Thursday, February 26, 2015

Missouri Auditor/GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Tom Schweich Dies of Gun Shot Wound

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Missouri Auditor Schweich dies after self-inflicted gunshot wound


JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich, who had recently launched a Republican campaign for governor, fatally shot himself Thursday in what police described as an "apparent suicide" at his home in suburban St. Louis. Paramedics found the 54-year-old when responding to an emergency call shortly before 10 a.m. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead from a single gunshot wound, authorities said.

"Everything at this point does suggest that it is an apparent suicide," Clayton Police Chief Kevin Murphy said at a news conference, adding that an autopsy would be conducted Friday morning.  Schweich called The Associated Press at 9:16 a.m. Thursday inviting an AP reporter to his home for a 2:30 p.m. interview and noting that a reporter from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch also had been invited. An AP reporter spoke with Schweich by phone again at 9:35 a.m., 13 minutes before the emergency call from his home, to discuss the upcoming interview.

Murphy said one family member was at the home at the time but declined to name the person. He said the family was cooperating with the ongoing investigation.  Schweich had served as auditor since January 2011 and won re-election in November to a second, four-year term. He announced a month ago that he was seeking the Republican nomination for governor in 2016, and was gearing up for an expected primary fight against Catherine Hanaway, a former U.S. attorney and Missouri House speaker.

At the Capitol early Thursday afternoon, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon and Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder joined lawmakers, staff and some lobbyists in the House chamber for a brief prayer service remembering Schweich. Monsignor Robert Kurwicki recited the Psalm 23 and led the group in the Lord's Prayer.  All of Missouri's top elected officials released statements mourning Schweich's death, some of them expressing shock. Nixon described Schweich as "a brilliant, devoted and accomplished public servant who dedicated his career to making the world a better place." Kinder said Schweich "had a long and unblemished record as a great public servant."

Hanaway said in a statement that she was "deeply saddened" by Schweich's death and described him as "an extraordinary man with an extraordinary record of service to our state and nation."

Schweich made his political debut in 2009. He had initially considered running for the seat being vacated in 2010 by Republican U.S. Sen. Kit Bond, and he had the encouragement of his mentor, former U.S. Sen. John Danforth. But Schweich decided to defer to Rep. Roy Blunt to avoid a divisive GOP Senate primary and instead challenged and defeated Democratic State Auditor Susan Montee in the 2010 election.
He easily won re-election last year, facing no challenge from either a Republican or Democratic candidate.
Schweich spent last weekend wooing fellow Republicans during the state GOP's annual conference in Kansas City. He spoke energetically, frequently touting his work rooting out government waste and corruption as auditor.

But he also emphasized charity, citing his Christian beliefs as a source of compassion and promising to cut back on government spending and misuse without hurting the poor.  "Part of being a Christian is you gotta help people," Schweich said while speaking to about a dozen members of the Missouri Republican Assembly on Saturday, his wife watching from the back of a small conference room in the Kansas City Marriott Downtown.

Later that day he scooped dollops of ice cream for supporters until his hands hurt.

Schweich previously worked as a private-sector attorney and for the federal government. Schweich was Danforth's chief of staff for the 1999 federal investigation into the deadly government siege at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, and followed Danforth to the United Nations, where he was chief of staff for the U.S. delegation.

President George W. Bush appointed Schweich to the State Department in 2005 as an international law enforcement official. Two years later, Bush picked Schweich to coordinate the anti-drug and justice reform efforts in Afghanistan.

Schweich also was a passionate collector of memorabilia from Hollywood actors and U.S. political figures. His historical documents included items signed by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and every U.S. president of the 20th century.

In a November interview with the AP, Schweich said he was mulling a run for governor at that time because "a lot of people want to clean up Jefferson City, and I think I would be well-equipped to do that."

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

NFL Players Union is Anti Right -to-Work

NFL players union opposes Wisconsin right-to-work bill


NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith says pro football players share the same labor issues as other working men and women.

