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Underdog 2010

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Munzlinger Wins!

District 18 is now under new leadership as Brian Munzlinger has beaten Wes Shoemyer for State Senate, winning 58.3% of the vote, according to the Secretary of State's website.

Munzlinger was quick to thank his supporters after the election, and is ready to take on his new responsiblities.

"And then we knuckle down and get to work. Of course with the session coming on and being able to file bills December 1st, I've got some ideas, but that's what we're going to be looking at is getting to work and doing good conservative things that people sent us to Jeff City to do," Munzlinger told WGEM last night.

In other relevant election results, Prop B, the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act, passed narrowly just over 51% of the vote.

Zachary Wyatt defeated Rebecca McClanahan with 60.6% of the vote to be the next State Representative for District 2. Roy Blunt won the U.S. Senate seat by defeating Robin Carnahan with 54.3% of the vote. It was a very successful day for Republicans nationwide, and Missouri was no exception.

With the election finished, so to will be this blog. Thank you for reading, and a final congratulations to Brian Munzlinger and his staff for a successful campaign.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Vote Tomorrow!

In his few final campaign trips Munzlinger showed up in Hannibal as well as Kirksville attempting to gain more support for the election. He has been a very reachable and visible candidate in this race and despite being up against the incumbent, those in the Munzlinger camp are confident that this race will be a close one.

Tomorrow is the big day, Election Day that is! Now is the most important time to show your support. After all, no matter how you have supported Representative Munzlinger throughout the campaign, it means very little if do not vote. If you live on Truman's campus your voting location is the first floor of the Student Union Building. Polls will open at 6:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m. So make sure you get out and vote!

If you do not live on campus, visit the Vote Missouri website to find your voting location!

If you are still having trouble finding the voting location, here is the contact information for the Adair County Clerk’s office:
Adair County Clerk
106 W. Washington St. Rm. 2
Kirksville, MO 63501-2889
Phone: (660)665-3350
Fax: (660)785-3233

[edited 11/2/2010 - Sorry for the bad information!]

Friday, October 29, 2010

Flood Protection Plan Sparks Dialogue

With the election mere days away, candidates are seeking an advantage in any way possible. Wes Shoemyer has recently taken to labeling Munzlinger as a “flip-flopper” for his position on Plan H. This proposal seeks to raise all but 20 of the 140 levees along the Mississippi River. Three Missouri counties contain levees which are not part of the plan, and would not be raised under the current proposal.

Munzlinger did originally sponsor the House bill for Plan H, despite the lack of coverage for three of Missouri’s counties. The bill stated that Plan H “the greatest level of protection to the greatest number of residents in the Upper Mississippi River Valley by ensuring enhanced flood protection for most currently-protected urban and agricultural areas.”

Munzlinger has recently stated his is against Plan H as it currently exists, but was doing what he could to bring attention to the need to raise the levees, sponsoring the bill as a matter of agenda setting. Nonetheless, Shoemyer has taken this information and spun it in an attempt to make Munzlinger appear as a flip-flopper on the issues. Munzlinger will continue to work to bring a solution to all the Missouri homes along the Mississippi River.

Monday, October 25, 2010

One week left.

Only a week left until Election Day and Rep. Munzlinger is still campaigning hard adding two more Old-Fashioned Picnics to his list, one in Lancaster and one at the Adair County Republican Headquarters in Kirksville. He also participated in a debate against opponent Wes Shoemyer at Hannibal-LaGrange College on Friday October 22. Then it was back to Kirksville for some more door to door campaigning.

In the debate last Friday both candidates expressed concern for creating and keeping jobs for Missourians. Senator Shoemyer made some large claims about what he had accomplished in this area during his office in the Senate. Munzlinger, however, fired back saying that “it takes more than hard work to keep people employed. He says it takes having a goal and a plan to create jobs.”

Healthcare was also a concern, especially in light of Missouri’s vote to reject Obamacare last August. Munzlinger said, "I think it was a great violation of our constitutional rights for one thing to start with, the other thing is its loading down our businesses people want to expand and hire people it’s giving them a lot of uncertainty it’s also shoving a lot of red tape at them, they have to do ten 99s and everything like that, this was a lot more than a healthcare bill.” (Click to read the full story.)

With the campaign coming to a close, it is good to see both candidates were still willing to debate these issues and inform their citizens of their positions.

Don’t forget to vote next Tuesday, November 2nd!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Munzlinger to appear tonight in Hannibal

Brian Munzlinger will be appearing in Hannibal, Missouri tonight to talk about some election issues. He will be the guest speaker for the Northeast Missouri Republican Club. All members and guests are invited to attend the speech, which will be at 7 p.m. at Fiddlestiks. Dinner begins at 6 p.m. For more information about this event, call (660) 221-6083.

Munzlinger also appeared alongside Wes Shoemyer in Kirksville this week for the Chamber of Commerce’s “Meet the Candidates” forum. Again, the two candidates disagreed most on health care and the ways in which Missouri can generate revenue. Munzlinger reinforced his belief in the tax credit system to encourage the growth of new businesses in the state.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Don't believe everything you hear.

