ith by example

The Hughes Kids performing “Seize the Day” from Newsies.

Provided by the Hughes Brothers

BRANSON, Mo. — Sometimes fate will take you by the hand and lead you somewhere without you even realizing it.

It’s only when you look back that you notice.

Some of the Mormon families that perform in Branson didn’t call it fate when they spoke of their gradual emergence onto the stages there — many called it the hand of the Lord.

Nestled in the Bible Belt, Branson calls itself the “Live Music Show Capital of the World.” It’s easy to boast that title when the town houses 50 theaters and more than 100 shows, which draw in 7 million visitors annually.

Visitors from all over come to see shows featuring rock n’ roll, country, gospel music or comedy, magic and musical theater fit for family audiences. “When we first came, we were told that a famous Las Vegas star tried to put on his regular show here. He had to change his act to survive. The people said that they wanted him to clean up his act or stop,” said Sheila Dutton, who, with her husband, Dean, lead “The Dutton” family of performers.

Branson is the kind of town where most people believe in and live by Christian values. There are, after all, 84 churches in town. It’s the type of town where you’ll see people of many different faiths bowing their heads in prayer before eating in a restaurant, said Dean Dutton, who is also the bishop of the Branson Second Ward.

“Members of the church are the same all over, but in Branson, I will say that our church choirs are amazing,” laughed Sheila.

Although the families do not preach or say anything that could be considered teaching the gospel during their performances, Branson sets the atmosphere for a good spirit. The whole community is based on American values. Faith, generosity and patriotism are some of the main themes commonly expressed. Shows there honor veterans and talk about God and country.

Sheila Dutton has received letters from mothers saying that they left the family’s show determined to be better mothers. “In the show nothing is said about being a good parent or living your religion — in a good setting, people who are having fun find something,” she said.

The Hughes Brothers have been performing in Branson for 16 years. In that time they have been able to attend at least a dozen or more baptisms of audience members, employees and business associates who were first introduced to subtle gospel principles in their shows.

“There is a part where all the brothers sing different love songs, and we show pictures of us walking around the temple after our weddings. People always want to know what those ‘cathedrals’ are,” said Jason Hughes, the second oldest brother.

The Osmonds, the first performing Mormons in Branson, paved the way for Mormon acceptance there now.

“When the Osmonds first came to Branson, the word ‘Mormon’ was like a cuss word,” said Jason Hughes.

Over time, friendships have been formed between the people and performers of different faiths, and the community has changed and been more accepting.

“They can see us now as people that are living their standards and saying, ‘Maybe Mormons aren’t what we have heard they are,’” Sheila Dutton said.

“It’s really made a huge difference in the way the community and the people here perceive the church,” said Jason Hughes. “The biggest message we are putting out there is that (Mormons) are Christian, too.”

Branson Landing is either costing the city money or making it money –it just depends on whom you ask.

At a recent public hearing about the city’s three TIF projects, including Branson Landing, the message from the city’s aldermen was that the Landing is costing the city money. Specifically, the city is subsidizing Branson Landing’s bond debts annually with $1.4 million from the city’s general fund and $1.2 million from its transportation fund.

When you throw in the fact that the city expects to spend about $700,000 this year to fund the convention center — an expense that, unlike the others, was always expected — the money begins to add up.

“So we’re in for $3 million (annually),” said alderman Rick Todd when the report was unveiled. “All I can say is, ‘ouch.’”
Related

* Branson Landing gets sales boost, but trash, parking cause concern

Alderman Bob Simmons said the numbers were not surprising.

“It’s going to affect us for a good number of years to come,” he said.

Alderman Mike Booth was more specific.

“If we didn’t have to spend $1.2 million (from the transportation fund), then maybe that road in front of your house could be paved better,” Booth said.

The transportation fund is funded by a half-cent sales tax, which is expected to bring in about $5.2 million this year, according to the city’s 2010 budget. That would put the Landing using about a quarter of that revenue. The general fund is mostly funded through a one-cent sales tax (but also items such as licenses and court receipts) and will receive about $17 million in new revenue this year, according to the budget.

That means the Landing debt would take about 8 percent of that revenue.

Unless the Landing brings in more sales taxes, to cover its debt, the city can expect to continue dipping into those sources of money for many years to come, the report said. The Branson Landing TIF, which started in 2006, is a 23-year term, so it’s a city obligation for another 19 years.