National Football League Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith is no stranger to right-to-work battles in the Midwest, having spoken out against the movements in Michigan and Indiana that led to those states enacting laws in 2012.
Now, Smith is joining Wisconsin labor officials in decrying the laws that forbid private union contracts that require membership as a condition of employment.
"If you are able to decrease the ability of a group of people to bargain collectively, you've won the war before the fight started," Smith said in a phone interview Monday. "It's one thing to be in a negotiation room where you have a group of workers who formed themselves as a team, and whatever contract you get is the contract you get. Or you can play the game in such a way where you actually prevent or inhibit the ability of that group of people to get into the room as a group, and you win the war before the fight began. And that's what right to work is."
Pro football players for the Green Bay Packers make up only a tiny, yet highly visible, segment of union membership in Wisconsin. And a right-to-work law might not impact the NFLPA as much as other unions.
To Smith, however, the NFLPA's involvement in the issues starts as a philosophical matter.
"Our guys work for a living," Smith said. "And when it comes to the issues of working men and women in America, our issues really aren't so divergent from theirs. Our guys want a safe workplace. They want a fair wage. They want a fair pension. And they want to know that they can address all of those issues as a collective team rather than being subjected to an employer who has a significant, if not tremendous, amount of bargaining leverage over an individual."
Wisconsin would be the 25th state with a right-to-work law if the measure passes through the Legislature this week and gets Gov. Scott Walker's desk for a signature, as all signs have indicated it will.
Twelve of the NFL's 32 teams are in states that have right-to-work laws, which means players in those states can't be compelled to pay union dues to keep their job.
That, Smith said, hasn't been a significant issue for the NFLPA, which he said tries to focus its communication with players on being a part of the bargaining process that has yielded important victories for the players.
The NFLPA has been involved in Wisconsin union politics before. During statewide protests in 2011, then-Green Bay Packers cornerback Charles Woodson, one of the team's NFLPA representatives, expressed support for the public-sector workers whose collective bargaining rights were stripped by Act 10.
While there's no indication that Packers players will be involved in any protests planned this week, Smith said it's in the best interest of players to be mindful of what's happening around them.
"I personally urge our players to be aware and invested in the communities in which they live," he said. "I don't think it's the right way to view your fortune as being a football player that you can somehow detach yourself from your community. Our job is to certainly make players aware of what's going on and urge them to get involved."

Saturday, February 21, 2015

NOW is the Time to ReWrite ESEA!

Tell Congress a new Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) must mean more opportunity and learning for students


Share your vision of better public education for all students

Line-of-studentsRight now, Congress is rewriting No Child Left Behind (NCLB) — also known as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act or ESEA. Under NCLB, the focus has shifted from student learning towards testing, labeling, and punishing schools—with no significant closure of opportunity gaps.
That’s why we need your help right now.
Sign below to share a new vision for public education. The more people who sign, the more Congress will see that educators and voters like you are paying attention so they’ll have to do what’s right for all our students.
Together, we have a chance to set a new vision for ESEA — a public education system that promotes opportunity, equity, and excellence for all students.
That means:
  • Opportunity for all students to receive a quality education, no matter their zip code
  • More time for students to learn
  • More time for teachers to teach

Click Below to Contact Your Representative in Congress:

17 Days Left to Register to Vote for April Elections


CMNEA Members!
You have 17 Days Left to Register
in order to vote in the 
April 7th 
Election!

