HOLTS SUMMIT, Mo. - America has faced troubles in recent years due to Obamacare, loss of foreign respect, overreaching regulations and weakening of the Bill of Rights, said U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt on Friday to about 60 gathered at Pro Food Systems Inc. in Holts Summit.
"Let's put our arms around opportunities rather than someone put their arms out to push those opportunities away," Blunt said.
Blunt, R-Springfield, is seeking re-election to the U.S. Senate and will face Secretary of State Jason Kander, a Democrat, in the November general election.
PFS Brands has 900 locations in 38 states. Owner Shawn Burcham gave Blunt a brief tour and overview of the local company, which he and his wife, Julie, started out of his garage in 1998 with a cappuccino machine.
The corporate headquarters in Holts Summit distributes chicken, equipment and other products from a 65,000-square-foot national distribution center. The company has doubled its revenues every three years since its inception, ranking it as one of the fastest growing, privately-held companies in the nation for the last eight years by INC Magazine.
Pulling up in his tour bus, painted with a farm field scene, Blunt noted the words on the bus: "More jobs, less government."
"It's not complicated, but it is important," he said.
The primary focus of Blunt's short speech was the strangling effect of overregulation on property owners and businesses.
The world food demand will double in less than 50 years, Blunt said. The United States and Missouri, specifically, are well-positioned to meet that need.
But the Environmental Protection Agency's "outrageous jurisdictional overreach" could dampen that. And utility bills may double within 14 years, due to current administration environmental agendas, Blunt said.
Blunt also voiced concerns about the near-future selections of U.S. Supreme Court judges.
"Do we want someone who decides by what the Constitution says or what they think the Constitution should say?" he said.
Although he did not ask directly for votes, the 66-year-old incumbent praised America as an "exceptional nation."
"We don't want to lose sight of the uniqueness in us that allows the janitor's grandson to become a U.S. senator," Blunt said of his background.