According to the report, which is required of the city every five years and was prepared by city finance director Lori Helle and the finance law firm of Gilmore & Bell, the Landing’s sales tax revenues have been below expectations. Helle said the poor economy has been a factor in the Landing’s performance.

Branson Landing’s developer, however, says the city is overstating the problem.

Rick Huffman, a principal partner in HCW Development, said the report is misleading because it includes expenses that are not related to the Landing, such as payments for a fire station and city hall improvements. And, while he acknowledged the Landing is not completely paying for itself, he said the Branson Landing Convention Center’s customers are helping the city by spending money on attractions, meals, hotel rooms and gas.

“The sales tax generated in the rest of the city are probably way more than the shortfall (at the Landing),” Huffman said.

He said the convention center will have 300 event days this year.
Related

* Branson Landing gets sales boost, but trash, parking cause concern

“All those people for the convention center will spend money outside of that TIF district,” he said. “If it were not there, that’s a lot of dollars that would not be spent in the city.”

Branson’s Finance Director Lori Helle said the convention center is doing better than projected this year. The city has budgeted $1 million to pay for various expenses, but she said they are on pace to only spend $700,000.

As to whether the Landing or the other TIF districts are creating more sales tax revenues across the city is debatable. The report indicates that the rest of the city might actually be losing business to the Landing and Branson Hills.

“Although exact trends are difficult to pinpoint, it does appear that there is a shift of shoppers to the TIF areas from other areas of the city,” the report states.
previous debts

Huffman also said the TIF report is penalizing the Landing for payments that have nothing to do with the Landing.

For instance, the $1.4 million that is coming out of the city’s general fund each year is paying for bond issues that existed prior to the Landing. About half of that money is for paying off bonds for a fire station and improvements to city hall, and the other half was for bond payments on an earlier Branson TIF district, Branson Meadows. The city rolled those bonds into the Branson Landing bonds during a 2003 refinancing, so those previous debts show up in the report as a Branson Landing bond debt.

Helle confirmed that the city would have been paying those bonds from the general fund, even if Branson Landing did not exist. However, she said those payments end in 2012.

At that time, Helle said the Landing payments will go up by an equal amount, so if the Landing does not generate more sales tax revenue by then, the city would have to start making those same payments to the Landing’s debt.

She said that if it ever becomes necessary, the city could also dip into its city-wide tourism tax, used for marketing the area, to help pay the Landing debt, but she said aldermen have chosen not to do so yet.

Then there is the $1.2 million annual payment from the transportation fund each year.
Related

* Branson Landing gets sales boost, but trash, parking cause concern

Helle said that those payments actually might not be as bad as they sound initially. She said that because the payments are largely for the Landing’s infrastructure, such as roads, it is a perfectly appropriate expense. It’s just that the payments were unexpected.

“They believed it would pay for itself, and it’s not doing that,” she said.

The city’s portion of the Landing, which totals $179 million, was to pay for the fountain, land acquisition, infrastructure and the promenade. HCW and its partners spent about $200 million privately to construct the buildings at the Landing.
future outlook

Huffman said he expects the Landing to pay its way completely in the future. For one, he said, the Landing had a tough recession-driven year in 2009 with sales down by 7 percent and had 35,000 square feet of vacancies. He said the vacancies are mostly filled and that sales are up one percent this year.

“Sales tax revenue will improve,” he said.

Helle said the report assumed 1 percent growth in sales tax per year for the entire 23-year TIF. She said it was based on performance of the past five years, which she said is standard for a report such as this.

“It’s a very conservative estimate,” she said.

Huffman also pointed out that, when it comes to transportation, the city included improvements to Branson Landing Boulevard, from U.S. 65 to the Landing, in the TIF funding, so the city is getting that road out of its transportation payments.

“The city wanted to get as much cost into the project as possible because they get to use state sales taxes,” Huffman said.

He also believes that, even if the Landing is costing the city, the city is still getting a convention center at a bargain.

“If they had floated a $100 million bond for a convention center, they’d be paying $6 or $7 million a year,” he said.

He also said the Landing created 1,500 jobs and that those people are also boosting the city’s economy.
Related

* Branson Landing gets sales boost, but trash, parking cause concern

City officials: The Landing is costing Branson big bucks Developer: The project is making money for the city

TIFs

A TIF, or tax increment finance district, is an area in which a portion of taxes collected within the district is used to pay off bonds that were used to help finance the project to begin with. The city has three TIF districts at Branson Landing, Branson Hills and Branson Meadows.

