To go further, there is no in-between. Men and women don’t get to decide the date a child becomes a human, the child becomes a human the moment they are conceived, period, decided by God, our Creator (Psalm 139:13-14)! Bottom line? When we begin to decide that a child in the womb doesn’t have the dignity they deserve, endowed by God, and continue to kill millions of children (most of which out of convenience), we are committing moral depravity to the highest degree! Murder is murder, whether in the womb or out, killing a child should be on the same level as murder.

Travis WILL vote pro-life!

First, I went to the Callaway County RFL Kickoff meeting at the Fulton State Hospital, and there had to be over 40 people there. For a meeting on a Thursday night at the beginning of the New Year in Fulton, MO, that’s really good attendance, but not when you consider how many lives cancer has touched. Unfortunately, it’s way too many, and that’s why supporting Relay for Life is so important to the folks of Callaway County.

Just so you know, this is how Relay for Life describes their org and events on their website:

“Relay For Life is a life-changing event that gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease.

At Relay, teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Because cancer never sleeps, Relays are overnight events up to 24 hours in length. Relayers do not have to walk all night, but each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event.”
__________ 

Most people have been touched by cancer either in their own lives or someone in their family has dealt with it. I’ve lost an aunt and grandfather to the terrible consequences of cancer, so it’s understandable why people are so passionate about an organization that is helping to fund research that will one day defeat it.

Thursday’s Kickoff event was great, but even better was the Trivia Night event put on by Team Boyd & Boyd’s crew in Kingdom City Friday night. There were probably 150+ folks in attendance and the event raised thousands of dollars for RFL.

The point is to bring attention to these events, and you can be involved in the events, too!  Callaway County’s event is on June 22-23rd from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am.  You can donate to the event HERE.  Also, “Like” Relay for Life of Callaway County on Facebook.

Let’s help Relay for a cure!

God bless,
Travis

This is the situation, Ameren has a handful of power plants, some coal, some innovative new technology plants (like power plants built to use waste at landfills to produce energy using the methane gas produced by the waste), nuclear (just one of those so far), wind and an assortment of renewables.  It’s a fascinating business, and the technology that goes into these plants is downright astounding.  Anyway, the coal plants, which produce most of the energy put out by Ameren are all near 40 years old.  By the age of 60, over 90% of coal plants will go offline.  That means, in 20 years, more or less, Missouri will have an energy crisis if we sit on our hands.  And, although it seems like a long time, is not long at all when you consider how many hoops the government makes you jump through to get a new plant of any kind off the ground and working.

The point of the meeting was to get information on what Ameren is doing and what they’re working on to make energy in Missouri more efficient and affordable (Currently, Missouri ranks around 7th-ish in consumer energy prices in America.  If you were to go on just Ameren’s rate payer pricing, and exclude all the co-ops and other energy companies that serve Missouri, we’d be the lowest rate payers in the nation, according to Ameren) while using new technologies that reduce waste and keep the environment clean.  From what I saw, Ameren is providing energy at low rates and focusing on innovation for future energy needs.  I’m planning on going to the nuke plant in Callaway for a visit in the very near future.

Currently, our state government/legislature (Excluding a couple of local politicians that have worked their tails off to fight to make the Callaway Two nuke plant a reality:  Rep. Jeanie Riddle and Sen. Mike Kehoe) is punting the issue of an Early Site Permit (ESP) for Ameren from session to session.  I don’t have time to go into the details of all of this, but the point is that an ESP is the first step in ensuring Ameren can move forward with building the Callaway Two nuke plant.  The building of this plant would create thousands of jobs for decades!  Yes, jobs for decades!

Also, the current Callaway plant provides state taxes throughout Missouri, affecting every county in the state.  Just imagine your school district in Neosho or Sikeston or Linn or Moberly or St. Louis or KC or any other small or large town in MO, receiving tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars every year from the revenue distributed via taxes from another Callaway nuke plant.  It would prevent these school districts from letting go of some of their teachers due to budget cuts, and worry about educating our children.  And, this is only one benefit to building the Callaway Two.

What I’m getting at is that we need to make this happen.  Ameren is a solid company, and they provide some of the cheapest energy in America as well as thousands of jobs across the state.  Let’s make sure they can provide even more jobs to Missourians, and for decades, by moving the ESP legislation along so Ameren can move on with the project, which will take years to complete.  Let’s not waste any more years while our legislators punt the issue to the next session, let’s get something done!

Travis Fitzwater to Fight for Jobs, Family and Freedom in the new 49th Missouri House District

Fulton, MO – Callaway County Republican Central Committee Secretary, Travis Fitzwater, has released a statement on his intention to run for the recently redrawn Missouri House of Representatives seat located in Callaway County and a portion of Cole County.

