Commentary
Missouri must reduce family separations, not only formal foster care numbers
The Missouri Independent recently reported on the modest decline in the number of children in Missouri’s formal foster care system. Beneath the headline, however, the story revealed the urgent need to regulate the disturbing practice of hidden foster care — which Missouri’s Children’s Division has effectively admitted to practicing. That practice violates parents’ and children’s […]
Seizing the clean energy opportunity: Missouri’s time to shine
A shift is underway in the landscape of America’s utilities, and Missouri cannot afford to be left behind. For years, electric companies across the nation cited cost concerns in their resistance to clean energy. But that should be the case no longer, thanks to new federal opportunities. More of Missouri’s utilities must decide that embracing […]
The challenges of being a teacher in Missouri don’t outweigh the massive benefits
What would your perfect job look like? You might choose to be your own boss, with space to creatively express yourself and feel fulfilled by your work. Maybe you would want day-to-day novelty, an experience that never grows stale. You might even seek a job that would allow you to pick up and move around […]
Closing Missouri’s education deficits is everyone’s responsibility
Now that a new school year has begun, each of us has an opportunity to decide how we will help children learn. Many school districts in Missouri and across the nation are facing an additional challenge over and above the usual ones in providing the best educational preparation for the children in their care. The […]
Turning Missouri education around begins with transparent school performance
Missouri students and teachers returned to the classroom this month facing a sobering reality. Missouri students are now worse at reading and math than the average American student. At a time when our students need and deserve a world-class education, we are actually falling further behind. According to the nation’s report card, NAEP, as of […]
Rural hospitals rely on the 340B drug pricing program
According to a recent report, roughly 35% of rural hospitals in Missouri are at risk of closing as a result of inadequate revenue and low financial reserves. This comes as no surprise as hospitals continue to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, face an increased demand for care, and still see rising supply and […]
Medicare cuts to home health impede patient care for Missouri seniors
When being discharged from the hospital after a severe illness or injury, most seniors prefer to return home and receive home healthcare. However, Medicare’s ongoing cuts to the home health program threaten access to care for millions of older Americans and patients with disabilities in need of post-acute care who want to go home when leaving […]
Capitol Perspective: There must be a better way to do ballot descriptions
Recent disputes and lawsuits about how abortion-rights initiative petitions would be summarized on the ballot demonstrates a serious problem with the process required in Missouri before signatures can be collected. Under the current process, the top of the proposal contains an estimated cost written by the state auditor and a short description written by the […]
After a century, states are loosening child labor laws. Where’s the outrage?
When Jacob Riis came to Emporia in 1902 to give a lecture, audiences knew what they could expect. Twelve years earlier, he had published “How the Other Half Lives,” which exposed through candid photographs the living conditions of the poor in the slums of New York City. The Danish-American muckraker’s subject for his Kansas audience […]
History of the hog industry shows how to save the cattle industry
As a 5th generation Missouri farmer, I know what the stakes are. As independent family farmers, we are responsible for our animals and the land 365 days a year, through every type of weather, year in and year out. We carry the majority of the risk, and then we watch corporate meatpackers take the majority […]
Each taxpayer is an employer. What kind of employer are you?
As we pause to pay tribute to the achievements and contributions of workers to our economy and their struggle to improve working conditions, the role that employers have played and continue to play — for good or ill — is inescapable. How are employers measuring up in caring out their responsibilities to employees? A recent […]
A fiscal cliff looms with the impending end of the education windfall
In the wake of the unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, education has been at the forefront of societal concerns. As we grapple with the daunting task of educating our children and bridging the learning gaps exacerbated by the pandemic, we cannot overstate the crucial importance of a well-funded and robust education system. However, […]