Click below to visit the Boone County Clerk's Office
in order to register online:



Counterproposal by CPS made to Columbia MNEA Proposal- Nothing Agreed Upon

CPS offers counterproposal to teachers' union, but no agreement


A counterproposal from Columbia Public Schools negotiators to a team representing the teachers’ union does not include any concessions on salary.
The offer was presented to the negotiating team of the Columbia Missouri National Education Association at the end of Thursday’s collective bargaining session at the CPS administration building.
The proposal did not include any alternative salary proposal.
CPS Deputy Superintendent Dana Clippard, head of the administration team, said the rejection of salary increases in the first counterproposal does not mean the district has formally rejected or accepted anything related to salary. She said the counterproposal does not represent the final word of the administration, as it’s still early in the negotiating process.
The CMNEA team has proposed a 5 percent increase to the base and minimum teacher salaries.
Teachers in their first four years receive the minimum salary, which is $34,353. A 5 percent increase would result in a minimum salary of $36,071.
After their first four years, a formula dependent on the base salary is used to determine teachers’ salaries. It is now $30,514; a 5 percent increase would raise it to $32,040.
The CMNEA proposal also sought compensation for teachers whose salaries were frozen in 2009-10. The 2008-09 salary freeze was lifted last year in collective bargaining.
Susan McClintic, CMNEA president, said Friday the district’s counterproposal did not surprise her.
“We are certainly disheartened” but not surprised, she said. “They’re not going to agree to anything until they know what everything is going to cost.”
Linda Quinley, CPS chief financial officer, presented calculations of how much the CMNEA proposal would cost the district during Thursday’s session. Her calculations determined the increase in salary and benefits would cost the district about $6.55 million, representing an average raise of $4,804 per teacher.
The CMNEA also made proposals about working conditions related to demands on teachers’ time, to protection of planning time and to meetings scheduled beyond the regular school day.
Quinley estimated those proposals would cost about $10.1 million. Members of the CMNEA team did not agree with that estimate.
Mary Grupe, a CMNEA team member, said teachers want building administrators to prioritize teachers’ time.
“We weren't anticipating it as a stream of income for teachers,” Grupe said.
Quinley asked how the proposal should be calculated, to which McClintic responded no calculations are needed.
“We want you to protect this time for teachers,” McClintic said. “We don’t think it should cost anything.”
Quinley said she did not agree that there would be no cost involved in the proposed changes.
The CPS counterproposal did offer alternative language related to planning time, directing building principals to attempt to maximize teacher planning time.
The next collective bargaining session is scheduled for March 2.

Possible GOP Missouri Candidate

Eric Greitens
Possible GOP Candidate for Missouri Governor?

Eric Greitens was born and raised in Missouri, where he was educated in public schools. He was an Angier B. Duke Scholar at Duke University, where he studied ethics, philosophy, and public policy. Selected as a Rhodes and a Truman Scholar, he attended the University of Oxford where he earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. His doctoral thesis, Children First, investigated how international humanitarian organizations can best serve war-affected children. He has worked as a humanitarian volunteer, documentary photographer, and researcher in Rwanda, Cambodia, Albania, Mexico, India, Bosnia, and Bolivia.
Eric also served as a United States Navy SEAL officer and deployed four times during the Global War on Terrorism to Afghanistan, Southeast Asia, the Horn of Africa, and Iraq. He served as the Commander of a Mark V Special Operations Craft Detachment, Commander of a Joint Special Operations Task Unit, and Commander of an al Qaeda Targeting Cell. In 2005, he was appointed by the President to serve as a White House Fellow, and in 2011 the Association of the United States Navy named him the Navy Reserve Junior Line Officer of the Year. His military awards include the Combat Action Ribbon, the Purple Heart, and the Bronze Star.
After returning from Iraq, Eric donated his combat pay to found The Mission Continues, a national nonprofit organization that challenges veterans to serve in communities across America. As CEO, Eric has been recognized as one of the most effective leaders in America. In 2013, TIME magazine named Eric to their list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and most recently Fortune magazine recognized him as one of the 50 greatest leaders in the world.
A photographer and writer, Eric is the author of three books. His first book, Strength & Compassion, was recognized as ForeWord Magazine’s Photography Book of the Year, and was the Grand Prize Winner of the New York Book Festival. Eric’s second book, The Heart and the Fist: The Education of a Humanitarian, the Making of a Navy SEAL, was a New York Times Bestseller. His latest book, The Warrior’s Heart, was recognized as one of the Best Teen Books of 2012 by Barnes & Noble and Kirkus Reviews.
Eric teaches as a Senior Fellow at the Truman School of Public Affairs. His work has been covered by national media outlets including NPR, CNN, Fox, CBS, The Colbert Report, the TODAY Show, The Daily Show, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal.
Eric is a sub-3 hour marathon runner and the winner of the Shamrock Marathon at Camp Fallujah, Iraq. As a boxer, he won two Oxford Boxing Blues and the Gold Medal at the BUSA National Boxing Championships. He holds a Black Belt in Taekwondo. Eric currently lives in St. Louis, Missouri with his wife, Sheena.