According to the TIF report, Branson Landing is not producing enough sales tax to pay its bond debts, so the city is having to subsidize the project.

Branson Hills, at U.S. 65 and Branson Hills Parkway, contains a Wal-Mart Supercenter, Target, Best Buy and more. The report said it has become a regional shopping district for southwest Missouri and has been producing enough revenue to pay its bonds.

Branson Meadows was a TIF district developed in the 1990s that never fully developed. Its bonds will be paid off, with money from the city’s general fund, at the end of 2010.
Branson Landing is a state TIF and also receives some state sales tax to help pay off the debt.

Veteran newsman and blogger Randy Turner discusses the Pete Newman case. Newman is a former Kanakuk Camp  supervisor, a Christian Camp in Branson, Mo who was arrested, charged and convicted for multiple counts of child molestation.

Turner, who authors a news blog called the Turner Report has been critical of the way local media companies handled the case. During the discussion Newman discusses old-school shoestring reporting methods, issues with current means of information gathering and a broad range of issues concerning the new age of journalism

 

 Randy Turner interview by Darin Codon [54:56m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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MoDOT News Release  

Economic and Social Council POP/984

Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York

Commission on Population and Development

Forty-third Session

9^th Meeting (PM & Night)

of Wide-Ranging Text on Health, Morbidity, Mortality and Development

Governments Asked to Scale Up Efforts to Ensure Access to HIV Treatment, Prevent

Non-Communicable Diseases, Ensure ‘Health-Enhancing’ Behaviour among Adolescents

Concerned that 9 million children under 5 years old died each year from largely preventable conditions, and that persistent health inequities, both among and within countries, were impeding improved health outcomes, the Commission on Population and Development today concluded its forty-third session by reaffirming the values of primary health care -– including universal access to services — as the basis for strengthening health systems.

After marathon negotiations, the Commission adopted by consensus an eight-page text on “Health, Morbidity, Mortality and Development”, by which it noted with concern that the right of everyone to the highest attainable standard of health — including through access to medicines, vaccines and commodities — remained a distant goal.  It called on Governments to strengthen health systems, in part by focusing on health financing, and to reduce maternal mortality by ensuring that universal access to reproductive health, including family planning, was achieved by 2015.

By other terms, the Commission reaffirmed its strong commitment to fully implementing the Programme of Action of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development.  Governments were called on to scale up efforts to ensure universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support; do more to prevent non-communicable diseases; and ensure that attention was paid to encouraging health-enhancing behaviour among adolescents, notably by providing information on sexual and reproductive health consistent with their evolving needs.

The Commission also reaffirmed the right to fully use provisions in the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, among other accords, to promote access to medicines and encourage the provision of assistance to developing countries in that regard.  The international community was called on to make assistance, particularly external funding, more predictable and better aligned with national priorities, and to channel that assistance in ways that strengthened recipients’ health systems.

Immediately following adoption, several delegations underscored that the text should in no way be interpreted in a manner that affected the right to life, and registered their reservations on the use of terms including reproductive rights.  Other speakers reaffirmed that the text’s interpretations of any positions taken on sexual and reproductive rights and services should be taken within the context of the International Conference on Population and Development.

A representative of the Holy See said his delegation was committed to improving global health.  Reiterating reservations made at the International Conference on Population and Development, he stressed that nothing in the resolution created any new rights, including any recognition of the right to abortion.

At the other end of the spectrum, Denmark’s speaker, on behalf of the Nordic countries, as well as France and Germany, said her delegation strongly supported paragraphs on sexual and reproductive rights and services, as well as the inclusion of a reference to unsafe abortions, a major cause of maternal mortality.  It was unacceptable that women still died from preventable conditions.

“The many hours of tough negotiations have paid off -– we have an agreed document,” said Werner Haug, Director of the Technical Division at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), speaking on behalf of Executive Director Thoraya Obaid.

He said that, while there had been many success stories pointing to declines in mortality rates and increases in life expectancy, the Commission also had heard that, in some countries, life expectancy had stagnated or even decreased due to AIDS prevalence.  Others faced the double burden of addressing infectious and non-communicable diseases.  Of all the Millennium Development Goals, Goal 5 on maternal health lagged the most.  ”We must renew our commitment to mobilize sufficient resources to ensure full implementation of the Programme of Action,” he said.

Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs at the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Thomas Stelzer, reminded delegates that if they felt pressure mounting during this period of hard work, it would continue once they left the chamber.  ”The risk of missing our targets is very real and there is no time to lose,” he warned.  This week, the Commission had focused on the major health challenges facing countries where the diseases of poverty had receded.  When communicable diseases and maternal conditions no longer caused the most deaths, the disease burden shifted to non-communicable diseases, which accounted for the majority of deaths today and could be prevented by improving lifestyles.

Prevention was not the whole answer, he said, sooner or later everyone would need health care and health-care systems must be shaped to respond to increasing demands for disease management in ageing populations.  Guidance emerging from the session would likely need revision in a few years as countries learned how best to adapt to their evolving demographic and epidemiological realities.  In sum, he commended the Commission for its work on how best to improve health and delay death.

Also commending delegates for their efforts to provide guidance on actions that would improve global health, Hania Zlotnik, Director of the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, said this year’s theme had enriched the Commission’s views about the diverse challenges that countries faced.  Clearly, life and death issues could not but generate passionate debate.  However, to develop strategies and fine tune approaches, cool heads and persistence were needed.  The Division stood ready to help assess how that persistence might pay off in lower numbers of deaths and longer, healthier lives for all.

Chairperson Daniel Carmon (Israel) said the Commission had again proven it was a useful forum for discussing issues that mattered greatly for development.  This year’s theme –- health, morbidity, mortality and development — had been particularly relevant for the Commission’s contribution to the high-level plenary meeting on the Millennium Development Goals in September.  It was important to remember that the session was just one small step towards reaching the health-related goals.  There was ample information on what had to be done.  ”We need to redouble our efforts to do it,” he said.  The session had shown it was possible to address daunting issues in a professional and goal-oriented manner.  Only by reaching common ground was progress possible.

The Commission also adopted by consensus a draft decision determining that that the special theme for its forty-fifth session in 2012 would be “adolescents and youth”.

Before its adoption, Zambia’s representative, speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77″ developing countries and China, said that in the spirit of cooperation, his delegation had agreed to support the theme for 2012.  He reiterated the Group’s proposed theme for 2013, namely “international migration and development”.

Mexico’s delegate expressed support for that position.

In other action, the Commission adopted the report of its forty-third session (document E/CN.9/2010/L.3), introduced by Vice-Chairperson and Rapporteur Agnieszka Klausa (Poland), as well as the draft provisional agenda of the forty-forth session in 2011 (document E/CN.9/2010/L.2/Rev.1), whose theme was “fertility, reproductive health and development”.

The Commission also took note of the Secretary-General’s reports on Health, morbidity, mortality and development (document E/CN.9/2010/3); Monitoring of population programmes, focusing on health, morbidity, mortality and development (document E/CN.9/2010/4); Flow of financial resources for assisting in the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (document E/CN.9/2010/5); and on Programme implementation and progress of work in the field of population in 2009: Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (document E/CN.9/2010/6), as well as a note of the Secretary-General on the proposed strategic framework for the period 2010-2013: sub-programme 6, Population, of programme 7, Economic and Social Affairs (document E/CN.9/2010/7).

Immediately following the closure of its forty-third session, the Commission opened its forty-fourth session, electing by acclamation Brian Bowler of Malawi as Chairperson, on the recommendation of the African Group.  The Commission also elected as Vice-Chairpersons: Suljuk Mustansar Tarar of Pakistan (Asian States); Easton Williams of Jamaica (Latin American and Caribbean States); Christophe de Bassompierre of Belgium (Western European and Other States).

Like most states across the nation, Missouri has had to confront a historic budget crisis where funding is scarce, but demand for government programs and services remains high. As session has progressed, it has become increasingly clear that unprecedented revenue shortfalls, will force the Legislature to make some very difficult decisions to preserve the future economic stability of our state.

The Missouri General Assembly has the constitutionally mandated and critically important task of creating and passing a balanced, responsible, and realistic state budget each year by a certain deadline (this year’s is May 7). The budget we completed this week was for fiscal year 2011, which begins July 1, 2010, and runs through June 30, 2011. As a starting point for determining our state budget, legislators considered the governor’s budget proposal, which he submitted to the Legislature at the beginning of this year.

