So how do we know that Obamacare is a success? There’s all the standard measures: enrollment numbers, decreases in uninsured, stable or dropping medical costs, deficit savings, etc. – which are all looking great, by the way. And then there’s Kit Bond’s recent Op-Ed in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

An editorial note at the end of the post, notes that Bond’s lobbying firm has taken on the thankless task of promoting the Obamacare Medicare expansion – an expansion that the obdurate, anti-Obama, ideologically-blindered State Legislature just won’t countenance (if you listen carefully you just might hear the sound of tiny stamping feet and spluttering screams of “no, no, we won’t, you can’t make us” echoing off in the distance). The Op-Ed reveals Bond’s strategy for dealing with the ferocious anti-Obama-on-funny-but-misguided-principle crowd in and out of the legislature: pretend that Medicaid expansion has nothing to do with the loathsome program.

The first thing you will note about the Op-Ed is it’s evasiveness. It only mentions the Medicaid expansion once, near the end of the piece, and only equates it with the Obamacare legislation obliquely. Instead, Bond, cleverly cries a few tears over the problem of hospital closings in Missouri, problems he attributes mostly to “Obamacare-mandated cuts in funds hospitals receive for uncompensated care – the care hospitals are required by law to provide regardless of folks’ ability to pay.”

Since Bond knows his audience very well, he fails to point out that these hospital closings could far more honestly be attributed to the failure of the legislature to accept the Medicaid expansion funds offered through Obamacare, funds for care which was intended to take the place of the emergency room as the main mechanism for care of the uninsured and so offset the loss of federal emergency care dollars – and emergency room care is, incidentally, a far more costly and inefficient way of dealing with the uninsured than granting insurance through Medicaid. Aren’t Republicans supposed to be the financially responsible ones?

Instead Bond argues that the answer to the loss of these funds is to enable hospital mergers as a way to keep the hospitals pinched by the loss of emergency room funds functioning in underserved communities. And then he decries the fact that the Federal Trade Commisison (FTC) review process, which has the power to okay or deep-six a proposed merger, is, guess what, thorough. Or, the short version, the FTC does what it’s supposed to do and Bond knows that that gets his intended audience hot under the collar because, you know, big government:

Despite helping to create the problem for hospitals with expensive new mandates and cuts to reimbursements, the federal government is now making it difficult for these hospitals to deploy this private-sector solution. Currently, the Federal Trade Commission is moving painfully slow to evaluate any proposed merger or system expansion. Reviewing applications through the narrow lens of a century-old anti-trust law, the FTC is taking months or even years of bureaucratic analysis to approve these hospital partnerships – often too late for a community on the brink of losing its only hospital and largest employer.

Despite Bond’s anti-Obamacare, anti-FTC song-and-dance, Obamacare has actually been fueling hospital consolidation. But, Bond’s encomium to the merged entity that became  BJC HealthCare in the St. Louis area offers only one view of the possible outcomes of such mergers. Ill-considered consolidations have the potential to raise consumer prices, create physical access problems, as well as barriers to access to reproductive health services. As an article in Becker’s Hospital Review points out, there are a number of factors that determine whether a merger will be benign or harmful. Hence the FTC review process. It’s there to protects us, the consumers of health services – something Republicans don’t seem to understand or care about.

But of course, this whole, lengthy argument is not the real point of Bond’s Op-Ed, and is stealthily followed by this little tidbit:

Inaction by legislators in Jefferson City is also putting our health care safety net in Missouri at risk. State Sen. Ryan Silvey, R-Kansas City, has proposed a solution to reform our state’s Medicaid program that would increase access to care for hardworking Missourians, protect our health care safety net in rural and urban communities, and safeguard the state’s budget.

Unfortunately, anger over Obamacare has confused the issue, and right now, legislators are refusing to consider this common-sense solution … .