Possible Missouri Candidates for State Offices in 2016

Visit http://www.politics1.com/mo.htm  to visit website and click names in order to connect to candidate's website(s).

STATE CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS:

GOVERNOR:Jay Nixon (D)* - Term Limited in 2016. ]
Chris Koster (D) - Attorney General, Ex-State Sen. & Ex-Cass County Prosecuting Attorney
Randy Asbury (R) - Ex-State Rep. & Non-Profit Group Management Consultant 

John Brunner (R) - Retired Health Care Products Manufacturing Executive, USMC Veteran & '12 US Sen. Candidate
Eric Greitens (R) - Non-Profit Executive, Iraq/Afghan War Veteran & Author 

Catherine Hanaway (R) - Ex-US Attorney & Ex-State House Speaker
Tom Schweich (R) - State Auditor, Ex-US Ambassador, Attorney & Ex-Congressional Aide

Les Turilli Jr. (Independent) - Businessman

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR:Peter Kinder (R)* - (Campaign Site)
Bev Randles (R) - Attorney & GOP Activist

SECRETARY OF STATE:Jason Kander (D)* - Candidate for US Senate in 2016. ]
Jay Ashcroft (R) - Attorney, Engineer, Son of Ex-US Sen. John Ashcroft & '14 State Sen. Nominee
Will Kraus (R) - State Sen., Ex-State Rep. & Iraq War Veteran

STATE TREASURER:Clint Zweifel (D)* - Retiring in 2016. ]
John Wright (D) - State Rep., Venture Capitalist & Attorney

Eric Schmitt (R) - State Sen., Ex-Glendale Alderman & Attorney

ATTORNEY GENERAL:Chris Koster (D)* - Candidate for Governor in 2016. ]
Scott Sifton (D) - State Sen., Ex-State Rep., Ex-Affton School Board Member & Attorney
Jake Zimmerman (D) - St. Louis County Assessor, Ex-State Rep. & Attorney
Kurt Shaefer (R) - State Sen. & Attorney

STATE AUDITOR (2018 ELECTION):Tom Schweich (R)* - (Campaign Site)

U.S. SENATOR:
Roy Blunt (R)* - (Campaign Site)
Jason Kander (D) - Secretary of State, Ex-State Rep., Attorney & Afghan War Veteran
Claire McCaskill (D)* - (Campaign Site- Next Election in 2018.

District 4: Columbia, MO districtVicky Hartzler (R)* - (Campaign Site)
John Webb (R) - Businessman, Ex-Police Officer & '14 Candidate

Jim White (D) - '12 State Rep. Candidate




Thursday, February 19, 2015

Passage of Right-To-Work Law in Missouri Uncertain

Missouri Senate leader skeptical on right-to-work this yearFrom the Columbia Daily Tribune- Feb. 19, 2015

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Tom Dempsey says he has doubts about whether right-to-work can become law this year.
Dempsey said Tuesday he hasn't decided whether he would vote for right-to-work. But he says he still will allow it to come to a vote in the Senate after the measure passed the House last week.
The Missouri House's passage came on a 91-64 vote, putting the measure short of the 109 votes needed to override an anticipated veto by Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon.
Dempsey says he has many relationships with union members and that there were good reasons for the formation of unions. But he says he does believe the state has lost out on some business opportunities because it's not a right-to-work state.

