Roy Blunt for re-election to the U.S. Senate

Although this newspaper has had a policy of NOT endorsing political candidates, but that does not prevent my column from doing that, especially this year.

The confirmation of U.S. Supreme Court candidates is one of the major issues at stake, for two or more judges will be nominated by the next President of the United States.

The current court is basically split 4-to-4 with too many recent decisions decided by philosophic interpretation rather than ruling on the laws' meaning.

President Obama has already been making executive orders that bypass Congress such as international treaties, wage and hour laws, national health insurance, recognition of Cuba, closing Gitmo, forcing coal out of existence, the Iran nuclear deal, etc.

Senator Roy Blunt could be the deciding vote on which party controls the U.S. Senate and the future of many such decisions.

Blunt is reportedly one of only two Congressional legislators who have held leadership roles in both the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.

He has helped pass many bills with Democratic co-sponsors in both the House and Senate with his bi-partisan ability to work across the aisles.

Blunt has endorsements from the NRA, National Federation of Independence Business, Missouri State Council of Fire Fighters, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Missouri Farm Bureau and every commodity group in Missouri.

He keeps in touch with Missourians having visited every county in Missouri at least three times in the last six years and even more than that in Cape Girardeau County.

Ports -- Senator Blunt has been a strong supporter of ports on the Mississippi River, including the assistance in helping the Cape Girardeau Port be regularly dredged.

He's active as a leadership role in dealing with domestic and foreign issues.

Blunt serves on numerous committees including the most important appropriations committee, which will deal with the United States financial deterioration.

Other Committee assignments

• Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and related agencies.

Other subcommittees are:

• Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and related agencies
• Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and related agencies
• Interior, Environment, and related agencies
• Department of State, Foreign Operations, and related programs
• Defense

I have many other races that I feel strongly about but I feel that the Blunt vote for Senate is the most important -- along with the Presidential election, which I feel has been extensively covered.

n

The Man in the Arena

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself a worthy cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." Theodore Roosevelt

Gary Rust is chairman of the board of Rust Communications, which owns the Southeast Missourian, as well as a member of the editorial board.