When the new legislative session began earlier this month in Jefferson City, Tea Partiers from around Missouri gathered in the capitol building for the Consent of the Governed Rally. Ed Martin spoke to the crowd about state sovereignty.
Showing posts with label Jefferson City. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jefferson City. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Ed Martin speaks at the Consent of the Governed Rally
When the new legislative session began earlier this month in Jefferson City, Tea Partiers from around Missouri gathered in the capitol building for the Consent of the Governed Rally. Ed Martin spoke to the crowd about state sovereignty.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Missouri State Sen. John Lamping and the Show Me Institute's Audrey Spalding on Aerotroplis
Yesterday I posted photos from the Show Me's Institute's Aerotropolis Forum. Here's the complete video produced by the Show Me Institute:
On Tuesday, October 4, the Show-Me Institute hosted a panel discussion to detail the history and future of the Aerotropolis tax credit bill moving through the Missouri Legislature. On hand to answer questions and explain their viewpoint were Missouri Senator John Lamping and Show-Me Institute Policy Analyst Audrey Spalding.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Patrick Brennan for MO House of Representatives
Patrick Brennan (R) is running in a special election to fill the seat vacated by Jake Zimmerman (D). While the district leans left, Brennan has two things going for him. First, there will be lower turnout because this is a special election, so he has to activate the conservative base to win. Second, two democrats are running so the liberal vote will be split creating an advantage for Brennan.
The election will be held November 8th.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Jay Nixon's Central Plans Unravel in Moberly Missouri
St. Louis Post Dispatch: Chinese sweetener deal turns sour in Moberly:
By now, the SweetO plant on the edge of town was supposed to be up and running. It was supposed to be pumping out high-grade artificial sweetener by the truckload, paying nearly 200 people making $17.50 an hour, and serving as Exhibit A of how foreign — Chinese — investment could bring new life deep into the Missouri heartland.
Instead, the half-built plant sits idle, and the city could be on the hook for $39 million of the company's bad debt.
The collapse of the Mamtek deal has created problems in Jefferson City for politicians who supported this boondoggle. Chief among them is Missouri's Governor: Jay Nixon. The governor's official website touts the Mamtek deal and the 600 jobs it was suppose to create in the struggling town of Moberly. The announcement a year ago also includes this now ironic quote from Jay Nixon:
"At a time when too many American companies are shuttering their plants and moving jobs overseas, we are thrilled to have a global company creating hundreds of good manufacturing jobs right here in Missouri," Gov. Nixon said. "These jobs will be a significant boost to Missouri's economy and our manufacturing sector, and they're another positive sign that our economy is beginning to move forward. I am pleased that my administration was able to provide a competitive package of strategic economic incentives to help bring these jobs to Missouri."
Obviously, the absence of those jobs combined with an additional $39 million of debt will sadly extend the economic woes of Moberly. Missouri's state-level leadership needs to re-evaluate their economic principals, because they are making the same mistakes that cargo cult Keynesians at the Federal level are making. They are committing the fatal conceit which Hayek illuminated in this quote: "The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design."
“Substantial concerns have arisen regarding the entity known as Mamtek International Ltd. and its proposed construction and operation of a manufacturing facility in Missouri,” Koster said. “The Attorney General’s Office is assisting Prosecuting Attorney Mike Fusselman and the Randolph County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in reviewing this matter to determine whether any violations of Missouri civil or criminal laws have occurred. Our review of this matter will begin immediately.”
And Mamtek may have other casualties. The Source casts doubt on the pending Aerotropolis legislation in Jefferson City could be one victim:
...Nixon’s administration screwed the pooch so poorly with this China deal, can we really trust that he knows what he’s talking about when it comes to the China Hub project in St. Louis?
The stress of these deals is weighing on Nixon too. He appeared to lose it when talking with reporters last week:
Adding to Gov. Nixon's headaches is this report from the Columbia Tribune that Mamtek was suppose to entice Chinese investors to apply for a special EB-5 visa:
Mamtek US Inc. highlighted a little-known U.S. visa program as an added enticement to lure Chinese investors for the failed effort to build a taxpayer-subsidized artificial sweetener factory in Moberly.On a Chinese-language investor website, Mamtek sought 15 people willing to put $500,000 each into the project. In return, investors would receive an EB-5 visa from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service, good for bringing themselves and their entire immediate family — up to three generations — to the United States.
