The Big Money In Missouri Wants To Thwart Missourians Will

They’re at it again. Some more.

The already-wealthy and corporations want to make sure they can give unlimited “campaign contributions” to their legislators---our legislators---in Jefferson City so they can have their way with our laws and so, with us, the people of Missouri.

Missouri campaign contribution limits remain in place after latest hearing

A bit from the article:

A ban on big money donations to Missouri politicians will stay in place for at least a few more weeks.

In a hearing in federal court Thursday, opponents of a new law limiting campaign contributions withdrew a request to block the caps .

U.S. District Judge Catherine D. Perry said she wants to first hear arguments about the merits and pitfalls of the new limits on campaign giving before deciding whether to place a temporary hold on the caps while the lawsuit moves through the legal system.

The next hearing is set for Jan. 13.

The action in the St. Louis courtroom comes as another group has filed a lawsuit in federal court in Kansas City also seeking to dump the limits, which were approved by voters in the Nov. 8 election.

Under the change to the state constitution, Missouri voters capped contributions to individual candidates at $2,600 per election. Contributions to a political party would be capped at $25,000.

The change also attempted to ban the current practice of funneling money through different committees to hide the source of the contributions. It prohibits contributions by foreign interests and companies not legally authorized to conduct business in Missouri.

The Missouri Legislature removed campaign contribution limits in 2008. That led to an era where seven-figure contributions to candidates became common, including during the most recent election.

In the St. Louis case, the Association of Missouri Electrical Cooperatives and Legends Bank say the new law unfairly stops them from donating to campaigns and political action committees.

If the law stays in place, the electrical cooperatives argue they won’t be able to raise adequate funds to ensure its members’ voices are heard during the legislative session that begins Wednesday.

Because, you know, you can’t be “heard” if you can’t give money to your legislator, right?

This next paragraph tells the truth of the matter:

The Kansas City case takes a broader approach on behalf of a number of Republican-oriented political action committees, including Missourians for Worker Freedom, a political action committee formed in the past month to work in favor of making Missouri a right-to-work state.

Note that? A “Republican-oriented political action committee” because this is Republicans that want this more than anyone. They did away with the state’s campaign contribution limits back in 2008. Why should they have limits on the amounts of money already-wealthy and corporations can give them? It’s like when they vote themselves a raise. Pretty sweet, huh? Vote for money in your own pocket.

This is the part that really gets me:

“The suit contends the new law violates free speech rights…”

Because, again, if I can’t give my legislator money, that means I can’t speak with him.

Or something.

It’s disgusting.

Since 2008, Missouri has famously, infamously and notoriously been the ONLY STATE IN THE NATION with no limits on campaign contributions, no limits on the amounts of money wealthy people and corporations can throw at our government representatives. The other 49 states have got to be green with envy on that little beauty, eh? So we ended up, this last election, with different people like Rex Sinquefield out of St. Louis and others, paying literally millions of dollars to a single candidate.

Sinquefield himself gave nearly 4 million dollars to Catherine Hanaway’s campaign while governor-elect “Pretty Boy” Greitens got nearly two million dollars from one contributor. And we don’t even know who was behind that donation. It’s “dark money’, given by a political action committee so the donor is unknown. Additionally, David Humphreys and his sister, Sarah Atkins thought they’d try to buy a Lieutenant Governor by giving Peter Kinder the tidy little sum of a cool 1 million dollars.

If you don’t think our last election was bought and paid for, you don’t know what just took place. It’s the biggest under-reported story in the state for 2016, without doubt.

Links:

Eric Greitens Nabs Single Largest Campaign Contribution in Missouri

Money, Sex and Power: the campaign of Eric Greitens

Donors behind $2M check to Missouri's Greitens still secret

Again, Missourians, Your Government Is Being Bought

Yes sir, Missourians, your government is being bought and it's by the already-wealthy and corporations who have the money to do it. First, the very famous and disgusting St. Louis billionaire Rex Singquefield, trying to buy the governor and Lieutenant Governor of his choice and now this:

And check this out, too. It's happened twice this year, so far. First there was this article back at the end of July.

