Often the Green Party gets criticized for running top ticket candidates. Critics say that we should focus on electing local candidates first. Besides the fact that we think our candidates are actually better than the others running, we have two main strategic reasons for running these top ticket candidates:

1. If Don Fitz for State Auditor or Jo Crain for US Senate receives over 2% of the vote, then the Missouri Green Party's statewide ballot access gets extended to 2022. Having statewide ballot access allows us to run candidates up and down the ballot, all over the state, without having to gather signatures.
2. Our ballot line is one of our most powerful tools for raising the public consciousness about the critical issues that the other parties ignore thus to bring in new working class people to organize with us. The statewide candidate campaigns at the top of our ballot line are our largest platforms for broadcasting our message.

Don Fitz has used his State Auditor campaign to envision how the little known State Auditor's office can shine a light on many of the most pressing issues in our state and help make change. Read below how electing Don Fitz as State Auditor will help Missouri house our veterans, improve education funding, make the case for decriminalization of marijuana, challenge the state use of pesticides and herbicides, and prepare for Medicare-for-all.

Who is the ONLY candidate for MO State Auditor concerned with people of color? 

Green Party candidate Don Fitz plans to:

1. Ensure the Auditor’s office hires staff reflective of MO's ethnic composition;
2. Audit state contracts to ensure awards to black contractors occur in the same proportion as the black population of MO; and
3. Determine if people of color are exposed more to chemical poisons and racially profiled by police.

Green Party Auditor Candidate Talks with Vets: Agent Orange & Roundup

On October 6, 2018 Green Party candidate for Missouri State Auditor Don Fitz spoke at Mineral Area VFW Post 5741. In this brief movie clip, he explains that Monsanto produced the Agent Orange used in Viet Nam and currently produces Roundup, which is used throughout the state. Both are herbicides which cause Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, a fatal cancer. It took the VA 20 years to acknowledge the link. In July 2018 a San Francisco jury awarded $289 million to groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson due to cancer resulting from his exposure to Roundup. On October 21, a judge rejected Monsanto’s appeal.

Don Fitz is the ONLY candidate for MO State Auditor calling for an audit of costs of purchasing Roundup and other pesticides/herbicides for use on Missouri’s:

• roadways;
• state parks;
• schools, college, and universities; and,
• government buildings.

Don Fitz will also audit potential costs for litigation from lawsuits from workers, students and residents for health damage from pesticide/herbicide usage by the state of Missouri.

None of the other candidates for MO State Auditor say anything about auditing costs and damages resulting from the use of Roundup.

Green Party candidate Don Fitz is the ONLY candidate who will audit all costs associate with:

1. Militarizing police in Missouri, including armored vehicles, military grade assault rifles, grenade launchers, sniper rifles, clothing that looks like military uniforms, swat teams, and heavy duty riot control gear;

2. Mandatory sentences, "three strikes" sentencing and solitary confinement; and, the death penalty, including the initial trial, appeals, public defender fees, the execution itself, last-minute stays, and an exoneration at any point in the process.

All audits will examine possible costs to Missouri as a result of litigation for misuse and abuse as well as whether these practices actually reduce crime and make us safer.

Too many veterans have chronic pain to deny them the right to use marijuana.

On October 6, 2018 Green Party candidate for Missouri State Auditor Don Fitz spoke at Mineral Area VFW Post 5741. In this brief movie clip, he explains that services for vets could be expanded if Missouri would stop wasting money on the criminalization of marijuana. Many vets with chronic pain want to avoid opioids or other drugs that are highly addictive. For them, marijuana/cannabis is the best choice. But Missouri’s criminalization of marijuana forces these vets to choose between continuing the pain or possible jail time.

Don Fitz plans to examine how much money the state wastes training police and dogs to find marijuana, trials and appeals for marijuana arrests, imprisoning people for marijuana and hiring parole officers for those with marijuana convictions. As State Auditor, Don Fitz will also look at health costs related to denial of medical marijuana to recipients of Medicare, Medicaid and all other state-funded treatment entities. He will estimate how much could be saved by making medical marijuana available.

Don Fitz is the only candidate who advocates expanding services to vets by decriminalizing marijuana.

Which candidate for MO State Auditor is preparing for MEDICARE-FOR-ALL? 

Green Party candidate Don Fitz is the ONLY candidate who points out that the purpose of Missouri Medicaid is to help the indigent and under-served get the health care they need. He will help pave the way for MEDICARE-FOR-ALL by auditing:

• how much of our taxpayers’ health care dollars for Missouri Medicaid (MOHealthNet) go directly towards care by providers to patients;
• what percent of those tax dollars go to administrative costs and profit for the insurance companies and their agents;

The state has also privatized medical care for prisoners. Missouri law (RSMo 217.230) requires that it provide health care for prisoners “equivalent to community standards.” Don Fitz will:

• audit Missouri’s contract with Corizon Health LLC, to determine whether allocated funds are sufficient to ensure the “community standard” of care;
• examine how much of taxpayers’ health care dollars go directly towards care of the incarcerated patients; and
• compare the percent of those tax dollars which go to staffing, administrative costs and profit for the private health care provider Corizon Health LLC.

None of the other candidates for MO State Auditor or say anything publicly about auditing how much state money is wasted by privatized medical care. Both of the big money parties are buying ads about pre-existing conditions, rather than discussing MEDICARE-FOR-ALL. Don’t let them confuse you into believing that health INSURANCE is the same as HEALTH CARE. It is not.

Green Party Auditor Candidate Talks with Vets about Homelessness

Of America’s homeless population, 23% are veterans. Yet, Missouri does not provide vets with adequate ...

• job training;
• treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder;
• drug and alcohol treatment; or,
• life counseling.

On October 6, 2018 Green Party candidate for Missouri State Auditor Don Fitz spoke at Mineral Area VFW Post 5741. In this brief movie clip, he explains that services such as these could be expanded if Missouri would stop wasting money on purchasing cancer-causing Roundup, privatizing medical care, and criminalizing marijuana.

None of the other candidates for MO State Auditor say anything about finding funds to expand services for homeless vets by not wasting money.

Only one candidate for MO State Auditor asks “What happened to the lottery $ that was supposed to go for schools?” 

When Missouri voters approved the lottery that began in 1988, they were promised that proceeds would go toward education. Green Party candidate Don Fitz is the ONLY candidate who will audit:

• what proportion of lottery proceeds have actually gone to education;
• if funds for education have decreased from other state sources after
• the lottery began; and
• how much total funding for education has changed as a result of the lottery.

Don Fitz will also examine:

• whether the cost of Missouri's current system of standardized testing in public education shows a benefit in student learning
• potential costs to Missouri from health damage resulting from toxins such as lead, mold and asbestos in schools and juvenile detention centers

None of the other candidates for MO State Auditor say anything about auditing the use of state money for education (or not using enough for education).

Missouri Green Party candidate Don Fitz will audit …

1. Finances w/ MO & fossil fuel companies, (ie. Peabody Coal);
2. Finances w/ MO & the Callaway Nuclear Generating Station;
3. Costs to governmental bodies in MO should a catastrophic nuclear accident exceed the plant’s total liability limit established by the 1954 Price-Anderson Act.

Learn more about the Missouri Green Party candidate for MO State Auditor Don Fitz on his candidate page.

Message Paid for by Missouri Green Party, Treasurer Joe Civettini