I think the US (and Missouri) should provide incentives for international entrepreneurs with proven records of success to come to this country. That's one realization of the American dream. The problem with Mamtek, is that it looks a bit too much like it was nothing, but a front for the Mamtek Regional Center. The Mamtek Regional Center is listed on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website as Missouri's only "Immigrant Investor Regional Center" (here's a screen grab):
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Steven Tilley Owes his Friend T.D. El-Amin Another Dinner
Earlier this week, the St. Louis Post Dispatch reported on El-Amin's record setting fine for ethics violations: Former State Rep. El-Amin fined a record $527,000 by Ethics Commission:
St. Louis Democrat Talibdin "T.D." El-Amin, who left the state House in 2009 after pleading guilty to soliciting a $2,100 bribe, controlled a web of campaign committees before he went to prison.Ouch. Clearly, El-Amin is down on his luck and needs to be cheered up. Speaker of the Missouri House, Steven Tilley, should make good on his friendship with El-Amin by taking him out to dinner again. Heck, get the old gang together--invite Rep. Jamilah Nasheed and Rep. Carter too--enjoy a night on the town. I mean, that's what friends do, right?
From those committees, according to the state Ethics Commission, El-Amin:
Reached on Tuesday, El-Amin, 40, described the Ethics penalty as an "administrative charge."
- Issued thousands of dollars in payments to himself
- Authorized repeated cash withdrawals, which are not allowed under state campaign law
- Paid thousands of dollars to family members, including his brother, mother and wife
- Did not report several questionable campaign payments, including expenses at a casino, massage parlor and luxury hotels.
"I don't really have a comment," El-Amin said. "Write what you feel like you need to write"
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Gov. Jay Nixon Runs on Obamacare in 2012
In a surprise move, Governor Jay Nixon has decided to base his 2012 campaign for re-election on the single most unpopular piece of legislation to come out of President Obama's administration and the Pelosi-Reid Congress: Obamacare. That legislation cost Democrats the House in 2010 and was a factor in the recent victory of Republican Bob Turner who won liberal Anthony Weiner's New York Congressional seat in a special election earlier this week. Nixon, who has generally been a centrist governor, has decided to may outsource Missouri's healthcare sovereignty to Washington, DC. In exchange for this sell-out, the Federal government will return $21 million to the Show Me State. Could someone please explain why our money has to go to DC before being returned to us as a grant?
Earlier today, Nixon signed the executive order below creating "healthcare exchanges." Governor Nixon is considering an executive order that would create "healthcare exchanges." This effectively ended a committee hearing that was underway in Jefferson City to consider those exchanges. State Senators Jim Lembke and Rob Schaaf stormed out of the hearing disgusted with the executive overreach of Governor Nixon. In 2010, Missourians overwhelming passed Prop C which rejects federal intrusion into healthcare.
Update: I clarified with my source in Jefferson City and revised the copy above. Nixon has not yet signed the order.
Related:
Jay Nixon Executive Order for Health Care Exchanges
Update: I clarified with my source in Jefferson City and revised the copy above. Nixon has not yet signed the order.
Related:
- Ed Martin to Missouri Legislators: Stop Obamacare Today! Nullify This Bad Law and Send Back the Money
- @United4MO: Latest word from JC is that the Healthcare Exchange issue was pulled from the MHIP agenda and Nixon has not signed the executive order.
Jay Nixon Executive Order for Health Care Exchanges
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Stand Up for Agriculture Rally Photos
Mindy Patterson sent in the photos above from Wednesday's Stand Up for Agriculture Rally this past Wednesday. A crowd of over one thousand descended on Jefferson City, MO, to show their support SB113 which would remove the unconstitutional aspects of last November's Prop B. There were attendees from every corner of Missouri--farmers who gave up valuable time to travel several hours to stand on the steps of Missouri's capitol to protect their right to farm.
