respublica

Dems for Life

Was happy to see this group mentioned somewhere the other day. If you only listen to elected national democrats you'd believe no democrat could be pro life. But having lived in the St. Louis metro east for years, it was fairly common knowledge that many life long local democrats (which was pretty much everyone in Madison and St. Clair Counties) were not comfortable with abortion. They were more likely to be all in for local democratic candidates as their forebearers were, but had to think long and hard for the national ones mainly over the right to life issue.

So there are still democrats for life, albeit quiet in their POV.

Taxing rain

Pity the poor residents living in ten Maryland counties because beginning July 1 they will have a rain tax added to their property tax bills. Be on guard residents of Illinois, if this works officials there may see a way to add to their own bankrupt coffers.

The Environmental Protection Agency decreed in 2010 that Maryland had to stop so much stormwater runoff from draining into the Bay, a project that would cost $14.8 billion. To pay for that, authorities decided to tax "impervious surfaces" "anything that prevents rainwater from seeping into the earth (roofs, driveways, patios, sidewalks, etc.) thereby causing stormwater runoff."

The state has required its 10 largest counties -- Montgomery, Prince George's, Howard, Anne Arundel, Carroll, Hartford, Charles, Frederick, Baltimore counties and Baltimore city -- to raise the revenue. Property owners' obligations will be calculated  through the use of satellite imagery and geographic information systems. Big Brother can measure your roof and driveway.

So Google Earth images will decide how much of a homeowners property is not pervious. This is the perfect George Harrison song verse to accompany this story.

​​If you drive a car, I'll tax the street,
If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat.
If you get too cold I'll tax the heat,
If you take a walk, I'll tax your feet.

 So..."The EPA is such a Pain

        Who else would think to tax the rain"

Collinsville area election results April 2013

Winners:

City Council: Nancy Moss, Jeff Kypta, Karen Woolard (2 year term)

Unit Ten School Board: Gary Peccola, Theresa Billy, Gary Kusmierczak

Township: Chris Guy, Mike Foley, Dennis Hill, James Stack

Mississippi Valley Library District: Mark Schusky, Susan Keller

Collinsville Area Recreation District tax levy questions both passed which means the levy has been decreased.

Collinsville Area Recreation District commissioners:  Mark Achenbach, Patrick Collins

Update to the Ellisville Fiasco

P-D columnist Bill McClellan wrote the best summary of the goings on in Ellisville I've seen so far. He did it with humor and truth, two things which are often the same.

You can have good government or fun government. I am in the fun government camp.

When you have fun government, you have participatory democracy. People show up for meetings. They get angry. They shout. They pay attention.

Ellisville is the latest example of fun government. 

The mayor has been impeached.

To be fair about this, you can impeach a mayor even with a good government. But with a good government, the impeachment would have something to do with malfeasance. Maybe even fraud.

In a fun government, it’s Mad Hatter stuff. 

And there's so much more fun from McClellan

 

The fiasco that is Ellisville

If you follow any local news beyond the Cardinals, you've seen reports of last night's impeachment of the Mayor of Ellisville, Adam Paul. Paul was elected last April defeating two people who are now on the council. A third member of the council is the mayor Paul succeeded, Matt Pirrello.

Paul ran on a platform which stood in opposition to a proposed Walmart and the use of TIF funds to build it. The previous council was in favor including the 3 who ran against him. Last year's election seems to have played out this way: Mayor Pirrello was term limited out for mayor and so ran for council. Michelle Murray and Dawn Anglin were on the council with their terms still having a year to go and ran for mayor. They lost to Paul but kept their council seats. Currently they can no longer serve because their terms are up and are term limited out. Two new members of the council were elected last week to replace them and stand with Paul in the Walmart matter and other issues. The voters have spoken...twice.

In effect the move to have the impeachment vote took place (5-1) before the new members took their seats.