We have mentioned Proposition B in several of our past blog postings, however I have recently discovered some more relevant evidence against it that I would like to share.

The first thing I would like to point out, current Missouri legislation that already regulates breeders—the Animal Care Facilities Act. The current legislation includes the same basic regulations being proposed in Prop B, and is actually even more detailed. View this for more information on the differences between the legislation.

So if Missouri already has legislation regulating “puppy mills,” why is there another proposition being pushed forward? Shouldn’t the focus be on enforcement and not more regulation?

The Alliance for Truth has a lot of information about the issue, including information about the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) who is credited with pushing the Proposition.

Individuals who are publically against this measure have come under fire for being “anti-puppy” or have been accused of being against animal welfare. However, take a look at some of the organizations who do not support Prop B.
American Kennel Club
Missouri Farm Bureau
Missouri Veterinary Medical Association
Other

You don’t have to take my word for it. Just please, please, please do your own research on the proposition before forming your opinion. And by research I don’t mean simply reading the proposition. Research the current legislation as well as what is considered to be good living conditions for dogs and puppies.

In other news, Rep. Munzlinger has been hitting the campaign trail hard in the past few weeks. He has held several more “Old Fashioned Picnics”, one on October 12 in Canton, MO and one on October 18 in Mexico, MO. He will also be attending a “Moms for Munzlinger Luncheon” this Thursday in Mexico. He also made an appearance this past Saturday in Kirksville at the Truman State homecoming parade.

Election Day is coming soon! Don’t forget to vote on November 2nd!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Taxes, Job Creating Key Points in Election

With less than three weeks until a pivotal election day in Missouri, the busy campaigns of both Wes Shoemyer and Brian Munzlinger are being challenged to answer some tough questions about the future of Missouri’s citizens. Two issues are quickly becoming prominent to voters: Job creation, and ways in which revenue can be generated for our state’s sagging budget.

Munzlinger’s answer to job creation lies in the enablement of job producing tax credits for employers in the state. However, these tax credits would not just be given away without review – if the employers do not keep the jobs here in Missouri, they would have to pay the credits back. Such a requirement ensures these tax credits directly benefit our state. Another benefit of this program is that the jobs are created in private industry, not within the government, where there is no shortage of waste of taxpayer dollars. This belief also leads Munzlinger to encourage a freeze on spending for all government programs until these programs’ budgets can be analyzed independently, ensuring the tax dollars of Missouri Citizens are being used wisely.

Munzlinger continues to strengthen his stance against new taxes. For example, Shoemyer has recently backed a plan to add revenue to the state budget by enforcing sales tax on Internet purchases. Munzlinger is opposed to the idea, noting that hardworking Missouri citizens do not need new taxes added to their financial problems in an economic down time.

Monday, October 11, 2010

And so it begins...

Wes Shoemyer, Munzlinger’s senatorial opponent for the November 2nd election, has drawn the first blood in the campaign. An attack advertisement against Brian Munzlinger began airing October 9th on KTUF 93.7. This advertisement, paid for by friends of Shoemyer, states that Munzlinger voted to raise salaries for legislators in 2006 and that this is a contradiction to the stance he is taking now. The problem is, Munzlinger maintains that he does not want more salary increases for the legislature, not that he never wanted any salary increases!

Munzlinger responded with an ad focusing on how he will strive to make positive changes in the state citing many of the same issues listed on his campaign website. He ended the spot with the quote, “because it’s time we put taxpayers first again.” His advertisement was paid for by friends of Munzlinger. Airing an ad putting himself in a positive light instead of running an attack ad could prove to be another mark in Munzlinger’s favor as election day draws closer.

In other news, Rep. Munzlinger has been campaigning diligently. He has hosted several “Old Fashioned Family Picnics” across the district, the first occurred on September 23rd in Shelbina. Later picnics were held in Monroe City, Hannibal, and there will be one tonight in Edina at 5:00 p.m.

Finally, to anyone who is interested on Munzlinger’s stance on Proposition B, I have done a bit more research on the topic, more specifically on the Missouri Farm Bureau and I found this editorial that might better explain why someone might be against this measure. From what I have read so far, anyone against Proposition B has been demonized, some Prop B supporters even go as far as to call their opponents “anti-puppy”. This editorial shows that there are two sides to every issue.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Munzlinger's Plan

As social issues have cycled in popularity over the last few years, the creation and more ensured stability of jobs has maintained its status as a top issue to Americans. During this election, it is no different. Supporters of Brian Munzlinger’s opponent, Wes Shoemyer, boast of Shoemyer’s commitment to job creation, but recently Munzlinger laid out his plan to protect jobs in Missouri as well as the Missouri taxpayers.

First, Munzlinger believes in the continuation and increase in funding for learning programs such as vocational schools and technology training. There is no substitution for a well-trained work force, and excellent training will help current Missouri business survive and flourish while simultaneously attracting new businesses to the state.