GOP Candidate Jay Ashcroft Announces Run for Missouri Sec. of State in 2016

Jay Ashcroft announces run for Missouri secretary of state


JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Republican Jay Ashcroft announced his candidacy for secretary of state Thursday, setting up a GOP primary battle for the office that oversees Missouri's elections and business registrations.
Ashcroft declared his candidacy just hours after Democratic Secretary of State Jason Kander said he plans to run for U.S. Senate instead of another term as secretary in 2016. Republican state Sen. Will Kraus, who had announced his candidacy for secretary of state last year, reaffirmed Thursday that he is committed to the race.
"Missouri is desperately in need of leaders who will fight for our state's common sense conservative values," Ashcroft said in an emailed statement. "I will work to protect the integrity of our elections while ensuring the office's business functions are streamlined to allow Missouri employers to focus on what they do best: creating businesses and jobs."
The St. Louis attorney and engineer is the son of former governor, U.S. Senator and Attorney General John Ashcroft.
Jay Ashcroft has also tried, so far unsuccessfully, to break into politics.
Democratic state Sen. Jill Schupp of Creve Coeur, a former representative, narrowly defeated Ashcroft in November for the Senate seat, a large victory for Democrats during a year of GOP wins in Missouri.
Ashcroft's defeat was the only Senate seat previously held by a Republican that the GOP lost to Democrats last election, which otherwise brought a record number of Republicans to the House and a solid veto-proof majority to the Senate.
Ashcroft now faces fellow Republican Kraus of Lee's Summit, who announced his candidacy for secretary of state in July.
"Today's announcement by the secretary of state that he will not run for re-election will not change my priorities or my direction, nor will the emergence of any primary opponent," Kraus said in a written statement. "We need a new leader, accustomed to taking on the hard fights, in the office of secretary of state."
Kraus was the sponsor of an income tax cut measure that the Republican-led Legislature enacted last year by overriding a veto by Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon.
Kraus also has handled numerous election bills, including an unsuccessful photo ID measure and a failed proposal for a constitutional amendment allowing a limited early voting period.
The Senate on Thursday approved a bill sponsored by Kraus that would set an earlier deadline to finalize ballot measures, an attempt to cut down on reprinting costs counties faced last year after a late court ruling to change the wording on the early voting amendment Kraus handled.
---