Senator Silvey’s proposal? Simply a way to try to make Obamacare Medicaid expansion somewhat palatable to the GOP heads-up-their-backsides contingent of the state lege. Such expansion, all by itself, could take care of the squeeze that the loss of federal emergency room dollars creates for hospitals. But – and here’s the magic of Bond’s rhetoric – in this article, it’s been aligned with “common-sense,” GOP-acceptable solutions to healthcare problems that Bond alleges to have been caused by that big winger bogey, big government, including – wait for it – Obamacare itself. One could read this article and leave persuaded that Silvey’s proposals have nothing to do with Obamacare and are only exciting opposition because the tentacles of evil Obamacare have confused the thinking of the poor souls in the Missouri capital.

Wow! Talk about tangled logic. Kit Bond, I salute you.

What this tells us is that conservatives who are capable of distinguishing their front from their backsides, know that Obamacare is a success and that now is the time to get Missouri in on it and let Missourians share that success. The deviousness of this piece of casuistry also reaffirms that reasonable conservatives also understand the real reason that Missourians don’t have this benefit – unbalanced, hysterical hatred of Barack Obama on the part of GOPers who can’t accept the failure of the dream of the conservative Reich that took root during the Bush years, and on the part of constituents who either fear and hate the black man in the white house, mostly because of that black-white dichotomy, or who credulously swallow all the nonsense their Foxified leaders have been spewing in their war against the godless, socialist Kenyan and his Nazi hordes.

And the funny thing? Politicians like Bond were more than willing to fan this hysterical fervor; they thought it was their ticket back into power. Now they have to serve it – or, as Bond is trying to do in his Op-Ed, trick the true believers and give GOPers in the lege a way to save face. Because Obamacare is a success and now we know they know it too – they just can’t say it out loud.

Last year Governor Nixon froze $400 million worth of spending allocated for education, state services and capital improvements. He took this action in order to make it clear that efforts by the legislature to override his veto of HB253 would result in long-term damage to state revenue that would have to be offset by reallocating funds:

“The choice before us is stark and clear,” Nixon told reporters.  “Members of the General Assembly can either support House Bill 253 or they can support education, but they can’t do both.”

The Governor’s dramatic action, which simply underlined the detailed evidence he had already made available to support his arguments against the tax-cut, seemed to have worked. HB253 went down in figurative flames, enabling Nixon to free up some of the frozen funds.

Given the braying about spending offsets for every piece of social services spending that we get from national Republican legislators, you’d expect our GOP homies would understand how it works and man up. But no way. Nixon’s strategy enraged plenty of Republicans who were confident that they were going to be able to deliver a juicy tax-cut for their corporate patrons. Who, after all, likes to be outplayed, especially when, to all appearances, one holds all the cards?

But elephants never forget, and state GOPers now think they’ve figured out a way to get payback and thwart future efforts to make education the topic when they want it to be nothing but tax-cuts:

The Missouri Constitution allows the governor to control the rate appropriations are spent and to reduce spending when state revenues are less than the estimate upon which the budget is based.

Republican Sen. Ryan Silvey, of Kanas City, has proposed a constitutional amendment that would exclude spending through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education from that budget-trimming authority. A constitutional amendment would require a statewide vote if it passes the Legislature.

There  you have it: Rep. Silvey’s SJR45 , a tit-for-tat move that, by putting a constitutional amendment on the state ballot, seeks to tilt the playing board for future tax policy games. It’s an interesting move since Missouri House Speaker Tim Jones claimed that the Governor was violating the constitution last year. The fact that nobody took the Governor to court and that the GOP is now hoping to ask Missourians to amend their constitution, suggests that they didn’t really think the constitutional objection had much weight. Republicans were simply playing the empty constitutional card that they always pull when they’ve not got anything else up their sleeves.

Although the true purpose of of Silvey’s gambit is clear, he also wants to pose as a stalwart supporter of education by ignoring the context the Governor’s actions, the threat posed by the Republican corporate tax-cut, tweeting “Today I filed SJR45 to amend the MO Constitution to prohibit the Governor from withholding money from schools. Education is too important. ” Damn straight education’s important. That’s why the Governor did what he did.