Munzlinger has also firmly joined the fight against wasteful spending by the government. As a family man, he knows what it means to live within your budget and to exercise reasonable responsibility. Waste of taxpayer dollars must be stopped, and Munzlinger is steadfastly opposed to job-killing tax raises. Munzlinger has recently supported a bill which exempted motor fuel used by school buses for educational buses from the motor fuel tax, and he also supported a bill which authorized a sales tax exemption for certain farm products. In the same vein, Munzlinger also opposes any raises to legislators. In these economically difficult times, every dollar our government receives from the loyal American taxpayers must be used efficiently.

Last, Munzlinger knows that agriculture is at the heart of the majority of this state. More aggressive promotion of agriculture products in the area and support for farm cooperatives will help the Missouri people. Our location in the middle of the country should also enable us to focus long term plans on making our transportation resources into a regional hub, increasing the money brought into the state.

Read Munzlinger’s Missouri Jobs and Taxpayer Protection Plan in its entirety.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Register to Vote

Election Day is coming up fast, have you registered to vote? In order to be eligible to vote in the November election you must register by October 6th (this Wednesday!). If you are a Truman student (or even just a college student) be sure to register here in Adair County. This is extremely important and most college students don't do it. This is where you will be potentially for four years, and the items that get passed can and will affect your life in Kirksville.

So what do you need to do to register? It’s simple! Visit Vote Missouri and click on the ”Register to Vote” button at the top right. You can easily print a registration form there!

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Vote Munzlinger, Vote Consistency

If you are pro Second Amendment rights, then Brian Munzlinger should be your choice for Missouri State Senate. Time after time he has campaigned relentlessly in support of gun rights and has fought tirelessly against attempts to take the very basic “right to bear arms” away from law abiding citizens.

In 2007, Munzlinger was a strong sponsor of a provision eliminating the need to obtain a permit before being allowed to purchase a concealable weapon. "In some counties, it was basically used as a way to throw up another roadblock for law-abiding citizens to legally obtain a handgun," Munzlinger said.

On June 26, 2010 House Bill 2034 was signed into law. This was an extremely important bill for gun activists and the National Rifle Association (NRA). The NRA thanked Representative Munzlinger specifically for facilitating the passage of the bill.

Also, for the past few years, Munzlinger has put his support behind an effort to pass a bill allowing concealed weapons to be carried on college campuses. While this is a controversial issue, even for someone who has grown up in a rural community and who supports gun rights, he makes several good points on the issue; number one being the belief that allowing concealed weapons on campuses will deter such tragic events as the Virginia Tech shootings. "I think they're (the presidents are) just fearing law-abiding people when they should be fearing criminals."

For more information on Brian Munzlinger’s gun activism please see the following articles:
Letter from NRA
Law axes local permits for small guns
Gun Fight
Students for conceal and carry on campus

Monday, September 27, 2010

Munzlinger to speak on Prop B tomorrow in Moberly

Representative Munzlinger will be joined by Sen. Bill Stouffer (R-Napton) at a dinner meeting Tuesday for the Randolph Area Pachyderm Club to discuss the immediate future of Missouri agriculture and agribusiness. The two Missouri leaders will also be addressing the controversial Proposition B, which will be on the November ballot.

Prop B, the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act, has been the recipient of debate and controversy, both within the General Assembly and among the Missouri voting public. The Missouri Farm Bureau, of which Munzlinger is a member, has led a strong campaign against the passing of the November measure. The organization is concerned that the ballot measure is just the first step taken by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) in a greater plan to eliminate all animal agriculture.

Advocates of Prop B have rooted their message in pathos, certain that a strongly worded ballot measure — Who do you know would say they’re against the prevention of puppy mill cruelty? — would be an easy emotional sell in a state infamous for its puppy mill rings. It will be interesting to hear the viewpoints Rep. Munzlinger and Sen. Stouffer present to those in attendance Tuesday evening, as well as the feedback from the agriculturally-based crowd of voters.

The dinner meeting is open to all interested citizens, regardless of political affiliation. More information and reservations are available by contacting Pachyderm secretary Laurel Seeley at 660-277-4425 or laurels@cvalley.net.

All of this information can be found in this article.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Introducing, Brian Munzlinger!

Despite the odds stacked against him, Missouri Representative Brian Munzlinger has accepted the task of going head to head with current 18th District State Senator Wes Shoemyer in the upcoming election. Munzlinger, a resident of the rural community Williamstown, Missouri, has been a state representative since 2002. He is a third-generation farmer, a graduate of the University of Missouri, and a member of many agricultural organizations. Munzlinger is a member of the NRA and once worked as a rifle and pistol instructor for 4-H. He is a Second Amendment supporter and is also in favor of stronger immigration laws. He is firmly against the recent national healthcare bill, a stance in sync with Missourians who voted against Obamacare in August.
Read more about Munzlinger’s position on healthcare.
Although Shoemyer has held the Senate seat since 2007—and only one Republican has won the seat in the last 40 years—Munzlinger has the best chance of winning in a long time. His strong, rural background combined with his staunch position on issues (such as Obamacare) are points in his favor.
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