Eric Greitens Nabs Single Largest Campaign 

Contribution in Missouri

The race to become Missouri's Republican candidate for governor is, to put it charitably, a shitshow of clashing egos and bulging bank accounts. On Monday, one of the candidates' campaign war chests got a little bulgier — by about $2 million dollars.

As the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes, the $1.975 million donation to Eric Greitens' campaign this week marks the single largest political contribution in Missouri history to an individual candidate.

And now, yesterday, there's this. He's outdone himself. Mr. Greitens and his big money pals have outdone even that earlier, biggest contribution. Nearly the same headline, of course, just yet more money.

Greitens receives biggest campaign 

contribution in Missouri history

On most normal days (for Missouri, at least) a candidate receiving a $265,000 contribution as Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Koster did today from the CHIPP Political Fund in St. Louis, would be on top of the world.

Unfortunately for Koster, that amount left him nearly $1 million behind his Republican opponent, former Navy SEAL Eric Greitens.

A 48-hour report filed today with the Missouri Ethics Commission shows Greitens received the largest campaign contribution in state history, $2.5 million from the Republican National Governors-Missouri, which received it earlier in the day from the Republican National Governors based in Washington, D.C.

I'm telling you, folks, we're being bought here. We're being bought. Our government is being bought and sold. And it's all by the wealthy, not just of the state, but of the nation. And Mr. Greitens has no government experience whatever, none, of any kind yet they're trying to buy him the highest government office in the state. All we know is he loves guns, hates everything Obama and wants "small government", whatever that means.

And we're letting it happen.

We have got to overturn the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling and fight to end campaign contributions. We have to get the money out of our elections and politics. It's the only way we'll get the government back for the people. For all the American people.

Link:  Get the Big, Ugly Money Out of Our Election System and Government 

The Shameless Catherine Hanaway

Catherine Hanaway is rather famously running for the position of Missouri governor this year. She's backed by moneybags, government- and legislator-buying, St. Louis billionaire Rex Sinquefield and her latest TV ad is just, as I said above, shameless.


She's back to the same, old, very tired Republican campaign tactics of running a fear-based campaign and it's not just disappointing, it's disgusting.

It's also a lie.

Missouri is not, in fact, in any way "lawless" or getting close to devolving into any state remotely resembling lawlessness. Not even close.

The ad mentions rioting in Ferguson, totally ignoring the fact that an American was killed, needlessly in that city and that the area is shown, statistically, to have police incidents that target blacks for arrests and prosecution.

Justice Department finds racial bias 

in Ferguson police

Ferguson Police Routinely Violate 

Rights of Blacks, Justice Dept. Finds

If there were any true "lawlessness", it might well be in the Police Department itself. And if not lawlessness, then certainly not just injustice but gross injustice.

I wrote about this some time ago, Rex Sinquefield and his clear, even blatant attempts to buy this political race and election, outright, as well as other legislators and elections:

Missourians, you and your government 

are being bought---and sold

Not satisfied to merely buy---and own---Missouri's governor, Mr. Sinquefield is also trying his utmost to also buy himself his own---our--Lieutenant Governor:

Missouri's big money man gives 

$1 million to 2016 lieutenant governor

Here's more of Mr. Sinquefield's political handiwork:

At $37 million and counting, mega-donor 

Sinquefield says he's not going anywhere

So let's be clear here, Missourians, let's be aware:

--First, our state is no way devolving into anything remotely close to "lawlessness.

--Second, these are just ugly, in our face fear-mongering tactics on the part of Ms. Hanaway and it's very typical, Republican campaign tactics we should no way fall for;

--Third and finally, Rex Sinquefield is, again, trying to buy his own government representatives and so, our government, our legislators.

Let's not fall for any of it, Missouri. It's shameful, again, all of it, ugly, and very clear attempts to scare us into voting Ms. Hanaway and people like her into government office.

Links:

Hanaway ties University of Missouri events, Ferguson and murders

 Missouri, a Best Example of the Worst in American Politics

Pay-to-Play Politics: How Money Defines the American 

Democracy

It's Rex Sinquefield's Missouri

We just live in it.

