Previously: Campaign Finance: Attorney General Chris Koster (D) has a really good day (March 12, 2011)

Yesterday, at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

CONTRIBUTION OF MORE THAN $5,000.00 RECEIVED BY ANY COMMITTEE FROM ANY SINGLE DONOR – TO BE FILED WITHIN 48 HOURS OF RECEIVING THE CONTRIBUTION

C031159 MISSOURIANS FOR KOSTER [pdf] 3/13/2011

James E Stowers

400 W 49th Terrace

Kansas City , MO 64113

American Century Investments Founder

3/13/2011

$75,000.00

[emphasis added]

Attorney General Chris Koster (D) has another very good fundraising day.

James Stowers? Ah, yes, that’s right. Stem cell research.

Chris Koster in Independence, MO (March 30, 2008)

…Why did I switch parties? Probably three reasons. As much as I, there are two big ones. The biggest one might be stem cell research. Um, when I walked in to the Missouri Senate I walked…first of all, when you’re a prosecutor you’re really not a Democrat or a Republican. I mean you run with a letter after your name but you apply the laws equally. So I never really had to exist in a partisan whirlwind until I got down to the Senate. Everybody knew that I was a centrist when I ran for office. Walked in, and as soon as I walked in, we hit the stem cell debate on the floor. Everybody who’s been watching my career, um, and who believed that there might be opportunities some day to advance said to me, “Stay away from this. You don’t want to touch this thing. If you touch it is, if you touch it as a Republican it could end you.” Couple of issues. One, it’s the Stowers Institute. Okay. Stowers Institute has a three and a half billion dollar endowment. Within ten years after Jim and Virginia make their final gifting to that, meaning after, which is a polite way of saying after they make their final gifting [laughter], uh, you know, this thing is going to be as much as a ten billion dollar endowment and will be the most well endowed medical research facility on the planet Earth. Um, Washington University has a five billion dollar endowment. It took them a hundred years to put it together. Stowers has a three billion dollar endowment, it’s been up and goin’ for a decade now, and it’s going to ten. And Washington University’s endowment is split between education and medicine and Stowers’ endowment is totally focused on stem cell research.

By the end of my lifetime Stowers Institute will be as important to this city as Washington University is to St. Louis. As..I think everybody in the room knows there’s a hundred acres that Stowers has under contract in the state. What everybody might not know in the room is that there already exists a plat map of what that hundred acres is gonna look like. And, there could be as many as ten facilities the size of the current Stowers Research Institute on that hundred acres. Ten research facilities, six hundred thousand square feet per research facility, state of the art, world class scientists coming to Kansas City and doing research that is recognized around the planet.

It was not an issue that you just backed away from.

I mean, if you’re in politics..I think anybody who’s worth their salt in politics is looking for some hill that’s worth dying on. Every hill’s not worth dying on, but if no hill is worth dying on then you should just go practice law. This was a hill worth dying on..

So Bartle and I had our day out there. It was an extraordinary experience, I remember it like it was yesterday. I worked my tail off preparing. I had an hour long presentation, that I probably spent forty hours working on and, I dunno, three months researching. One of the cool things was the Stowers Institute gave me access to the finest scientists in the world as I prepared my  floor speech. So I got to talk to people in London, Paris, Harvard. It was incredible. So Bartle and I do our thing. It goes on for about five hours and, and we won that year. That was 2005 and so, you know, the rest of the thing has rolled forward with Amendment 2 and all. But, you know what? The political handlers were right. It created a breech between myself and the Republican Party that never healed. And it was never going to heal. And, you know, they put a target on my head after that. The, the, the conservative wing of the party put a target on my head to make sure that no one who held these beliefs would advance. Okay, so that was reason number one. That I basically became fed up with that attitude. Because they are willing to take the Stowers Institute and send then to San Diego. As if though, somehow that enhances the, the morality of the planet. It just doesn’t. We should be proud to have them here. I bet that most of the people in this room are proud to have them here. And people make all the difference to keep them here…

Previously: Kansas City Labor Rally Against SB 1: right to get paid less, part 1

In addition to the union members who attended yesterday’s rally at the IBEW complex a number of area public office holders addressed the rally or were in attendance, including Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders (D), Jackson County Legislator Theresa Garza Ruiz (D), Missouri State Senator Victor Callahan (D), Cass County Prosecutor Teresa Hensley (D), among several others.

