State Senator Cindy O'Laughlin-OUTRAGE is Not “Adulting

Some days I feel I’ve been turned loose in a nightmare where all the adults turn into children. The children then take over and of course are all screaming and throwing tantrums to get what they want. This is happening throughout the country and it is happening in the Missouri Senate where I’m supposed to be a voice of reason and compromise; helping get Republican priorities accomplished.

Serious adults realize our country is at a turning point. We understand that many of the principles America was founded on are being discarded in favor of mob rule or in some cases socialist type edicts from our federal government. This cannot be allowed to continue but to turn in another direction we need to work diligently, intelligently, steadfastly and with wisdom. If we allow ourselves to become what we are fighting against then we guarantee a poor result and we are no better than the very people we criticize. This does not mean we don’t understand the urgency of our current situation. The unborn are under assault, the fiscal state of our country is unsustainable, our rights as citizens are under attack. Progressives have taken over and are working to destroy our institutions and lives. Missouri citizens are looking to their elected representatives to stand against these unAmerican practices and we understand time is short. These times call for serious work and this can only be done with each of us willing to work with our colleagues.

Last week was another week of hyperbole, character assassination, and in general over the top antics designed to draw attention to real or perceived slights to ourselves. I say ourselves because after being accused of being a horrid leader in a public way I responded in kind. After hearing I should “resign because I am a part of the swamp” I responded (indirectly) that the accusing senator should keep in mind he could be removed permanently by a vote of 23 senators. This was a childish reaction on my own part and as I think over the last few weeks I realize the only thing I can control is myself. So I am going to resolve to do better. There is no effort to remove anyone from the senate and to suggest it even in a joking manner was stupid. So from here on I’m going to double down on adulting and be sure I engage my brain before speaking. (This is why I don’t get on Twitter; something horrible could fly out before thinking. Also I could never remember my password!)

I like my fellow senators; they are an interesting and diverse group. All of them. They range from corporate types to farm types to small business owners to lawyers to you name it. They are all decent people trying to navigate the waters of a very tumultuous time and they are squarely in the “eye of the storm” so to speak. As you would expect with positions of power comes a lot of public attention. When you add in an upcoming national election the temperature gets up to the boiling point. This doesn’t always bring out the best in people.

We have a new week beginning Monday and to the extent possible I’m going to renew my efforts to bring people together and remember we are all there for a very limited time. We actually all pretty much agree on priorities and we can get important things done if we work together and don’t care who gets the credit. We must not tear the Senate OR our colleagues down in an effort to make ourselves “look” better. We must not give in to pressure from people who want THEIR goals accomplished and are willing to trample everyone else in the process. We need to calmly and rationally approach our task with a willingness to listen to others and chart the best path forward. We can do this if we are willing to place our own self interest last. I am hoping for a better week this week and will do what I can to achieve the important legislative goals we’ve set for our state.