Congratulations, Kansas City!!

Yes sir!! Congratulations, Kansas City and Kansas Citians!!

You passed the 1% Earnings Tax yet one more time!!

Two big winners, three colossal losers in 

Kansas City's  crucial earnings tax victory 

Now, can we have that greedy, already-wealthy, disgusting, meddling out of towner, the St. Louisan, Rex Sinquefield leave us alone now? Forever?

Here's hoping.

What Does Rex Sinquefield Gain By Messing With Kansas City?

So once again, rich, billionaire, St. Louisan Rex Sinquefield tries yet one more time to have Kansas Cititans vote on and, for him, hopefully do away with our 1% city tax.

Here's a guy who's from St. Louis, for pity's sake and a billionaire but he wants to mess with this city across the state, a city he doesn't even live in---and he's already wealthy---yet he has to mess with Kansas City and Kansas Citians and their taxes.

What is his gain in this?

Why doesn't he leave us alone? Why doesn't he leave us all alone?

Is this not one of the best, if not the best example of a wealthy person trying to have his way with the rest of the state, with the middle-, lower- and working-classes, if not the rest of the nation?

Trying to buy the state's next governor  with Catherine Hanaway and the next Lt. Governor as he's been trying to do, I understand. It's still  wrong and deeply so but that I understand.

What he gets,real or imagined, from draining Kansas City's tax coffers, thatI don't get.

More Evidence of Missouri's Government Being Bought

Yet more evidence of Missouri's government either being bought or attempted to being bought. This from Southwest Missouri's Turner Report blog:

California venture capitalist donates 

$1 million to Greitens Campaign

Former Navy seal Eric Greitens received a $500,000 boost to his campaign for governor on the last day of 2015.

The half-million dollars marked the second time Greitens has received that amount from California venture capitalist Michael Goguen of Sequoia Capital. The other contribution was reported in October.

In the week following Christmas,including the Goguen contribution, the Greitens campaign received $750,505. Out of that total, $640,003 came from out of state sources.

During this past week, Greitens also received the following contributions:

-$5,001 Michael Burns, Malvern, Pennsylvania,
-$5,001 Mary Beth Reilly, Nixa
-$10,000 Blake Spahn, Self School chancellor, New York, New York
-$50,000 Bryan Magers, Springfield, developer
-$25,000 Irvine Kessler, Wayzata, Minnesota, self investment management
-$50,000 Market Street Bancshares, Mount Vernon, Illinois
-$5,001 Jeff Layman, Springfield, Morgan Stanley senior vice president
-5,001 Howard Rosenbloom, Timonium, Maryland, Cruiser Capitol Advisers
-$10,000 Donald Sanders, Town and Country, Nightline Express, Inc. CEO
-$5,500 Mark Mantovani, Ansira executive
-$5,001 Mike Swann, Springfield, dermotologist
-$25,000 Bernard Marcus, Atlanta, Georgia, retired philanthropist
-$10,000 Frank Jay Steed, Branson West, Steed Communication
-$5,001 Thomas Smith, Boca Raton, Florida, Prescott Investors
-$15,000 Mark Gerson, New York, GLG chairman
-$20,000 ELX83 LLC, St. Louis

Check that out, above. 

There are actually two stories here, with this information. The first is that this one candidate is getting so much money, of course.

The second story to take from this and perhaps the biggest one is that this candidate received, out of all this big money, over 85% of this money from out of state sources. That is just not good for Missouri and Missourians, no matter the candidate.

Every time I report on campaign contributions in our state, I have to point out that we still have no campaign contribution limits and that we are the only state in the Union for which this is true and how damaging and even dangerous this is.

It was bad enough when Rex Sinquefield gave 900 million dollars to Catherine Hanaway's campaign. (See link at bottom, below).

We must change this. At the very least, we need campaign contribution limits in Missouri. After that, we simply need to end campaign contributions entirely. The already-wealthy and corporations must not be able to buy our legislators, our legislation, our laws and so, our government. And it must come from us. It's the only way we'll get things to change for the better and for the people.

