From our Chairman
‘Hustling’ to Voice Your Views,
John Everett, MBA Chairman Legacy Bank and Trust, Springfield
I have been a baseball fan my entire life. Tere is nothing better than meaningful games in September that could result in glory in October. As a child, I would fall asleep listening to Jack Buck on the radio. I still love being in the stadium and following all the small nuances of the game. As a Cardinals fan, I have been fortunate to have seen so many great players over the years that you only have to say their first name and you know exactly who it is … from Ozzie and Willie to Albert and Yadi. Tey all have been part of some incredible memories and World Series championships.
Tere is one thing about baseball that I hate to see. Tere is no excuse for not hustling down the line. You typically get no more than four plate appearances in a game. It isn’t that difficult to run down the first-base line and force the defense to
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make the routine play. Maybe the reason why this bothers me so much is the fact that I was never very good at the game. I tried to replace a lack of talent with effort. I would be so glad to be in the game that I would always run everything out. Most of the time, I was still out at first. However, there were plenty of times where I was safe because the fielder made a small mistake and I beat out the throw to first.
Similarly, just “hustling” a few times a year could make a huge difference one day. My experience from Washington, D.C., has taught me that our elected officials are bombarded all day every day by various industries asking for support for their causes. Missouri bankers walk right in aſter one group meets with a representative or senator, and we meet the next group as we walk out the door. I have yet to meet anyone outside of banking who is
fighting for our issues. If we don’t do it, no one will. If we don’t act on our own behalf, then why do we expect that our issues will receive support from our elected officials? Like most of you, this isn’t the part of my job that I love the most, but it is part of my job that I have to do for my customers.
Our issues may not be making the headlines, but that doesn’t mean a bill or proposal doesn’t deserve the attention of our congressional leaders and regulatory agencies.
On Capitol Hill, Congress can help our nation’s farmers and ranchers access affordable credit to invest in their operations and to continue farming. Te ECORA Act would promote greater access to credit and reduce borrowing costs for ag producers. Te availability of low-cost credit is extremely important to American
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