment rate is the 7th highest in the nation. Wages remain stagnant, consumer spending has slowed, and our State's median income is $2000 less that in 2001. Meanwhile, we all know the cost of healthcare, tuition, gas and food has soared.
When businesses look for a new location, they choose a community with quality infrastructure, quality education, and quality services that will maintain a sound lifestyle for their employees. The jobs of our future require educated and healthy citizens. As a State, we need to recognize the importance of quality education and its ability to attract businesses to our State.
Margo McNeil Supports These Actions
- Develop an optional four day work week for State employees as a money saving and environmentally sound measure.
- Strengthen partnerships between entrepreneurs and higher education institutions that will produce jobs and build our economy.
- Establish fair collective bargaining regulations for public and private employees.
- Streamline small business regulations to make them as effective and efficient as possible.
- Utilize community college programs to retrain workers and introduce them to new career opportunities.
Education
Public education is the foundation of our democracy and the key to our economic future. As the job market has become more global, our workers need to stay sharp. A well-funded, nurturing public school education is the key to meeting Missouri’s needs in the 21st century and for becoming more competitive in the global job market.Missouri is failing in education! All children, as well as our communities, deserve great public schools. Yet in Missouri, teachers and education support professionals are often not given the tools and resources they need to properly educate our unique and diverse populations. Missouri ranks 29th in K-12 spending, 47th in teacher pay, and 50th in funding increases for higher education. State college tuition has increased 75% since 2001.
Furthermore, despite the many successes of individual students, teachers are forced to spend too much of their time getting students to pass the arbitrary testing goals set by “No Child Left Behind” and Missouri Assessment Program (MAP).
Students and teachers should love coming to school every morning. It is time for our children to be excited about learning. Teachers need to be excited to teach. We need to build upon the many strengths of public education and make it the state priority that it needs to be.
Margo McNeil Supports These Actions:
- Increase efforts to attract and retain the best teachers to our public schools.
- Give incentives to teachers who receive National Board Certification.
- Reduce overcrowded classrooms and provide services for special-needs students.
- Create new models to measure learning growth and to determine the effectiveness of teachers and school districts; publicize the most effective educational practices.
- Provide our students the most up-to-date resources, including technology, with which to learn.
Environment
We must act with courage and conviction to develop a comprehensive energy policy plan that is innovative and less dependent on imported oil. Our environmental innovations should set policies and goals that are not just cost effective, but also environmentally sound.We must support efforts to renew, reuse, and recycle. Missouri can become an environmental leader by putting in place regulations that protect our resources, preserve our ecological treasures, and reduce our carbon footprint.
Missouri can refer to “Efficiency Vermont,” which is a government-business partnership that helps promote energy efficiency to businesses and homes. We have a model in this community with the St. Louis Community College’s Wildwood Campus, which is a LEED-certified building and has installed “green” technology.
Margo McNeil Supports These Actions
- Invest in a planned public transportation system that will fit the needs of the 21st century and our community.
- Promote the purchase of fuel-efficient vehicles and provide incentives to automakers to manufacture them in Missouri.
- Encourage the construction of “green” buildings, which use recycled and environmentally friendly products.
- Use the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to aid businesses and homeowners to increase their energy efficiency.
- Invest in wind, solar, and geothermal energy.
Healthcare
The state of healthcare in our country and in Missouri is in need of major repair. Healthcare insurance premiums have risen by an average of 36%. Businesses that provide healthcare as a benefit find that rising health care costs lessen their competitiveness. Companies are shifting the responsibility of paying for healthcare to their employees. Companies are taking their businesses out of our state and country partly to dodge our steep healthcare costs. In 2007, BJC Hospital had to cover $400 million in unreimbursed care. Businesses have felt the financial burden of the lack of affordable health insurance. Lack of healthcare is causing a broad range of economic problems for working families, including bankruptcy, home foreclosures, and personal stress.The uninsured population in this State has increased at three times the national average. Over 770,000 Missourians, including 127,000 children, have no health insurance, and many more are under insured. Emergency rooms are overburdened and are used as reactive healthcare when we should have more proactive healthcare.
Basic healthcare should be a fundamental right for all Americans and should not be determined by the size of one’s paycheck. Good health plays a vital role in increased worker productivity, educational achievement and business success. A healthy nation is a prosperous nation. It is time to create a new healthcare system which will improve the quality of life for Missouri citizens by providing basic healthcare for all.
Margo McNeil Supports These Actions:
- Restore healthcare to those who were cut in 2005.
- Fund one-stop healthcare centers—especially in under-served areas.
- Increase healthcare and prescription coverage to seniors.
- Expand the SCHIPP to children so they are healthier and more active.
- Welcome the medical research industry which will save lives and create new jobs.