(From Sen. Jill Carter, R-Granby)On January 27, 1986, an ordinary engineer named Roger Boisjoly found himself in a heated battle over a seemingly insignificant part: an O-ring with a cross-sectional circumference of just 0.28 inches, manufactured by his company. He issued dire warnings about its vulnerability in cold weather, fearing it could become brittle and fail. The next morning, January 28, he persisted relentlessly. But his concerns were dismissed.
At 11:38 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, the Space Shuttle Challenger launched. Seventy-three seconds later, it exploded in a fireball, claiming the lives of seven astronauts. The cause? The faulty O-ring, which had indeed succumbed to the chill. Roger’s passion wasn’t fame or fortune—it was ensuring the quality of the parts he oversaw. His story is a stark reminder of what happens when voices are ignored.
Politics is a noisy arena. Governance is different. Governance is about stewardship and representation, that is why I ran for office. In the Missouri Legislature, 34 senators represent 6.5 million people. It takes only 18 senators to pass laws affecting every aspect of life: regulations that impact the clothes you buy, your haircut, school schedules, food labeling. The list goes on and on.
Yet, in today’s politics, the volume is deafening, drowning out real dialogue. As we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, consider this: In that span, France has had 15 constitutions, Haiti 23, Brazil 7, Russia 4. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia pinpointed the key difference: due process. It’s not just legal jargon; it’s the right to be heard, to weigh in, to defend yourself before a jury of peers. This principle has anchored our single Constitution amid global turmoil.
Statistics reveal our attention has shortened and now rivals that of a goldfish—eight seconds. We’re rushed, overwhelmed, with little room for intentionality or curiosity. As the quote goes, “Leaders who don’t listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing to say.” Our constitutional stability stems from feeling heard. Other nations’ upheavals often trace back to frustration from being silenced.
Recently, I spoke at Missouri Southern State University, challenging students to ask more questions and listen intently. My decade in the capital, begging officials to hear my concerns and disprove them if wrong, is etched in my bones. Now, as one of those 34 senators, my goal is transparency and accountability—not for politics, but governance.
Roger’s passion was the O-ring; mine is governance. I foresee disaster if we don’t listen to understand. We host town halls, engage communities, and consult those in the trenches to represent reality. True governance isn’t in Jefferson City—it’s here at home with you.
Simon Sinek said real leadership isn’t about being in charge; it’s about caring for those in your charge. I commit to hearing you, responding to concerns, and advocating fiercely and being accountable and transparent. Together, we can shift from political noise to a culture of real governance. You’re part is essential; it cannot happen without you.
9 comments:
A wonderful eloquent letter. But unfortunately, this seems to be more realistic in a Mayberry Andy Griffin episode, than in our current times. Listening to a lot of different people’s remarks and comments, it seems that no higher powers are listening to the everyday people. I have heard numerous people complain of emailing their representatives and senators only to receive a standard form response. People have complained that when they have called the same representatives and senators, that most of the time no one answers the phones or it goes to an answering machin, without any response occurring. How are everyday people suppose to reach out to have their voices heard? People are becoming angry and frustrated over various issues and when there are public forums, their anger and frustrations are at a boiling point from being ignored. Those frustrations and anger explode when those representatives appear to mock, disregard or ignore the very people who are trying to speak out. People have been gaslighted by those same representatives on numerous occasions. It appears to myself and many other I have listened to, that these representatives only seem to listen to the people who have wealth and connections, which seems to give them all the power and influence instead of the everyday people that elected you and the others. I’m sure you truly mean what you have written here but that does not seem to be the truth that we the everyday people are experiencing. Though I’m sure that we everyday people would really like for this to be how it is in the real world, I don’t see your vision occurring any time soon. And that is very unfortunate for all of us everyday people. The only answer for we the everyday people will be to vote for representatives that are actually actively listening to us about our concerns and maybe some everyday people will step up to run for office, who have experienced our types of life, instead of people who have had lots of wealth their entire lives that has never had any of the same worries we the everyday people have. I apologize for a long comment.
Exactly 7:40. These people play the "I care" game until elected, then they become self centered. Carter is a puppet and blind to the true problems. Always apologizing and blaming others.
I completely agree!
Unfortunately for Jill Carter she has spent 2025 ignoring what the general population of Missouri voters voted for. She has spent 2025 reversing what the general population of Missouri voted for. She has shown how little she cares about what the people really want. She does not believe we the people understood what we voted for in 2024. She talks sweet but has proved to be a bully.
5:11 I agree with you. I failed to add that to my earlier comment. There is a huge frustration with voters voting in legislation, then lawmakers disagreeing as though voters are not smart enough to understand what they voted for. They seem to be treating us as though we are dumb and lack the ability to read and comprehend what we are voting for. Then the lawmakers going back and overturning what the majority has voted for. This has occurred multiple times over the past years. It is even more frustrating that they are attempting to change the required majority for voters to pass this legislation. It makes me wonder, are we voters really electing legislators in our own state, that truly represent us? I’m at the point that I don’t believe we are.
9/10ths of all politicians are deplorable meglomainiacs. Only some, are extremely more deplorable than the rest.
I've had the miserable experience of sitting through two guest speaker appearances by Mrs. Carter. She's is clueless and is a terrible speaker. She is so phony and is terrible at hiding it. She needs to go this next election.
Amen!
YES!
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