Mindy was featured the Loos Trails and Tales earlier today talking about yesterday's rally in Jeff City.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Fighting on for Tea Party Principles
On several core issues I've noticed that establishment Republicans are out of step with the Show Me State's Tea Party activists. After some tough electoral losses earlier this month, St. Louis Tea Party co-founder, Bill Hennessy blogged about the fact that the Missouri GOP has become more of a club than a political party. Nowhere is that clearer than in Jefferson City, MO.
In early March Missouri State House Speaker, Steve Tilley, indicated that the pending right to work legislation was not a priority. It's still languishing in the legislature. Earlier this week Republicans circled around to shoot their own. State Senators Jim Lembke (R), Brian Nieves (R), Will Krause (R), and Rob Schaaf (R) worked out a deal to impose some fiscal discipline on the federal government, but State Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Kurt Schaefer (R) may derail their efforts. Tea Party criticisms of the education reform bills pending in Jeff City have also fallen on deaf ears.
The leading voice on education within Missouri's Tea Party movement is Gretchen at www.MissouriEducationWatchdog.com. She's pointed out that federal blueprints like Race to the Top and Common Core State Standards erode the authority of local school boards by ceding power to Washington, DC, in exchange for federal funds. In essence, the state legislature agrees to more Federal control over education and the state gets Federal money in return. Whether the issue is education or agriculture, this is how state sovereignty is lost. Gretchen has also criticized the longitudinal data system as an intrusion into the privacy of children and their parents. Does the government in DC, really need to track the income of a student's family or other private data?
One reason that our Republican legislature is out of step with Tea Partiers is that the legislative leadership is composed of the old guard. Like many states across the country, Missouri has a large class of freshman Republicans many of whom were Tea Party candidates. However, the leadership consists of establishment Republicans because seniority is a deciding factor for those leadership races. While some legislative leaders may identify with the conservative values espoused by the Tea Party, many do not. The fact is that Missouri's Tea Party freshman were rolled to elect Republican leaders to the left of conservative Tea Party principals.
That has created fissures between grassroots conservatives and the establishment. One of those fissures split open in late February when Gretchen was attacked in The Culpeper Press for her work on education (see the clipping below). The Culpeper Press is a monthly print publication that has taken the establishment's line on education issues, even though it touts itself as a conservative, 9-12 newspaper. One odd thing about the attack on Gretchen is that it comes from an anonymous source in an unsigned article.
The article chides Gretchen for drawing attention to the fact that Missouri legislators and lobbyists attended a private screening of Waiting for Superman. Perhaps the unknown authors of that piece hoped to smear Gretchen as unreasonable by implying "it's only a movie", but we have since learned that the relationship amongst education legislators and lobbyists extends beyond an evening out. Private meetings on education seem to be common in Jeff City and muddled thinking is similarly abundant.
While stepping for the high ground The Culpeper Press stumbled when it scolded: "An angry and belligerent impasse created yesterday could result in a squandered victory for the unborn tomorrow." The writer must be unaware that victory for the unborn was squandered when a man in the pocket of the human cloning lobby, Steve Tilley, was elected Speaker of the Missouri House. Tilley received $20,000 from Supporters of Health Research and Treatments on 10/6/2009 and another $30,000 on 1/4/2010. He also received $50,000 from Life Sciences Fund on 6/25/2009 (h/t Missouri Ethics Commission). Tilley had no reason to spend any of that $100,000 in the 2010 election cycle since he was unopposed in both the primary and general elections; therefore, it remains available to his campaign committee for future races and as an enduring embarrassment to The Culpeper Press.
In early March Missouri State House Speaker, Steve Tilley, indicated that the pending right to work legislation was not a priority. It's still languishing in the legislature. Earlier this week Republicans circled around to shoot their own. State Senators Jim Lembke (R), Brian Nieves (R), Will Krause (R), and Rob Schaaf (R) worked out a deal to impose some fiscal discipline on the federal government, but State Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Kurt Schaefer (R) may derail their efforts. Tea Party criticisms of the education reform bills pending in Jeff City have also fallen on deaf ears.
