My wife will be out all day getting signatures on the petition to end eminent domain abuse for private gain in Missouri. I will probably take a day off this week to do my part. Only a few more days are left. If you agree with us, at very least sign the petition yourself and get a few others to do so:

http://www.mo-cpr.org/

What do you think of local politicians agreeing to all these red-light cameras? One-third of the $100 fee goes to the private camera company based in Arizona. Do you pay it or throw it away like the attorneys say.
What do you think about local politicians wanting to create laws to make these tickets enforceable and therefore you must pay them or get into legal and criminal troubles?

What about this whole Aquila power plant thing in southern Kansas City? The House voted last week to grant Aquila an exemption and to overturn local control of utilities for the next year. Republicans, supposedly champions of smaller government and local control, overwhelmingly voted for the exemption while Democrats mostly voted against. What’s the deal?

http://www.mpnblog.com/2008/04/aquila-bill-passes-house-harris-opposes.html

How about Obamessiah’s refusal to do anymore debates one on one against Billary?
What is he afraid of? He claims he wants to talk about the issues, but wont do so one on one on a national stage? I think his campaign told him his shine is wearing off, and while he may be a great speech giver, but off the cuff comments and not prepared talking points get Obamessiah off his game and are his weakness.

Luke,
I am not sure what is the most purposeful money-maker. These red-light cameras or the “variable” speed limits coming soon to I-270. After all, nothing can ensure a ticket faster than a speed limit that changes from moment to moment, right?

Though the later is a function of MoDOT, the red light cameras are decided on a city-by-city basis. We should definitely be asking our local candidates in future April elections their stance on these red-light cameras.

Then again, one could also inspect their campaign contribution reports and see if they are getting campaign contributions from these companies or their lobbyists.

A new study estimates that a smoking ban would raise local drunk driving fatalities by 13 pecent:
http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2008/04/smoking_ban_mor.php

Bill,
From what I see in the article the ‘connection’ is because smokers will drive further to go get drunk in a place where they can still smoke and then drive drunk. To suggest the smoking ban is at fault instead of the individual who is driving drunk is pretty creative.
Also, by that logic, we probably have drunk people from Illinois coming into Missouri so they can drink and smoke at the same time. Perhaps we should ban smoking too so they stay away.

#4 It’s pretty clear you wouldn’t be persuaded to vote for either Dem irrespective of the debate debate. Fact is, Obama doesn’t need it. She does. That’s why she wants one. Giving in to her would appear weak and un-front-runner like, and would unnecessarily put him at risk of a misstep. He didn’t do all that well at the Penn debate. Why would he volunteer for more by capitulating to her self-serving demand?

Will someone tell me the differents, between Legalize Medicial Marijuana Smoking and Cigarette Smoking?… Then could you pass that information along to California and Massachusetts…. Can anyone tell me if theres a differents in Death and Cancer rates of the Sixty Drug Generations and World War II Veterans. … Does Medicare cover Legalize Medical Marijuana in California?

#9- - - Are you being facetious?

Wow!
1- Medicare does not cover the costs of legalized medical marijuana in CA.
2-Legalized means you cannot get arrested and charged with a felony if caught growing it or smoking it. Like any medicine it is supposed to be utilized in the privacy of your home not smoked in public.
3-Death and cancer rates were higher the farther in history you go back due to not having filters on cigarettes back in the old days. Therefore, WW2 Vets would have a higher probability of cancer and death caused from smoking.

Why does Hillary want t debate anyway…….she refused debates in her 2000 and 2006 campaigns. I mean why are Indiana voters more important than her own constituency???

Anyone else watching Big Brother tonight? The politics of that show is terrific! A great show to watch- the finale is this week!

Will someone please ,tell O`bama that the United States has had troops in Europe for sixty-five years and South Korea for fifty-five years and its work out very well…If all takes is a hundred years, for a group that bomb the mainland thats a bargain

Wondersmith are you per chance….high ??
Just wondering.

How about all the “Demopublicans” that are hungry for money right now? They are receiving money from Republicans to finance their campaigns under the table! No Democrats has the guts to speak out against them because they are afraid to lose their election.

Wouldn’t it be great if a group of Democrats got the guts to speak out against Democratic elected officials that are really Republicans? Should you be allowed to be considered a Democrat if you are on a host committee and supporting a Republican for Lt. Governor, even though it hurts the Democratic Party? What does a Democrat have to do to lose their designation as a Democrat? How much money from known Republicans can Democratic elected officials take and still be considered a Democrat? How many Republican bills can a Democratic elected official vote for that hurts unions, public schools, urban neighborhoods, their constituents, the welfare of children, senior citizens, the impoverished, the middle class, and everything in between and still be considered a Democrat by Democrats? Will Democrats ever stand up for anything, except to speak at funerals and the electric slide? Does anyone have the answer?