Silvey later added, “My SJR45 will finally remove school kids from being a piece on the Governor’s political chess board.” I don’t know about you, but I’d be glad to let the Governor use my children as pieces on his “political chess board” if it saved their schools from Republican raids on the state’s revenue stream. Good schools cost money. Heck, even mediocre schools cost money. Tax-cuts for corporations and rich people take the money we need for schools, among other things, and, to be honest,  they haven’t done much for the economy of states that have beggared themselves through  this type of tax-cutting. What we ought to be asking Silvey is, if he’s so big on eduction, why isn’t he proposing a way to secure some new revenue to pay for it?

Nobody wants to hurt education and, in general, at any rate, everybody likes the idea of tax-cuts, but the two are tightly linked in Missouri, a state that currently can’t manage to properly fund its schools. Why does it bother Republicans so much when this linkage is made explicit? Why can’t they be upfront about the consequences of their low- or no-tax philosophy? And finally, why should anyone vote for Silvey’s constitutional amendment, which is no more than a cynical effort to checkmate a Governor who’s trying against all odds to improve Missouri’s mediocre educational system.

 

Today, at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C051232 03/20/2013 SILVEY FOR MISSOURI The Cranford Coalition 1610 W. 3rd St. Little Rock AR 72201 3/19/2013 $25,000.00

[emphasis added]

Senator Ryan Silvey was sworn into office Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013 to represent the 17th Senatorial District. The 17th District is located in the Southwest corner of Clay County, and includes parts of Kansas City, Gladstone, Oaks, Oakwood, Oakwood Park, Oakview, Liberty, Glenaire, Pleasant Valley, Claycomo, North Kansas City, Avondale, Randolph and Birmingham.

Senator Silvey serves as vice chairman of the Senate Committee for Governmental Accountability and Fiscal Oversight. He also serves on several other committees, including: Appropriations; General Laws; Progress and Development; and Veterans’ Affairs and Health.

As an 8th generation Missourian, Sen. Silvey was raised in Clay County, where he attended Meadowbrook Elementary, Antioch Middle and Oak Park High Schools. After graduating from college, Sen. Silvey became an advisor to U.S. Senator Christopher S. “Kit” Bond on issues such as Science, Technology, Space Policy and National Defense.

Before winning his election to a four-year term in the State Senate, Sen. Silvey served four terms in the Missouri House of Representatives, from 2005 through 2012. During that time he was vice chairman of the Small Business Committee, vice chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, vice chairman of the Appropriations General Administration Committee, chairman of the Appropriations General Administration Committee and chairman of the Joint Committee on Capital Improvements and Leases Oversight….

The Cranford Coalition, Inc. is a professional contract-lobbying firm, which was established to provide representation for businesses, professional, and local government interest before the legislative and executive branches of local, state, and federal government.

In 2008 a  majority of Americans elected Barack Obama to be president. He ran on promises of reforming health care; his plans were well vetted in the primary contest and in the presidential campaign, during which the possible ways to address health care reform were fully discussed. After taking office, Obama proceeded to fulfill that important campaign promise in spite of a cabal of timid, industry-owned Democrats and Republicans in full tantrum mode. As a result of the President’s perserverance, Americans have, thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), more options for better health care than we had before – and Republicans have spent almost four two years misrepresenting that fact, still kicking, screaming and going blue in the face because President Obama managed, despite their best efforts, to fulfill his election promise to the American people.

Today, Missouri, according to House Budget Chair, Ryan Silvey (R-38), is going over the budget “cliff.” After several years of a large GOP legislative majority, the state is in worse state than ever.

There are, of course, many possible reasons why the state in in bad shape – perhaps it has something to do with a legislative agenda that is devoted to making the middle class and working people pay for business incentives that don’t seem to incentivize all that much, or maybe it’s the fault of GOP legislators working so hard to please various industry lobbyists that they end up at odds with their own partisans – as was the case during the Special Session last fall.  

