The Springfield News-Leader from Springfield, Missouri • Page 13

News-Leader Monday, August 3, 2009 13A Long officially launches run for 7th District seat Over 20 Years in Business. X3 mTr Candidate: "We need i ,7, i CHAD LIVENGOOD NEWS-LEADER Billy Long shakes hands with supporter Beau Davis, owner of Advance Lawn Care and Fertilizer Inc. in Springfield, at Sunday's event, where he launched his campaign. Inside Missouri ttt4 politics Blog: Get xom' updates on the latest state political news in our blog at to return common people to D.C." By Chad Livenqood Springfield auctioneer Billy Long is shaping his campaign for Congress around one common anti-career politician theme: "I'm not from the government, but I am here to help." Long, 53, officially launched his campaign for the 7th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives Sunday at PFI Diamond Ridge Market on Springfield's southeast side.

"We, as Americans, keep sending career politicians to Washington, D.C. and expecting different results," said Long, citing a colloquial definition of insanity. "We need to return common people to D.C." Long came armed with a defense against skeptics who question how one "common" businessman could change a seemingly toxic environment like Washington. "We've got to start with one," Long said. In his first race for any public office, the man best known for auctioning off people's estates will square off in the Republican primary one year from Tuesday with four other GOP hopefuls.

Greene County Prosecutor Darrell Moore, college instructor and Iraq war veteran Jeff Wisdom and state Sens. Gary Nodler and Jack Goodman also are running for the job to replace U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt in Congress. "Simple, fair" Appearing before a crowd of friends and longtime business acquaintances, Long laid out a traditional conservative Republican platform, proclaiming himself "100 percent" pro-life, a card-carrying member of the National Rifle Association and an ardent critic of pork-barrel deficit spending.

Long, who owns Billy Long Auctions, said Congress needs more successful businessmen like him who have met payroll every two weeks and know how to maintain a balanced budget. He also advocated for scraping all income taxes and adopting a higher tax on sales, eliminating many of the 67,204 pages in the federal tax code. "We need it to be simple, fair and promote economic growth," Long said of the tax code. "CAREER POLITICIANS" Many of Long's business acquaintances and past customers attended his campaign kick-off event. "I think we need business owners running our country.

They've made payroll, paid taxes and know the laws and abide by them," said Beau Davis, owner of Advance Lawn Care and Fertilizer Inc. in Springfield. Throughout his speech to supporters and while speaking separately to reporters, Long took repeated shots at "career politicians" which Moore, Goodman Nodler and Blunt all are. Long said he will continue to run his auctioning business while running for Congress. "I don't have the luxury of getting a taxpayer-funded check while I'm running for office, Long said.

He criticized Democratic President Barack Obama's $787 billion economic stimulus program as wasteful and ineffective in helping the economy, though he later told reporters, "I don't know exactly what I would have done" differently. "The only thing I know it stimulated was the national debt," Long told a cheering crowd of partisan supporters gathered at the rodeo equipment and wine store. Long also said he opposes Democratic plans to create a national government-run health insurance program. Long said the health care system needs reforms to make insurance more portable from job to job, rather than a government-run plan that competes with the private sector. The fourth-generation southwest Missourian said Congress needs to pass laws that reform and rein in medical malpractice and make it easier for individuals and businesses to pool their insurance plans to spread out the liability.

He said he would support new tax credits "to allow people to choose the insurance they want." if 1 Angielost 60.5 pounds i I and 64 jl I inches! I 9 Dawn lost 33 pounds and27 1 mches! A i 1 Kay lost I A 44.5 pounds (yl fjl and 49.25 I inches! Academic Awards achievers Dan Schultz, a sophomore majoring in international relations and diplomacy at the John C. Whitehead School of Andrew Cotton has been named to the Truman State University 2009 spring president's list for achieving a 4.0 grade point average. He plans to graduate next May with his degree in business. He is a 2007 graduate of Hillcrest High School. This column contains award and achievement items about students and education faculty.

E-mail items to Robyn Bates at rbatesigannett.com. Photos may be submitted. fall and spring semesters of his freshman year. Schultz graduated in 2008 from Central High School. Courtney Mellinger, Springfield, has been named to the second-semester dean's list at Stephens College.

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