The leading voice on education within Missouri's Tea Party movement is Gretchen at www.MissouriEducationWatchdog.com. She's pointed out that federal blueprints like Race to the Top and Common Core State Standards erode the authority of local school boards by ceding power to Washington, DC, in exchange for federal funds. In essence, the state legislature agrees to more Federal control over education and the state gets Federal money in return. Whether the issue is education or agriculture, this is how state sovereignty is lost. Gretchen has also criticized the longitudinal data system as an intrusion into the privacy of children and their parents. Does the government in DC, really need to track the income of a student's family or other private data?
One reason that our Republican legislature is out of step with Tea Partiers is that the legislative leadership is composed of the old guard. Like many states across the country, Missouri has a large class of freshman Republicans many of whom were Tea Party candidates. However, the leadership consists of establishment Republicans because seniority is a deciding factor for those leadership races. While some legislative leaders may identify with the conservative values espoused by the Tea Party, many do not. The fact is that Missouri's Tea Party freshman were rolled to elect Republican leaders to the left of conservative Tea Party principals.
That has created fissures between grassroots conservatives and the establishment. One of those fissures split open in late February when Gretchen was attacked in The Culpeper Press for her work on education (see the clipping below). The Culpeper Press is a monthly print publication that has taken the establishment's line on education issues, even though it touts itself as a conservative, 9-12 newspaper. One odd thing about the attack on Gretchen is that it comes from an anonymous source in an unsigned article.
The article chides Gretchen for drawing attention to the fact that Missouri legislators and lobbyists attended a private screening of Waiting for Superman. Perhaps the unknown authors of that piece hoped to smear Gretchen as unreasonable by implying "it's only a movie", but we have since learned that the relationship amongst education legislators and lobbyists extends beyond an evening out. Private meetings on education seem to be common in Jeff City and muddled thinking is similarly abundant.
While stepping for the high ground The Culpeper Press stumbled when it scolded: "An angry and belligerent impasse created yesterday could result in a squandered victory for the unborn tomorrow." The writer must be unaware that victory for the unborn was squandered when a man in the pocket of the human cloning lobby, Steve Tilley, was elected Speaker of the Missouri House. Tilley received $20,000 from Supporters of Health Research and Treatments on 10/6/2009 and another $30,000 on 1/4/2010. He also received $50,000 from Life Sciences Fund on 6/25/2009 (h/t Missouri Ethics Commission). Tilley had no reason to spend any of that $100,000 in the 2010 election cycle since he was unopposed in both the primary and general elections; therefore, it remains available to his campaign committee for future races and as an enduring embarrassment to The Culpeper Press.
Friday, April 8, 2011
The Winning Gambit
Missouri News Horizon reports that the four horsemen of the Dem-apocalypse have lanced their prey: Senate leaders offer $250 million in stimulus cuts in exchange for unemployment extension : Missouri News Horizon:
A $105 million extension of federal unemployment benefits was allowed to move forward in the Missouri Legislature on Thursday after four filibustering Senators won concessions for major cuts to federal spending and state unemployment.As I commented earlier this week: a trade of Unemployment Benefits for Political Pork seemed workable:
A compromise within the Senate GOP brought an end to a month-long effort by four senators protesting what they see as wasteful spending in Washington, D.C.
This seems like a reasonable compromise: the Missouri four give up their filibuster of unemployment benefits and Gov Nixon gives up the pork laden HB18. The unemployment benefits will go to people who are confronting immediate financial needs while HB 18 appears to earmark stimulus funding for dubious projects and special interests. The former ameliorates hardship across the state while the latter lines the pockets of Democrat constituencies. The first is equitable while the second completes the circle of crony capitalism—the very life blood of the Democrat Party.Those four state senators deserve our praise for holding the line on fiscal responsibility. They are Jim Lembke, Brian Nieves, Will Krause, and Rob Schaaf.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
From Unemployment Benefits to Political Pork
Earlier this week I reported that State Senators Jim Lembke, Brian Nieves, Will Krause, and Rob Schaaf are filibustering the Federal government's 20 week extension of unemployment benefits. Their efforts were praised last Friday by Mark Steyn on the Rush Limbaugh show.
