There weren’t too many people around as I walked along Washington Street from the Metro station. I got to the corner of 8th street at 4pm and about a half dozen people with signs were milling around outside the Renaissance Grand hotel. I walked south on 8th street, talked with a few people and got checked out by the Secret Service before returning to Washington Street, where the action seemed to be. I talked with some ladies demanding health care now before I crossed the street to see what was happening on the other side. By this time the crowd had grown considerably (though I don’t think it ever got larger than a few hundred) and I had little difficulty engaging people. I bumped into Candice Britton, another responsible Democrat, and a number of others I’ve seen around.

 My message is simple: we need a social safety net, we need quality education for all of our children and we need a strong military that’s alert and ready to defend our nation against the enemies we will face in the 21st century. Most important of all, we need to insure these vital areas of our national policy are monetarily sustainable; that they continue to be properly funded in a way that will not break the backs of the working people of America. Businesses and individuals across the nation are coping with reduced income by cutting spending and looking for new revenue (a second job, longer hours, new product introductions); the Federal government needs to do the same. Instead of spending less money, though, Washington is spending more, leading many of us to suspect that they just don’t understand the problem.

Congress has been deficit spending for so long that there are many people who think it can go on forever without ever having to pay it off. To many people our national debt is not even a concern (this seems to include some members of Congress). President Obama, in his speech in St. Charles, referred to this when he said,

“Washington is a place where tax dollars are often treated like Monopoly money, where waste – even billions of dollars in waste – is accepted as the price of doing business.”

Treasury Secretary Geithner, that same day, called the budget deficit “unsustainable” and according to the BBC, other analysts labeled the latest figures “frightening.”

Ironic, then, that one of the people I spoke to, there in the crowd downtown, told me I wasn’t a “true Democrat” but rather a “bean counter.”  Apparently he thinks unsustainable and frightening are in line with the principles of the Democratic party!

Just for the record, though, I don’t. Spending money we don’t have is at the top of my list of things not to do. Unsustainable government programs are something I think we should avoid. We’re in a situation where things are going to get worse, not better, and we need to take action now. I need your help if this is going to happen. Volunteer for my campaign. Donate to the cause. Let’s see if we can stop this train before it wrecks.

 e-mail – campaign2010 at edwardcrim.com

phone – 314-504-6692  

Tuesday, I headed to Jefferson City, accompanied by my campaign committee and the media (well, my son with a video camera), all four of us fitting comfortably inside my son’s 1986 Cadillac. It was a gorgeous day, sunny with clouds, and there was political discussion (imagine that!) all the way there and back. We crossed the wide Missouri into the capital (and missed our exit) shortly after 11am, and just a few minutes later we were walking into the lobby of the James C. Kirkpatrick State Information Center (try to avoid getting a building named after yourself – it usually means you’re dead).
The Missouri Secretary of State’s office seems to be very well run. I’ve previously dealt with them only through their web site (Fictitious Names, LLC filing, etc.), but on the first day of filing for office (which is when most people show up) they had friendly, helpful people everywhere, with all of the steps in the filing process neatly spread throughout the building. 

We were first greeted in the lobby, by a man who directed us to the Department of Revenue’s desk, where I was to turn in my affidavit declaring that I was not aware of any tax delinquency on my part.
“You’ve filled it all out!” exclaimed one of the women from the DOR, as the other looked over her shoulder.
“Wasn’t I supposed to?” I asked, a bit puzzled (I had not only filled it out, I had it notarized, as the instructions indicated).
“Yes!” she responded with a big smile (apparently, though, many applicants hadn’t).
The next table I visited was occupied by the representative of the Missouri Democratic Party, who cheerfully accepted my check for $100 and wrote me a receipt. Then we walked up to the third floor, where the Secretary of State’s office is, to begin the actual registration.
I struck up conversations with some of the people I met in the line there, and when Secretary of State Robin Carnahan came by, had a photo taken with her.
“What office are you running for?” she asked.
“Nothing personal,” I said, “I’m running for the seat your brother is in.”
“Be nice.” She replied.

The rest of the time was spent at various desks, checking my ID and the forms I’d taken care of in the lobby downstairs, picking a random number to determine my position on the ballot, verifying my status as a registered voter and recording a message identifying myself for the visually impaired. Then it was to the main desk to get copies of everything and the process was complete.

The ballot application process is complete, but the actual work of the campaign is just begun. So, what are you doing this spring and summer? Do you want to help change our country for the better? We all should be concerned about the financial mess our nation is in and doing all we can to move it to fiscal solid ground. We need people to help with canvassing, we need help setting up neighborhood meetings and we need financial contributions. We need to act now if we really want to secure our future. Call or email me if you’re ready to get involved.