**Missouri Judicial Ballot
There are twelve judges of various levels on this ballot, yet I don't have sufficient information, one way or the other on any of them, to make an informed recommendation. If anyone knows of a reputable clearing house for this type of research, please let us all know.
**Vote NO on Missouri Constitutional Amendment 3.
Why? This amendment seeks to change how Missouri appoints judges to the state Supreme Court and its appellate courts. What we have now is called the 'Missouri Plan.' The people of Missouri put it in place back in 1940, and this non-partisan plan has been so successful that it's been adopted by 30 other states.
Bottom line: If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
The Joplin Globe has a good editorial on this subject.
Vote NO on Missouri Constitutional Amendment 3.
**Vote YES on Missouri Proposition A.
Why? This would return municipal control of the St. Louis Police Dept. to the city St. Louis, and I'm all for local control. It's because of past corruption that the governor currently appoints a board of commissioners who oversee the St. Louis and Kansas City police departments - the only police departments in Missouri not under the direct local control of the municipalities they serve. It's been that way for St. Louis since the 1860's, and for KC, since the 1930's.
Bottom line: A YES vote will save the state money, and it's time for the state to stop being a municipal babysitter. We ain't on the frontier no more and the days of 'Boss Tom' are long gone. With a 24 hr news cycle, CCTV on every street corner, dash cams in squad cars, citizen journalists, and swarms of personal injury attorneys eager to sue at the slightest slight, the citizens of St. Louis can take care of themselves, thank you very much.
(KC, you're next).
Vote YES on Missouri Proposition A.
**Vote NO on Missouri Proposition B.
Why? Prop B is known as the 'cigarette tax,' and would increase taxes paid on all tobacco products sold in Missouri by eleventy thousand percent, or some such number. The proponents contend Missouri tobacco taxes are among the lowest in the nation, and this tobacco tax will raise revenue up to parity with other states which will benefit public education and make smokers quit, etc.
This is the same group think that sold the casino gambling tax revenue canard, yet that money ended up in the general slush fund to be squandered. Plus, I've always been puzzled as to why we have to raise our taxes up to parity with other states, yet other states are never asked to lower theirs to our level. Odd, but I digress.
Bottom line: I simply have a problem with cities & states going hammer & tong to ban public smoking, demonize tobacco companies, marginalize smokers, yet monetize the sin - for better schools and better health - but continue the crusade to ban public smoking, demonize tobacco companies, and marginalize smokers. That whole mindset is simply too dysfunctional.
Vote NO on Missouri Proposition B.
**Vote YES on Missouri Proposition E.
Why? This is known as the 'health insurance exchanges' or 'Obamacare exchanges' law and will determine whether the Governor alone shall implement these exchanges or the legislature shall implement Obamacare's required health insurance exchanges (a ten dollar word for 'market place' - as if there's not already a free market place in which to shop for insurance).
If states do not set them up by 2014, the federal govt. will do it for them.
I'm a check n balance kinda guy and prefer not to have one person in charge of this type of nonsense. The legislature can do less damage, imho.
Vote YES on Missouri Proposition E.