No, I wasn`t being amusing ,just try to find a cheap away to keep smoking and possible have the Goverment paid for it and take it off my taxes

Great ,information on #1 ..#2 , to be sociable I take your word .. Now #3 Just the facts ,Ma`M

Hoodlaw - Some of us are open minded enough to see beyond party boundaries once in a while. I’m a Republican - was an alternate delegate to the Republican National Convention in ‘96, and have been to state a few times as well. I actively support several Republicans right now. But I also have, do, and will in the future, support a Democrat or two on occasion. Sometimes, the Democrats have a candidate who is intelligent, well reasoned, and outstanding in some way or other - and I feel that person has earned my support. If we were all as partisan as you are, why even have votes on each individual race? Just give people a straight party ballot, and no other choices at all.

Hoodlaw has provided the best example of what is wrong with members of any party that believe party first, country last. If it’s not all “party” then it’s not good.

Bull crap!

Makes you glad people like Hoodlaw are so upset when someone actually thinks what is best for the constituents and not the party.

In RE#18 I believe you missed his point as a voter you have the right to support any candidate. But as an elected member of a specific party you do have or should have loyalty to the party that you claim. You don’t see the chairman of GM driving a Chrysler!

I think Hoodlaw’s post was about principle and policies not politics and party,
and to my brother, Nick, thank you; I’m undeserving, and have every indication of staying that way.

Richard, it doesn’t matter who or what is at fault. A public health law that results in kids breathing more smoke and more innocent people being killed by drunk drivers is a law St. Louis doesn’t need.

Don’t worry about the effect of the Illinois smoking ban on Missouri. The Illinois smoking ban is not enforceable and will very likely be thrown out by the courts. After that, I doubt that they will try that sort of nonsense again.

Yet the late David Mungenast who owns the Honda dealership drove a S600 Mercedes Benz!

So sorry Bill Haas, don’t think Nick was referring to ya!

How long do you think it will take the F.B.I. to bust House Speaker Rod Jetton and Representative Bob Onder for their little business deal? If it is not illegal for a sitting member of the Missouri House to hire the Speaker then it should be. Didn’t Bob Griffin go to jail for something half this serious?

Again, I am thankful to be a GOP voter. Could anyone tell me what the diff is between Hillary and Barack other than their gender and skin color? It doesn’t make any diff to me which one wins. I don’t see how a Dem decides. As someone who doesn’t like any candidate in the POTUS race, I think it basically will come down to party loyalty. Unfortunately, there is no candidate that I totally agree with or totally disagree with.

So regardless of who is the Dem candidate, I’ll be voting for McCain. What’s important to me at the end of the day is national security and the fight against terrorism. The Dems truly scare me on this issue. They think that global warming is the most important threat facing our nation.

I young man I am good friends with who was a huge Kerry/Edwards supporter said he will be voting for McCain. I asked him why. This is funny! He said for the first time he and his wife actually owed taxes this year. I said, “Welcome to the GOP!”

Before national politics kicks in even more than it already is, I’m interested to see what state legislators do with this Bombardier deal. It smacks of corporate welfare, and yet all the big dems in town are unusually silent on the issue, esp. Joan Bray. She’s worked hard to get tax incentives for poor areas and tried to build independent business from the community–I just can’t see her liking a big corporate project that wouldn’t be paying into the school system for years to come and would potentially leave less and less money for priorities like health care and higher ed.

“Here in Missouri we hear about those jobs being created, but they are newer jobs that replace the quality jobs being lost. What a different world it is for the generation behind us. They don’t ever expect to be as affluent as we are, even though we are middle class.” -Sen. Joan Bray

And, John McCain is an anti-Catholic bigot!

http://www.catholicleague.org/release.php?id=1403

#28. Are you telling us that we now have to choose between the lesser of two bigots? What on earth should we do? Should we choose the one that sought an endorsement from the anti-Catholic bigot or should we choose the one that spent 20 years in the pews of a bigot?

In a nation of 300 million people, why oh why are these 3 idiots the best we could come up with for a shot at our countries highest office?

country’s

Dr. Michael Siegel attacks an antismoking group today for calling me a paid Big Tobacco shill in the pages of the Vital Voice. I think I am specially being accused in St. Louis of being a Big Tobacco shill because I have spent the kind of time and money fighting the bans that many would assume only a Big Tobacco hired gun could have. But I have never been paid a dime by Big Tobacco to fight this cause.

http://tobaccoanalysis.blogspot.com/