 

Links:  Steve Kraske: Eric Greitens gets big money

With big out-of-state boost, Greitens leaps to head of GOP

Missourians, you and your government are being bought

Missouri, a Best Example of the Worst in American Politics

One of the things that most all people of the US, from whatever political leanings, can likely agree on is that there is not just too much money in our political process, our election system and campaigns but that there's FAR too much money in it all.  Corporations and the wealthy, with all their money---their tax deductable money, as it turns out--can, in effect, buy their legislators, OUR legislators and so, our legislation, our laws and so, finally, our government. It's well-documented, legalized bribery.

And in no state is this more possible and even rampant than here in our own Missouri.

Because, you see, several years ago, the Republicans in Jefferson City decided they would take away any and all campaign contribution limits so "Katy, bar the door." Because of it, we have gotten things like this:

Missouri's big money man gives 

$1 million to 2016 Candidate

One man, one St. Louisan, Rex Sinquefield is trying to buy his own candidate for state office in Jefferson City. His political party made it legal.

It gets worse but it's from the same guy:

At $37 million and counting, mega-donor 

Sinquefield says he's not going anywhere

One man out of the entire state fueling more money to more candidates than any one other person or organization. From the article:

Since making his fortune with his California investment firm and returning to his native state in 2005, Sinquefield has donated more than $37 million to Missouri state-level candidates and causes, according to records. He is by far the most prolific political patron in the history of the state, and one of the biggest in the country.

Think he doesn't have and ideas on pulling political and government strings? Check out this beauty:

In addition to the Missouri contributions, the Sinquefields have given more than $2.3 million in the last decade to 527 committees, which are tax-exempt organizations that can raise unlimited money for general political activities. At least one of those donations has stirred controversy.

It was a $300,000 donation last year to the Republican State Leadership Committee, which subsequently gave its Missouri affiliate $305,050 — most of which went into an unsuccessful attempt to defeat Cole County Circuit Judge Pat Joyce. Joyce had earlier issued a ruling that in effect killed Sinquefield’s proposed tax overhaul in 2012.

Sinquefield’s spokespeople refused to answer questions before the election about his apparent role in trying to oust Joyce, and his donation to the umbrella group didn’t show up until afterward.

How can that be healthy, politically?

Now, mind you, after covering 37 million dollars in campaign contributions from one man makes $50,000 in donations seem like peanuts but now this has developed:

Trail of $50,000 in donations highlights Missouri's ethics problems

Two donations to St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger tell you everything you need to know about how messed up Missouri’s campaign finance laws are.

The donations, $25,000 each, were made in July and November, but the story really starts about two years ago, in May 2013. Stenger was on the County Council, which was considering a vote on a $30 million cost overrun at the new family court center. Stenger criticized then-County Executive Charlie Dooley for accepting a $10,000 campaign donation from Alberici Construction around the same time the company was seeking the extra $30 million to finish the project. Stenger called it “fishy,” which it was.

Of course, Stenger would later challenge and defeat Dooley, in part on a campaign platform that Dooley was in the pocket of his donors. You see, this is the thing about campaign donations: They’re always fishy when the other guy receives them. Whether it’s two Democrats, as in Stenger and Dooley, or Republicans criticizing each other or members of the other party, elected officials rarely see problems with their own donations, only the other guy’s.

That’s why transparency is so important, so voters, and competing candidates, can make fair judgments about the money elected officials receive to keep them in office.

Fast-forward to Aug. 13 of this year. That’s when David Richardson, an attorney with Husch Blackwell in St. Louis, filed paperwork with the secretary of state’s office to form a new limited liability company, Givco LLC. Richardson, who deals primarily in real estate law and tax credits, was merely representing clients, whose names don’t appear on the LLC documents on file with the state. This is legal in Missouri, and quite common. It makes it difficult to track down the people behind the LLC, which isn’t necessarily a problem until that company throws itself into the political process.

