Stephen (Steve) A. Eagleton
2016 Missouri State Senate
Stephen Eagleton is a rarity in Missouri political life. He is not beholden to the people with deep pockets who have an interest in controlling his vote. In fact, he refuses to accept any PAC money at all; and makes it clear that any donor who expects special treatment should give to his opponent…who has a long record of seeking and accepting several hundred thousand dollars to play that game.
Eagleton’s roots in Missouri history are more than a century old. His great-grandfather was a doctor, and was a moving force in the development of St. Louis into a major city. His grandfather was an extraordinary lawyer who was a primary member of the prosecution team at the Nuremburg Trials and became a civic leader in post-war St. Louis. His father was a prominent physician and the team doctor for the Cardinals, while his dad’s brother, Thomas Eagleton, was one of Missouri’s greatest Senators. After receiving his Law Degree, Mr. Eagleton has continued the family tradition of service through his work in the legal field as a professional mediator, certified by the Federal Air Marshall Service and Department of Homeland Security. The public service aspect of this legacy forms the core of Stephen’s political philosophy. “Common sense and human decency, respect for all citizens, and intelligent moderation are the keys to effective government. Radical positions, shouting, opinions set in concrete, and especially corruption via money interests are the things that have dragged us down for too long. It’s time we transformed that unhealthy partisan way of governing into a more enlightened way forward”, Eagleton says.
Mr. Eagleton stresses in a strong and clear voice that he is a MODERATE Democrat. His view is that both sides of the aisle have good ideas, and he is open about his view that the good of the people is far more important than the partisan aspect of politics that has produced such poison and gridlock for far too long. His thought process regarding legislation is: first, what is good for the people of the district, what is best for the state of Missouri and what is best for our children’s future.
He agrees with Right to Work. While much good stems from organized labor, and Mr. Eagleton supports unionization in general, a person should not be forced to join a union in order to hold a job. Unions, yes. Forced unions, no.
Tax Increment Financing. Mr. Eagleton supports the recruitment of new businesses which will provide good high paying jobs through the use of TIF. This being said, once again it must be stressed that common sense and the overall good of the community should be the guiding principles when negotiating tax breaks for companies.
He strongly disagrees with his opponent’s views about gun regulations. Mr. Eagleton believes in the 2nd Amendment, agrees with gun ownership, and is leery about new regulations regarding guns. However, allowing a criminal to carry a weapon with no background check is just plain destructive. Allowing persons on terror watch lists or people on “no fly” list to carry weapons is a radical, dangerous viewpoint. Mr. Eagleton’s opponent has voted to remove even the most down to earth, simple, basic controls on dangerous people. Guns are fine, and part of the American tradition dating back to the 1700s; but blind loyalty to gun lobby money can and does get people killed. This is a simple, common sense issue if there ever was one. Supporting gun rights, yes. Supporting criminals, terrorists, and unstable people who want to pack weapons, no.
Pro Choice. It is not the government’s place to dictate women’s medical and reproductive decisions. Much work needs to be done regarding adoption and birth control education, but overriding a woman’s personal right to choose is not acceptable. Sincerely held religious beliefs are deeply respected but should not be allowed to overwhelm individual rights and freedoms.
No new taxes. We need to get smarter and more disciplined about how we handle the tax money we already collect. The fact is that most career politicians, on both sides of the aisle, will ALWAYS spend every nickel and ask for more. A new program to a career politician is like a new pair of shoes to Imelda Marcos…they can never get enough. They will ALWAYS dream up more ways to spend, and will tend to run the public Treasury into the ground. Mr. Eagleton draws a line in the sand: live within our means, Period.
Science. Stem cell research, yes. Climate change awareness and environmental responsibility, yes. High tech education, recruitment and support, yes. Computer systems upgrades to meet future needs, yes. Medical institutions, research, brain power to set the pace for health care, yes. Cell phone coverage expansion, yes.
The choice for State Senate in the 15th district is abundantly clear. Mr. Eagleton is not a career politician, unlike his opponent. He has accepted NO money with strings attached, unlike his opponent who has been given several hundred thousand dollars over many years with his hand wide open to any buyer of his vote. As of October 5, 2016 Mr. Eagleton’s opponent has taken in $250,000 from David Humphreys and Rex Sinquefield for this State Senate race alone. That number is expected to double by November 8, 2016. Those contributions account for approximately 84% of his total contributions. That is beyond “strings attached”, and is really more like having 2 Sugar Daddies who own his loyalty. Essentially, this makes the residents of the 15th district a distant third at best.
Gay Rights. Mr. Eagleton feels that ALL people should be given equal rights. The government has no business in the bed room, but Mr. Eagleton’s opponent feels that gay and same sex marriage and any benefits that arise as a result of such union should be outlawed. That could easily make Missouri the next North Carolina, with businesses moving out of the state in record numbers and the State becoming an object of ridicule. The people of Missouri and the 15th District deserve legislators whose views are in sync with the modern world.
Mr. Eagleton is a citizen with common sense and moderate views, unlike his opponent who holds proven radical views and whose votes have been out of step with the citizens of District 15.
Mr. Eagleton has made it clear that he understands that his opponent, with several hundreds of thousands of dollars given to him by ONLY TWO PEOPLE, has a large advantage in this election. It really is a David versus Goliath story. An average donation to Mr. Eagleton’s campaign is less than five hundred dollars. An average donation to his opponent’s campaign is on the order of FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!!! This is absolutely absurd. Just 2 people filling a politician’s coffers is a prime example of big money buying our government seats. This needs to end here and now.
Any help that can be given to the Eagleton campaign will be greatly appreciated and used wisely.