Toward the end of the rally we spoke with former Missouri State Representative and House Minority Leader Paul LeVota (D):

Show Me Progress: …What’s the importance of stopping, uh, the so called, uh, “right to work” Senate Bill 1 for workers in Missouri.

Former Missouri State Representative and House Minority Leader Paul LeVota (D):  Well, it’s important to create jobs in Missouri and this is gonna go the wrong way. It’s gonna reduce wages, it’s gonna reduce, uh, money for education and the teacher, it’s gonna reduce, really, the middle class standard of living. And, and that’s the point. It’s why they want to try this legislation.

Show Me Progress: So, you know, in, in, in sort of the real world what’s the, you know, you try to think what’s the motivation for people to, to, to literally propose something that will do that in Missouri. What, what’s their, their whole thought process?

Paul LeVota:  This is so these big businesses can make more money. It’s simply that. They don’t have to pay workers as much for their skill set. Um, they reduce the number of, uh, skilled workers and then they don’t have to pay ’em as much so they get to keep more money in their own pocket…

American Federation of Teachers: “This is what a Union Thug looks like.”

…Show Me Progress: But, you know, the, the problem with the logic of that is, well, is, there are more, basically, there are more workers than, than there are people who, you know, own corporations in the sense of, run them, and, and profit from them, so, aren’t they cutting their own throats?

Paul LeVota: In the long term they’re cutting their own throats ’cause they’re not gonna have the workers they need to grow their business. Um, we have seen a sharp decline not only in Missouri, but in the U.S. of manufacturing workers. We need to be innovators. Well, we need to have skilled workers to innovate. We need to have a great education system in the state to innovate, to create new jobs and new, uh, growth in our state. This is just backwards. And every other state that’s done this has gone backwards. And, uh, it’s, it’s the Republican Party, in majority, trying to show their political power by paying back, um, their heavy contributors. That’s what this is all about.

Show Me Progress: You know, but, we’re seeing this across the country. Uh, it’s sort of, is there sort of a coordinated play book for them to do this?

Paul LeVota: Absolutely.  Coordinated play book. Traditionally the Democratic Party has stood up for, uh, the middle class and working people, Republican hasn’t.  So you stop union collective bargaining, right to work, you weaken them, and you weaken the Democratic Party. And it all goes together for, um, more power in the, in the government to make the richer richer and the poorer poorer.

Show Me Progress: Thank you very much for your time.

Sheet Metal Workers’ International Association, Local 2.

The United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers.

The United Auto Workers had a sizable contingent.

Yesterday Blue Girl and I attended the labor rally at the IBEW complex in Kansas City. From the AFL-CIO release:

Workers Rally in Kansas City to Stop Legislative Attacks on Middle Class Missourians

Agenda that includes “right to work” and a repeal of child labor laws could undermine Missouri’s skilled workforce and wages

On Saturday March 12 at 12:30 p.m. at the IBEW Local 124 Training Center, 301 E. 103rd Terrace, community groups, students and workers will stand united against an onslaught of anti-worker legislation that have been filed to pay back greedy CEOs and shadowy interest groups.

Working Missourians are saying enough is enough with the same old tired politics that are at odds with Missouri voters. Of major concern, anti-worker legislation such as Senate Bill 1 would undermine Missouri’s top-notch training programs. The extensive training and apprenticeship programs in the state, a $30 million investment, ensure a quality workforce.

Skilled, trained workers result in projects that are built right the first time and provide real value. The ‘short-cuts’ such as “right to work” and repealing child labor laws are not going to fix Missouri’s budget problems. That’s why workers are rallying today to protect good jobs…

###

There were over four hundred in attendance at the rally.