Unfortunately, the budget scenario we worked with just a few months ago no longer applies. Part of this problem was caused by overly optimistic revenue projections for the remainder of the current fiscal year as well as the upcoming fiscal year. The other part resulted from Governor Nixon’s ill-advised dependence on an infusion of $300 million in additional federal funds into the state budget.  To date, no bill guaranteeing extra money has been signed into law by Congress, and quite frankly, it would be the height of irresponsibility for state lawmakers to continue relying on the federal bailouts as a legitimate funding source. The people of Missouri will not be served well in the long run if we expand government only to be unable to sustain its growth in future years.

Without the hypothetical $300 million the governor’s original budget proposal, funding for state departments, programs and services has become especially tight. This situation has been further complicated by the recent announcement of a 13.3 percent revenue decline.  For the current FY 2010, state budget officials estimate that net general revenue collections will ultimately decline to $6.73 billion—a $700 million decrease from FY 2009 collections and the largest in state history. The governor has already cut or vetoed more than $850 million from the current budget, and more cuts are probably in store just to keep us balanced.

The FY 2011 budget— just passed by the Senate was reduced by $500 million from the budget proposal offered by the governor in January.  These cuts were required because, unlike the federal government, Missouri lawmakers are required by law to ensure that we do not spend beyond our means. The recession has left us with no choice but to reduce costs. As a lawmaker that was present for the last round of drastic budget cuts, I can assure any doubters that, regardless of party, it is gut-wrenching to consider cutting programs and services that people truly rely on. These are the types of decisions that were required of us this week.   The state budget will now continue through the legislative process.  It will be considered again by the House and most likely addressed again by a conference committee of House and Senate members before each chamber has one more opportunity  to approve or reject any changes.

Here in Missouri, we maintained our commitment to fiscal responsibility. Although budget cuts are painful, lawmakers must never forget our duty to thoroughly examine every single dollar our state government spends to determine if that expenditure is vital to Missourians. I feel fortunate to have so many like-minded colleagues who are committed to not raising job killing taxes on Missourians just to dig ourselves out of a hole, and who are willing to shoulder tough budget decisions to ensure our state’s future prosperity.

Congressional candidates debate how to fix Social Security

By Chad Livengood • clivengood@news-leader.com • April 17, 201

1. claycopolitics
     

   @ChadLivengood Facist? I hate the Federal Dept. of Ed. and would end it, but facist? Who is this nut, Hunter? 8:23 PM Apr 16th via TweetDeck Retweeted by ChadLivengood

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   My story in today's @SpringfieldNL: 'Joe the Plumber' paid to stump for Missouri auditor candidate @AllenIcet http://bit.ly/9LQ8gn #SGF 8:55 AM Apr 17th via web

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   On my blog: 7th District congressional candidates debate how to fix Social Security http://bit.ly/c3gA64 #MO7 #SGF 8:52 AM Apr 17th via web

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   @Springburg has provided a play-by-play account & commentary of this #MO7 candidates forum in Ozark. 8:46 PM Apr 16th via mobile web

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   Fmr. Rep. Steve Hunter on "facist" gov't regulation: "Get the hell out and let them run their businesses and let them be profitable." #MO7 8:38 PM Apr 16th via txt

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   Darrell Moore just came out against the #FairTax at federal level until spending is controled & economy rebounds. Scott Eckersley agrees. 8:23 PM Apr 16th via mobile web

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   @FiredUpMissouri: Steve Hunter said regulation of businesses & the economy makes America a "facist" country. #MO7 7:51 PM Apr 16th via mobile web

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   Sen. Gary Nodler: "When you drive from here to Springfield or Branson, remember, you're riding on an earmark folks." #MO7 7:43 PM Apr 16th via txt

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    Greene County Prosecutor Darrell Moore says he supports Wisc. Rep. Paul Ryan's plans for cutting the federal budget & reforming entitlements 7:37 PM Apr 16th via 

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    Gary Nodler (@Nodler2010) says Social Security & Medicare have both been "operated as Ponzi schemes" that make Bernie Madoff look good. #MO7 7:32 PM Apr 16th via mobile web

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    @TheUnablogger Yes, Scott Eckersley has filed, but he' got 'til mid-May to withdrawl in writing. He's not decided whether to do it. #MO7 7:25 PM Apr 16th via mobile web

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    Sen. Jack Goodman touted his effort to get the infamous 2007 "village law" repealed: "I think it shows that my convictions do not yield." 7:13 PM Apr 16th via mobile web

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    @auctnr1 Billy Long's trotting out his campaign one-liners about career politicians being addicted to "O.P.M. — other people's money." #MO7 7:10 PM Apr 16th via mobile web