Of course, if those reasons don’t seem sufficient, you might look at legislative priorities like those of Senate President Pro Tem Rob Meyer (R-25). In view of the perilous condition of the State’s finances, it’s hard to figure out why one of Meyer’s major priorities is to try to undercut the ACA. Specifically, Meyer supports:

… a measure that would ask voters to amend the state constitution to prohibit government mandates to have health insurance. Missouri voters overwhelmingly passed a similar law in 2010. But the proposed amendment could have greater strength, and would put the issue back on the ballot as President Barack Obama seeks re-election.

Mayer also backs a bill to prohibit creation of a state-run health insurance exchange unless specifically authorized by the Legislature or voters. The federal health care law gives states until 2014 to create such exchanges, or else federal officials will do so.

Of course, as is suggested above, it’s possible that the continuing GOP hissy fit about the ACA isn’t totally about acting like bad-tempered, spoiled children. At least part of the answer to Meyer’s desire to heat up the health care reform debate again might owe something to the political gamesmanship that seems to underlie much of the behavior of today’s GOP. Meyer and pals are all probably hoping that by blowing the health care dog whistle, they’ll reanimate the useful idiots in the Tea Party during an election year.

But no matter why, it’s too bad that our legislators are still bellowing about the ACA while the state careens into financial rapids. It’s even worse that they’re still determined to make sure that nothing is done to reform a health care system that will otherwise soon be on the skids.

Slightly edited for clarity.  

Previously: Evidently Kansas Governor Sam Brownback (r) doesn’t believe in the First Amendment… (November 24, 2011)

A Missouri republican gets in on the act.

@RyanSilvey Ryan Silvey

So, a teenage girl acts childish on Twitter, a Governor’s staff overreacts & days later we care why? #15minutesareup 2 hours ago

Who is childish, the teenager or the adults?

Ryan Silvey @RyanSilvey Kansas City

Missouri State Representative for District 38, Chairman of the House Budget Committee and candidate for State Senate in 2012.

@johnburnettkc John Burnett

Oh touchy! RT @RyanSilvey: So, a teenage girl acts childish on Twitter, a Governor’s staff overreacts & days later we care why?| hypocrisy? 7 minutes ago

 [emphasis added]

Uh, yep.

Emma Sullivan Apology: Kansas High School Student Not Sorry About Sam Brownback Tweet

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas teenager who wrote a disparaging tweet about Gov. Sam Brownback said Sunday that she is rejecting her high school principal’s demand for a written apology.

Emma Sullivan, 18, of the Kansas City suburb of Fairway, said she isn’t sorry and doesn’t think such a letter would be sincere…..

It’s going to be really interesting to watch right wingnut republicans fall all over themselves as they rush get in line to condemn the First Amendment and free political speech.

Pearl clutching hypocrites.

Update:

Emma Sullivan, via Twitter:

@emmakate988 Emma Sullivan

I’ve decided not to write the letter but I hope this opens the door for average citizens to voice their opinion & to be heard! #goingstrong 1 hour ago

Update II: It took a while, but it looks like a certain amount of grudging sanity prevailed from the folks who are supposed to be adults. From the Shawnee Mission School District, via the Kansas City NBC affiliate:

District officials have reviewed recent events surrounding the reported tweet by Shawnee Mission East High School student Emma Sullivan.  The district acknowledges a student’s right to freedom of speech and expression is constitutionally protected.

The district has not censored Miss Sullivan nor infringed upon her freedom of speech.  She is not required to write a letter of apology to the Governor.  Whether and to whom any apologies are issued will be left to the individuals involved.

The issue has resulted in many teachable moments concerning the use of social media.  The district does not intend to take any further action on this matter.

Somebody did some research.

Also, from the same NBC report, Governor Brownback issued a statement:

My staff over-reacted to this tweet, and for that I apologize. Freedom of speech is among our most treasured freedoms.

I enjoyed speaking to the more than 100 students who participated in the Youth in Government Program at the Kansas Capitol. They are our future.

