Volume 11, Edition 1 • January 5, 2007
GOP Focused on Missourians as Session Begins
The legislative session began this week with a lot of hope and promise for Missourians, thanks to the leadership of Gov. Blunt and the solid Republican majorities in the House and Senate. During the previous two years, Republicans have wiped away a $1 billion budget deficit, provided more than one-third of a billion new dollars to education and improved the safety of some of our most vulnerable citizens. These were all accomplished without the kind of job-killing tax increases for which Democrats are well-known. But now, as lawmakers return to work, there are some exciting proposals including $350 million in additional funding for higher education through the sale of MOHELA assets, reforms to the Medicaid program and tax cuts. Missourians will find out more about the Republican vision for our state when Gov. Blunt delivers his State of the State Address on the evening of Jan. 24. Given the successes of Republican leadership on behalf of hard-working Missourians over the last few years, it would be safe to say that some of the boldest and most innovative ideas on a variety of topics important to Missourians will be unveiled this legislative session. We encourage Missouri Republicans to keep a close eye on the Legislature as the year unfolds.
President OKs Disaster Relief from Storms
Gov. Blunt was quick to act following the devastating snow storm that hit Missouri in early December, and his efforts to seek federal assistance from those hardest hit by the storms have been realized. President Bush on Friday declared a major disaster for parts of Missouri affected by the storm, which clears the way for federal aid. The declaration covers the counties of Boone, Cole, Greene, Iron, Reynolds, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, St. Louis and Washington, as well as the City of St. Louis. Under the declaration, the federal government will pay 75 percent of the costs eligible for public aid, the state government will pay 10 percent and local governments will be responsible for 15 percent.
Audit Exposes New Nixon Abuses
It was quite apparent this week that Democrats are closing ranks around Jay Nixon after the Democrat state auditor’s office sought to discredit its own findings about the attorney’s office use of state resources for non-official business. A state audit released this week shows that Nixon’s office made a series of phone calls on state cell phones at night, on weekends and when an employee assigned to a specific phone was on vacation. 
When questioned by the media, the auditor’s office said it was not interested in determining the exact nature of the calls even though auditors found that the state paid more than $14,000 in fees for exceeding minutes on cell phone plans, roaming and tolls for 10 phones. Remarkably, 36 individuals on the AG’s bloated staff have both a cell phone and a Blackberry. Presumably those staff members prefer using a cell phone for their telephonic communications and Blackberries for their email. There’s little doubt that had a Republican been the focus of the audit, there would not have been a shortage of research about the nature of the calls. It is simply unacceptable that taxpayer dollars are being used to finance personal phone calls in the attorney general’s office, and it is even more disturbing that the state auditor’s office is trying to make excuses for the behavior. Unfortunately, it is the taxpayers of Missouri who are paying the price for this kind of malfeasance.
McCaskill Seeks to Bend Rules to Pay Debt
First, Claire McCaskill shrugs off freshman orientation to take a luxurious vacation to Bali. Now she’s trying to put the hammer down on one of her fellow Democrats in hopes of getting herself out of a jam. McCaskill is begging Jay Nixon to fight for a new state campaign law he opposes that would allow her to pay off a $1.6 million personal loan she took out in her failed bid for governor in 2004. McCaskill, who is worth millions, is seeking a federal exemption in order to take advantage of Missouri’s new law that removes campaign finance limits for state races so that she can raise enough money to pay the original loan and put $1.6 million back in her pocket. The whole situation is truly bizarre because Nixon opposes the same law that McCaskill hopes to use. Even more bizarre is that Nixon is supposed to defend the law in a lawsuit filed by a failed Democrat legislative candidate. It sure says a lot about Democrats that McCaskill has to depend on Jay Nixon to fight on her behalf even though he opposes what she is trying to do.
Media Prefers Rumor over Truth
EDITOR’S NOTE: The GOP VOICE feels a responsibility to keep an eye out for media bias wherever it occurs, which is the impetus for our new feature, “Media Watch,” created to expose media bias wherever it occurs.
There used to be a time when reporters reported the news, but it seems that in Missouri it has become more important to “report” rumors than to stick to the facts. Perhaps this new bias has something to do with reporters who are posting opinion and conjecture on official newspaper blogs. Reporters have become obsessed with being popular rather than doing their jobs, and popularity these days seems to be based on who can post the most compelling political guesswork first. Call it blogalism. Some have made the ridiculous claim that the Governor would appoint himself as a new U.S. Senator after giving the job of University of Missouri president to Kit Bond even though both have strenuously dismissed such harebrained ideas. Next thing you know the blogalists will be claiming that Missouri is a blue state. I guess it makes for good copy, but some would argue that The National Enquirer does, too. In the end, reporters are no longer content with doing their jobs but instead want to be celebrities who provide the greatest and latest falsehood, misrepresentation or misinterpretation of someone else’s work. The downfall of traditional journalism has, at least, unmasked the liberal media that believe blogs are a place for opinion. Unfortunately, those biases more often than not find their way into “news” stories that ultimately do Missourians a disservice and strike at the heart of the media’s credibility.
