Today, at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C031159 07/04/2013 MISSOURIANS FOR KOSTER Kansas City Power & Light Company PO Box 418679 Kansas City MO 64141 7/3/2013 $20,000.00

[emphasis added]

Previously:

Campaign Finance: putting everyone to sleep (July 4, 2013)

Somehow, it makes sense.

Yesterday, at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C111150 07/03/2013 FRIENDS OF TOM SCHWEICH Steven Roodman 2700 Turnberry Drive Marion IL 62959 Anesthesia Associates of Southern Illinois Anesthesiologist 7/3/2013 $10,000.00

[emphasis added]

There’s that nice round number again.

One spoken sentence:

….when a national security official suggested that Obama shouldn’t skip the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Dinner on the weekend of the Osama bin Laden raid because the media might get suspicious, Hillary Clinton looked up and issued her verdict: “[Expletive] the White House Correspondents’ Dinner….”

Uh, yeah.

“….It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more…” – John Adams – July 3, 1776

At Powell Gardens in Kingsville, Missouri last night:

Thomas Jefferson – July 4, 1826

May (July 4) be to the world, what I believe it will be — to some parts sooner, to others later, but finally to all — the signal of arousing men to burst the chains under which monkish ignorance and superstition had persuaded them to bind themselves, and to assume the blessings and security of self-government. That form (of government) which we have substituted, restores the free right to the unbounded exercise of reason and freedom of opinion. All eyes are opened, or opening, to the rights of man. The general spread of the light of science has already laid open to every view the palpable truth, that the mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately, by the grace of God. These are grounds of hope for others. For ourselves, let the annual return of this day forever refresh our recollections of these rights, and an undiminished devotion to them.

Thus spake the t-shirt. Yesterday, in west Central Missouri:

There is only one true amendment and it is good.

We didn’t ask about the birth certificate.

The fallout from the 2013 legislative session ought to give Missourians pause. To date, Governor Nixon has vetoed 23 bills that made it out of the session – and he still has 10 days in which to increase that total. And given that the infamous gun bill that seeks to nullify all federal gun legislation is still outstanding, we can only cross our fingers and hope that our governor will go for at least one more veto.  

Some of these bills are truly, horrendously dangerous and the governor had no other option but to veto them. I’m mainly thinking here of the corporate tax cut bill that aimed to take us down the same road as Kansas – which just had its economic development credit rating downgraded as a result of its tax “reform.” Others, while potentially harmful, are little more than exercises in fantasy. Here I’m referencing bills like those that sought to ban Sharia law or Agenda 21, you know, major threats that keep us up at night – at least those of us who’re both brain dead and paranoid.

Some bills, however, failed the smell test because they were, as the Governor noted, “shoddily drafted.” In other words, the whiz kids we sent to Jefferson City can’t manage to write legislation that doesn’t overshoot its goals or isn’t so carelessly crafted that it could withstand a legal challenge. I guess it’s just too hard to write laws when you don’t have some outside lobbyist or the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) handing you model legislation you can crib off of.

So far, I’ve just been describing what the Republican majority in the legislature actually did. What they didn’t do is equally remarkable. Transportation infrastructure funding, tax credit reform, the state’s outstanding education needs, you name it, they couldn’t deal with it effectively – and given their favored solutions, we should all probably hold our tongues and hope the stalemate continues.

Finally, in addition to what the legislators did that they shouldn’t do, and what they couldn’t do, there are the things they wouldn’t do. Foremost in that category is make sure that over 260,000 uninsured Missourians get health care. In order to keep these folks uninsured, our brilliant lawmakers had to turn down big wads of federal money – money that Missouri tax payers send to the federal government that would have been returned to the state. And that money would not only have helped the uninsured, but would have boosted the health care industry and created jobs.

To be fair, House Speaker Tim Jones has appointed some study groups to consider “Medicaid reform” prior to the next session. There are those who think that this action may be a ploy to escape the possibly very bad consequences of not taking the Feds’ Medicaid offer. What these groups will manage to produce, though, remains to be seen and if there’s a way to punish those who have to rely on Medicaid and to pare benefits to the minimum, I’ll bet Jones’ pals will manage to find it.

So all this leaves us with the question: Why do you suppose that our lawmakers are working to destroy the quality of life in our state? Why do they want Missouri to be a laughing stock? Do you think it might have something to do with the Republican majority in Jefferson City? Michel Cohen of the Guardian, speaking of the national level GOP, suggests that there could be some truth to that answer:

What is the single most consequential political development of the past five years? Some might say the election (and re-election) of Barack Obama; others might point to the passage of the most important piece of social policy (Obamacare) since the 1960s; some might even say the drawing down of US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But in reality, it is the rapid descent of the Republican party into madness.

