| Today's Feature
Let the
Games and Politics of Transportation
Funding End.
news release by
Charles E. Kruse
President of Missouri Farm Bureau
In the wake of Proposition
B’s defeat, the opportunity now exists for
our state policy makers to learn from the voters
and develop a transportation funding plan that
Missourians will accept.
A report issued in February by
Missouri Farm Bureau contained the recommended
reforms we heard from our members and the public
in over 100 meetings during the last year.
Restoring fairness in highway funding, ending the
diversion of highway funds and increasing
transporta-tion’s priority in the total
state budget should all be reforms at the top of
the list of the Governor, the Missouri Highway
and Transportation Commission, and the
Legislature during the coming months.
Proposition B’s defeat is
the final chapter of a failed transportation
funding approach that began in 1996 with Governor
Carnahan’s Total Transportation Commission
when it refused to make as a priority the
implementation of the 15-Year Plan approved
during the previous administration in 1992. It
became painfully clear that the real controversy
surrounding the 15-Year Plan was less about
whether the 15-Year Plan was underfunded and more
about what areas of the state were going to get
the money.
The November 1998 decision by
the Highway and Transportation Commission to
remove the 15-Year Plan as MoDOT’s blueprint
and adopt a new plan to reallocate highway funds
from rural to urban projects made virtually
impossible the building of much of the 15-Year
Plan in the rural areas. This Commission decision
is the single greatest reason for the lack of
public trust that exists today. When Governor
Holden appointed new members to the Highway and
Transportation Commission, he and Commission
members pledged to begin allocating highway funds
based upon needs instead of the politically
compromised allocation formula adopted in 1998.
But it has not happened! This must change and
fairness must return to the allocation of state
funds.
Since his election to office,
Governor Holden’s refusal to address the
diversion of highway funds and make
transportation funding a greater priority
resulted in this becoming a major flaw of
Proposition B. Holden single-handedly defeated
the effort of Farm Bureau and several other
transportation interests - both urban and rural -
to develop an initiative petition for
transportation that would have addressed the
diversion of highway funds, improved the priority
of transportation and substantially increased
transportation and Highway Patrol funding.
Missouri needs additional
transportation funding, but state government
needs to do a better job in allocating fairly and
wisely its tax dollars. If not, voters will
continue to reject higher taxes.
For decades Missouri has
enjoyed a transportation department and
commission that is constitutionally shielded from
manipulation by the Governor and the legislature,
gaining the Department and Commission tremendous
credibility throughout the state. But that
changed in the mid 1990’s when power
politics for political gain became the sport. Let
the games and politics of transportation funding
end!
Letter
to the Editor
Opinions
expressed reflect those of the writer
and not necessarily those of the Mornin' Mail.
To the Editor:
As I drove around the streets
of Carthage, two days after the Primary Election
process, I really wondered if we are truly a
Christian nation.
The proliferation of "Vote
for Me" signs in residential yards, public
areas and parkways and church property now sport
keep out, no trespassing, stay away and other
such anti-visitor messages.
Are we really being honest with
ourselves and our Creator, or are we floundering
in the malaise of reducing everything to a single
denominator - greed?
I hope to clean up my
act!
Dick Ferguson
YOUNG
ARTISTS’ OBSERVATIONS.
news release artCentral
ArtCamp is over and these are
observations of some of the participants:
Tre Knight says, "I like
to get a lot of culture in my life and I have
something exciting to do. I like when I get my
craft done and I like to look at it. I might use
it to decorate my room and look at it and
remember the days when I was in artCamp."
Deandra Sexton has been in
artCamp for three years. She states, You get to
do different art projects that you wouldn’t
get to do at home. Like you probably
wouldn’t get smashed tiles to make mosaics
with. If kids are bored in the summer they should
try it."
Elliot Fredrick said, "I
liked the one about painting Chinese stuff and
making Chinese dragons and fish kites. It’s
lots of cool art that I’ve never done
before."
Alex Eissinger observed,"
You have a lot of choices. You use your own
imagination. A friend told me that it’s not
just the art ability you have; it’s the
patience to work on projects."
Julie Wacker said she likes
artCamp because, "I like art. I like to
paint, and make stuff and get messy."
Ginny Wiley is a repeat
participant. She said she might hang her creation
on the living room wall.
NEW HOURS: T – F 11
- 5
Sunday 12 -5 Closed Mon. and Sat.
1110 E 13th 358-4404
ozarkartistscolony.com
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