“My wife and I are staunch believers in the excellence of our country and this great state. As an active member of our community and a father-­‐to-­‐be, I know there is a need to fight for our freedoms and ensure that the next generation can enjoy what we’ve had the incredible joy of experiencing, namely a healthy environment to excel in education, jobs, the community and church,” said Fitzwater. “I’ve had the unique opportunity to serve local communities in several different capacities including Regional Coordinator for Americans for Prosperity, staff member for a college ministry, and Chief Operating Officer at an association that represents hundreds of small town Missouri pharmacists.”

After a period of prayer and consideration, Travis and his wife Amy decided the best way to serve their community in a more effective capacity would be for Travis to use his knowledge and experience in the political arena to help accomplish the following:

• Installation of the Callaway Two nuclear plant that will create thousands of jobs 
• Pro-­‐life legislation that protects our children from the very start of their lives at conception 
• Unwavering support for the traditional family and the values a healthy family promotes, like
  commitment, service, selflessness and truth 
• Reduction in the size of government and the regulations it imposes on people and businesses 
• An effective education system that relies on competency and common sense as a means for our
  children’s growth from early childhood through adulthood 
• And, Travis will work to expand Missourian’s right to bear arms

The new 49th district contains most of the same area in the current 20th district currently held by Rep. Jeanie Riddle (R-­‐Mokane). Rep. Riddle recently announced she is running for the new 7th State Senate District and will not be seeking re-­‐election to the House.

###

About Travis Fitzwater:

Travis lives in Holts Summit, is a board member of the Jefferson City Church of the Nazarene, member of the National Rifle Association, Callaway County Young Professionals, Americans for Prosperity, United for Missouri, and a Young Life ministry committeeman.

He graduated from Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC with a degree in Political Science, and graduated in 2007 from the Leadership Missouri program put on by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce. He currently works for the Missouri Pharmacy Association as the Chief Operating Officer. He has also worked with the conservative organization Americans for Prosperity, was a campus minister for 2 years after college, and started a small marketing business in 2009 with multiple clients from around mid-­‐Missouri.

He married his wife, Amy Fitzwater, in December of 2007, and they are expecting their first child, a girl, in April of 2012. Amy is the school counselor at New Bloomfield Elementary and also fulfilled her practicum hours in graduate school as a school counselor at North Elementary in Holts Summit.

As an avid sports fan, Travis also enjoys football, baseball, basketball, tennis and golf.

The Law of the Garbage Truck

Life is 10% what you make it

And 90% how you take it!

God bless,

Travis

Many times we look at this, kind of breeze by it (as I do on many monumental scripture verses), and don’t really give it any more thought.  But, just for this moment, humor me and think about this for a second:

• Our brains = the most powerful super computer ever created, able to remember the most minute details experienced in life, connected to millions of sensors created to process the millions of things going on around us
• Our eyesite = a complex function of millions of parts that would seize to function if just one part were left out or removed
• Our hearing = a miracle of science, able to pick up vibrations to be translated in the super computer that is our brain
• Our skin = more durable than steel not to mention that it doesn’t rust, fixes itself,  and reproduces millions of skin cells every day to replace the dead cells in one of the most efficient bodily systems in the universe
• Our uniqueness = (This one is big!) –> out of the over 70 billion people that have ever lived on this planet, there has never been anyone like YOU!

So, don’t tell me you aren’t an incredible miracle of a creature, because YOU ARE!  And you know why you were created to be a miracle?  So you could perform miracles on this earth!  You can achieve ANYTHING you put your mind to, ANYTHING!!!  We can change the world.

I haven’t even scratched the surface of our worth as individuals.  What you need to know is that for real success in your life you must realize that you were fearfully and wonderfully made – and accept it!  We are awesome creatures, let’s act like it by changing the world and recognizing the amazing possibilities this world has to offer us to help each other and make it a world we want to handover to our kids.

Let’s stop believing the lies that the world tells us that we aren’t worthy of love from God and others, that we can’t make it in this world, that we’re failures.  Let’s stop believing the lies!  We are awesome creatures, let’s use our potential, our massive potential!

God bless,

Travis
(I’m so fired up right now, I could probably write 15 blog posts on this…)

After hearing presentations at the Defending the American Dream Summit (#DAD09 on twitter) about social media and it’s significance, I continue to be convinced that if you’re in business or politics, by NOT jumping on the social media bandwagon (more like a freight train at this point), you’re missing out on the incredible potential for networking as well as getting your message and brand out there!

Travis
Follow Travis on twitter

This weekend, my wife and I are in Washington D.C. to help with the grassroots efforts of regular, every day patriots here in D.C. for the weekend for the “Defending the American Dream Summit” put on by the Americans for Prosperity Foundation.

What is it about? Lower taxes, limited government, conservative politics and FREEDOM! Continue to come back to the blog for regular updates, if interested!

Travis
Follow Travis on Twitter