I also want to thank the thousands of Kansas educators who remind us daily of our liberties, as well as the values of civility and decorum.

Again, I apologize for our over-reaction.

That is what we call a teachable moment – on how to issue a bland apology in public relations speak.

We’ve written on this race previously:

38th Legislative District – first quarter campaign finance reports

The August 5, 2008 primary results:

State Representative – District 38   Precincts Reporting 3 of 3

  Silvey, Ryan REP 1,089 83.4%

  McIntire, Marcus P. REP 217 16.6%

  Reed, Josh DEM 1,414 100.0%

Total Votes   2,720

Democratic challenger Josh Reed and his “grass rootsie” campaign will face republican incumbent Ryan Silvey and all that big money in the November general election.

Let’s take a look at those campaign finance reports. First, the second quarter 2008 campaign finance report filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission by Josh Reed (D) on July 14th:

Detailed Summary of Committee Disclosure Report

Committe[e]: JOSHUA REED FOR CHANGE

1. TOTAL RECEIPTS FOR THIS ELECTION PREVIOUSLY REPORTED $8,947.72

2. ALL MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED THIS PERIOD $3,277.50

8. FUNDS USED FOR REPAYING LOANS THIS PERIOD $1,680.00

9. TOTAL ALL RECEIPTS THIS ELECTION(SUM 1B + 7A – 8A) $10,545.22

10. TOTAL EXPENDITURES FOR THIS ELECTION PREVIOUSLY REPORTED $693.74

11. EXPENDITURES MADE BY CASH OR CHECK THIS PERIOD $3,861.95

15. TOTAL EXPENDITURES THIS ELECTION (SUM 10B + 14A) $4,555.69

28. MONEY ON HAND AT THE CLOSE OF THIS REPORTING PERIOD (SUM 25 + 26 – 27) $4,577.41

[emphasis added]

Let’s look at where the money came from:

Detailed Summary of Contributions And Loans Received

Committee: JOSHUA REED FOR CHANGE

Report Date: 7/14/2008

MO. State UAW PAC Hazelwood, MO 06/12/2008 $325.00

38th District Legislative Comm. Kansas City, MO 06/30/2008 $550.00

8th Ward Democratic Committee Kansas City, MO 05/05/2008 $200.00

Committee for a Safer City Kansas City, MO 05/08/2008 $50.00

13. TOTAL MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSONS GIVING $100 OR LESS $1,025.00

[emphasis added]

A little bit of organized labor, a few party committees, individual contributions, and those “grass rootsie” small contributions. That looks like balance to me.

The expenditures:

Detailed Summary of Expenditures And Contributions Made

Committe: JOSHUA REED FOR CHANGE

ReportDate: 7/14/2008

A. EXPENDITURES OF $100 OR LESS BY CATEGORY

Office Max Photocopying $22.55

Platte County Federated Women’s Club Breakfast $40.00

Melissa Pruetting Childcare $16.25

Missouri Ethics Commission $60.00

Shell Gas Station $50.00

Obama for America Volunteer Prizes $44.60

B. ITEMIZED EXPENDITURES ALL OVER $100 AND ALL PAYMENTS TO CAMPAIGN WORKERS

Postmaster Smithville, MO 04/30/2008 $250.00

Postmaster Smithville, MO 05/05/2008 $302.95

Postmaster Smithville, MO 05/06/2008 $137.10

Service Printing Kansas City, MO 05/28/2008 $350.11

Service Printing Kansas City, MO 06/04/2008 $2,026.31

Obama for America Chicago, IL 06/19/2008 $296.00

Service Printing Kansas City, MO 05/07/2008 $266.08

Mail! Printing! Signs? Do you think his campaign committee name gives away his inspiration?