Never before in American history have we seen a political party so completely dominated and controlled by its extremist wing; and never before have we seen a political party that brings together the attributes of nihilism, heartlessness, radicalism and naked partisanship quite like the modern GOP. In a two-party system like America’s, the result is unprecedented dysfunction.

Add comically ignorant and it sounds like Missouri’s GOP to me.

A press release from the Attorney General’s office:

July 1, 2013

Attorney General Koster renews request for Missouri Supreme Court to set execution dates for two men on death row –Koster says delay in setting dates threatens state’s ability to administer capital punishment–

Jefferson City, Mo. – Attorney General Chris Koster again today called on the Missouri Supreme Court to set execution dates for Joseph Franklin and Allen Nicklasson, saying further delays threaten the state’s ability to carry out capital punishment.

Last August, the Supreme Court issued an order saying that Koster’s May 2012 request to set execution dates was premature until questions on the use of propofol in executions are settled.  Koster said, however, that waiting until federal litigation is complete may prevent the State from administering capital punishment at all, noting that the Missouri Department of Corrections’ supply of propofol is limited, and much of its remaining supply will expire by next spring.

“For nearly a decade, the mere pendency of federal litigation has been used as an artificial hurdle, unauthorized by law or federal court order, to prevent the State from carrying out the death penalty,” Koster said. “The Court’s current position has allowed successive, limited supplies of propofol to reach their expiration dates. Unless the Court changes its current course, the legislature will soon be compelled to fund statutorily-authorized alternative methods of execution to carry out lawful judgments.”

The State first asked the Court to set an execution date for Joseph Franklin in June 2009, and for Allen Nicklasson in January 2010.

Franklin was convicted in 1997 for shooting and killing Gerald Gordon, who was standing in the parking lot of a St. Louis area synagogue after a bar mitzvah.  Franklin also was convicted of shooting two other men who were in the synagogue parking lot.  While Franklin will be executed for his crimes in Missouri, he also was convicted for the murder of two African-Americans in Utah, the murder of an interracial couple in Wisconsin, and the bombing of a synagogue in Tennessee.  Franklin also has claimed responsibility for the shooting of Larry Flynt, publisher of Hustler magazine.

Nicklasson was found guilty in 1996 of first degree murder for the death of “Good Samaritan” Richard Drummond.  Nicklasson was the trigger-man in the 1994 killing of Mr. Drummond, who had offered a ride to Nicklasson, Dennis Skillicorn and Tim DeGraffenreid after their car broke down on Interstate 70.  The State executed Dennis Skillicorn in May 2009 for his role in the crime.

Someone noticed:

Tue Jul 02, 2013 at 12:39 PM PDT

Missouri attorney general demands executions be scheduled before their execution drug expires

If you’re going to execute someone, the least you can do is be frugal about it, right?

[….]

It’s not entirely clear why the attorney general is so keen on using this particular drug for these particular executions.

[….]

“….’The Court’s current position has allowed successive, limited supplies of propofol to reach their expiration dates. Unless the Court changes its current course, the legislature will soon be compelled to fund statutorily-authorized alternative methods of execution to carry out lawful judgments.’

The State first asked the Court to set an execution date for Joseph Franklin in June 2009, and for Allen Nicklasson in January 2010….”

Not so simple.

Charlie Dooley, the current St. Louis County Executive, has had a very good month. 2014 is just around the corner. At the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C031260 06/03/2013 DOOLEY FOR ST LOUIS COUNTY U-Gas 895 Bolger Court Fenton MO 63026 6/3/2013 $5,640.00

C031260 06/20/2013 DOOLEY FOR ST LOUIS COUNTY William Stephen Maritz 10 Sunningdale Drive Saint Louis MO 63124 Maritz Chairman & CEO 6/19/2013 $10,000.00

C031260 06/20/2013 DOOLEY FOR ST LOUIS COUNTY Ameren Missouri P.O. Box 66892 Saint Louis MO 63166 6/20/2013 $10,000.00

C031260 06/29/2013 DOOLEY FOR ST LOUIS COUNTY Larry Chapman 1600 S. Brentwood Blvd Suite 770 St Louis MO 63144 Chapman Ventures LLC President 6/28/2013 $6,250.00