Missouri Sec. of State Jason Kander Announces Run for U.S. Senate in 2016

Democrat Kander to challenge GOP US Sen. Blunt in Missouri


JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander launched a Democratic challenge Thursday to U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, criticizing the Republican's long political career and asserting that "it's time for a new generation of leaders" in Washington.
Kander, a former Army captain who served in Afghanistan, highlighted his military experience while announcing his candidacy in an online video and said in an interview with The Associated Press that Blunt is often "on the extreme edge of a lot of issues."
Kander, 33, is Blunt's first prominent opponent for the 2016 election. If Kander is elected, he would be one of the youngest U.S. senators - an attribute that he said should be a positive during a campaign.
"Missouri has a senator who's been in Washington for nearly 20 years and has been running for one political office or another for over 40 years. For too long, he's been a part of the problem," Kander said in his video announcement.
He added: "I believe it's time for a new generation of leaders, who have come of age at a time of unprecedented challenges and threats to our country, and who are committed to bringing people together and doing what's right, no matter what the personal cost."
Blunt won election to the Senate in 2010 after serving for 14 years in the U.S. House and is vice chairman of the Senate Republican caucus. He was Missouri's secretary of state from 1985-1993 and the Greene County clerk from 1973-1985.
Kander was elected as secretary of state in 2012 after serving four years in the Missouri House. He was in the Army for eight years and said he was spurred to join by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. While working as an Army intelligence officer, Kander said he volunteered to be deployed to Afghanistan in 2006. He filmed his candidacy announcement from a passenger waiting area at the Kansas City airport, where he said he departed for his service in Afghanistan.
A spokeswoman said Thursday that Blunt had no comment about Kander's announcement and referred questions to the Missouri Republican Party. GOP Chairman Ed Martin issued a written statement calling Kander a "dyed-in-the-wool liberal in lock-step with the failing Obama Agenda."
Kander sought to draw distinctions both with Blunt and President Barack Obama.
He told the AP he would have "demanded some changes" before voting on Obama's health care law, adding that it now "must be fixed and improved." Kander said consumers should be offered cheaper health insurance plans through a federal website and that employees should be allowed to work more hours before being counted as full-time for businesses trying to comply with the health care law's requirements.
Blunt has said the health law should be repealed and replaced, but Kander said "the Republican approach to tear down this law and leave no protections in place would be harmful to many Missourians."
Kander said Obama "made a mistake" by issuing an executive order seeking to shield more than 4 million immigrants living in the country illegally from deportation, without giving the Congress that took office in January a chance to overhaul the nation's immigration laws.
Blunt has co-sponsored legislation that would block funding for the Department of Homeland Security to implement Obama's immigration policy.
Last week, Blunt was one of just five senators who voted against Obama's nominee for defense secretary, Ash Carter, citing concerns that he would implement Obama's "flawed agenda."
Kander cited that vote as evidence that "Blunt is part of the problem" in Washington.
"I think that, certainly, he is on the extreme edge of a lot of issues," Kander said.

Monday, February 16, 2015

Missouri Teacher Salary Comparisons Can Be Helpful

CMNEA president says teacher salary comparisons sometimes useful


Teachers’ salaries in Columbia Public Schools lag behind those in other Missouri school districts with similar enrollment sizes but are ahead of the state average, according to data from the Missouri State Teachers Association and the district.
A salary comparison among districts of similar size is part of the annual Missouri Salary Schedule and Benefits Report from the state association, and a comparison to the state average is included in the CPS annual audit.
“Across the board, minimum salaries for Missouri teachers with a bachelor’s degree increased by a disappointing 1.45 percent this year, down slightly from the equally paltry 1.46 percent last year,” MSTA Executive Director Bruce Moe said in a release accompanying the report.
MSTA is a not-for-profit professional association for Missouri teachers.
A yearly audit report from CPS shows the district’s minimum teacher salary is $34,353, unchanged since 2008. The maximum teacher salary is $66,848, the report notes. The average salary is $46,918, slightly above the state average of $46,754.
The MSTA report ranks teachers’ salaries based on enrollment, comparing districts with enrollments greater than 15,000. The estimated enrollment in Columbia Public Schools is 17,256. Among districts with more than 15,000 students, the average minimum salary is $37,855 and the average maximum salary is $68,086; both numbers are higher than their CPS counterparts.
The MSTA report also includes a compression ratio, which is computed by dividing a district’s salary schedule maximum by the minimum. The CPS compression ratio is 1.95.
The Warrensburg School District boasts a 2.15 compression ratio, the highest ratio in the state’s central region. The minimum salary for Warrensburg teachers is $33,500, and the maximum is $71,932. The lowest compression ratio in the central region the Prairie Home School District’s 1.4 ratio, with a minimum salary of $27,500 and a maximum of $38,500.
The report did not include a state average.
The Columbia Missouri National Education Association is seeking a 5 percent increase in the minimum salary, which would boost it to $36,071. The association is also seeking a base salary increase from $30,514 to $32,040. CPS teachers in their first four years receive the minimum salary, and in subsequent years a formula dependent on the base salary helps determine salaries.
Susan McClintic, CMNEA president, said the MSTA report and similar information from the Missouri National Education Association can be useful.
“It’s very helpful to us because it lets us know what’s going on in the rest of the state,” McClintic said. Because there is such a wide range of salaries and ways to compute salaries, she said the report can also be confusing.
“Every school district and every state does it differently,” she said of teachers’ salaries.
The report says districts with fewer than 700 students — usually in rural areas — have a more difficult time funding adequate teacher salaries.
McClintic said corrections to the state’s funding formula would benefit both teachers and students.
“The Missouri legislature doesn’t fund the foundation formula at 100 percent,” she said of the formula that determines state funding of school districts based on enrollment and other factors.