Before the rally got started we had an opportunity to speak with Steve Nickel of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers:

Show Me Progress: …What’s the importance of today, uh, this, this rally today here?

Steve Nickel, Grand Lodge Representative, Midwest Territory, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers:  Uh, to show solidarity and to show to the Republicans and the big money, the CEOs that, um, we’re not gonna take these changes sitting down. We’re gonna stand up, we’re gonna fight for this. Um, and if, if we need to, we’re gonna do everything we can to, um, work hard in the politics and put working people’s friends back in office.

Show Me Progress: Now how do we get, you know, the, the average voter to, uh, understand what this sort of right to get paid less legislation means?

Steve Nickel: They need to understand its gonna affect the communities, it’s gonna affect working families, it’s gonna be less in wages and benefits, it’s gonna hurt the strength of the bargaining of the unions. And when, when that affects the strength of the unions it affects even the non-union people because there’s a, a push down effect, um, to their wages and benefits also. You know, labor sets the standards for wages and benefits in the area. And, and it’s [SB 1] gonna be a downward effect…

United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.

International Union of Painters and Allied Trades.

…Show Me Progress: You know, part of this, uh, do you see this kind of, uh, effort, sort of, kind of a divide and conquer kind of effort in, in the rhetoric that people use about, uh, organized labor having it too good?

Steve Nickel:  Yeah, and it’s terrible. There isn’t anybody in organized labor that are rich over this. I mean, they’re working, they’re, they’re part of the middle class. And it’s about, um, the Republicans trying to destroy the middle class and take total control. The unions are the last line of defense for the working class and they’re trying to destroy ’em and have total control over this country.

Show Me Progress: We, we found it is interesting in the rhetoric over the, uh, renewal of the Bush era tax cuts they said that people making two hundred fifty thousand dollars a year weren’t, weren’t rich and now, in, the same people are using the rhetoric that, uh, a public school teacher who might make fifty or forty-five thousand dollars a year is living high of the hog.

Steve Nickel:  Right. And, there was an interesting article, uh, Forbes just came out with their new list of billionaires. More billionaires. More billionaires in the United States, more billionaires all over the world. And, and the rich keep getting richer and the middle class are being pushed into the poor.

Show Me Progress: And, you know, we hear this rhetoric, too, uh, you know, as people talk about this, uh, the, the problem for them, though, is there are more of us than there are of them as you pointed out.

Steve Nickel:  Right. And that’s, and that’s where we can take back this power by, we have, we have the numbers, we just have to get people to understand the issues, see that this is, um, that working class is trying to be taken advantage of to, to the lies and the rhetoric that is being put out there. And we gotta, we gotta take, we gotta take back this country. This is happening all over the Midwest that I have to deal with. It’s happening in Indiana, in Michigan, and in Wisconsin, in Minnesota, and now in Missouri. They’re, they’re trying to kill us. They’re trying to wipe us out. And the attack on the public workers, there’s twelve percent of the union workforce, twelve percent of the workforce is union and eight percent of that is public sector workers. If they wipe out that eight percent you only have four percent, that is something that’s they’re gonna finish crushing the unions then.

Show Me Progress: Well, thank you very much for time.

Steve Nickel: Sure. Thank you.

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 53.

International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers.

We are union. We are proud Americans.

United we stand with American pride building stronger unions one member at a time.

We live free and work hard.

Tried and true brotherhoods.

We salute unity for there is strength in numbers.

Listen to our purpose, listen to our call!

“…We salute unity for there is strength in numbers…”

And that is what the republicans are afraid of.

It’s late, it’s Saturday, and, in my present state, I don’t imagine I could do justice to the complexities of opening a box of Post Toasties (if I even had such a box). However, during a listless half-hour meandering around the blogosphere, I came across these two tidbits I’d like to share:

— Think Progress notes the similarities between the right-to-work-for less legislation in Missouri, Maine, New Hampshire and other states, discusses the leading role that is played by the Koch brothers’ front group, Americans for Prosperity, in pushing this type of legislation in Maine (and elsewhere?), and finally observes:

The conservative strategy for decimating the labor movement is being replicated with great speed – and little creativity. Each state, from Wisconsin, to Ohio, to Maine, and others across the country face a similar threat of phony Tea Party groups, business front organizations, and even nearly identical legislative proposals.

