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It started when I was reading a book about the famous pamphlet Common Sense which aided in the formation of our country. The logic seemed to mesh well with the attitude of Missourians. You see, those of us who were born here take our heritage seriously. It was Congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver who gave us our nickname, The Show Me State. At a Naval banquet, he declared, " “I come from a state that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence nei

Hi, I'm John Wells, lifelong Missourian. I love this state. Missouri is home to the best sports teams, great universities and beautiful landscapes. We have the benefit of being centrally located, on the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, with seven distinct geographical regions in our state. I'm a little biased, but I'm especially fond of our great floating rivers and streams in the southern region. I'm running for the 10th District in the Missouri Senate, recently vacated by T

It's that time of year again. Back to school - fall, and all the good things that come with it. Football season, Apple Fests and pumpkin spice. I'm looking forward to all the festivals in District 10 over the next few months. But this post is about teachers. One of the most important assets of the state. I believe educating our kids is the most important mission we have in government. Not because only government can do it - but because we have developed systems over the years

Thank you, Missouri, for rejecting the terrible Republican ideas of Amendments 4 and 5. These examples should confirm for you that the current leadership is NOT working for you. We should stop electing people that try to overturn your wishes. The policies of tax cuts for the wealthy have left us in dire straits without proper funding for schools. Not to mention all the other things we could do for people. It's no way to run a state, or a country. It's also clear that wealth i

There is an active effort to bring term limits to Congress. I've been asked to sign on to the effort. But I'm not sure that's what we really need. I think it's in response to an 81-year-old president and our octogenarian Congress. Six elected representatives have died while in office THIS YEAR. Now, there's questions about whether Mitch McConnell is even alive. It could be that his staff is keeping him on ice until after the deadline to call a special session to replace him.

Fascinating article on MSN today about strange happenings around the Dead Sea. As climate change dries out and shrinks the Dead Sea, prophecy is springing to life around it. Literally. As the salty waters of the Dead Sea retreat, new pools of water are springing to life in the dry basins along the water's edge. Fed by ground water through ancient springs, these new lakes contain life, plants and fish, just like the Bible foretold. If you are looking for signs about the End of

There is a lot going on these days. Our lives have sped up, and now events happen so quickly that there's little time to re-adjust on the other side. Our nation, our state, is being transformed before our eyes. Growth is the goal, because our system requires constant growth for progress to take place. But is that progress? Capitalism doesn't care. It will continue to make profits, no matter the path. We'll turn all of our farms into data centers, and when water becomes scarce

It's summertime, and there is a lot going on. I'm going to be traveling the district this week and I encourage all of you to come out and participate in the process. On Monday, July 13, I'll be joining candidates David Veneziano and Don Looney for Ice Cream in the Park, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Join us for ice cream and conversations at Rotary Park in Wentzville. On Tuesday, I'll be at the Lincoln County Fair in Troy. Stop by the Democratic booth at the fair and say hi! On Wedne

If you weren't aware, there's a data center coming near you soon. Literally, dozens are planned around the state already. Republican leadership has opened the door and now every community is considering whether or not this is a good idea. I'll tell you this - the benefit to Missouri is dubious. These are global corporations with out-of-state owners and worldwide customers. The computer farms will employ a handful of people, but the AI they support could put thousands out of w

When I was growing up, we heard a lot about America being the home of the free. Freedom. It was the calling card of democracy. Back then, we translated that to mean bringing freedom around the globe - anywhere people were repressed. But it was also an important standard for how the US operated. We had just come through the Civil Rights era, and now people were starting to feel it. Women and blacks had earned their rights, and we continued expanding it wherever there was injus

I believe that government should serve the people. Not just rich people. All the people. Engraved in the walls of the State Capitol, and embedded in our state seal, are the Latin words "Salus Populi Suprema Lex Esto." It means "Let the welfare of the people be supreme law." Our forefathers left our guiding star in plain sight. The people. That is my guiding star. I'm running to put people first again. My father was an elementary principal. After educating himself and serving

The legislature finished the budget early this year - though Democrats think we're not funding education to the levels we should be. They're right. Education is one of the prime functions of government, and necessary to see that the public knows enough to survive in this world. I am opposed to diverting funds into two systems of education - one for the poor and one for the rich. The way we improve the system is by keeping our kids together. When we're all invested in the same

A headline from The Hill today read "The American Dream is Dead." It was referring mostly to housing prices, and how the dream of owning a home was out of reach for many Americans. I see that as part of the dream, but it also encompasses improving ourselves; outworking our competition to rise above; starting from nothing and overcoming. Not only is housing a problem, but so is health insurance, and the cost of day care. Families are struggling to buy food and pay the bills. T

A couple of points on why attacking Iran may turn out to be the greatest folly by a sitting president ever. Iran sits along the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint where much of the world's goods travel through. It was flowing freely before we attacked. Now, in response to Iran closing it, we've established a blockade - it's the New World Order. About 20 percent of the world's oil supply goes through the Strait. That's oil from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Iraq and Iran. Much of tha

Governor Mike Kehoe has a plan to spur "growth." Eliminate the Income Tax. He and the Majority Republican legislature have delivered - they are sending a plan to the ballot this fall. All you have to do is vote yes and poof! Better living conditions arrive. Except the devil is in the details. The Income Tax makes up about 65 percent of state revenue. That's 2/3's of the state's budget for roads, bridges, schools and parks. We're not going to cut all of those things from the b