Okay, let’s go through his 8 day before the primary election report filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission on July 28th:

Detailed Summary of Committee Disclosure Report

Committe[e]: JOSHUA REED FOR CHANGE

1. TOTAL RECEIPTS FOR THIS ELECTION PREVIOUSLY REPORTED $10,545.22

2. ALL MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED THIS PERIOD $0.00

8. FUNDS USED FOR REPAYING LOANS THIS PERIOD $1,186.96

11. EXPENDITURES MADE BY CASH OR CHECK THIS PERIOD $1,029.28

28. MONEY ON HAND AT THE CLOSE OF THIS REPORTING PERIOD (SUM 25 + 26 – 27) $2,361.17

[emphasis added]

Do you get the feeling that this campaign is being planned around a kitchen table? You’ve got to love it.

No contributions in the two week period (come on people, you know what to do), so let’s look at those expenditures:

Detailed Summary of Expenditures And Contributions Made

Committe[e]: JOSHUA REED FOR CHANGE

Report[ ]Date: 7/28/2008

Linn Marketing $10.00

Salvation Army Office Supplies $14.95

Shell Gas Station – Fuel $52.70

Gas N Stuff – Fuel $56.63

B. ITEMIZED EXPENDITURES ALL OVER $100 AND ALL PAYMENTS TO CAMPAIGN WORKERS

Voicent Communications Cupertino, CA 07/15/2008 $895.00

Predictive dialing. Work those phones.

Now, let’s take a look at the big money republican incumbent. Ryan Silvey (r) filed his second quarter 2008 campaign finance report with the Missouri Ethics Commission on July 15th:

Detailed Summary of Committee Disclosure Report

Committe: CITIZENS FOR RYAN SILVEY

1. TOTAL RECEIPTS FOR THIS ELECTION PREVIOUSLY REPORTED $45,125.00

2. ALL MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED THIS PERIOD $7,075.00

9. TOTAL ALL RECEIPTS THIS ELECTION(SUM 1B + 7A – 8A) $52,200.00

15. TOTAL EXPENDITURES THIS ELECTION (SUM 10B + 14A) $30,855.18

28. MONEY ON HAND AT THE CLOSE OF THIS REPORTING PERIOD (SUM 25 + 26 – 27) $26,337.30

[emphasis added]

Money, money, money, mo-ney. Money!

The contributions:

Detailed Summary of Contributions And Loans Received

Committee: CITIZENS FOR RYAN SILVEY

Report Date: 7/15/2008

PT-PAC of Missouri 05/28/2008 325.00

Teamsters 245 PAF  Springfield, MO 04/15/2008 $350.00

Embarq Employee PAC of MO Jefferson City, MO 05/05/2008 $250.00

Kansas City Life Employees PAC Fund I Kansas City, MO 06/20/2008 $300.00

Citizens for Ruestman 06/18/2008 $100.00

Community Health Access Committee Jefferson City, MO 05/05/2008 $250.00

Missouri Republican Leadership Council St. Louis, MO 06/11/2008 $300.00

Missouri State Council Fire Fighters PAC St. Louis, MO 06/23/2008 $325.00

Missouri Medical Jefferson City, MO 06/30/2008 $325.00

Missouri Health Care Assoc. PAC Jefferson City, MO 04/21/2008 $325.00

District 7 MHCA PAC 236 Jefferson City, MO 04/21/2008 $325.00

Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers Jefferson City, MO 05/05/2008 $325.00

Teamsters Local 688  St. Louis, MO 04/29/2008 $325.00

Missouri State Chiropractors Assoc. Jefferson City, MO 05/05/2008 $325.00

Teamsters Local 955 Kansas City, MO 06/13/2008 $325.00

Missouri Financial Services PAC Jefferson City, MO 05/05/2008 $325.00

AGC of St. Louis St. Louis, MO 06/12/2008 $325.00

Missouri Cable PAC Jefferson City, MO 05/05/2008 $325.00

Missouri Independent Bankers Assoc. Liberty, MO 04/14/2008 $325.00

Missouri Assoc. of Nurse Anesthetists 05/28/2008 $325.00

MHA PAC for Health Jefferson City, MO 05/08/2008 $325.00

AMECPAC Jefferson City, MO 05/05/2008 $325.00

11. TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED AT FUND-RAISERS AS REPORTED IN LINE 8 ON FORM CD 1A $0.00

12. TOTAL ANONYMOUS CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSONS GIVING $25 OR LESS $0.00

13. TOTAL MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSONS GIVING $100 OR LESS $0.00

14. TOTAL IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSONS (NOT COMMITTEES) GIVING $100 OR LESS $0.00

[emphasis added]

