Previously:

Campaign Finance: liquor PAC (May 2, 2013)

Ads that appeared as part of a rotation on Balloon Juice:

Paid for by Missourians For Responsible Liquor Laws.

All that PAC money and they couldn’t pay a photographer to get an unflattering “gotcha” picture? Representative Crawford’s Missouri House photo:

The original (left) and a simple conversion (right).

Apparently Representative Crawford (r) isn’t a sure thing on HB 759.

Biographical information from the Missouri House:

Rep. Sandy Crawford, a Republican, represents Dallas County and part of Laclede County (District 129) in the Missouri House of Representatives. She was elected to her first two-year term in November 2010.

Prior to being elected, Rep. Crawford enjoyed a thirty year banking career.

Rep. Crawford is a member of the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Lebanon and a Sunday school teacher. She is a member of the Buffalo Area Chamber of Commerce, Lebanon Area Chamber of Commerce, Farm Bureau, Missouri Cattlemen’s Association, Dallas County Cattlemen’s Association, and the NRA. In addition, she is the Youth Division Chairman of the Dallas County Fair.

Rep. Crawford is a 1975 graduate of Buffalo High School. She received her B.S. in Finance from Missouri State University in 1995.

[….]

[emphasis added]

The 21st Amendment argument doesn’t stand a chance. There is one, and only one, amendment in the Constitution:

Bill Sponsor Co-Signer Bill String Date/Last Action

Bill Information

HB436 Funderburk, Doug Crawford, Sandy SCS HCS HB 436 5/2/2013 Reported to the House with… (H)

1204S.04C – Establishes the Second Amendment Preservation Act which rejects all federal acts that infringe on a Missouri citizens’ rights under the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution

[emphasis added]

Dealing with booze and guns. Your Missouri General Assembly has priorities.

Previously:

Campaign Finance: Bam! (May 2, 2013)

Today, at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C031159 05/03/2013 MISSOURIANS FOR KOSTER UA Political Education Committee 3 Park Place Annapolis MD 21401 5/2/2013 $50,000.00

[emphasis added]

It continues to add up.

Yes, it’s been snowing.

Yesterday, via Twitter:

Rep. Vicky Hartzler ‏@RepHartzler

Well, it looks like we won’t get in the fields again this week due to more rain….and snow!? This global warming is crazy! 3:09 PM – 2 May 13

Uh, there’s a difference between climate and weather:

Climate change is real.

We know the planet is warming by reviewing the historical record of temperatures taken around the world, in the oceans and even by satellite….

While some skeptics may point out minor downturns in temperature or extra cold storms as proof that warming is not occurring, the long term trend is clear.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) published a report in July of 2010 that looked at 10 key climate indicators that all point to the same finding, the evidence that our world is warming is unmistakable.

The NOAA report emphasized that humans have developed for thousands of years under one climatic state and now a new set of climatic conditions are taking shape which are consistently warmer with some areas likely to see more extreme events like severe drought, torrential rain and violent storms….

In addition, 34 national science academies around the world have made formal declarations since 2001 confirming global warming and urging reduction of greenhouse gases.

[….]

Science, it’s not for public policy anymore.

Today, at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C131064 05/02/2013 MISSOURIANS FOR RESPONSIBLE LIQUOR LAWS Major Brands, Inc. 6701 Southwest Avenue St Louis MO 63143 4/30/2013 $50,000.00

[emphasis added]

Interesting:

C131064: Missourians For Responsible Liquor Laws

9354 Buxton Dr Committee Type: Political Action

St Louis Mo 63126

[….] Established Date: 04/22/2013

[emphasis added]

Brand spanking new. What’s up with that?:

Luxco, Glazer’s join group opposing Missouri liquor bill

April 29, 2013 1:20 pm

Luxco and Glazer’s Distributors of Missouri are among businesses that have joined a new coalition seeking to block legislation that would change Missouri’s liquor laws.

New legislation introduced in the Missouri Legislature – Senate Bill 365 and House Bill 759 – would make it more difficult for alcohol suppliers to sever their relationships with distributors. The proposed legislation would exempt some wineries. Some brewers also are pushing for exemptions.

St. Louis-based distributor Major Brands, whose wine and spirits business totals $430 million in annual revenue, supports the legislation as a means to strengthen protections for distributors.