Givco did that two weeks after it was formed, giving Stenger $25,000. A company with seemingly anonymous backers forms. Two weeks later it gives a big check to a county executive. Fishy, yes?

Local government watchdog Tom Sullivan criticized the donation at the next County Council meeting. Nobody paid too much attention, perhaps in part because nobody knew who was behind the money. Then, on Nov. 5, Givco gave again. Another $25,000 to Stenger. At $50,000 this year, that made Givco the county executive’s biggest individual donor.

The people behind Givco, it turns out, are developers David and Bob Glarner, the brothers who are behind a multimillion-dollar development to bring life back to the Northwest Plaza area. I know this only because Stenger told me when I asked him about Givco. There is no public record paper trail that ties Givco to the Glarners...

"In Missouri, of course, all of this is legal, which is why the state received a D-minus in a recent national report on government ethics by the Center for Public Integrity. It starts with being one of the few states to allow unlimited donations, making $25,000 checks relatively common in Missouri politics. Last year there were 441 campaign donations of that amount or higher in the state. In 2015, an off-election year, there have already been 238."

What this all so clearly points out is how the money, the big money, is flowing from the wealthy, as in the case of Mr.Sinqfield, and corporations, as in the case of the Glarneys and Givco, to our state and federal government representatives.

Folks, we have got to Get the Big, Ugly Money Out of Our Election System and Government. We need to overturn the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision and end campaign contributions, entirely, once and for all and as soon as possible. 

And it has to come from us.

Missourians, you and your government are being bought---and sold

Ladies and gentlemen, voters of Missouri, it's important you know the name Rex Sinquefield and that you know what he's done, what he's doing and what, it seems clearly, he's attempting to do with, about and to your government.

Check out just these 2 headlines. First this one:

Sinquefield gifts to Hanaway governor bid at $900K 

It seems Mr Sinquefield has already decided who he wants--and who we should have--for Missouri's next governor so he's ponying up nearly 1 million dollars for her.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Wealthy political activist Rex Sinquefield’s donations to Republican Catherine Hanaway’s campaign for governor have reached $900,000.

Campaign finance records show Sinquefield this week gave Hanaway another $10,000, the 10th straight week he’s given her that amount.

The recent donation comes after an October contribution from Sinquefield for $750,000 and another for $50,000 in March.

Most of the more than $1.1 million she’s raised so far this year has come from Sinquefield.

Sinquefield is a retired investment firm founder who has been one of Missouri’s most active political donors in recent years. He has backed efforts to cut income taxes and revamp public school teacher evaluation methods.

Hanaway is a former U.S. attorney and Missouri House speaker who is the only declared GOP gubernatorial candidate for 2016.

Then, next up, this little beauty int this second headline:

Missouri's big money man gives $1 million to 2016 Potential 2016 Candidate

Another day, yet another 1 million dollars from this man, to the candidate of his choice for Missouri.

Wealthy financier Rex Sinquefield appears to have made his choice for Missouri’s next lieutenant governor:  Bev Randles, chairman of the Missouri Club for Growth.

Sinquefield is backing up his support with a $1 million check into Randles’ newly created exploratory committee, set up Monday. Randles says she will spend months talking to fellow Republicans to decide whether she has adequate support for a 2016 campaign.

Sinquefield’s check appears to be the largest single donation to a candidate in Missouri history.  The check was taken to the Missouri Ethics Commission when Randles' paperwork was filed, and should be on its web site within 48 hours, her spokesman said.

Randles, a Kansas City lawyer, said in an interview, “Rex is one donor. He represents one vote. He is not going to be the only person who contributes during this exploratory phase.”

But Sinquefield's huge check could discourage other candidates in either major party from running for the post. His support for Randles may send a message to incumbent Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, a Republican serving a third term.

"...Sinquefield's huge check could discourage other candidates..."?  Could? Seriously?

What else is it going to do but discourage other candidates? 

