43rd House District: Jamie Blair
Party: Democratic
Age: 36
Place of residence: Mexico, Missouri
Occupation: Student transportation for Missouri Military Academy
Political experience: VP Audrain County Democratic Club, Vice-chair Audrain County Democratic Central Committee, Missouri Democratic Party state committeewoman Senate District 10, member of MDP Women’s, Rural, and Progressive Caucuses
Education: No formal post-secondary education
Opponent: Kent Haden
Recent state income tax cuts have been hailed by some as an economic jump start and derided by some as taking money that’s needed for social services and education. What is your opinion?
As is almost always the case, there is some truth to both views. The question we must ask is; what those truths are and what they reveal about a sustainable path forward. Low tax rates can do their part to lure businesses and give some the ability to spend more of what they make, however that is not the whole story. Tax burden is only one aspect of viability a business factors in when scouting new locations. Infrastructure, access to a skilled workforce, and possible consumer base are weighed as well. If we do not have the revenue to invest in education and provide a skilled workforce we will be hard-pressed to draw businesses into our state. Similarly, if we don’t invest in our infrastructure so that businesses are able to get their products to market, bring in materials or utilize the latest technological advances, they will not come. Last, but not least, a consumer base is crucial to enterprise.Basic supply and demand. Poorly educated, low income workers aren’t able to provide that base because most of their income goes right out the door paying bills. People can’t spend what they don’t have. Tax cuts can be a jump start to the economy. You can jump a car, and if the alternator is bad, you’re just going to have to jump it again, and again, and again. Velocity of capital is the alternator that recharges the economy. Money needs to move to sustain healthy and sustainable growth.
Voters will decide Nov. 6 whether to raise Missouri’s Gas tax. Do you support raising the gas tax?
I’ll be quite honest that I still have mixed feelings on Prop D, the raise in the gas tax that we will be deciding on election day. I am a staunch supporter of a raise in the gas tax here in Missouri so that we can invest in Infrastructure. However I am deeply concerned about this ballot initiative as it allocates the bulk of that money for law enforcement. I am told that the increased revenue for law enforcement will free up money for infrastructure but I am skeptic at heart. We have all seen legislation that promises the moon in funding and gets diverted to other things at the whims of the powers that be. I may be doing research on this initiative until I walk into the voting booth. I would encourage all Missourians to do the same. I hate to be unwilling to take a strong stance on this or any other issue but I can promise voters that I will never be pushed into making a bad call for political expediency. I will do my due diligence.
Voters will also decide on whether to approve any of three medical marijuana proposals. What your thoughts on the issue?
I am very much in favor of medical cannabis here in Missouri. I am also acutely aware that it must be done carefully and correctly. I prefer Amendment 2 for a number of reasons. It is the most patient friendly option on the ballot and I believe that it has a better plan for oversight and use of revenues. At a whopping 15%, Amendment 3 would be the highest sales tax in the nation for medical cannabis by a tremendous amount. Those revenues and licensing would be overseen by a Board appointed by the sponsor and primary donor of the initiative. A Sponsor who has not been elected and is therefore not accountable to the people of Missouri. Amendment 2 has a reasonable 4% tax rate and the revenues would go directly to the Veterans Commission. The licensing would be overseen by the Department of Health and Senior Services. Amendment 2 has been endorsed by patient advocacy groups and medical professionals alike and the majority of the work done to collect signatures, and revenue raised to support Amendment 2 was grassroots advocacy in action. I collected signatures myself, because I believe Amendment 2 is right for Missouri. I do not favor Prop C because there has been an alarming precedent for State Legislatures to circumvent the will of voters when we pass statutory measures at the ballot box. They did it in Oklahoma. With the current majority in the legislature already promising to pass another Right to Work bill despite the overwhelming No on Prop A vote, we have no reason to believe they will respect our vote on cannabis unless it is enshrined in the Missouri Constitution. So, for me its Yes on 2, No on 3, and No on C.
What other key issues do you see facing the state?
Rural poverty is one of greatest threats to State of Missouri and the people of the 43rd. We keep pursuing policies that are crippling our rural economy. Lack of investment in Infrastructure, Education, Healthcare, and Food Security create a feedback loop that leads right to economic devastation for small towns, small business, and small farmers. We can attack the problems head on our we can relegate our rural way of life to Americana museums and textbooks
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Infrastructure- We need to invest in everything from roads and bridges to fiber optic connectivity so that more people and business choose to stay in or are actually encouraged to move into our rural areas. I believe it’s vital to the continued existence of our small towns
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Education- We need to invest in quality early childhood education, K-12, higher education, and vocational training We need to be laser focused on developing skills for our citizens to succeed. The higher the earnings are for the people, the higher the amount of tax revenue paid to the state and local governments. Invest in people, and it will pay dividends for generations.
Health care- Expand Medicaid to cover more Missourians and save rural hospitals. Start seriously exploring Medicaid buy-in and other single payer options. Health care shouldn’t be meted out sparingly by Insurance companies we pay handsomely for the privilege. People shouldn’t be ruined financially because their kid gets sick or there is an accident. It’s the right thing to do. It also just happens to be the fiscally responsible thing to do. Expanding Medicaid under the ACA would allow us to join with the 35 states that receive 90% reimbursement for the cost of covering their citizens. It will also allow us to stop being among the 15 states that refused to expand, and are seeing rural hospitals close at a 54% higher rate. Offering a buy in option would bolster the programs negotiating power and drive down costs. We should also explore legislative options to require hospitals and providers to freely disclose prices so that patients can better negotiate for themselves.
Food Security- Encourage diversity of seed and healthy livestock by protecting small family farms from the steady encroachment of corporate operations and foreign ownership of Missouri farmland