In other words, a conservative tsunami is on us – and it’s every bit as destructive politically  and socially as the one in Japan is physically.

— Duane Graham of The Erstwhile Conservative wonders why Claire McCaskill can’t talk about the deficit like a Democrat. Noting what I think of as her efforts to play political catch-up with the GOP on the topic while refusing to acknowledge the full range of complex economic issues that are involved, he comments about an email he received in response to a letter he sent her:

In any case, read it and weep liberals.  But remember that the moderate Senator McCaskill is the only horse we have in the upcoming race. The alternative is unthinkable.

Missouri’s progressive dilemma in a nutshell.

St. Louis Activist Hub has a posting praising the good coverage from some media outlets of Friday night’s 4300 strong rally at Kiener Plaza and decrying the inexcusable lack of coverage from others, especially KMOV and the Post-Dispatch.

And the Post-Dispatch ignoring this story? Ahhh, where do I start? Perhaps Post-Dispatch political director Christopher Ave needs to meet with some union members just like he invited Dana Loesch to coach him on how to cover the tea party. Of course, we don’t need to ask how the Post-Dispatch owners feel about workers: they quite clearly do not care at all about them, to the point where they’re willing to break written agreements and drop health care coverage for people with cancer in order to save a few pennies.

When the story of the strikes in Wisconsin broke, the Post was silent about it for the first couple of days. I wrote at the time about activist Marilyn Morton calling the paper to complain about that. She was told that the Post focuses on local news. It’s pitiful enough that the paper founded by Joseph Pulitzer would have ignored such a crucial story, but at least if the P-D wants to focus on local news, then by god let them DO it. Ignoring a rally 4500 strong called about an issue that is sweeping the nation–corporate greed and the war on working people–is hardly “covering” local news. After all, Jo Mannies, who used to write for them and now works at the online newspaper, The Beacon, was at the rally and did a fine piece about it.

If it weren’t for Kevin Horrigan and the other fine op-ed writers at the Post-Dispatch, I’d drop my subscription yesterday.

A few days ago, at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

CONTRIBUTION OF MORE THAN $5,000.00 RECEIVED BY ANY COMMITTEE FROM ANY SINGLE DONOR – TO BE FILED WITHIN 48 HOURS OF RECEIVING THE CONTRIBUTION

C031159 MISSOURIANS FOR KOSTER [pdf] 3/9/2011

Stone, Leyton & Gershman

7733 Forsyth Blvd Suite 500

Saint Louis , MO 63105

3/9/2011

$10,000.00

Simmons Attorneys at Law

707 Berkshire Blvd. P.O. Box 521

East Alton, IL 62024

3/9/2011

$50,000.00

Seeger Weiss LLP

One William Street

New York, NY 10004

3/9/2011

$10,000.00

[emphasis added]

Previously:

Attorney General Chris Koster (D): let the fundraising commence (January 27, 2011)

Attorney General Chris Koster (D): let the fundraising commence, part 2 (January 30, 2011)

It doesn’t appear that Attorney General Chris Koster is going to allow the republicans to sneak up on him when it comes to fundraising. I wonder if partners and associates at law firms are particularly concerned about pushing teabagger lawsuits against health care reform? Just asking.  

For the sponsors that would probably be a feature, not a bug.

Jobs initiatives, what jobs initiatives? It’s all about teh gays with republicans:

HCR 45

Urges the President of the United States and the United States Congress to uphold and defend the federal Defense of Marriage Act

Sponsor: Pollock, Darrell (146)

Co-Sponsor: Gatschenberger, Chuck (013) … et al.