I just received the following letter from one of Senator Lembke's aides:
Over the past few weeks Senator Lembke and Senator Nieves have been leading an effort to prevent Chinese money, including a 20-week extension of unemployment benefits from 79 weeks to 99 weeks, from being spent by the federal government and state of Missouri. These senators are voicing the concern many of us have - that the federal government is living outside its means and our nation’s debt, currently above $14.2 trillion, is putting the America our parents and grandparents fought for in jeopardy for future generations. The federal government is currently out of touch, having raised the debt ceiling several times, failed to pass a constitutionally obligated federal budget, and failed to agree on $60 billion in cuts to bureaucratic government. Because of these circumstances, Senator Lembke and Senator Nieves have set out to reject as many federal funds as they can.This seems like a reasonable compromise: the Missouri four give up their filibuster of unemployment benefits and Gov Nixon gives up the pork laden HB18. The unemployment benefits will go to people who are confronting immediate financial needs while HB 18 appears to earmark stimulus funding for dubious projects and special interests. The former ameliorates hardship across the state while the latter lines the pockets of Democrat constituencies. The first is equitable while the second completes the circle of crony capitalism—the very life blood of the Democrat Party.
Senator Lembke and Senator Nieves understand the immense hardships families are going through due to tough economic times. Because of this understanding, these senators reached out to Governor Nixon and opened the door for negotiation. The senators asked the governor to remove his recommendation for House Bill 18, a bill riddled with special interest projects and pork spending. The Governor’s Office refused to give up their pet projects which include $170 million for weatherization, $22 million for a high speed rail study, and $100,000 for aquaculture fisheries in order to provide extended unemployment benefits for the citizens of Missouri. The governor of the State of Missouri picked pet projects over people. Governor Nixon wants to spend hundreds of millions of dollars that our federal government does not have on fisheries and weatherization over the people of our state.
I am told that negotiations between Senator Lembke and Gov Nixon were short. When confronted with a compromise designed to help Missouri households—even those households that do not enjoy political connections—Gov Nixon stormed out of the room. Apparently, political pork projects and special interests are more important to the Governor than the plight of Show Me Staters who can't find work.
Perhaps if Governor Nixon spent less time squandering taxpayer dollars on travel he would better understand the priorities of Missouri families.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Praise for Jim Lembke
State Senator Jim Lembke has taken a lot of heat for filibustering the extension of unemployment benefits. Lembke is not alone in his filibuster. State Senators Brian Nieves, Will Krause, and Rob Schaaf have joined him to sustain the filibuster.
Last Friday I caught a few minutes of the Rush Limbaugh show and heard Mark Steyn who was filling in for Rush praise Lembke for standing up to the Federal Government's offer to extend unemployment benefits with more government debt. As Steyn notes, DC is offering money they don't have.
All but one state is required to balance their budgets, so situations like this make a mockery of that requirement. In effect, states like Missouri that have a constitutional requirement to balance their budget are simply transferring debt to the Federal Government. The Feds understand that they pull all of the strings because they are unconstrained by a balanced budget; therefore, they erode state sovereignty by giving the states money that DC either has to print or borrow from foreigners. In exchange for this new Federal debt, states are given rules and regulations formulated or promulgated from Capitol Hill.
Kudos to Senators Lembke, Nieves, Krause, and Schaaf for taking a stand against this off-balance sheet shell game and protecting state sovereignty.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Ed Martin Promises to Stand for State Sovereignty
Martin notes that the Federal Government has overreached its authority many times, but notes that the passage of Obamacare in 2010 and the failure of the current Congress to repeal or defund it are the main reasons he is renewing his commitment to the core principal of state sovereignty.
Martin closes his letter with three promises to the leaders of Missouri's General Assembly "and their successors":
The first promise hearkens back to an earlier time in our nation's history. Prior to the ratification of the 17th Amendment in 1913, US Senators were selected by the legislators of their respective states. Martin obviously believes that as a Senator he should show some deference to the legislature of the state he represents.
- Each year, I will meet with you and the General Assembly expressly to discuss any federal actions or contemplated actions that we are concerned constitute an overreach by the federal constitutional authority. (Perhaps the week of March 23rd would be a good time given its significance as an anniversary of Obamacare.)
- I will support you in any effort to nullify or interpose any law, regulation, or other action that we deem to be an overreach of federal constitutional authority.
