Putnam Outlines Issues For Jasper County Clerk's Race.


Carthage, MO ... John Putnam spoke to a crowd of supporters Monday, on the south steps of the Jasper County Courthouse to outline the issues that are compelling him to run for Jasper County Clerk.  The group gathered to hear why Putnam is making his second try for County Clerk.  Four years ago he finished a close second to Jim Lobbey in a field of five candidates which also included two people named Putnam in the same race.  Some of his remarks follow:

 "Thank you all very much for coming out today to hear my concerns about the issues that are causing me to seek election to the office of Jasper County Clerk.

First, let me mention my own sense of loss at the death of Jim Lobbey. I am very devoted to the principles of the Republican Party and have never believed in challenging Republican incumbents who were upholding those principles. I thought Jim was doing a great job for the Republican Party and the voters of Jasper County and I had no plans to run for the office this time. However, as circumstances turned out, with Jim’s untimely removal from the scene, I felt I had no choice but to offer myself for this job. I came in second by 500 votes out of about 11,000 in a field of five candidates last time, and still desire to try to give something back to the County community where I my family has lived so long. Since I still have a lot of my campaign materials from last time (my plastic signs were in the garden being used as weed barriers), it was a fairly inexpensive choice.

The County Clerk’s primary responsibility is conducting fair and efficient elections. This makes up about 60% of the office’s time requirements. Since the last presidential election, and the shenanigans that went on in St. Louis and Kansas City, I have a new appreciation for my campaign slogan from four years ago. It said: "Fair, efficient and honest elections are the hinge-pin in the door of liberty to a free society." If you have any doubt about the importance of a county’s chief election official, just consider how different our county would be today if John Ashcroft was the 51st Republican senator in Washington, DC and how different our state could be if Jim Talent was Governor instead of Bob Holden. The margin of victory in these two races was well within the number of potential illegal votes cast in St. Louis and Kansas City. In some precincts more people voted than were on the voter registration roles in those districts. Investigations after the election found that dead people and dogs were voting in some cases. And yet, the results of these elections were not overturned - underscoring the importance of putting honest, efficient officials in office in the first place.

These kinds of problems have not yet come to Jasper County thanks to the past excellent management of people like Marjorie Bull and Jim Lobbey but we need to be vigilant so that they do not come here.

About 30% of the County Clerk’s job entails processing payroll payments and benefit records for approximately 245 county employees; and the last 10% of the job involves keeping the State of Missouri apprized of county duties by an extensive reporting procedure. Naturally, there is a lot of computerization awareness and business sense needed to efficiently carry out these functions. All of the functions and changes I have recounted here today need someone of proven business experience and absolute integrity to oversee them. Of the candidates running in this election, I believe I am the most qualified to carry out these tasks. I have been doing such things as personnel and benefits management, as well as database management for nearly 20 years and overseeing many other aspects of business for 10 years before that. As far as the integrity issue is concerned, my family’s reputation in Jasper County can be examined back to 1868 when my great grandfather came to Carthage. If you don’t know us, I hope you will ask some old-timers around to see if we are honest and keep our promises.

As you are pondering which candidate to vote for in the August 6th primary and if you are going to ask for a REPUBLICAN ballot, please consider the question of who has been the most active and loyal member of the Republican Party in the last several years. I began my political involvement in college with the campaign of Barry Goldwater and the Young Americans for Freedom. I have worked actively since then by putting up signs for and organizing phone banks for such candidates as Durward Hall, Gene Taylor, Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole, both George Bush’s, John Ashcroft, Jim Talent, Jim Ryun, Todd Aiken, Ron Paul, and a host of local candidates. While we welcome my opponents’ recent conversion to the Republican Party from the Democrats, there is no question which candidate has more actively supported the tenants of conservative, limited, fiscally responsible government.

Finally, If you want to know how I would handle the office of Jasper County Clerk, look at my history here and read my statement of political philosophy which is on the back of my campaign card. It is a quote from Thomas Jefferson, which says:

"A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government." (1801)"

NASCAR to the Max

Having been idle the past weekend, the NASCAR tour heads to the 2.5-mile high-banked oval at Daytona Beach, Florida for Saturday’s Pepsi 400. This will mark the second visit to Daytona this year with this race being run under the lights in the evening to avoid the heat of the day. Ward Burton won the earlier Daytona race. Several other contenders will include the multi-car teams of Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Hendrick Motorsports, and Robert Yates Racing. These teams have the financial resources and drivers who have won at this track in the past. Favorites from these teams among the 43 starters will be Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Gordon, and Dale Jarrett.

Daytona marks the start of a grueling 20-week stretch of consecutive races. The first 8 of this string will be held during the heat of the summer and is usually a time when the contenders are separated from the pretenders.

Though the younger members of the NASCAR contingency have been flexing their muscles and have several wins to show for themselves, the upcoming weeks will likely favor the veteran teams that are more familiar with the tracks, pacing themselves, and not abusing their equipment.

Though there is over half the season remaining, the list of realistic contenders for the championship is down to 12 or fewer drivers. The winner of a race receives 180 points and the last place (43rd) receives 34, a difference of 146 points. The point differential between 1st place Sterling Marlin and 12th place Jeff Burton is 313 points, or a little over two races worth of points.

There will likely be considerable movement within the top 10 in points in the coming weeks but the eventual champion will likely come from this list of names (order of current points standings); Sterling Marlin, Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Rusty Wallace, Ricky Rudd, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Bill Elliott, Dale Jarrett or Jeff Burton. Again, the eventual series champion will likely be one of the more seasoned veterans who are able to keep their composure down the stretch.

Whenever I find a conversation goin’ to far in talkin’ ‘bout the "good ol’ days" I always bring up the topic of cookstoves and outhouses. That will usually bring folks back to their senses. Although there are prob’ly a lot of good stories about these particular articles of fascination, most I’ve talked to don’t want to go back quite that far.

Wood cookstoves have some charm for sure, but havin’ ta get up and stoke the fire on a cold mornin’ usually isn’t a fond memory (unless someone else did the stokin’).

Outhouses are always a good conversation generator. Cold mornin’s and hot summer days seem to be the most mentioned rememberances I hear. Thunder buckets don’t seem ta be much missed either. A simpler time maybe, but not without a price.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Oak Street health & herbs

by Mari An Willis

The more years I stand on these feet, the more they ache and the more varicose veins and spider veins crop up. If I would stop every couple of hours and put my feet up and change my shoes once a day during work, those two things would help a lot, but...there just doesn’t seem to be time for that, although complaining takes no less time! In many of today’s books there are suggested remedies for varicose veins. Among those are the following:

• Vitamin K, as described by Earl Mindell in the Vitamin Bible, helps prevent internal bleeding and hemorrhages and promotes proper blood clotting. It has been mentioned for keeping the veins strong. I have been using the creme and find that it is helping with the small spider veins when I use it consistently. One of my customers has been helped tremendously and states that he has less pain than he has had in years.

• Butchers Broom is supposed to help tone and tighten the circulatory system. I have found it takes some of the pain from the pressure off my legs.

• Recently in Dr. Gott’s column (sometimes we agree!) he mentions horsechestnut extract as a remedy for "heavy leg syndrome." Feedback has been good.

It is important to drink plenty of fluids this time of year. Drinking small amounts at one time is easier for some people. I have been told many times that the thirstier you body is the more fluid it retains.