What? No small dollar contributors? If truth in advertising were required for campaign committee names Ryan Silvey would have to change his to “Corporate Interests for Silvey” (pace our good friends in the Teamsters and Firefighters).

Where did he spend the money?:

Detailed Summary of Expenditures And Contributions Made

Committe[e]: CITIZENS FOR RYAN SILVEY

Report[ ]Date: 7/15/2008

A. EXPENDITURES OF $
100 OR LESS BY CATEGORY

Food $61.14

Gas $439.20

Copies $3.51

Office Supplies $84.60

B. ITEMIZED EXPENDITURES ALL OVER $100 AND ALL PAYMENTS TO CAMPAIGN WORKERS

Public Storage Gladstone, MO 05/05/2008 Storage $106.00

Public Storage Gladstone, MO 06/03/2008 Storage $106.00

Humphrey, Farrington & McClain Independence, MO 64051 04/29/2008 Legal Services/Research $4,000.00

Almar Printing Kansas City, MO 06/12/2008 Printing $1,141.89

Public Storage Gladstone, MO 04/03/2008 Storage $98.00

[emphasis added]

Storage?

Okay, who spends $4000.00 on legal fees for a campaign when your name isn’t Matt Blunt?

Next we’ll go through Ryan Silvey’s 8 day before the primary election report filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission on July 28th:

Detailed Summary of Committee Disclosure Report

Committe[e]: CITIZENS FOR RYAN SILVEY

2. ALL MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED THIS PERIOD $5,575.00

9. TOTAL ALL RECEIPTS THIS ELECTION(SUM 1B + 7A – 8A) $57,775.00

11. EXPENDITURES MADE BY CASH OR CHECK THIS PERIOD $1,304.82

28. MONEY ON HAND AT THE CLOSE OF THIS REPORTING PERIOD (SUM 25 + 26 – 27) $30,607.48

[emphasis added]

Let’s see where all that money came from in less than two weeks:

Detailed Summary of Contributions And Loans Received

Committee: CITIZENS FOR RYAN SILVEY

Report Date: 7/28/2008

19th Legislative District Republican Committee St. Charles, MO 07/23/2008 $1,500.00

14th Legislative District Republican Committee St. Charles, MO 07/23/2008 $1,500.00

11. TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED AT FUND-RAISERS AS REPORTED IN LINE 8 ON FORM CD 1A $0.00

12. TOTAL ANONYMOUS CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSONS GIVING $25 OR LESS $0.00

13. TOTAL MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSONS GIVING $100 OR LESS $0.00

14. TOTAL IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSONS (NOT COMMITTEES) GIVING $100 OR LESS $0.00

[emphasis added]

Labor, PACs, and party committees.

Still? No small dollar individual contributions? He must be trying really hard to not accept them.

Expenditures:

Detailed Summary of Expenditures And Contributions Made

Committe: CITIZENS FOR RYAN SILVEY

ReportDate: 7/28/2008

Public Storage Gladstone, MO 07/03/2008 Storage

1866 [aggregate amount to date] $106.00

He’s still storing something. I wonder what? His parade car?!

Silvey also filed 24 hour reports listing contributions from PACs on July 29th (pdf), July 31st (pdf), and August 4th (pdf).

This race has a grass roots populist David vs. Goliath feel to it. How about helping out David with a few stones for his sling? You all know what to do.

MECID:C071385  

JOSHUA REED FOR CHANGE

205 NW 73RD ST

GLADSTONE MO 64118