(I think by virtue of the fact that you are stepping up and running for office you get to come to the front page.  –BG – promoted by –Blue Girl)

I have been debating for the last several months whether or not I wanted to start a blog or diary on this site. I recieved an email a few days ago inviting candidates to join the blog so since I was invited I will post a diary or a blog every once in a while.

But first I have a couple of rules

-I am not the best writer so if something is spelled wrong or is not grammatically correct. Im sorry just look past it.

-I am not perfect. Although we sometimes expect our candidates to be. So if I say or do something you disagree with im apologizing for it now.

Now since this is my first post I guess I should start off by introducing myself.

More below the flip. -Clark

I am Anthony Arton, but please just call me Art. I was in born in Kansas City, Mo and spent the first ten years of my life there. I went to Hartman elementary in the Waldo area and then Calvary Lutheran for a year until my parents divorced. I was dragged to Warrensburg with my mother and began school there. As a result of my mother somehow contracting the hepatitis c virus my mother was unable to work throughout most of her 30’s. I was a product of free school lunches and the Missouri welfare system. I probably would not be here if not for those programs. During my senior year of high school the doctors informed my mother that the hepatitis c virus had come out of remission. She spent the next few months drinking her life away and finally took her life in April of 2002.

I wasnt the best high school student. I dont know if it was because of the problems at home, or my attention was more on sports and girls but because of my low grades I was initially denied admission to CMSU. I decided to join the volunteer fire department and enrolled in an EMT course out in Higginsville. After taking the class I became an EMT in Sweet Springs. I earned my firefighter 1 and 2 license as well that year.

This was also the year I started becoming very interested in politics. A good friend of mine David Pearce “who even used to come and watch me play tennis-but I think you guys know him as the automotive deer hunting advocate??” was running for State Representative and I saw this an oppurtunity to get involved.  I began going to Republican meetings and helping out David in any way that I could. David became Rep. Pearce that year and I finally got accepted to CMSU.

So I was given a fresh start and started off college with much better grades than in high school. As a result of my academic success an oppurtunity arose to intern with Rep. Pearce in the spring of 2004. Rep. Pearce got me even more involved in politics. With his help I attended the Leadership Institute (brain washing facility) the Republican National Convention, (I was just a guest) and the Republican Central Committee in Johnson County,, oh and I also became the President of the College Republicans.  (hate me yet? just wait) and then in fall of 2005 I was appointed to be on the Board of Governors at CMSU by Governor Blunt. (Ok now you can hate me)

But,,

As time went on I started becoming more and more concerned with the Republican Party both at the state and national level. Being a board member really opened my eyes as to how the Republican Party views education. The cuts to Medicare/Medicaid really ticked me off because that was me six years ago and I also started becoming more and more concerned about the environment and global warming. Last summer I finally had enough and handed over my RNC tie and cufflings to Rep. Pearce.

A few weeks later I decided to run for State Rep. “Rep. Pearce is running for the Senate”

So here I am.