Now, some other Missouri businesses and groups have formed a group called “Missourians for Fair Competition” to block the legislation….

“Missourians for Fair Competition”? Nothing available on them yet from the Missouri Ethics Commission.

When corporate elephants fight, the grapes get trampled.

Today, another step closer to 20116, at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C031159 05/02/2013 MISSOURIANS FOR KOSTER Michael Ketchmark 15454 Iron Horse Circle Leawood KS 66224 Davis, Ketchmark, McCreight & Ivers, PC Attorney 5/1/2013 $75,000.00

[emphasis added]

Who has the next move?

Previously:

State Auditor Tom Schweich (r): having friends with really fat check books… (August 16, 2011)

You don’t pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel or electrons by the terabyte (August 30, 2011)

Campaign Finance: catch me if you can (March 27, 2013)

Campaign Finance: catch me if you can – part 2 (March 31, 2013)

Campaign Finance: catch me if you can – part 3 (April 7, 2013)

Keeping up with the Koster (April 10, 2013)

Campaign Finance: hard currency (April 11, 2013)

Campaign Finance: very interesting (April 16, 2013)

Campaign Finance: pocket change (April 23, 2013)

Today, via Twitter:

Paul Curtman ‏@paulcurtman

Next yr, instead of the #moleg having a charity softball game, we should have a cage fight. We could probably raise a lot more money. 11:24 AM – 2 May 13

On the other hand, mocking the right wingnuts in the Missouri General Assembly is quickly becoming one of the most popular sports in America.

By now you have probably heard that Rep. Billy Long (R-7) thinks that Missourians really want the sequester to hit harder – the cuts weren’t deep enough to satisfy them:

“The people that I’ve talked to seem to be doing well. In fact, when I got [sic] out in restaurants here in town [i.e. in Springfield], people come up to me. They want to see more sequestration, not less,” he said, according to KOLR 10 television.

At least now we know where Billy does his constituent outreach. Nevertheless, it’s not hard to make the case that when it comes to economic pain, he’s talking to the wrong people. Yesterday, we outlined here some sequestration cuts that have already hit home, and, as Think Progress notes, the pain has just barely gotten started:

… Cuts to defense spending will hurt the state, which is home to two large installations, Fort Leonard Wood and Whiteman Air Force Base. Whiteman officials have already cut flight training time by 10 percent, eliminated non-essential travel, and frozen civilian hiring.

The pain could pick up speed as the year continues. The state’s Head Start program is likely to drop 1,200 children in total, and its education system overall will lose $11.9 million in funding, putting 160 education jobs at risk, serving 17,000 fewer students, and funding 60 fewer schools. Up to 8,000 civilian defense employees could be furloughed, resulting in the loss of $40 million in wages. A variety of other programs will lose significant money, including meals for seniors, air and water protection, domestic violence services, job search assistance programs, and law enforcement and public safety.

Of course Billy’s budget cutting fervor has its limits. When asked late in February if congressmen should have their pay cut in the same way that sequestration would cut other federal employees pay, Billy just couldn’t see it:

Asked if he should have to take a pay cut in his $174,000 salary, Long tells a CNN reporter, “I don’t think so. Raise our pay.”

To be fair, this sentiment, sincere though it may have been, was directly contradicted by a press release that Billy had circulated a few days earlier in which he took credit for voting for H.R. 273, calling for cuts to the pay of all federal workers, including congressmen – which, it seems,  he really did. So what was behind this vote? Was Long confused, or did he just give in to peer pressure and go along with the GOP majority to get along? I guess they don’t call it “lock-step” for nothing. But it’s gratifying to learn that it hurt him to do it.

UPDATE:Seems Billy really has been hearing from all the wrong people – plenty of his constituents aren’t too happy about his take on what’s happening in his district vis-a-vis the sequester cuts.

Also, The Erstwhile Conservative’s Duane Graham, who I believe is a resident of Billy’s hometown, Springfield, provides some insights on how and where Billy gathers his insights – such as restaurants serving 30 dollar entrees.

 

Or, more commonly known as SB 26.

Yeah, we know, it’s not a speck of dust, but it is an evocative image. Roll with it.

SB 26 cuts income taxes and increases sales taxes while further reducing state revenue. For right wingnut republicans in the General Assembly those are features, not bugs.

