Changing of the Guard.

The five recently elected City Council members are scheduled to be sworn in during this evening’s regular Council meeting at 7:30 in City Hall. First Ward Larry Ross, Second Ward Bill Fortune, Third Ward Jackie Boyer, and Fifth Ward Don Stearnes were reelected to serve another two year term. Fourth Ward Council member Jim McPheeters was elected to his first term. McPheeters will replace Trish Burgi-Brewer who served one term and did not seek reelection to the Council. She has filed as a candidate for Jasper County Eastern District Commissioner.

The newly sworn in members will officially take office the Council officially accepts the City election result and the old business portion of the meeting concludes.

The first order of business for the new Council will be to elect a Mayor ProTem who will have all the powers of the Mayor if Mayor Johnson is not available.

Old business on the agenda includes an ordinance appropriating $6,540.58 for attorney’s fees for TIF services, and an ordinance authorizing an agreement with APAC-Missouri for improvements at 96 and Vine.

Commentary
Martin "Bubs" Hohulin
State Representative, District 126

It was kind of a slow week this week in the Missouri House, so I want to use this week’s column to write about a couple of things I have been getting quite a few calls about. The biggest call generator has been the sharp increase in gasoline prices. Let me be real honest, there is very little we can do at the state level to push gas prices down. However, we shouldn’t be real surprised at the recent increase. Every time that there is a new tax or regulation passed on the petroleum industry, whom do you think pays for it? It sure isn’t the industry! It is passed on to you, the consumer. Look at what has happened under the current administration.

Lands that hold rich reserves of oil and coal have been declared off limits for mining and drilling. Companies that are in business have been forced to jump through all sorts of hoops just to continue to stay in business. Each of those hoops cost money to jump through. New regulations and requirements are being added to gas stations and each of those cost money.

In the name of environmentalism, all these regulations and requirements are being added and they all cost money. Each and every penny of those costs are being passed on to you in the form of higher gas prices. Need more proof? Look at California. They have more environmental regulations than anyone and their gas prices are higher than anyone. It isn’t a coincidence.

Also, this is the time of year that people start thinking about taxes. For the most part it has been pretty smooth. Under the leadership of Quentin Wilson, the director of the Dept. of Revenue, refunds have been mailed out very quickly. Although I have received some calls from people wanting to know why their taxes are so high, there is no comparison to the number of calls from people regarding high gasoline prices.

It struck me as odd that Gov. Carnahan and President Clinton can raise your taxes more than any other president and governor in history and you don’t seem to care, but let gas prices go up 30 cents per gallon and you get all worked up. Why is this? The answer is simple. You never see the money you pay in taxes. It is withheld from your check. You pull money from your purse or wallet to pay for gas, but you never see the money that goes for taxes.

When the government started the withholding system, it was the smartest thing they ever did as far as being able to raise your taxes. If everyone had to write a check to pay for their taxes, that would be the quickest route to tax reform and reduction this country has ever seen.

As usual, I can be reached at House Post Office, State Capitol, Jefferson City, MO 65101, or 1-800-878-7126, or mhohulin@services.state.mo.us for your questions, comments, or advice.

It could always be worse.

With ever’one gettin’ excited about the cost of gasoline, we in this area have been on the low end of the scale compared to other parts of the country. I happened ta notice that our neighbors to the west had prices down to a buck twenty-three over the weekend, while the Carthage prices locked in around a buck thirty.

They are sayin’ the national average price could drop as low as one thirty-nine by the end of the summer. And they say the midwest is the always behind the right and left coasts.

I did a little travelin’ out on the four-lane and didn’t notice much slowin’ down of the volume of traffic movin’. I’d guess folks in these parts will still be able to get to the lake this summer.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

McCune Brooks Hospital

The American Chemical Society cautions that "well-done" hamburger, which is supposed to be the safe way to avoid ingesting dangerous bacteria, may not be so safe after all. The problem is in the color of the cooked meat. Too many people assume that if the hamburger turns brown, it’s well done.

Dr. Donald Kropf, professor of meat science at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kan., says it’s true the internal color of cooked ground beef does turn from red to pink to tan as the temperature rises. However, Dr. Kropf and his colleagues have found that the well-done look in some ground meat can appear at much lower temperatures than are required to kill foodborne pathogenic microorganisms. This can cause problems for people who assume the germs are dead, but may find out soon enough, the microorganisms are very much alive and capable of causing serious illnesses that can sometimes result in death.

The premature change to brown during cooking is a result of oxidation of the raw meat. To avoid eating undercooked meat that looks safe, Dr. Kropf suggests you rely not on the color of the meat, but on the juices that seep out during cooking. Look for the juice to turn from red to yellow as the temperature rises.