Can you imagine if you're current Lt. Governor Peter Kindle, considering a run for your fourth term? On the one hand, sure, you should have name recognition but if your opponent already has a million dollars in their campaign war chest, with more, surely, possibly available both from Mr. Sinquefield's rather deep pockets, along with anyone and everyone else who might contribute to your opponent's campaign. that's formidable. You have to at least think twice, if not give up entirely. That is already a daunting candidate, even before the campaign has begun. You'd have to overcome not just getting your name and message out but also all the time it would take, raising money, in an attempt to keep up.

I'm not aware of any other state where just one person, one very wealthy person, is trying so thoroughly to buy the government representatives and so, the government he wants. 

Lucky you, Missouri.

But then, it was "lucky Missouri" that got its campaign contribution limits taken down a few years ago, by the Republicans.

Indeed, lucky us.

Here's this rich guy, this Rex Sinquefield, trying to buy not one, not just the highest office in the state, but two---the highest and second highest offices in Missouri.

How's that for chutzpah?

The thing is, now this lack of limits is even hurting Republicans and high profile ones, at that, since Lt. Governor Kinder is, of course, a Republican.

How's that for Karma coming back and biting you?

The fact is, the time has long since come for Missouri to put back up campaign contribution limits. 

Secretary of State Jason Kander has campaigned for bringing back campaign contributions limits---and he's correct---but it's tilting at a bit of a rather Don Quixote like windmill because he's a Democrat and there are all those Republicans in the Statehouse in Jefferson City. It's important we Missourians need to stand up, stand with Mr. Kander and say "Enough!" 

We can't continue to let the wealthy and corporations buy our legislators and government.

We just can't.

Making Sure Missourians Know How One Billionaire Was Trying to Buy This Election

And that billionaire is--no surprise--Rex Sinquefield.  Did you all see this from a week or so ago?

Sinquefield rep tried to get reporters to write for his PAC on the side

Here's the story:

ST. LOUIS • A representative of a Missouri PAC funded by wealthy conservative political activist Rex Sinquefield tried to recruit several political reporters from mainstream media outlets around the state to write copy on the side for its causes — a clear no-no among working journalists, as the PAC's representative quickly learned.

The public relations firm Skyword Press, representing the Sinquefield PAC Grow Missouri, sent out an email to several reporters in which it offered $250 per article for the journalists to write about tax reform, politics and other controversial issues on which the PAC lobbies.

Some of the offers were sent to reporters who regularly cover Sinquefield's political activities, including Alex Stuckey of the Post-Dispatch Jefferson City Bureau. Some of the emails specified that the writers would be allowed to write anonymously.

National media blogger Jim Romenesko, who wrote on the issue Friday, said others who reported having been approached include St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum and Columbia Daily Tribune’s Rudi Keller.

It's disgusting. It's vile. And it's blatant.

Fortunately, a government representative is saying something about it, if even without out-and-out naming him. This, then, from The Turner Report:

Schweich rips into Sinquefield during victory speech

In one of the best Missouri political speeches in recent memory, State Auditor Thomas Schweich rips into the corruption in Jefferson City and without mentioning him by name mentions "candidates who seem to be bought and paid for by one donor." Of course, the candidate to whom Schweich is referring is former Speaker of the House Catherine Hanaway, who is running for governor and has been receiving hefty contributions from retired billionaire Rex Sinquefield. Schweich will likely be an opponent of Hanaway in the 2016 Republican primary, but that doesn't lessen the truth in what he is saying.

Here's the video:


Missouri needs campaign contribution limits put back in place in Jefferson City, without question. This is beyond disgusting. And the change needs to come from us.

Missourians, your courts are being bought

I've been writing, nearly screaming, about our government representatives being bought, especially by the Right Wing and wealthy and Republicans and corporations, all, for some time. This story, now, today, from Crooks & Liars comes to us straight out of our own state, Missouri and it's shameful:

Who Is That Mystery Megadonor Trying To Buy A Judge's Election In Missouri?

The leading candidate for the six-figure donation to the failing candidate's kitty is Rex Sinquefield, but no one knows for sure.

Who would want to drop six figures into the campaign of a guy who had less than $100 just a month ago? Why, someone who wants all the judges in the state capital to be Republicans, of course!

