The 138th: Goodart Takes Helms to Task for Money Management

Michael Goodart Jr. is taking his Republican primary opponent to task for fiscal "inefficiency" in an open letter on his campaign website.

Goodart, who is running to take on Rep. Sara Lampe in the 138th district this fall, is questioning the campaign spending of his G.O.P. rival Steve Helms.

"In his latest ethics report, I found that Steve spent his money rather loosely . . . I must question the efficiency of what he spent his money on and I must call it to your attention," Goodart writes.

The 26-year-old Goodart criticizes Helms for spending $3,000 on advertisements in the Community News.

"In the political world this kind of "advertisement" is a waste of money. About 1 of 5 people actually open the paper, and of that number, the rare few who read it don't 'get' the message Steve is sending. He spent more on this then I have spent on my entire campaign up to now!
Is this how you want your taxdollars spent?," asks Goodart.

Goodart also points out that while Helms loaned himself $12,000 for this campaign, he only loaned himself $2,000. He says that proves he can do more with less, and therefore use taxpayers money more wisely in Jefferson City.

When you open Goodart's web page, you are greeted by his voice, telling you that he'll fight to make government work for people, not big business. Goodart pledges to overhaul the state tax code, by eliminating income and property taxes. He wants to replace those taxes with a revenue-neutral state sales tax. He calls it "The Fair Tax." No more IRS, no more audits. More details are listed on his site.

Goodart lays out his policy proposals on small business, education and stem cells. He urges voters to oppose the stem cell initiative because the wording "blatantly deceives voters." He calls the issue incredibly complex and says it should be left written into laws, not the state constitution. But Goodart doesn't offer his own personal opinion on the actual research. He has what looks like may be a link about his personal opinion, but as of tonight, it is not active. It's also notable that he offers a disclaimer on the issue . . .

"I have removed the moral and ethical issues from my opinion of whether or not to support the initiative. My decision is based on what the initiative is, a constitutional amendment, and the impact that it will have on our laws as such."

That's more of a procedural argument than a policy one.

This may leave the voter confused about what Goodart actually believes about embryonic stem cell research. In the annual Missouri Right to Life survey, Goodart says he would vote to prohibit abortion in all circumstances. But according to the survey, Goodart would not vote to ban "all human cloning, both reproductive and therapeutic, including the method known as Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer." On the other hand, Goodart would vote to ban reproductive cloning, where a cloned embryo is implanted into a woman's womb.

An intern for Sen. Chuck Purgason, Goodart is certainly taking his first political race seriously. The website not only includes issues, but a map of the 138th district, an interactive poll and a color-coded grid of his daily schedule you just gotta check out.

"How does he keep up that pace of campaigning and walking with only two meals a day," one Democrat playfully asks.

Republican Steve Helms is better funded and the party pick. But Goodart raises an electability question for Republican primary voters . . .

"Which candidate can beat Sara Lampe? Facts are facts...It will take a young moderate Republican to unseat Sara Lampe."

Goodart is positioning himself as the moderate, against Helms the conservative, to try to knock off Rep. Lampe this fall.