Latest entries in Politics Watch
Political updates from Columbia, Jeff City and Washington by The Maneater's political reporters.
Feb. 17, 2010
Nixon discusses small business loan program in Columbia
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon stopped by Traditions in Woodworking, a Columbia woodworking shop, to talk about his 2010 Jobs Package and the results of his Missouri Small Business Loan Program launched last year.
“From day one when I took office, my top priority has been to turn this economy around,” Nixon said in a news release. “In fact, one of my first executive orders was to create this tool giving small businesses in Missouri access to low-interest loans to help them grow”
The Small Business Loan Program offers loans of $2,500 to $25,000 and can be repaid over 10 years at a 3 percent interest rate. As of Feb. 16, the program approved 44 loans totaling $1,055,159. Of the original loan pool approved by the Missouri Development Finance Board, an additional $894,841 is available for loans.
Nixon’s 2010 Jobs Package contains three major components.
The first proposal, which requires legislative approval, would provide eligible Missouri employers incentives under select economic development programs for being located in Missouri for at least five years.
The Missouri Science and Innovation Reinvestment Act (MOSIRA,) the second proposal, would create a fund for investment in new science and technology companies that relocate to Missouri. MOSIRA also requires legislative approval.
The Training for Tomorrow program is the final proposal in Nixon’s 2010 Job program. The program would provide a $12 million investment fun for job-training programs at Missouri community colleges. As a requirement for funds, community colleges must submit proposals to the Missouri Department of Economic Development explaining how they would uses the money and the programs they would expand. Training for Tomorrow does not require legislative approval.
Nixon said the economic challenges that face Missouri are tough, but the people of Missouri are tougher.
“By investing in our existing businesses, technology and training, I am confident we will create the jobs we need and move our economy forward,” Nixon said.
Feb. 16, 2010
McCaskill visits Afghanistan and Pakistan
Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., discussed her recent trip to the Middle East, which began in Kuwait. McCaskill said one of her main concerns during the trip dealt with the oversight of contracts with independent military contractors.
She said progress has been made to account for all equipment and oversight structures were in place for these groups. She said we should try to get the best value from these contractors.
“I don’t think they have a handle on it yet, but they’re working on getting a handle on it,” McCaskill said.
After leaving Kuwait, McCaskill stayed in Afghanistan for two days. She said there were some differences between the situations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“We have much more cooperation with allied nations there than we ever had in Iraq,” she said.
During her trip she was around troops from many nations, including Germany and Sweden.
Despite this international effort, she said success in Afghanistan wouldn’t be easy.
“This is a difficult task and in some ways we are trying to thread our troops through a needle, but I do think we have a solid plan,” she said.
McCaskill said her definition of success was, among other things, clearing areas of the Taliban, creating a strong police force, establishing government at the local level, creating a national army and removing U.S. presence in the country.
She said government corruption, which has dogged Afghanistan’s government, is a hard truth in the country.
“Its hard for me as an American to accept the notion that any corruption is O.K., but in this case we have to be realistic,” she said. “We can’t wave a magic wand and pretend we’ll get a healthy non-corrupt country overnight in a place like Afghanistan.”
During the news conference, which McCaskill held from India, she also touched on the retirement of Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind. McCaskill said the political environment was “toxic” and partisan. She said his retirement wasn’t surprising.
“This has been a really challenging political environment for someone who likes to solve problems,” she said.
Mayoral candidate participates in Polar Plunge.
Mayoral candidate Paul Love prepares for The 3rd Annual Polar Bear Plunge on Saturday at Stephens Lake Park. Love said that something exciting like the plunge was something he had always wanted to do.
Mayoral candidate Paul Love helped raise money for Special Olympics Missouri on Saturday by participating in the Polar Plunge. After raising $50, people can enter the icy waters of Stephens Lake Park for the charity, which funds athletic events throughout the year. This year's plunge raised more than $57,000.
Feb. 15, 2010
Access Missouri changes not supported by Coordinating Board of Higher Education
The Coordinating Board for Higher Education met last week and voted not support two bills in the Missouri Legislature that would require students attending private schools to only receive as much financial aid as those who attend public schools.
Under current law, students attending independent schools can get $4,600 of financial aid, while students going to public schools can get $2,150. Bills SB 784 and HB 1812 seek to equal this discrepancy. The proposed legislation would make the maximum amount $2,850 for both kinds of institutions.
The proposed changes met with mixed reactions from the board. Chairman Lowell Kruse was the sole vote for the legislation. He said conditions have changed since the award amounts were established as part of the Access Missouri program.
Board member Doris Carter said she supports the equalization, but not at the cost of passing the changes without involving all sectors.
Mary Beth Luna Wolf, a board member who helped create Access Missouri, said the legislation can only move forward with everyone on board.
“All sectors – public and private – agreed on these award amounts,” Wolf said. “If we’re going to move forward to improve higher education, we need to do so collectively.”
Board member Greg Upchurch said the public and the private sectors should get together now and make decisions about future award amounts. The Access Missouri program expires in 2013. Upchurch wants to organize something that will take over after it ends, instead of changing things now.
“I know we’re all in favor of higher education, no matter where it takes place," Krause said. "The question is how to proceed deliberately and fairly.”
Feb. 14, 2010
Clean energy day of action planned for Columbia
A clean energy day of action is in the works for Columbia. On Monday, according to an email from MU College Democrats President Amanda Shelton, volunteers at Speakers Circle will try to encourage students to call Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. to thank her for past work and ask for her support of a "strong" clean energy plan.
Throughout the day, speakers will focus on encouraging a green economy, reducing dependence on traditional energy and increasing national security using energy policy.