C031260 06/29/2013 DOOLEY FOR ST LOUIS COUNTY 3100 South LLC 1600 S. Brentwood Blvd Suite 770 St Louis MO 63144 6/28/2013 $12,500.00

C031260 07/01/2013 DOOLEY FOR ST LOUIS COUNTY Christina Chapman 108 South Rock Hill Road Webster Groves MO 63119 Self Homemaker 6/29/2013 $6,250.00

C031260 07/01/2013 DOOLEY FOR ST LOUIS COUNTY Sheraton Westport Plaza 900 Westport Plaza Saint Louis MO 63146 6/30/2013 $8,559.88

[emphasis added]

Today:

C031260 07/02/2013 DOOLEY FOR ST LOUIS COUNTY Rex Sinquefield 244 Bent Walnut Westphalia MO 65085 Self Retired 6/30/2013 $100,000.00

[emphasis added]

Bam!

And given the way they want to govern, the lunatic fringe right can’t call themselves “conservative”.

We’ve heard the joke in Democratic Party circles many times: “Jay Nixon is the best republican governor Missouri has ever had.”

Governor Jay Nixon (D) has restricted four hundred million dollars in the upcoming budget. From Governor Nixon’s office:

Announcer: Governor Nixon took action to keep Missouri’s fiscal year twenty fourteen budget on solid ground by exercising his constitutional authority to restrict four hundred million dollars from the upcoming budget and citing the significant cost with House Bill 253, which he vetoed earlier this month.    

Governor Jay Nixon (D): With a price tag of at least eight hundred million dollars annually House Bill 253 would undermine our fiscal foundation now and for years to come. It’s the equivalent of cutting all support for higher education, all of it, closing all of our prisons, or shutting down the entire Department of mental Health. House Bill 253 is a dangerous experiment we simply cannot afford. These costs are real and immediate if my veto is not sustained.  

Announcer: members of the General Assembly have stated their intent to attempt an override of the Governor’s veto later this fall after the budget has already gone into effect, creating a risk of budget shortfalls.  

Governor Nixon: As lawmakers begin to understand the problems with this bill and their immediate and continuing consequences I’m confident they will come to the same conclusion I have. This bill should not become law. But no governor can responsibly manage a state budget on the assumption that a veto will be sustained. here in Missouri we don’t balance budgets by making risky bets or taking leaps of faith.

All these factors. The additional spending appropriated by the legislature, their failure to expand Medicaid and rein in tax credits, and the uncertainty created by House Bill 253 require that we take action now to insure our state remains fiscally solvent later.

[….]

From Speaker Tim Jones (r):

Tim W. Jones ‏@SpeakerTimJones 28 Jun

#MO has a $700 MILLION surplus & Gov Nixon withholds $ from schools & kids. Lack of leadership, unconstitutional, cynical. #Fail 3:32 PM – 28 Jun 13

Tim W. Jones ‏@SpeakerTimJones 28 Jun

#MO budget has large surplus so Gov Nixon wants to grow gov’t, implement failed ObamaCare & punish kids. #Fail 3:34 PM – 28 Jun 13

Today, from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Editorial: Jay Nixon gives Tim Jones a lesson in governing

….To prove his point about the seriousness of governing, on Friday, Mr. Nixon raised the stakes once more. In doing his constitutionally mandated job of reviewing bills passed by the Legislature, the governor withheld $400 million from the state budget, hitting education the hardest, because Mr. Jones has threatened to try to override the veto of House Bill 253, which would, in fact, cut about $400 million from the state budget by cutting taxes of the wealthy and corporations.

Game. Set. Match. Nixon….

….Mr. Jones is not a serious man. He has the largest House Republican majority in Missouri history, but he’d rather tell both the judicial and executive branches what to do than put that majority to good use.

He has become so weak that on Friday, by simply calling his bluff and treating the budget as though the dangerous “be-like-Kansas” tax cut bill were actually law, Mr. Nixon guaranteed that Mr. Jones’ veto-proof majority will be basically impotent in September.

There is a reason our Founding Fathers created three separate branches of government. It’s to protect us from people like Mr. Jones.

Okay, that left a mark.

Yesterday, at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C001135 06/29/2013 A BETTER MISSOURI WITH GOVERNOR JAY NIXON Salem Village Nursing and Rehab Center LLC 1314 Rowell Avenue Joliet IL 60433 6/27/2013 $10,000.00

[emphasis added]

Previously:

Campaign Finance: very interesting (April 16, 2013)

Campaign Finance: still not running for anything (February 9, 2013)

Whatever.