Proposed Effective Date: 8/28/2011

LR Number: 1974L.01I

Last Action: 3/10/2011 – Offered (H)

Bill String: HCR 45

Next Hearing: Hearing not scheduled

Calendar: Bill currently not on a calendar

So, if you’re gonna “defend” marriage do you think any or all of your party’s potential presidential nominees should probably be successful at it first? Just asking.

The bill:

FIRST REGULAR SESSION

House Concurrent Resolution No. 45

96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY



INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVES POLLOCK (Sponsor), GATSCHENBERGER, DUGGER, WELLS, WRIGHT, LOEHNER, KEENEY, ROWLAND, COX, LANT, REIBOLDT, DAVIS, FUHR, SCHOELLER, ENTLICHER, HOSKINS, SCHAD, SOLON, STREAM, THOMSON, COOKSON, BROWN (116), HIGDON, KORMAN, DENISON, LONG, KOENIG, FISHER, GRISAMORE, CURTMAN, McCAHERTY, FREDERICK, SCHATZ, HOUGHTON, CRAWFORD, ELMER, HAMPTON, CIERPIOT, SCHIEBER, FITZWATER, HOUGH, CROSS, JONES (89), LICHTENEGGER, LASATER, BAHR, FRAKER, WALLINGFORD, RICHARDSON, JONES (117), FUNDERBURK, FLANIGAN AND ASBURY (Co-sponsors).

1974L.01I

           WHEREAS, states have plenary power to recognize marriages, to establish their own public policies with regard to the institution of marriage, and to provide for the benefits related to marriage in a rational manner; and

           WHEREAS, Article I, Section 33 of the Missouri Constitution states:

“That to be valid and recognized in this state, a marriage shall exist only between a man and a woman.”; and

           WHEREAS, Article I, Section 33 of the Missouri Constitution as adopted on August 3, 2004, is an expression of the supermajority will of Missouri citizens having passed in every county in Missouri and having passed by a total percentage of 71% in favor of the amendment; and

           WHEREAS, the primary function and purpose of Article I, Section 33 of the Missouri Constitution is to express the State of Missouri’s support for the longstanding secular and religious tradition of marriage between a man and a woman and not to invidiously discriminate against a particular class of persons; and

           WHEREAS, the extremely rare and perplexing refusal of President Barack Obama’s Administration to defend the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act in federal court, as expressed in a February 23, 2011, letter from Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. to House Speaker John Boehner, is a serious threat to the rule of law; and

           WHEREAS, the Obama Administration’s articulation of a novel legal theory whereby sexual orientation is elevated to the status of “heightened scrutiny” under the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution is without precedential support, and poses a serious threat to the longstanding rights of the states to recognize marriage and to establish their own public policies with regard to the institution of marriage:

           NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the members of the House of Representatives of the Ninety-sixth General Assembly, First Regular Session, the Senate concurring therein, hereby urge the United States Congress and the President of the United States to uphold and defend the federal Defense of Marriage Act; and

           BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Missouri General Assembly further urges the United States Congress and the President of the United States to uphold and defend the traditional right of states to legislate with a rational basis to recognize marriages, establish their own public policies with regard to the institution of marriage, and to provide benefits related to the institution of marriage; and

           BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chief Clerk of the Missouri House of Representatives be instructed to prepare properly inscribed copies of this resolution for the President of the United States, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and each member of the Missouri Congressional Delegation.

[emphasis in original]

Jobs? What jobs?

The union organizers of Friday night’s Rally against corporate greed at Kiener Plaza in St. Louis estimated a crowd of 4300. A large part of the reason this weekend was chosen was that the 34 members of the Missouri Senate are scheduled on Monday to vote on the right-to-work-for-less bill, SB 1. Union official Jeff Aboussie, in the video, assumes he can count on the eight Democrats in the chamber and only singles out for mention the five Republicans who’ve openly opposed the idea. That’s short of the 18 votes it would take to kill it. But a filibuster is almost certain. Robin Wright-Jones mentioned on her Facebook page that she’s looking for filibuster material, and she may well be joined in the effort by one or more Republicans. The opposition in both chambers enjoys strong bipartisan support.