Volume 13, Edition 1   •  March 2 , 2007

Governor Seeks Expansion of Katy Trail

Putting the people of Missouri ahead of politics, Gov. Matt Blunt is committed to having the state reach a settlement with Ameren that includes expanding the Katy Trail. Unlike the Governor, Jay Nixon is putting politics ahead of Missourians by opposing the settlement. In the Taum Sauk dam settlement negotiated by the Governor’s team and blocked by a lawsuit filed by Nixon, Ameren will work to rebuild the reservoir without passing those costs on to ratepayers. Ameren will also pay the costs to cleanup and rebuild Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park at a cost of approximately $20 million and restore the East Fork of the Black River for approximately $40 million. Nixon’s opposition to the settlement is tied closely to his desire to inoculate himself from revelations last year that he took more than $19,000 in backdoor political contributions from Ameren while he was supposedly investigating the utility for the Taum Sauk dam collapse. The Governor, meanwhile, wants to quickly settle this issue with Ameren so that Missouri is fully compensated for the collapse damage.

Governor Joins Bi-partisan Coalition to Protect Kids

Gov. Matt Blunt joined a bipartisan group of governors this week to urge Congress to continue funding for a program that expands children’s access to health care. Gov. Blunt joined Republican Governors Sonny Perdue of Georgia, Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, and Haley Barbour of Mississippi and Democrat Governors Jon Corzine of New Jersey, Phil Bredesen of Tennessee, John Baldacci of Maine and Martin O’Malley of Maryland in support of the state and federally funded State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The program is designed to provide aid to uninsured working families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid. Though Missouri anticipates available SCHIP funding to be sufficient through the end of this federal fiscal year, several states expect funding to fall short. The coalition of governors wants Congress to provide funds to support the program in all states through the end of the year, to reauthorize and fund the program over the next five years and for states to have the flexibility to manage the program as they see fit. In Missouri, the program provides coverage for more than 66,000 children. Missouri is one of only eight states that provide coverage for children up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level through the SCHIP program. The Governor’s proposed changes through MO HealthNet would expand the program to an estimated additional 6,349 children.

 

Russell, Eckelkamp Named Republicans of Year

Missouri State Republican Chairman Doug Russell and Vice Chairman Susie Eckelkamp have been named joint recipients of the prestigious Missouri Republican of the Year award by the Missouri Association of Republicans. “Doug Russell and Susie Eckelkamp have served tirelessly and selflessly as grassroots leaders and volunteers working on behalf of Missouri Republicans across the state, and that is why they are being recognized for their efforts,” said Barbara Cooper, president of the Missouri Association of Republicans. “Doug and Susie have both made a difference in the lives of Missourians and have played important roles in the success of the Missouri Republican Party.”

Remembering Dorman Steelman

The Missouri Republican Party and Republicans across Missouri today mourned the passing of Dorman Lloyd Steelman. Steelman, 81, the father of former state representative David Steelman and father-in-law of State Treasurer Sarah Steelman, died March 1 at the Salem Memorial District Hospital in Salem. Dorman Steelman was elected as state representative from Dent County in 1957 and served as House Minority Floor Leader from 1960 until he left office in 1964. Steelman served as State Chairman of the Missouri Republican Party from 1966 until 1968. Steelman was appointed by Gov. Kit Bond in 1976 as circuit judge for Missouri Judicial Circuit 42 where he served until 1994. Arrangements are under the direction of James and Gahr Funeral Home in Salem.

Democrats Back Bid Allowing Judges to Increase Taxes

In one of the clearest examples of Democrats’ lust for raising taxes at any cost, close to 60 House Democrats voted against a resolution late last week that would bar judges from being allowed to raise taxes on hard-working Missourians. Despite the Democrat challenge, the Republican House majority voted with the people of this state and gave final approval to House Joint Resolution 1 which prevents Missouri courts from approving tax increases without voter approval or the approval of the Legislature, which has sole taxation authority under the state constitution. The vote on HJR 1 was a victory for hard-working Missouri taxpayers who shouldn’t have their pockets picked by unelected judges who are not accountable to voters. The overwhelming majority of House Democrats that opposed the measure exposed both their party’s lust for tax increases and total disregard for the taxpayers of this state. The measure now heads to the Missouri Senate for consideration. See more on the media’s bias on the issue in our ‘Media Watch’ section.

Paper ‘Gets’ Missourians’ Aversion to Taxes

The liberal media has been doing a fine job recently trying to poke holes in a proposal that would prevent activist judges from increasing Missourians’ taxes. Their argument has been that Missouri’s so-called non-partisan judicial system is, in fact, non-partisan and therefore attempts to limit it are off base. What most in the media fail to recognize is that judges currently have the power to approve a tax increase without the approval of the people’s elected representatives. It is this kind of power that House Joint Resolution 1 would prevent. This week, one newspaper put the situation into perspective by taking taxpayers’ view of the issue. In an editorial, the St. Joseph News-Press took a balanced look at the arguments for and against the House resolution and came to the most logical of conclusions: “Our hunch is that taxpayers would jump at the chance to keep Missouri judges out of the business of hiking taxes.” It is nice to see that a newspaper actually understands where its readers stand on an important issue like taxes. It also stands to reason that Republicans have made significant political gains in Missouri because the party opposes tax increases. The resolution has the support of the Governor and already has passed in the House. Missourians should keep a close eye on the Senate, where tax-and-spend liberal Democrats will oppose the measure and, therefore, expose their lust for tax increases even if it is judges who are doing the taxing. To read the editorial, click here.

Thoughts and Prayers

The Missouri Republican Party encourages Republicans across the state to keep these individuals in your thoughts and prayers:

Paul Busiek, husband of Mavis Busiek. Paul’s health concerns continue.

Dawn Sprick, daughter of Gary Harris. Dawn is fighting another battle with cancer.

Mike Keathley, Commissioner of Administration, continues his battle with cancer.

 

 
{{ openrate() }}Click here to unsubscribe or change preferences