TPM:

A month ago, Missouri GOP prosecutor Brian Stumpe had less than $100 on hand in his campaign to unseat Cole County Circuit Court Judge Patricia Joyce, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Now, just a few weeks later, he has received $100,000 -- all of it funneled into his campaign by a national group, the Republican State Leadership Committee, which has spent a total of $200,000 so far in this race for a single state judgeship.

So just what the heck is going on? Democrats and liberals on the ground in Missouri would tell you that somebody is trying to purchase the judgeship, and they have some suspicions about some Koch-esque Missouri multi-millionaires who might be behind the RSLC's interest in the race.

Why would they do that? Because Cole County, home to 75,000 people, contains Jefferson City, the Missouri state capital. So in most cases where somebody is suing the state government, those cases are heard in the Cole County Circuit Court. It is similar to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals at the federal level, in that case an appellate court with an outsized influence.

"If you sue the state of Missouri, if there's a lawsuit in which you're bringing a constitutional question or challenging ballot language or a fiscal note by a state auditor, those cases are directed to the Cole County Circuit Court," Roy Temple, chairman of the Missouri Democratic Party, told TPM. "It is a judgeship that has statewide importance."

Joyce is the only Democratic judge at the Cole County Circuit Court; her two colleagues are Republican. So ousting her would, in theory, be a significant win for Republicans looking to influence the outcome of the kind of cases Temple described. That helps explain why the Republican State Leadership Committee, which is currently chaired by former Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum and formerly chaired by Virginia GOP Senate candidate Ed Gillespie, would take an interest.

It's disgusting. It's immoral. Sure. Unfortunately it's legal because, hey, the Republicans made it legal, so long ago.

It's why we have to fight. We have to fight to end campaign contributions, period. It has to come from us.

Rex Sinquefield & Clay Chastain: Just go away

I've decided Rex Sinquefield has joined Clay Chastain as yet another perennial, pain in the neck nuisances that haunt Kansas City and our environs and they both just need to go away. Mr. Chastain doesn't live here and hasn't for years, residing as he does back East but he keeps trying to drop in and give us mass transit. And while I'm all for mass transit (that's another issue), him buzzing around this city like a pesky, persistent fly at an otherwise pleasant picnic is a pain in the keister. Then there's rich man, St Louisan Rex "I have tons of money" Sinquefield who keeps coming up with ideas he can foist off on Missourians to--in his mind--"make our lives better" by screwing with our tax system, even though he's not an office holder. His latest idea, of course, is to do away with the income tax and to have a sales tax instead. He even brought in famed economist Arthur Laffer to tell "the Kansas City Star's editorial board Monday that there could be problems if Missouri trades its income tax for a sales tax -- if Kansas doesn't do something similar." (See link below).

Forget that a sales tax only is punishing to the middle and lower classes and that it benefits the wealthy greatly, sure, forget that. All that's important is that we live life as Rex "The King" Sinquefield thinks we should live it and as he would have the state be. Seriously, both of you jerkwads--go away. Leave us be. Whatever issues we'll have, we'll deal with them. Go home. Be quiet. Live your own lives and let us live ours. It's why we have government. Links: http://midwestdemocracy.com/articles/laffer-kansas-missouri-should-go-together-major-tax-reform/; http://www.kansascity.com/2012/02/17/3435777/kc-chastain-argue-light-rail.html

The truly odd--to the point of weird--saga that is the e-tax vote

A mulit-millionaire on the other side of the state gets a hankering to have the two largest cities in his state get rid of their earnings taxes and we all have to react.

He starts paying for advertising out of his own pocket, gets it on ballots and here we are, it's election day and we have to vote on it.

Never mind that he doesn't live here.

Never mind that it would wipe out two-hundred million dollars from the Kansas City operating budget.

He was bored, I imagine.

I also imagine he's a huge egotist.

But whatever.  Here we are.  We have to vote on this thing.

As if that isn't all odd enough, no one is quite sure how we the voters feel on it.  No one is quite sure if it will get an "up" or "down" vote.

