Is One Of The City Council Candidates A Plagiarist?

Plagiarism is using others ideas and words without clearly acknowledging the source of that information. To avoid plagiarism, you must give credit whenever you use
another person’s idea, opinion, or theory; any facts, statistics, graphs, drawings—any pieces of information—that are not common knowledge; quotations of another person’s actual spoken or written words; or paraphrase of another person’s spoken or written words. (from the Indiana University Writing Tutorial Services.

In the summer of 2002, then state representative candidate Larry Morris sent an undated letter to supporters as he was preparing to run for the 138th district state representative. In November of that year, in one of the closest state house races in the state, Morris beat the Democrat (me) by 117 votes.

In the summer of 2008, Jeremy Cady sent an undated letter to supporters as he was preparing to run against against Michael Goodard in the Republican primary for 138th district state representative. Goodart received 1,372 votes (58.88%) in the August Primary to Cady's 958 votes (41.12%).

Cady is one of the three candidates for Springfield City Council.

Morris: “Are you satisfied with the direction that our state government has been taking in the past few years? Are you tired of living in a state where our tax dollars are wasted…”
Cady: “Are you satisfied with the direction our state government has been taking the last few years? Are you tired of living in a state where your tax dollars are needlessly wasted?”

Morris: “…I need your help.”
Cady: “I am writing to ask for your help.”

Morris: “With their support and encouragement I have begun to take the appropriate steps to make the race.”
Cady: “With their support and encouragement I started taking the steps to enter the race.”

Morris: We can no longer afford (to let sic) liberal leadership in Missouri to (sic) to raise our taxes, spend our money, and get less done. I am asking you to join with me in fighting for conservative principles in Jefferson City.”
Cady: “We can no longer let liberals like Lampe spend more money to get less done. We must join together and fight for our conservative principles.”

Morris: “I need your help to go to Jefferson City and join a conservative majority and fight to change Missouri government by:
Cutting taxes for all citizens…
Protecting the unborn…
Halting the explosive growth in state government…
Defending gun owners rights…”
Cady: “I need your help to go to Jefferson City and join a conservative majority and fight to change the state by:
Cutting taxes for all citizens…
Protecting the unborn…
Decreasing the size and scope of our state government…
Fighting to protect our second amendment rights.”

Morris: “I appreciate a government like the one Thomas Jefferson described in his first inaugural address when he said, “A wise and frugal government which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuit of industry and improvement, and shall not tade (sic) from the mouth of labor the bread it had earned. This is the sum of good government.”
Cady: “I want a government like the one Thomas Jefferson described in his first inaugural address when he said, “A wise and frugal government which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuit of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it had earned. This is the sum of good government.”

Morris: “He was right in 1801 and he is right today.”
Cady: “He was right in 1801 and he is right today.”

Morris: “These issues and this conservative philosophy are what you and I believe in. But to accomplish this task we must win. I am committed to spending the remaining days between now and this election fighting to win this race. I cannot do it alone. I need you to invest in the cause….”
Cady: “These issues and this conservative philosophy are what you and I believe in. But to accomplish this task we must win. I am committed to spending the next several months fighting to win this race. But I need you to invest in the cause.”

Morris: “Edmund Burke said, “All that is necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing.”
Cady: “Edmund Burke said, “All that is necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing.”

Morris: “This election will not only determine the policies and direction of Missouri but has national implications as well.”
Cady: “The election will not only determine the policies and direction of Missouri, but also the nation.”

Morris: “You know that campaigns are expensive. This race will expecially (sic) so because every far left liberal group in the state will be working overtime to hold onto the House of Representatives. After all, they know that if we win, they lose, BIG TIME.”
Cady: You know that campaigns are expensive. And this race will be doubly expensive because every left liberal group in the state will be working around the clock to hold this seat. After all, they know if you and I win, they lose, BIG TIME.”

Morris: “In order to win this race I need your gift today (sic) It is important to start ordering signs, stickers and necessary supplies now. I need to be able to begin planning radio and TV and newspaper ads so that when the campaign heats up this fall I will be able to spend time with the voters instead of planning strategy, ordering supplies and raising money.”
Cady: “In order to win this race I need your gift today. It is important to start ordering the necessary supplies now. I have begun planning newspaper and radio ads today so that this fall I will be able to spend time with the voters instead of planning strategy, ordering supplies and raising money.”

Morris: “Thank you for reading this long letter. If you believe that I, a committed conservative, can make a difference in Jefferson City, please take the time today to make a contribution for substantive change in state government.”
Cady: “Thank you for reading this long letter. If you believe I can make a difference in Jefferson City, please become one of the 750 individuals who will help win this race…”












I blogged about this in July, 2008.