Missouri voted for the American dream. This Labor Day, keep it going

Opinion Missouri voted for the American dream. This Labor Day, keep it going | Opinion Missouri House Speaker Jon Patterson backed an amendment to take away the power of the initiative petition. Star file photo My parents taught me to believe in the American dream: If you work hard and play by the rules, you can build a better life for yourself and your family. We weren't rich, but my dad had a solid union postal clerk job that let us live in a nice town with good schools and get regular checkups at the doctor. This Labor Day, in an election year with major consequences for working people across our state, I can't help but think of what politicians like my own state representative, Jon Patterson, have been doing to take that dream away. As speaker of the Missouri House, Patterson decides which bills get voted on, making him one of the most powerful politicians in Jefferson City. A lot of ultra-wealthy donors are willing to pay for that kind of influence — and with 81% of his political action committee money coming from corporations and special interests, it's no surprise to see that he's been working hard to keep them happy, even if it comes at our expense. My wife Carrie and I have worked full-time nearly all our lives, but we still struggle to pay our bills. And we've both had serious health issues because we couldn't afford insurance or doctor visits. Last year, one of Carrie's kidneys failed. Now, I get paid to take care of her, working for the same home health agency she did for nearly 20 years. Our story is hardly unique. With prices for gas and groceries continuing to climb, more and more families are finding it impossible to make ends meet and get the healthcare they need — while the corporations we work for make money hand over fist. That helps explain why so many of us are standing together to fight for our chance at the American dream: Two years ago, people from all over Missouri united to pass a citizen initiative to raise the minimum wage and allow workers like me and Carrie to take sick days off for the first time in our lives. And this summer, more than 80% of us rejected Amendment 5, which would have raised taxes on just about everything and blown a giant hole in the state budget, gutting things like the in-home care funding that pays for me to be there for Carrie. It also may explain why working families are working so hard to defeat Speaker Patterson. Because he and his Jeff City friends decided to overturn the will of the people, despite 58% of Missourians voting in favor of sick leave and the minimum wage increase. Because physician Patterson bent to special interests, rather than doing the very thing doctors and elected officials alike are supposed to do: Take care of people. Because Patterson tried (and failed, thanks to more than 80% of us) to silence our voices permanently by stripping the state's 100-plus-year-old citizen initiative process through Amendment 4. Because he strongly backed the Amendment 5 'Everything Tax,' which was bankrolled by the same corporations and megadonors who give millions to his PAC. In August, voters overwhelmingly rejected Speaker Patterson's 'politicians over people' agenda, proving that when Missourians of every race and place stand together against corporations and the politicians who do their dirty work, we can win. On Nov. 3, the American dream is on the ballot once again: A vote against Jon Patterson is a vote to keep that dream within reach for hard-working people all across Missouri. Bill Thompson is a 55-year-old home care worker and longtime food service industry worker who lives in Independence with his wife Carrie.