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January 19, 1999 The Message Behind the Bolo Tie Lately, much has been made about the Missouri House debating the wearing of bolo ties in the House chamber. On the surface, this does appear to be a frivolous matter but, if placed in context, I think you will see that there is a very important message behind the rhetoric over the bolo tie. Below I have included the full text of my speech opening day of the Missouri General Assembly. Mr. Speaker, members of the public, distinguished colleagues, friends and honored guests. I am truly grateful to all of you for your trust and support. I want to give a very special thanks to my family who is here with me today for all their love and patience. I stand before you today, a humble man…a common man. As my friend from Jackson has said, I am neither fancy in dress nor in speech, but if you will bear with me there is something I have to say today. As I stand here in this beautiful chamber of the Missouri House, I am puzzled…and deeply concerned. Over the past seven years our state has been blessed with tremendous growth and prosperity. Our citizens have better jobs…Our children have better schools…Our families have better health care… and Our communities have safer streets. All the while, we have been able to lower taxes and refund millions of dollars in excess revenue. Yes, we have accomplished so much in such a short period of time. Yet, public support of the legislature remains at an all time low. Today, as we prepare for a new session, we have to ask ourselves why is this so. Perhaps part of the blame rests in Washington. But the truth is, that those of us who sit in this chamber must take responsibility for part of the blame. In this era of intense partisanship, negative campaigning and winner take all politics, we may have lost sight of our roles and our duties once we get here. I keep wondering where have all the statesmen gone. Have we lost respect for this great chamber, its traditions and its rules…When members, on both sides of the aisle, choose to wear casual clothes on the floor because the rules aren`t quite clear enough. When we bring soft drinks to the floor in the can. When we walk in between members debating. And most importantly, when we lose our sense of civility to one another in debate. Mr. Speaker and members of the body, I ask you…I ask myself…where is the respect? Where is the honor? I believe we are at a crossroads in this institution. In my opinion, this House can no longer afford to be guided by only some of those principles you see engraved in our great chamber a the expense of other EQUALLY important principles. You see, each principle is a column upon which this House stands. If some are ignored the House is on very shaky ground. I say today that there can be no enterprise, no liberty, no progress, no justice, no equality, no education, no law, no knowledge and no truth…Without temperance, charity, fraternity and most of all…HONOR. If we can remember this, I believe public support will follow. Ladies and Gentlemen today I accept the position of Speaker Pro Tem with great pride and humility. But more importantly I accept it with these commitments: To my colleagues, I will strive each day to lead by example…to follow the spirit of the rules and not just the letter and to respect this great chamber and my fellow STATESMEN; To the citizens of this state, I will defend ALL the guiding principles upon which this government was founded…not just those that are politically convenient. I say let us replace the politics of opportunism with the politics of optimism…Let us embrace moderation, rather than extremism. Mr. Speaker and fellow Representatives, today, let us stand together. Guided by each and every principle before us, with a single purpose…To serve the people of this state with…RESPECT and HONOR. Thank you. The message is simple but important: We, as an institution of government, and more importantly, as a society, must have respect for one another. This is an important in our halls of government, as it is in our schools and in our communities. We need to emphasize this to our children and remind ourselves to set the example—to respect our elders, our law enforcement officers, our teachers and our fellow citizens. Then maybe, just maybe, we can preserve this grand experiment of democracy—truly the greatest form of government. Sincerely, Rep. Jim Kreider Speaker Pro Tem | |||||
Paid for by Kreider for Senator.
Bobby Neal Jr., Treasurer. Not at taxpayer's expense.
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