Legiscore

I joined the Y.O.U.N.G Conservatives at the formation of the group. It was created so that people with a proper limited government and constitutional perspective would have a voice. Once a board was established and a mission statement was settled, we envisioned ourselves as the go-to group for constitutional ideas. Still, as we would find out, very few people knew what was in the state constitution.
A legislative committee was formed, and in the first year, we reviewed all legislation that made it to the governor’s desk to determine if our elected individuals in the state house were even following it. We created the Locke and Smith Award to be awarded to the one member of the house, and one member of the senate, who by their voting record were more in line with the state and federal constitutions than any other member of those assemblies. Senator Matt Bartle and Representative Cynthia Davis were found to be the most constitutionally voting and received their engraved plaques in 2010.
Fast forward to 2025, the organization’s name was changed to The Locke and Smith Foundation, approximately in 2012, as John Locke and Adam Smith are mostly credited with the ideological philosophies seen in our founding documents and principles of government. We have awarded plaques every year for constitutional excellence, we have created a state constitutional class, which is free to the general public, as many groups across the state welcome us into their areas where the course is given in person. We have a decade-plus-long tenure doing an hour-long radio show on Springfield’s Talk Radio station KSGF every Friday at 7 AM, where we cover the state constitution and the legislative bills working their way through the system.
Because of this organization I have had the opportunity to share the stage with dignitaries like KrisAnne Hall, Richard Mack, and state liberty champion Ron Calzone, among others. I have also been allowed to teach more people about the importance of the state constitutions and why the population needs to make sure the people they elect follow the people’s law, which is what is written in every constitution.
I have been a member of the organization since it was established in 2008, and have been an active member of the legislative committee since 2009, when the Board created it. I have witnessed people come and go from the legislative committee, each one leaving an indelible memory on the rest for the time, energy, and effort they afforded us all, as we review more than one hundred and twenty-five pieces of legislation every five-month cycle, the legislature is in session.
One thing is sure, every constitution is just words written on a piece of paper, they will not defend themselves from abuse, that is a requirement of the people to be involved so they can ensure their liberties and their freedoms aren’t eroded under elected individuals who seek to gain and maintain power over the population. In this day and age of the internet, information and knowledge are at your fingertips, it’s up to you to become an educated voter.