Missouri U.S. Senate Candidate Forum: Lightning Round

After reviewing answers, go vote at MODecides.com for who you think would be the best candidate to represent Missourians in the U.S. Senate.

. Davis Conway Sen. Chuck Purgason Deborah Solomon Hector Maldonado Kristi Nichols James H. Schmidt . Would you vote to repeal the 17th amendment? yes yes need to research/not sure yes yes yes . Would you vote to audit the Federal Reserve System? yes yes yes yes yes yes . Would you support legislation to require all bills to include provisions only germane to the bill? Yes Yes need to research/not sure no no yes . Do you believe that the best way to protect Americans from terrorism is by the provisions within the USA Patriot Act including surveillance of US citizens and suspension of due process? no no yes yes yes no . Would you vote to repeal the USA Patriot Act? yes yes no no no yes . Would you vote to repeal the 16th amendment? no yes need to research/not sure need to research/not sure need to research/not sure yes . Do you think that non-citizens should be provided with entitlements like Social Security and Medicare? no no no no no no . Would you be in favor of withdrawing from the United Nations? yes yes yes yes yes yes . Do you support 10th Amendment legislation that resists the federal government usurping the constitutional rights of the states? yes yes need to research/not sure yes yes yes

How do you want your story to end?

In her song Sober, Pink asks "How can I feel this good sober?"

There are so many things and people we use in this world to feel "so high" that "nothing can touch us," but leave us wondering if it's possible to feel this "high" without the consequences: "the party's over." She, like most of us, often feel "broken down in agony just tryna find a fit"--even at high costs to our self-worth.

Those things and people we've used for "protection" will always leave us feeling empty. At some point, we will start "coming down, coming down, coming down" and "spinning ’round, spinning ’round, spinning ’round" struggling to find our fit in a reality in which a continual high isn't possible.

Pink, in this song, exposes the temporary nature of the things and people she uses and regrets these short-lived attempts to feel good: "I have heard myself cry, never again."

She acknowledges that she's "the only one to blame" because she listens to the "whispers" she knows to be a lie.

She laments that she doesn't want to stay stuck in a lifestyle of perpetual highs and lows; good intentions and lack of follow through; new resolutions and old regrets: "That’s not the way I want my story to end."

Are you living a life that will lead you to how you want your story to end?

What will the legacy of your life on earth be?

What things or people do you need to get out of your life to get out of a cycle of artificial highs and lows?

Pink - Sober Lyrics - ALL

Refrain
I’m safe Up high
Nothing can touch me
But why do I feel this party’s over?
No pain Inside
You’re like perfection
How do I feel this good sober

No Pain Inside
Nothing can touch me
But why do I feel this party’s over?
No pain
Inside
You’re like perfection
How do I feel this good sober?

Will I ever feel this good sober?
Tell me, No no no no no pain
How do i feel this good sober?

What about the widows?

Many people in the church (and in life) feel invisible. They think to themselves: "we just want someone from the church to know we're alive,"especially older widows.

Remembering a name, greeting with hug, and asking about a favorite pastime might feel awkward at first, but I believe caring for others requires us to careless about how we feel ourselves.

"Every one of us has so much to offer....As each of us discovers and nurtures your gifts and celebrates the gifts of others in the Church, we see glimpses of what it means to live a life of true worship."

"True caring is a choice. True caring sometimes means choosing to be with someone in hardship rather than without them in prosperity. It is loving over the long haul, loving through disappointments, and loving in the midst of losses that may not be redeemed until heaven."

From Real Love for Real Life by Ashworth

This is probably the first in a series of posts on the question: What does it mean to "care" for people?