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    Fmr. state Rep. Steve Hunter, R-Joplin, on the American economy: "We live in a facist nation … and it's radically advancing." #MO7 7:03 PM Apr 16th via mobile web

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    I just counted 76 people here at the #MO7 candidates forum in Ozark. That's less than 8 potential voters for each candidate. 6:54 PM Apr 16th via mobile web

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    Scott Eckersley, the ex-attorney to fmr. Gov. @MattBlunt, is in attendance. Says he's still "exploring" a bid for Congress. #MO7 6:45 PM Apr 16th via mobile web

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    At the Ozark Community Center, a #MO7 candidates forum is underway — with 8 Republicans & 2 Democrats. 6:39 PM Apr 16th via mobile web

OZARK — Eight Republicans and two Democrats running for Congress in Missouri's 7th District met Friday night for a sparsely-attended candidates forum at the Ozark Community Center.

Former state Rep. Steve Hunter, a newcomer to the Republican primary field, was the only candidate to detail a specific economic policy proposal.

Hunter, of Joplin, proposed Congress impose a two-year moratorium on collecting Social Security taxes from employers and employees as a way to jump start the economy.

But later in the forum, Hunter denounced Congress for "raiding" the Social Security trust fund "to buy votes."

The other Republican candidates include Jeff Wisdom, Gary Nodler, Bob Schanz, Mike Moon, Darrell Moore, Jack Goodman, Billy Long and Michael Wardell. Schanz did not attend the forum.

About 80 people attended the forum, which was sponsored by the Ozark Chamber of Commerce.

The forum also featured Democratic candidates Tim Davis of Branson and Scott Eckersley, a former attorney during Gov. Matt Blunt's administration who claims he was fired for raising concerns about e-mail deletion in the governor's office.

Davis is an attorney in Branson and the author of a macro economics book.

Eckersley, who now lives in Kimberling City, has not decided whether he will remain on the ballot for an August primary against Davis. So the focus of the forum was shifted to the Republican candidates battling for the GOP nomination.

On the issue of how to save Social Security and Medicare from insolvency, the candidates had differing views.

Moon, an Ash Grove farmer, said Social Security was never meant to be "a long-term stop-gap."

"I believe we need to end this at some point," said Moon, who works in the marketing department at St. John's hospital.

Noting there likely won't be enough workers to support the retiring Baby Boomer generation, Moon said since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision affirming a woman's right to terminate a pregnancy, "we've killed over 50 million taxpayers."

"We've got to stop that atrocity," said Moon, who was the only candidate to bring up the issue of abortion throughout the forum.

Wardell, a business owner from Nixa, said people should have the choice to invest their Social Security savings into the stock market.

Goodman, a state senator from Mount Vernon, also denounced raiding Social Security "to fund other things."

"It needs to be operated as a trust fund, so what goes in is made to grow," Goodman said.

Long, a Springfield auctioneer, said the nation must "honor our commitment to our seniors" and fund retirement payments that people have been paying into the system for decades.

Long also said he's willing to politically unpopular decisions about reforming Social Security.

"I'm not even concerned about going up there making the tough decisions for the right reasons, doing the right thing for you people in the Ozarks," Long said. "We're going to have to make some tough decisions."

Nodler, a state senator from Joplin, said Social Security and Medicare "have been operated as Ponzi schemes."

"The sad truth is Bernie Madoff's investment bank was more financially sound than any of these plans," Nodler said.

Nodler also said the government must keep its promises to seniors.

"In order to do that, the rest of the fiscal irresponsibility has to stop," Nodler said of the bloated federal budget. "We have to generate surpluses in other places in government to sustain this system."

Wisdom said he favors allowing younger workers to invest their Social Security payments into private investments. He also said Congress needs to cut "unconstitutional" programs to shore up the Social Security and Medicare funds. An Iraq war veteran, Wisdom teaches economics at Ozarks Technical Community College.

Moore, the Greene County prosecutor, said he favors a plan by Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan to allow workers under 55 to take one third of their Social Security contribution and put it into a private investment.

The nine Republicans are vying for the seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt, who is running for the U.S. Senate this year. The 7th District in southwest Missouri is heavily Republican.

Throughout the two-hour question and answer session, Hunter repeatedly claimed Americans are living under "fascism."

“What type of government is it when you own your own business and the government sets rules and tells you how to run it? It’s not communist, because the communists own it,” Hunter said. “We live in a fascist nation … and it’s radically advancing."