Looking at this from the outside is problematic since we aren't privvy to all the ins and outs of Elllisville politics, but it does appear that- 1 Mayor Paul is a young man who came in gangbusters to do what he said he would do while campaigning and did get the majority of votes from city voters. Sometimes patience is a virtue but it's often lost on the young and motivated person.

And 2, it appears the former mayor now councilman and the city attorney and maybe a number of councilmen did work behind the scenes almost from the beginning of Pau's term to neutralize him or get him out. I wonder how many illegal private unofficial conversations went on between all of those people.

With the impeachment the council has full authority to name a interim mayor and will they outgoing council do this or wait and let the new one have the responsibility? Meanwhile Mayor Paul said he will take this matter to a real court and not leave the final decision to what he called a Kangaroo Court.

The most feel good part of the story last night? The public impeachment meeting was held at St. John's Lutheran Church in Ellisville, a place big enough to hold the crowd. And, the church members put out free cookies and coffee for everyone.

Electioneering:Missouri>>Illinois

In Illinois anyone wanting to pass out election materials or promote a candidate outside polling places on election day must stay 100 feet back from the door to the voting area. In Missouri they only have to stay 25 feet back. I must say I prefer the Illinois version. Voters must run a gauntlet of candidates and their supporters in Missouri all trying to hand you materials as you head into the door.

There's always a little truth in humor

This from Jay Leno is funny. I'm sorry, it really is.

“And in a groundbreaking move, the Associated Press, the largest news gathering outlet in the world, will no longer use the term ‘illegal immigrant.’ That is out. No longer ‘illegal immigrant.’ They will now use the phrase ‘undocumented Democrat.’ That is the newest – ‘undocumented Democrat.’”

Jokes like this are probably one reason NBC keeps trying to replace Leno.

This is why Mayor Bloomberg bugs so many of us

Not only the recent bans on various food and drink by the mayor of NYC, but this comment from him yesterday:

 Speaking about government: “I do think there are certain times we should infringe on your freedom."

Should!  You know what? You and I may think big sodas and other foods are ridiculous but history is replete with examples of governments which started infringing on individual rights with small things and pretty soon they took charge of the big things. No one should be nodding his/her head in agreement with government having the right to infringe on rights we've had since the founding.

He might want to consider the fact that he won't be in office forever and by opening this door he might find his rights infringed on.

Something I learned during the Rand Paul Filibuster

The senate has a candy desk! "In 1965, Senator George Murphy (R-CA) originated the practice of keeping a supply of candy in his desk for his fellow senators. In every Congress since that time, the Candy Desk has been located in the back area of the Republican side, close to the Chamber's most heavily used entrance."

This desk is now occupied by Illinois senator Mark Kirk who took some of that candy up to Rand Paul as nourishment during his 13 hour stand yesterday. Senator Kirk volunteered to take on the responsibility of stocking the Candy Desk during the 112th Congress to promote candy makers around the state. The Candy Desk will now feature sweets made in Illinois such as Mars, Milky Way and Snickers bars.

Cool, eh? And interesting to know Snickers is made in Illinois.

Past senators who manned the candy desk were: Paul Fannin (R-AZ), Harrison Schmitt (R-NM), Roger Jepsen (R-IA), Steve Symms (R-ID), Slade Gorton (R-WA), John McCain (R-AZ), Jim Jeffords (R-VT), Bob Bennett (R-UT), Rick Santorum (R-PA), Craig Thomas (R-ID), George Voinovich (R-OH), Mel Martinez (R-FL) and George LeMieux (R-FL).

The Gore Effect

I realize this is not fair, but it honestly never ceases to make me laugh. Just a bit.. So often where Al Gore goes to speak on this topic, the weather is as wintry as it can get thus the term, The Gore Effect.

In DC, the House of Representatives' Science, Space and Technology Committee has postponed its environmental subcommittee hearing scheduled for today on Global Warming due to a major snowstorm.