And as if THAT isn't all odd enough, even if we kill it today, we have to vote on it again, in 5 years.


Weird as it all is, folks, get out there and vote today.

Then, let's all tune in at 7 and see how it went.

Links:  http://www.kansascity.com/2011/04/04/2776716/tuesday-is-election-day-in-kc.html
http://www.kansascity.com/2011/04/04/2776205/the-stars-editorial-voters-should.html

Just who, exactly, does this mayor get along and/or work with?

Remember the funny complaint teachers used to make about kids that we all joked about? The "doesn't get along with others" complaint? Yeah, that one. Doesn't it seem to apply especially well to this current mayor? Who, exactly, does this guy work with? I mean, unless it's some businessman (think Rex Sinquefeld) who throws money at him. Here's the latest: "...the mayor and police chief are butting heads on two major issues that could affect how well the department is funded and how its officers are disciplined. And this clash could threaten the future of the city’s quarter-cent public safety sales tax." So once again, this mayor is going against another authority in town, furthering the notion that he doesn't "work well with others" and jeopardizing the very tax he wants to see passed. The guy's a regular rocket scientist, as we know, right? Have a great weekend, y'all. Link to original post: Read more: http://voices.kansascity.com/entries/corwin-and-funkhouser-break/#ixzz0vBTHtbqP

Is this city getting collectively more stupid?

I don't mean to be alarmist or to over-react but really, that's the question I come up with today.

Of course, we have our stupid and irresponsible mayor and his wife, supposedly to lead us and they've proven themselves, time and again but now all this.

Something called a "Tomahawke Ridge" subdivision to add 316 more acres and more than 600 homes, eventually, to the city is being considered today at 1:30 pm by the City Council's Planning and Zoning Commission.

(I ask again, too--since when does the Native American Indian word "tomahawk" get a British "e" on the end? Answer: when you want it to sound expensive or special. And you're a developer).

It doesn't look good.

It looks as though this council wants to pass and accept this bone-headed boondoggle.

Forget that we can't take care of our streets and sewers already, with what we've got. Forget that there aren't enough fire stations up that way already and that the Fire Chief thinks it's likely not a good idea. Forget that they city planners think it's misguided sprawl we shouldn't do or have. And forget that it further weakens the city's core.

Forget all that.

Some developer wants to make money--and likely give some to Council members, in the meantime.

Hell, yeah!

So what should happen won't and it looks as though we'll get this thing.

Dammit.

(And when did our local paper cover this locally important story? Yesterday. Once. At the last minute. Way to go, Kansas City Star. Way to not report.)

One silver lining to this expansionist crowd is that the Star has come out with an editorial agin' it. In fact, they've had a few. Here's another.

Thank goodness for that, anyway.

In it, they also support my idea that the "e" on the end is--there's that word again--stupid.

Then, for more local, home-grown ignorance and, yes, stupidity, look no further than the Star (at least they reported this), reporting that a committee has been formed, for pity's sake, to look into repealing the earnings tax in the city.

Check it out:

"Opponents of the earnings tax in St. Louis and Kansas City have established a campaign committee and will begin to gather petition signatures within the next weeks to put repeal on the statewide ballot."

"The group is called Let Voters Decide. According to attorney Marc Ellinger, the commitee will circulate a petition that would allow local voters a chance to decide if the E-tax should be phased out in Kansas City and St. Louis."

"(UPDATE, 9:25: Businessman Rex Sinquefield has given the committee $500,000 to get started, records show.)"

Yahoo!

How, exactly, are we going to pay for anything if this goes through?

We'd lose two hundred million dollars a year in operating fees if we do away with this.

We can barely keep sewers running and streets operable now. How can we do it if we're broke?

And some people, including people downtown at City Hall, including, in this case, the Mayor, think this is a good idea.

Note that this wealthy chucklehead Sinquefeld is financing this nightmare. Apparently he benefits from this going through, while at our collective expense. He's been pushing it in St. Louis and now here, both.


So there you go, Kansas City, to repeat, stupidity reigns.

How soon can we quit this?