Yes, Rep. Moon Did Say That!

With 'manly firmness': Lawmaker calls on members of Congress to repeal ACA, oppose replacement

JEFFERSON CITY — State Rep. Mike Moon wants the Affordable Care Act repealed and according to a House resolution he’s sponsoring, it will take the proper application of “Y” chromosomes to get the job done.
Moon’s resolution details all the problems he sees with the law, from passage to implementation. The resolution asks members of the Missouri House to “insist that each member of the Missouri Congressional delegation endeavor with ‘manly firmness’ and resolve to totally and completely repeal the Affordable Care Act, settling for no less than a full repeal.”
Missouri’s congressional delegation includes six men and two women in the U.S. House and one man, Roy Blunt, a Republican and one woman, Claire McCaskill, a Democrat, in the U.S. Senate. Both women in the U.S. House are Republicans — Vicky Hartzler of Harrisonville represents the Fourth District and Ann Wagner of St. Louis County represents the Second District.
Moon, R-Ash Grove, said he wasn’t intending to demean or insult the three women. The phrase is taken from the grievances against King George III in the Declaration of Independence, Moon said, and isn't meant to disparage women.
“It is just like going to war," Moon said. "You want a soldier to fight like a man. If a woman is in the trenches, you want them to fight like a man, too.”
Hartzler and Wagner have voted repeatedly in the House to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
“Obamacare hurts families, costs jobs, and gives federal bureaucrats control over Americans’ personal health care decisions by forcing them to purchase coverage they do not want and cannot afford,” Hartzler said in a news release after the most recent repeal vote last week. “Our experience with this terrible and expensive law demands that it be repealed and replaced.”
That last word, calling for replacement, shows a lack of the necessary firmness and the need for the resolution, according to Moon. “It was not meant to downplay their womanhood at all. We just want them to know, every man and lady who is representing us, that we are demanding, as citizens of Missouri, that Obamacare be repealed and make it clear we don’t want a replacement.”
Moon said he does not believe that being a male makes him a better lawmaker than his female colleagues. “I know there are some women who are much smarter than I am and I tip my hat to them.”
Moon’s resolution is set for a hearing at 5 p.m. Tuesday before the House Health and Mental Health Policy Committee. It has 26 co-sponsors, 24 men and two women.
Rep. Sonya Anderson, R-Springfield, said she signed on as a co-sponsor because she opposes the law she calls Obamacare and supports sending a message to Congress.
“The voters of my district spoke pretty loudly about that so I just feel that is the way they want to go,” she said.
The “manly firmness” language does not bother her, she said. “That’s just a term that they used. I am not going to read anything into that.”
Rep. Wanda Brown, R-Lincoln, said she opposes Obamacare because “it is truly just an expansion of Medicaid. Medicaid is a terrible system. It is a broken system and we need to look at fixing problems, not increasing problems.”
She could not be more firm in her opposition to the law, Brown said. When shown the “manly firmness” provision, she shook her head and walked away, declining to comment.
State Rep. Stephen Webber, D-Columbia, said the language is unnecessary and insulting to Hartzler, Wagner and McCaskill. “It is a throwback to this idea of gender roles and I can’t believe anyone in 2015 talks like that. We have numerous female members of the congressional delegation, whether I agree with them or not they are capable of being strong people no matter what their gender is.”

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