- Finally, I will fight against any action by the federal government to punish the state or Missourians for any expression of their sovereignty. I know that the federal government can use its power to withhold and intrude in our state, and I will fight to stop this abuse.
I hope to see more candidates for US Senate take this innovative approach.
Ed Martin's State Sovereignty Letter to Speaker Tilley President Pro Tem Mayer March 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
The Tea Party vs Establishment GOP
Politico noted that Some in GOP grow tired of right wing:
Here's my theory of what's happening in Washington, DC, as well as Jefferson City, MO, and probably other state houses around the country. Tea Partiers put a lot of effort into getting fiscal conservatives elected. That new blood in state legislatures as well as in Congress mostly entered as freshmen. Leadership positions are filled by people with experience, veterans. There's not much overlap between the set of veteran legislators and the set of Tea Party legislators; therefore, we've gotten stuck with a lot of legislative leadership that does not align well with Tea Party conservatism.
A related problem is how the lower chamber works in DC and around the country. Many bills introduced in the Missouri House are pre-filed before the session starts. I suspect similar things happen in other states as well as in DC. Chairmanships are assigned at the start of the session. If you think of those pre-filed bills as a script and the committees as the actors then it's easy to think of House leadership directing a play. A bill they don't like gets shunted to a committee that doesn't care about it. The chairman says: "these aren't my lines" and that legislation languishes and dies. Bills that leadership likes, get prioritized and quickly voted out of committee. It's not quite a charade, but it often feels like one.
There's also the horse trading that goes on around who, what, and when bills will be voted on. That process is inevitably political; therefore, it is distasteful to conservatives who place principle above politics. But it's politics that lubricate the machinery of the legislature.
These tensions are exacerbated by the fact that many Tea Partiers are learning the details of how the legislative process works. Establishment types tend to take those processes and operate within them, but many Tea Party conservatives are inclined to question the legitimacy of the process itself. There are no easy solutions.
Perhaps understanding that these are the growing pains of our movement will better prepare us for the challenges ahead.
Some veteran Republican House members are pushing back against conservative deficit hawks who are pushing for endlessly deep spending cuts, saying the right wing of the party is creating unnecessary divisions for the GOP majority.In Missouri we've seen some dithering on conservative issues in the legislature, so I'm not surprised that "veteran Republican House members are pushing back" in Congress. The key word there is "veteran".
While the 54 Republicans who voted against the most recent stopgap spending bill didn’t derail the legislation, some GOP lawmakers are becoming increasingly wary of a faction that rejects substantial spending cuts because they want deeper ones or the inclusion of divisive social policy riders.
Here's my theory of what's happening in Washington, DC, as well as Jefferson City, MO, and probably other state houses around the country. Tea Partiers put a lot of effort into getting fiscal conservatives elected. That new blood in state legislatures as well as in Congress mostly entered as freshmen. Leadership positions are filled by people with experience, veterans. There's not much overlap between the set of veteran legislators and the set of Tea Party legislators; therefore, we've gotten stuck with a lot of legislative leadership that does not align well with Tea Party conservatism.
A related problem is how the lower chamber works in DC and around the country. Many bills introduced in the Missouri House are pre-filed before the session starts. I suspect similar things happen in other states as well as in DC. Chairmanships are assigned at the start of the session. If you think of those pre-filed bills as a script and the committees as the actors then it's easy to think of House leadership directing a play. A bill they don't like gets shunted to a committee that doesn't care about it. The chairman says: "these aren't my lines" and that legislation languishes and dies. Bills that leadership likes, get prioritized and quickly voted out of committee. It's not quite a charade, but it often feels like one.
There's also the horse trading that goes on around who, what, and when bills will be voted on. That process is inevitably political; therefore, it is distasteful to conservatives who place principle above politics. But it's politics that lubricate the machinery of the legislature.
These tensions are exacerbated by the fact that many Tea Partiers are learning the details of how the legislative process works. Establishment types tend to take those processes and operate within them, but many Tea Party conservatives are inclined to question the legitimacy of the process itself. There are no easy solutions.
Perhaps understanding that these are the growing pains of our movement will better prepare us for the challenges ahead.
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