Commentary
Capitol Perspectives: Missourians’ right to change their constitution
Missouri’s Republican legislators might want to give a second thought to their party’s push to impose higher vote requirements to amend the state constitution. If some of these requirements had been in effect in 1980, it likely would have led to voter defeat of a major issue for Republicans. The 1980 “Hancock” constitutional amendment requires […]
Why some people believe ‘marijuana’ is a racist word, and why it doesn’t offend me
I was talking to a cannabis business owner I’ve known for a while and respect. The man, who is white, told me he refused to use the term “marijuana” because it’s racist. It was one of my first conversations on the cannabis beat, which I’ve been on for a month now. And my mind was […]
Beware of dangerous rip currents that threaten our government
On an almost daily basis we are confronted with the choice of continuing to believe in the role, value and integrity of our government or conclude that it is irretrievably broken. At a minimum we must seriously ask: Are we at risk of succumbing to what appears to be inherent and intransigent dishonesty and hypocrisy […]
We know where the Missouri AG’s inflammatory anti-trans rhetoric could lead
In 2015, Robert Dear shot three people to death and injured nine others at a Colorado Planned Parenthood. When he was arrested after a five hour stand-off he told police: “no more baby parts.” The gunman was repeating a lie that presidential candidates and politicians had taken mainstream after an anti-abortion group released doctored videos […]
It’s time for annual Medicaid renewal in Missouri. Here’s what you need to know
At the beginning of this month, the annual renewal began for Medicaid recipients. It sounds simple enough but prompts many questions, depending on how closely you have been watching the situation. How will that affect people on Medicaid? Why weren’t annual renewals being done? How do we get ahead of this and make sure the […]
Public safety in Missouri belongs to the people, not the state
In a move with parallels across the country, conservative lawmakers in Jefferson City are advancing legislation to strip control of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) from the city and give it to the state. The bill comes a decade after Missourians voted to reverse a Civil War-era system that had kept St. Louis law enforcement […]
Guns and vigilantes: Fear, paranoia has created a culture of violence
PUT THE GUN DOWN. It’s just the doorbell, the child is lost. PUT THE GUN DOWN. It’s just a car, doing a u-turn because they were lost. PUT THE GUN DOWN. She got into the wrong car by accident. PUT THE GUN DOWN. He didn’t mean to cut you off. PUT THE GUN DOWN. It […]
Capitol Perspectives: Dealing with government disruptions
Missouri represents an interesting perspective for the vote of Tennessee’s House to expel two of its members for disrupting a legislative session trying to highlight firearm issues. As far as I can discover, Missouri has expelled just two House members in the state’s long history. The first was in 1865 when Rep. John Sampson was […]
Missouri’s initiative petition process is at risk
The initiative petition process, used by Missourians to independently check special interests and bring issues to the voters for 115 years, is under attack by our Missouri Legislature. The supermajority in the legislature, with no counterbalancing weight within their chambers, is leading the charge to undermine the initiative petition process. To carry out their scheme, politicians and lobbyists are […]
Strong leaders with unwavering voices are required for major changes in our society
In times of a major crisis, discord, division or a crossroads situation where a country or society finds itself at the precipice of what will define its future, a committed leader with a commanding voice emerges. Who will be that leader — that strong, dedicated and unifying voice to lead us to a solution to […]
Abortion pill ruling puts politics ahead of medical evidence
This past week, American healthcare took a backseat to American politics. Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of Texas sided with the conservative Christian legal advocacy group, Alliance Defending Freedom, and issued an injunction on the Federal Drug Administration’s 2000 approval of mifepristone on the grounds that the FDA did not adequately evaluate its safety before approval. If […]
Missouri’s new effort to punish libraries is vindictive and harmful
Late last month, Missouri’s House passed a budget that would strip all state funding for public libraries — $4.5 million in total. Republican lawmakers say they are doing this to retaliate against a lawsuit by Missouri librarians, who hope to see a new law against “explicit sexual material” in schools — in reality, a book […]