Missouri voters to decide fate of four amendments

The Nov. 4 midterm national elections are just over a week away and as is often the case, the momentum seems to shift on a day-to-day basis.

The spotlight come election night will most certainly not fall on Missouri because we have no races on the ballot with national implications.

But other states -- Arkansas, Louisiana, Iowa, etc. -- will be the focus of an all-important referendum on this administration's policies.

We only hope that voters in those critical states recognize the importance of changing this nation's wayward direction and vote the scoundrel liberals out the door.

What's at stake in Missouri includes four Constitutional Amendments that have generated little attention.

Asked earlier this week to explain the amendments, I erred to one of our readers (though I have since made a phone call and corrected my mistake).

Let me try to explain my take on these four.

Amendment 2: This measure, if approved, would allow prior criminal records to be used in the prosecution of sexual crimes involving children.

I will definitely vote yes on this amendment and I am shocked this provision is not already in place.

If someone molests a child, the courts -- judges or juries -- should be allowed to know that the defendant has a prior history of these despicable acts.

Amendment 3: This proposal has generated the most discussion statewide. It deals with teacher evaluation and a whole host of other detailed requirements on education in Missouri.

I will vote no on this amendment for a variety of reasons. It is not only potentially costly, but more importantly, it would take far too much control away from local school boards and put those decisions in the hands of state bureaucrats.

One provision of the amendment would tie teacher evaluation with student performance. And although this may sound acceptable, it is far from it.

A variety of factors -- primarily starting at the home -- govern student performance. To penalize a teacher for student performance is wrong because home environments and parenting skills have a much greater impact on the eventual outcome.

Amendment 6: I strongly oppose this measure which would allow early voting in person or by mail. There are far too many potential horror stories of fraud by allowing early voting.

To me it's simple. If you are too lazy to exercise your right to vote on Election Day, then perhaps your input into the election process is not needed. If you want to be involved in the election process, then be responsible enough to cast your ballot on election day or cast an absentee ballot.

There are no barriers to casting an Election Day ballot and I'm sick and tired of hearing how some are "disenfranchised" because they lack the motivation to vote on Election Day at a convenient polling location in their neighborhood.

Amendment 10: This is a simple yes vote. This amendment would prohibit the governor -- regardless of which party they represent -- from spending money our state does not have or from restricting funding from other state services.

We elect representatives from across the state to manage the finances of our great state. The last thing we need is political games to be played with our limited tax resources.