Q&A with Jack Goodman

by Joe Daues, KSPR News
Q:  As a brand new Congressman, how do you plan to make southwest Missouri’s voice heard in a body of 435 people?
A: You know, the same way that I went to the Missouri state legislature.  I first got into public service because I was frustrated with problems in Missouri.  And I very quickly became a member of the leadership team in the House – went on to do that in the Missouri Senate.  Just by knowing your principles, sticking to your principles, clearly articulating your principles with real solutions to the problems that we face and being a person who’s known for their honesty.
Q: What’s the most important issue facing the Ozarks and the nation?  How do you intend to address it as a Congressman?

A:  The biggest issue facing the people of the Ozarks is certainly the need for more jobs.  We need to address that by getting government out of the way of those that want to take the risks in our communities to provide those jobs for the other people who live here. We’re looking at tax burdens, regulatory burdens and government intrusions from a federal government that is reaching far beyond what it should be doing, and actually discouraging people from creating the jobs we need.

Q: How do you plan to cut through the bitterness and rancor of Capitol Hill so it’s not more of the same old debate?
A: You have to recognize which people you work with who are really interested in solving problems.  Some are there to push an agenda, but most are there to solve the same set of problems, just with a disagreement on how to solve those problems.  You have to work with people.  Earn their respect.  Seek out those who you can respect and try to come to the truth of what the problems are and how best to solve them.

Q: What makes you the right person for this job?

A: I think I’m the person in this race that entered public service for the right reason and that has a real track record of fixing what’s broken.  I got into public service at the state level just a few years ago because I was very frustrated with how Missouri was leading in the all the wrong directions.   I believed that complaining about it wasn’t fixing it.  I put myself out there to try to fix things.  Missouri is much stronger than it was when I entered public service. I believe I come into this race as people’s neighbor who gets it but has a real track record of fixing what’s broken.

Learn more about Jack Goodman's campaign at his website.

Find out where Jack Goodman stands on nine key issues.