From the Missouri Budget Project:

House Version of Senate Bill 26 Would Cut State Revenue by $985 million per year – Top Ten Reasons to Oppose [pdf]

Summary: The House has approved a substitute for SB 26. The measure was altered significantly in the House but has not been improved. Rather, it has become even more devastating to state services and will burden at least 40 percent of Missourians with a significant tax increase. In addition, several provisions will likely result in ongoing litigation.

Overall, the major provisions of the bill will decrease the state individual income tax rate from 6 percent to 5 1/3 percent; decrease the corporate income tax rate from 6.25 percent to 5.5 percent after exempting the first $25,000 of corporate income from tax; increase the state sales tax from 4 percent to 4.6 percent (and dedicates the increased sales tax to roads and K-12 education); and create a new business income deduction of 50 percent. In addition, a House amendment added a new option for determining a company’s tax base. This is likely to have a cost, but no estimate is currently available. While the bill also created an additional tax deduction for low-income Missourians, it would have little impact due to its design.

[….]

The measure increases Missouri’s sales tax from 4 percent to 4.6 percent (Missouri has an additional .25 percent designated sales tax, making the overall rate 4.85 percent). By reducing the income tax and increasing the sales tax, the proposal will increase taxes for 60 percent of Missourians – those who can least afford it. Missourians with incomes of $53,000 and less will pay more in tax than they currently do, while those whose average income is more than $1 million will receive an $11,000 tax cut on average. In particular, Missouri seniors who rely solely on social security for their income face a tax increase.

[….]

[emphasis in original]

Ah, the little people, who no one cares to hear, get a tax increase.

“…even though you can’t see or hear them at all, a person’s a person, no matter how small…”

Who?

We all know that congress decided affluent fliers should feel no pain from the sequester – but have you wondered where Missourians specifically have been hit by the sequester? Well thanks to Mother Jones, we have an account of the sequester in all fifty states. Here’s what was listed for Missouri:

St. Charles: Head Start facility closed on April 12, while reducing the number of kids served by 65, and laying off 18 staffers.

Ironton: Iron County Head Start closing three weeks early due to budget cuts.

Brookline: Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield eliminating its Youth Conservation Corps program for inner-city kids.

But Mother Jone missed this cut that went into effect only today: Five career centers in Caruthersville,  Moberly, Warrensburg, Monett and Mexico, closed today, April 30, eliminating a total of ten jobs. To give you an idea of what is involved, about 2,400 residents used the Caruthersville center alone.

In the days ahead we can expect reports like this to multiply. For instance, As NPR reported today:

Housing authorities across the country have all but stopped issuing rent vouchers as they try to deal with the cuts known as sequestration. Many newly issued vouchers have been rescinded, leaving some people homeless or doubled up with family and friends.

Apropos of these cuts, The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates 3,243 families will be cut from the voucher program in Missouri.

Then, of course, there are the more general effects that will, in the long run, hurt us all. An example is NPR’s Marketplace report today on the dampening effect that the sequester is already having on biomedical research:

Traditionally, “biomedical research has had bi-partisan support.” After all, “medical research is about all of us — our loved ones, ourselves — and it’s also a great way to stimulate the economy so what’s not to love?” But sequester brought $1.6 billion in cuts to the NIH. “This poison pill that when originally designed it was intended to be so poisonous that no one would swallow it — it got swallowed and we got poisoned.”

When he meets young researchers — they’re worried. “They’re asking is there a future for us? Do we have a career path? Should we think about doing something else? Or maybe going to another country? …

Think of that for just one moment. The United States has been attracting the world’s best scientists for my entire lifetime. But with one fell sequester swoop, the U.S. is on course to become such a backwater that our scientists must look to other countries to pursue their discoveries – or stay here and give up, leaving crucial science undone.

The sequester is all, 100%, bad. Nor can it be managed away by permitting the president flexibility to rob Peter to pay Paul, and it will only get worse the longer it is allowed to go on. But hey, don’t worry. Rep. Sam Graves (R-6) wants you to know that “The sky isn’t falling,” a sentiment echoed by Senator Roy Blunt who remarked about the sequester a couple of months ago, when there was still time for the GOP to exercise a little restraint, that “If you’d listen to the administration, you’d assume that this is the last day that it’s safe to go outside.”