THE SPEECH JIM KREIDER OUGHT TO GIVE

The former speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives is seen by many to be the only hope for Democrats wanting to defeat Rep. Roy Blunt.

But by all accounts, Kreider won't make the run. Too bad. Would have been a great race with national play. Here's the speech we wish Kreider would make:

Fifty years ago, a man named Charlie Brown decided that enough was enough.

Like many of his fellow Ozarkers, Charlie was tired of politics as usual. Tired of the money games being played in Washington, D.C.

Charlie wanted to make a difference, so he challenged an incumbent congressman who had been in office more than 20 years, a fellow who had grown out-of-touch with his constituents. Charlie gave the people of southwest Missouri a message about change. About the promise of a brighter future for their families.

He gave the Ozarks a message of hope. And 50 years ago this November, Charlie Brown made history. He beat the special interests. He won.

Today we find ourselves in familiar, peculiar times. Our elected leaders say things are just fine, and getting better by the day. But look around -- at the good-paying jobs that have up and left for a foreign country. At the growing gap between the haves and the have-nots.

Look around at the things we're doing for other countries -- health care for everyone in Iraq, nation-building in Afghanistan -- and ask yourself, "Why can't we offer the same hope for Americans?"

I'll tell you why. It's because our elected leaders have forgotten their ways.

Our congressman is one of those politicians. He seems to have forgotten his most important job -- representing you in Washington, D.C.

He seems to have forgotten that his rich friends, the K-Street lobbyists, do not share the same values as the good people of the Ozarks.

He seems to think that a war chest filled with millions of dollars in corporate donations is more important than representing your best interests.

He seems to believe in the tyranny of the majority -- that the majority always rules, and the minority should just roll over and take it.

That's because he's in the majority, of course. He forgets that veterans and farmers and people on Social Security are a minority of the population.

Our friends on the other side of the political aisle have been in charge for a few years now -- not just in Washington, but up in Jeff City, too. They have made a mess of things, and they have no one to blame but themselves.

They have the power, but instead of using it to help the powerless, they have held it close and let it infect their hearts, their souls.

They are not bad men. But they have put us on a bad road, a rough road, and it's getting rougher by the day.

The only way to get back on good road is by changing direction.

We know the trip they've already taken us on. Now they're saying where they want to take us, and trust me, it isn't the scenic route.

The national Republicans say they have a four-point agenda for this year. They say they want to focus on national security, retirement security, economic security and energy.

So let's look at those four points.

Number 1: National Security. The Republicans like to talk a big game about securing our country. Then they turn around and think it's OK to hand over control of our nation's ports to a foreign country.

They like to talk about national security, but then they do nothing to secure our southern border and halt the flow of illegal aliens into America.

The second point on their to-do list: Retirement Security. Republicans tried to dismantle Social Security. They said the program was in trouble, even though their own budget people said Social Security is solvent for the next several decades.

They want to kill Social Security so their big banking buddies can make more money setting up private retirement accounts.

Now, what about those of you who work hard, live paycheck-to-paycheck and don't have leftover money to put into a private account? Under the Republican plan, when you retire, you're just out of luck. Sorry.

That's a pretty cold way of treating hard-working people, isn't it? In the 7th District, nearly 70,000 households receive income from Social Security. The Republicans would have those families fend for themselves. We believe Social Security is a big part of America's heart. It should not be killed.

Even our incumbent congressman now says a remake of Social Security is "not doable." I'm glad he sees the error of his ways.

The third point in the Republican plan is economic security. The party that brought us huge federal budgets, record deficits and a $9 trillion debt now says it wants to give you economic security. I'm sorry, but that's like having your home robbed -- and then saying to the burglar, hey, come on in and fix the locks for me.

And finally, point four of the Republican agenda calls for a new energy policy for America. Of course their idea of an energy policy is giving more tax breaks to the oil companies so they can charge us more at the gas pump.

The Republican agenda is a plan for the future -- future profits for big business and oil companies. Future hardships on working-class people. Future backroom deals with foreign countries to export our jobs.

It's a future we cannot afford.

Like I said, it's no scenic route. More like a cynic's route. Because after all the mistakes they've made, they actually expect you to believe they're the ones with the right answers. They think that all they have to do is say "September 11th" or "terror alert" and you'll be scared enough to vote for them.

That's their message. They peddle fear.

We all know that FDR said the only thing to fear is fear itself. He also said that democracy is "a quest, a never-ending seeking for better things."

Better things. Like affordable health care for everyone.

Like real national security, with a focus on stopping illegal immigration.

Better things, like real economic security, more manufacturing jobs for southwest Missouri, and a real living wage that will help lift people out of poverty.

Better things, like real honor to the 67,000-plus veterans in southwest Missouri. Our Republican friends like to talk about caring for veterans, but they refuse to fully fund veterans benefits.

When I was speaker of the Missouri House, I was proud to help establish six new veterans homes. Proud to help commission four new veterans cemeteries. Proud to award high-school diplomas to those veterans who left school to fight for America.

When I think about politics, I think about the things I was able to do to help people in Missouri. Call me naive, but I actually believe that politics -- public service -- can and should be an honorable profession.

For most of his adult life, the congressman from the 7th District has been a public servant, and I honor his past record and thank him for his service.

But it is time for the servant to come home. It's actually past time, because he ran for Congress and said he was for term limits, but once he got there he decided that the limits really didn't apply to him.

It is time for him to understand that Congress is not supposed to be a gravy train for the rich and powerful.

Friends, it is time for a change in the way business is done in Washington. As I said before, their policies have put us on a rough road right now. It is time for us -- all of us -- to gather together and steer our way back onto good road.

Fifty years ago, Charlie Brown stood up and volunteered to do the steering. Today I stand before you and accept the same challenge.