Missouri’s two Republican candidates for governor — state Treasurer Sarah Steelman and U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof — participated Tuesday night in what both campaigns said was the duo’s first forum in the St. Louis area.

For 90 minutes, the two took turns answering questions posed by about 80 people attending the joint appearance, held at the Brentwood Community Center and hosted by the Clayton and Missouri River Township Republicans.

For the most part, the forum underscored one point — Hulshof and Steelman agree on many issues.

Such as:

1)Transportation –Both are wary of putting more state money into mass transit, despite the rising fuel costs for cars and trucks. Both view such spending as being largely the responsibility of the free market and private business.

“It’s difficult to fund mass transit in this state,” Steelman said.

2) Job-creation –Both dispute any suggestion that it’s the duty of government to create jobs.

“The duty of the government is to get out of the way and let entrepreneurs create jobs,” said Hulshof.

Both called for fewer government regulations on business.

3) Reassessment –Both called for changes in the state’s property tax system, and both praised state Senate President Pro Tem Mike Gibbons, R-Kirkwood and now a candidate for attorney general, for his success in getting a new law passed that requires a mandatory roll-back of tax rates by all governmental jurisdictions when property reassessment occurs.

Hulshof proposed freezing assessed values of property when the property owner is 65 or older, until the property is sold or transferred. Steelman promised to “put all of the tax code on the table” and have experts review all state taxes.

4) Income tax repeal — Hulshof said he is “open to this idea” of eliminating Missouri’s income tax and replacing it with a sales tax. He added that he didn’t support the idea on a federal level. Steelman reaffirmed her plan to have all state taxes reviewed.

5) Abortion, stem-cell research and the death penalty — Both underscored his/her opposition to abortion and embryonic stem-cell research, and his/her support for the death penalty.

Hulshof did note, however, that he has worked as a public defender and as a prosecutor in death-penalty cases. The ultimate punishment, he said, “is something that should be reserved for the worst of the worst.”

Steelman recounted the debilitating illness that has beset her mother, who has told her family that she feels useless. Steelman emphasized that her mother’s life still had worth, adding, “I am pro-life and that means from the beginning until the end.”

6) Eminent domain — Both said they opposed the use of eminent domain to take property from one private owner to give it to another. Both said the process should be used only for public projects, such as roads.

7) The Sunshine Law and government e-mail — Both agreed that e-mail transmitted on state or government computers, Blackberries or other devices were public information that should be made available under the state’s Sunshine Law.

Hulshof said that officials’ communications on private equipment was not subject to the Sunshine Law. Steelman said she wanted to expand the Sunshine Law, but she did not get specific.

Both said he/she embraced “transparency.”

Fee offices — Hulshof reinterated his proposal to put all the state’s license fee offices up for bid, thus doing away with the traditional system of the governor awarding the office contracts to political allies. Steelman said she would leave alone fee-office operators who ran their offices well; those not run properly would be put up for bid, she said.

9) Concealed weapons– Both emphasized his/her support for the Second Amendment, and each expressed support for lengthening the state’s concealed-weapon permits to five years, from the current three years.

When asked about allowing concealed weapons on public transportation, Hulshof said that would be up to the entity operating the system. Steelman would allow concealed weapons on public transportation, adding that if she was on a bus, she might want to carry a gun for protection.

10) Healthcare — Both advocated a private approach to expanding access to health care.

“We have to look to the private sector,” Hulshof said. “We have to look to the competitive model.” The aim, he added, is “for us to be better investors in our own health care decisions.”

Said Steelman: “We need to have a consumer-driven market, instead of an insurance-driven market. The free market is the solution to lowering costs.”

11) Gov. Matt Blunt’s biggest successes and failures –Hulshof praised the governor for “doing what he promised he was going to do” and reforming the state’s legal system to curb lawsuits and cap punitive damages. Hulshof said too many people have “a lottery mentality” about lawsuits.

Steelman lauded Blunt for fully funding the state’s foundation formula for public education.

As for failures: Hulshof said he would have handled the Medicaid cuts differently, although he did not get specific. Steelman said, “I, too, would approach governing differently than he did.”

So, what big differences came up during the forum?

Steelman mentioned her call for eliminating the state ethanol mandate, which she ties to the rise in gas and food prices — and which Hulshof opposes. He said it was a “standard,” not a mandate, and disputes any link to the rising costs of energy and food.

He alluded, but very indirectly, to Steelman’s ties to trial lawyers (Her husband, David Steelman, is one.)

BIGGEST ISSUE DISPUTE?

The Second Injury Fund.

Hulshof repeated his contention, made at a press conference earlier Tuesday, that experts say the fund — which provides coverage for people with existing disabilities who are hired by Missouri firms, and then suffer another injury — will be insolvent within a year or two.

Hulshof wants the fund changed so that a person can successfully receive a payment for total disability only once. Those who receive benefits, and who later get a job, would see their payments reduced or phased out, under his plan.

Steelman says the fund has no financial problems. It ended this fiscal year with $21 million, which she said is higher than than the $16 million at the end of fiscal year 2005.