Feb. 12, 2010
Mayoral candidates discuss improving efficency at council meetings
During Thursday's mayoral forum, moderator Don Laird asked the mayoral candidates how they plan to make city council meetings more efficient.
“We get trapped into doing things the way they have always been done,” candidate Jerry Wade said.
Since April 2009, meetings have averaged around 3 hours, with the longest being 7 hours and 22 minutes on July 20.
Mayoral candidate Paul Love said if the council met more times a month to spread out the workload, the meetings would be more efficient. Candidate Sid Sullivan said the city council needs more control over the agenda in order to maximize the time at meetings.
Efficiency in the city council meetings rests on the mayor, candidate Bob McDavid said.
“The power of the gavel is to keep people on point,” McDavid said.
With Columbia’s population totaling more than 100,000, Sean O'Day said the workload is too much for an unpaid official.
“It’s going to be inevitable to provide the city council with some kind of stipend,” the candidate said.
The Columbia mayoral, Third and Fourth Ward city council elections will be held on April 6.
Community discusses Obama's first year in office
Wynna Elbert, Columbia resident and civic activist, participates in a discussion regarding President Barack Obama's first year in office Wednesday night at the Armory Sports and Community Center. The discussion covered topics, including job production, health care reform and the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' military policy.
Columbia citizens met at the Armory Sports and Community Center Wednesday night to discuss President Barack Obama’s first year in office. This time last year, citizens met to discuss President Obama's inauguration.
The discussion shifted at times from Obama’s first year in office to policy issues and larger social circumstances affecting the black community.
Tyree Byndom, who helped organize the event, said he didn’t mind the change in topics and the event was a conversation among friends who aren’t afraid to speak their mind.
“It was just real, a lot times you don’t see that, you have to tailor things,” he said.
One of the main points of the discussion revolved around health care reform.
Former First Ward Councilwoman Almeta Crayton said she wanted to see reform pass.
Although he doesn’t support the federal government forcing people to buy health care, MU Alumnus Addae Ahmad said he does support the idea of universal health care because it leads to a healthy country.
“If you got a healthy country and healthy people it helps the community stay vibrant,” he said. Crayton said issues with health care legislation are understandable, but the end product of reform is most important.
“I don’t give a damn what they type up in that paper,” she said. “If my 3-year-old is choking and I can’t get coverage, that’s what I care about.“
Social issues were also discussed, such as the importance of higher education.
Addae said a secondary education was necessary to compete in a job market where high-paying factory jobs aren’t as common as they once were.
“A lot of African American youth think these jobs will be there when they graduate high school and enter the work force, but that’s naïve,” he said.
The discussion ended with a few brief words about Obama’s attempt to end the military’s “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
Wynna Elbert said sexual orientation was a personal issue.
“We got so many other issues we have to deal with before we get to gays in the military,” she said. “I don’t have time to deal with that.”
Byndom said this discussion needs to happen more often, but would have liked to see more people attend the event, which was much larger after Obama won last year.
Six people participated in the discussion while 18 journalists attended.
Feb. 11, 2010
Mayoral candidate Paul Love to participate in Polar Bear Plunge
Columbia mayoral candidate Paul Love is stepping away from his campaign and jumping into the icy waters of Stephens Lake on Feb. 13. In an effort to raise money for the Special Olympics Missouri, Love will participate in the organization’s Polar Bear Plunge.
“A friend of mine recently had a special needs child, that brought the issue floating to the top of my mind,” Love said in an email. “Then a few weeks ago, I was talking with some friends and one mentioned she was going to do the plunge.”
Love said he was a first time fundraiser for the Special Olympics, but had donated in the past. He said he has raised $125 already and will hopefully raise more by the time of the plunge.
“The Polar Bear Plunge always sounded interesting to me, sort of like sky diving,” Love said.
All proceeds raised at the Plunge will be donated to the year-round Special Olympic athletic training and competition in Missouri.
Feb. 10, 2010
Veterans honor Chris Kelly
The Missouri Association of Veteran Organizations awarded House Rep. Chris Kelly, D-Columbia, for his "outstanding" service to veterans, stated a news release from Kelly's office.
Each year, one senator and representative in the state are picked to receive recognition as people who are most supportive of veteran's legislative priorities.
“I am pleased to receive this award on behalf of the nearly 600,000 veterans in Missouri,” Kelly said in the news release. “I hope that we are able to sustain funding for and meet MAVO’s legislative priorities to the extent possible in this difficult budgetary year.”
MAVO is a coalition of 22 statewide groups and represents more than 140,000 members and almost 590,000 veterans throughout the state.
Feb. 9, 2010
MSA approves resolution in favor of shuttle to Jefferson City.
The Missouri Department of Transportation has recently received $31 million in grants to create a second rail bridge over the Osage River, create a crossover in Kirkwood and improve a series of crossing projects by putting more gates and lights where the motor roads cross the rail lines.
The investments are predicted to create more passenger friendly railroad services and increase its use.
Missouri Students Association passed a resolution in favor of creating a student friendly transit system from Columbia to Jefferson City in order to make the high-speed rails available to students.
MODOT Railroad Administrator Rod Massman, said they had shown interest in tapping into Columbia’s student base market but funding limits their options.
“Amtrak runs on existing tracks, and there have been no passenger rails running through Columbia in a long time,” Massman said. “There is no money in the budget to create them.”
Some private businesses view the project as unprofitable and are unwilling to undertake it .
“We hardly get any demand for Amtrak,” MO-X owner Norm Ruebling said. “Plus we would have to get licensing to provide that sort of transport.”
Ruebling said any student who wants to use Amtrak can be driven to either the Kansas City airport or St. Louis airport and then take the MetroLink from there.
