SPEAKOUT

Open for discussion

I respectfully request that our state representative, Ms. Rehder, in her report published in this paper initiate an intelligent discussion of the issues before General Assembly. The people would benefit from this as very little of the real facts are available to us without political spin. Can we have an honest discussion of the funding of our schools through the foundation formula and also the funding of higher education? We are in steady decline in funding and quality. Why and what should be done about it? Did she take the oath given to all legislators to support the state and the U.S. Constitution? If so, what is the reasoning for attempting to turn federal officers enforcing gun laws in Missouri into criminals? Only if they do so in Missouri. And if they won't, who will enforce those laws? Why will some citizens be allowed to carry fully loaded automatic weapons under the law she supports? And how will she vote on the override of the governor's veto? Does the supremacy law in the U.S. Constitution have any meaning in Missouri? We need to know her vote and reasoning in spending money on laws like the one banning the use of Islamic Sharia Law in Missouri when it has never been used in Missouri, nor can it be used here. We use the statutes passed by our general assembly and the state and federal constitution and the common law of the United States of America. What is the taxpayer cost of spending time on these subjects and passing bills? I suspect its tens of thousands of dollars per piece of legislation. Would that money be better spent on education and improvement of the systems that serve citizens of the state of Missouri?

Don't let pot get high

I saw something on TV this morning where they were having a Hempfest in Washington State where marijuana is legal. I think marijuana oughta be legal everywhere. It is not as dangerous as alcohol. Alcohol is so much sold. That's all you see on TV sports and so forth. It would free up a lot of the prison population and provide a lot of income for our cities and states and municipalities. That's just my opinion. I don't think pregnant women or nursing women oughta use it and I think it oughta be regulated. I don't think they oughta let the price of it go sky-high like cigarettes. I like to have cigarettes. That's just my opinion.