Missouri Resource Guide
Sam Adams State Resource Guides are designed to help citizens get involved in their home state.
Do you have additional information that you'd like to see on this list? Please email your tips to resources@samadamsalliance.org.
BACKGROUND:
Missouri is what is known as a bellwether state—since 1904, it has cast its votes for the winner in every presidential election, except for 1956. This fact has earned the state a lot of attention on the national scale.
Currently, Missouri leans Republican, with a Republican state legislature and a GOP governor, Matt Blunt. The state was also the ONLY state in which two democrat incumbents were defeated in the 2006 election cycle. However, three of the state’s congressional representatives and one of its senators are Democrats. Generally, Republicans are favored, but due to their recent relative unpopularity, the next elections could be quite a battle.
ISSUES:
Judicial reform
Judges who impose their ideology from the bench have inspired some groups, like the Adam Smith Foundation, to point the spotlight at the Missouri Plan, which is the state’s method of selecting Supreme Court judges. Groups like the Adam Smith Foundation favor greater openness and transparency in selection, as opposed to a small committee submitting names for nomination to the governor. The current system interferes with the separation of powers and gives the governor little say in whom he appoints.
Property rights protection
In a recent Castle Coalition report, Missouri’s property rights protection received a failing grade because property owners are so vulnerable to eminent domain. A property can be taken away if it is declared “blighted” – and the definition of blight has historically been abused by local and state governments when they want a property.
Meanwhile, Jim Roos, a St. Louis citizen, is headed to court – over a sign in his yard expressing his support for increased protection against eminent domain. The city says the sign is too big – and they want to make him take it down.
The Missouri Citizens for Property Rights group is pointing out the need for more property rights protection - and they are petitioning to fully restore property rights protection in the Missouri Constitution.
State spending reform
Missouri’s Hancock Amendment provides some state spending restrictions. However, local groups are encouraging the state to be more accountable and to let citizens know about effects of increased property taxes. The State of Missouri ended the 2007 fiscal year with a surplus of $320 million. As a result, Liberals have begun clamoring for more spending to reinstate Medicaid cuts from 2005.
Education reform
The City of St. Louis School District lost its state accreditation, and the State of Missouri took control of the district on June 15, 2007. Several other school districts are on the cusp of loosing their accreditation. Regrettably though, this past year the margin of loss increased by six votes for the school choice bill (Betty L. Thompson Scholarship Program). HB 808 only received 62 “Yes” and 96 “No” votes. The Betty L. Thompson bill would authorize a tax credit for taxpayers who donate to an educational assistance organization. The credit is for 65% of the amount of the contribution, and the program would not exceed $40 million annually. Related scholarships would not exceed $5,000. This bill has been introduced for the last three years and will continue to be introduced each session in the foreseeable future.
ACTION GROUPS:
Adam Smith Foundation
http://adamsmithfoundation.com/
Missouri Citizens for Property Rights
http://www.mo-cpr.org/
Missouri Eminent Domain Coalition
http://medac.typepad.com/medac/
Taxpayer Research Institute of Missouri
http://www.motaxpayers.com/
Americans for Prosperity – Missouri
(816) 753-7977
Constitutional Coalition
(314) 434-7028
Missourians for Tax Reform
(314) 621-5070
Standard of Living Committee
(573) 581-3547
dgoe@mail.itwebs.com
Taxpayers' Survival Association
(417) 881-1480
THINK TANKS
Show Me Institute
http://www.showmeinstitute.org/
Center for Ethics and Free Markets
http://www.centerforethics.org/
RESOURCES
Missouri Accountability Portal
http://mapyourtaxes.mo.gov/map/homepage.aspx
Missouri Ethics Commission
http://www.moethics.mo.gov/Ethics/Generalinfo/Generalinfo.aspx
BLOGS
The Source
http://www.mosource.com
Missouri Pulse
www.missouripulse.com
Missouri Political News
www.mopns.com
The Radical Republican
http://freesoiler.blogspot.com/
Arena of Ideas
http://www.arenaofideas.org/
24th state
http://www.24thstate.com/
The Turner Report
http://rturner229.blogspot.com/
PubDef
http://www.pubdef.net/
Show Me Blog
http://www.showmeblog.org/index.jsp
Jason Rosenbaum
http://blogs.columbiatribune.com/politics/
POLITICAL NEWS SOURCES
John Combest
http://www.johncombest.com/
Political Fix
http://www.stltoday.com/blogs/category/news-politicalfix/
Springfield News-Leader
http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=BLOGS03
KY 3 (Springfield NBC) Site ran by a young reporter
http://www.ky3.blogspot.com
