Most people tell us that Jim Newberry's chances of being elected to Congress in SW MIssouri are 0 to none. Well, it's a good thing Jim isn't listening to that rhetoric. He is getting out there in the public eye day after day and saying what needs to be said. If nothing else, Jim is going to educate a lot of people in what the truth is about that so-called "compassionate conservatives" George W. Bush, and his lap dogs such as GOP majority whip, Roy Blunt!
GO JIM GO!
Check out this article about his "Straight talk with Jim" townhall meeting that took place in Joplin Missouri yesterday...
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CLICK HERE FOR JOPLIN GLOBE ARTICLE
Candidate blasts opponent, Bush
9/9/04
By Susan Redden
Globe Staff Writer
America's resources "should be spent on health here, and not death in Iraq," the Democratic candidate for Congress from Missouri's 7th District told a Joplin crowd Wednesday night.
Jim Newberry, of Springfield, told a crowd of about 30 people at Missouri Southern State University that the Republican administration, and Roy Blunt, his opponent and GOP whip in the House, had failed the country by involving it in a costly war that is draining resources that should be spent on health care, Social Security and other needs.
"I'm running against someone who used to advocate fiscal discipline," Newberry said of Blunt.
A spokesman for Blunt's office could not be reached for comment late Wednesday night.
Newberry also criticized the Medicare prescription drug card program as "corporate welfare for pharmaceutical companies rather than financial help for seniors," and President Bush's tax cuts as "a deferred tax that your children will have to pay."
He said U.S. forces should "train an Iraqi army and get out" of the country, and that the country should develop alternative energy sources rather than going to war to protect oil supplies.
"North Korea is a lot more dangerous than Iraq, but they don't have any oil," he said. "We're on our knees to some of the world's most despicable people, all because of our thirst for oil."
Newberry was particularly critical of Blunt's involvement in the Medicare prescription drug card program, which he said has generated no savings for seniors.
"Talk to seniors. They'll tell you," he said. "The drug companies don't have to negotiate or compete. Seniors have to choose a card. It's harder than choosing a cell-phone plan."
He said the higher drug costs would force many seniors onto Medicaid and further drive up health-care costs.
Newberry said he is considering an invitation from the Ozark Press Association to debate Blunt on Saturday in Springfield. He said he had accepted earlier invitations from Drury University, and would prefer a public forum.
"The public needs to evaluate us, not some select group," he said. "I want to find out more details on the format, but I'll do my best to find a way to debate."
He said he also has to look at juggling his schedule, since he had weekend commitments, including the Mining Days parade in Webb City.
Newberry also said:
That a free market should not free companies to pollute the environment and abuse their workers.
That Congress must stop incentives to companies that "outsource" jobs to other countries.
That the North American Free Trade Act is "a disaster. We must have free trade, but it has to include labor standards."
That as a lawyer, he has defended doctors and patients, but the current economic climate that prevents insurance companies from making money on their investments has more of an impact than lawsuits on the price of insurance