Council Tonight.

The City Council is scheduled to meet for its regular meeting this evening at 7:30 in Council Chambers in City Hall.

The agenda includes a scheduled vote on ordinance 02-04 pertaining to license requirements and payment of Lodging Tax. The ordinance would allow the City to revoke a City licence for any motel or bed and breakfast that did not keep Lodging Tax payments current.

The Council is also scheduled to vote on temporary golf fees that will offer various incentives for players while the Municipal Golf Course is under renovation. A Senior’s package will be offered and a special rate for only nine holes of play. Other special rates will also be offered.

Council bill 2-21 would reduce Council members expense money from $75 a month to $50 per month. The IRS has requested that any payment of over $600 per year be considered as a salary. The Charter forbids Council members from receiving a salary but does allow for a sum for expenses.

Council bill 02-09 would authorize the City to proceed with a grant application for the expansion of the Over 60 Center.

Blunt Cautions Two Week Delay Is the New Norm.

Officials in the administration of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Postal Service have informed Southwest Missouri Congressman Roy Blunt and other congressional offices that it will take an average of two weeks or longer to receive first-class mail. New security procedures to safeguard congressional mail from biological attacks, like the anthrax attacks reported last October, will require all mail addressed to Capitol Hill to be re-routed to irradiation sites in New Jersey and/or Ohio before it can be delivered.

Blunt cautioned constituents, "Please do not send time sensitive information through the U.S. mail to the congressional office in Washington. Such information would be received and processed faster if it was sent via e-mail, faxed to Washington or mailed and/or faxed to my district offices in Springfield and Joplin."

"According to House administration officials, mail volume to congressional offices has dropped 70% since the anthrax attacks in October," Blunt said. In addition, truckloads of mail sent to Congress that arrived after the anthrax attacks in early October were quarantined and subsequently irradiated to kill the anthrax spores. Some of that mail-more than three months old-is now showing up in mail deliveries to Blunt's office. It may be many weeks before the backlog is cleared.

"Communicating effectively and responding quickly to the people of Southwest Missouri is vitally important to the success of your congressional office," Blunt explained. "I will use every recourse to keep that line open, including the use of town hall forums and immediate access to my voting record and press releases on my web site. The telephone or e-mail are always good ways to communicate. My staff is an excellent place to initiate contact whether it's to let me know about ideas and suggestions on legislation, a problem with a government agency, or a situation our office needs to be made aware of." Blunt added, "My goal is to give the best possible help and informative advice we can offer to everyone who contacts us by any means."

blunt@mail.house.gov

www.house.gov/blunt

Commentary

Martin "Bubs" Hohulin
State Representative, District 126

Hey kids; If you learn to use vulgar language, belittle women, make fun of policemen and promote drug use, you too might grow up to receive an award from Gov. Bob Holden.

This week a rap music star by the name of Nelly and his band, The St. Lunatics, visited the Capitol and received an education award from Gov. Bob Holden who held him out as a hero and role model for the kids of this state. His visit to the Capitol was arranged by the Black Caucus.

Many of the lyrics of Nelly’s songs contain vulgar language, make disparaging remarks about women, taunt policemen and make direct references to drug use. Under the laws and Constitution of our great nation, he has the right to record what he wants and if he can sell it, so be it. That is the way our free economy works. That being said, it sends the wrong message for the governor and the legislature to hold this man up as a hero.

During his visit to the Capitol, elevators were shut down and elderly visitors were forced to wait, walk clear across the building to another elevator, or use the stairs. In addition, about 2 dozen Highway Patrol troopers were pulled away from their regular duties to provide security for the rapper and his entourage. When Mark McGwire visited the Capitol last year there wasn’t a tenth that much security.

When I questioned the need for that much disruption and expense, I was told that the crowds that Nelly attracts usually tend to be rowdy and unruly and they were hoping to avoid any potential problems. Rowdy and unruly? This is the kind of crowds that are attracted to this individual and we are to hold him out as a hero for our kids? The very fact that he breeds the kind of following that requires extra security should give us pause as to whether or not this guy is who we want for a hero.

Many of our problems that we face as a society and as a nation center around drug use, unwed mothers, disrespect for authority, and lack of responsibility. These are the very traits that are promoted in Nelly’s music. There is not a day goes by that we aren’t told we have to keep spending more and more of your money to fix problems brought on by this kind of behavior. Perhaps a simpler, least costly solution would be to not glorify those that sing the praises of those kinds of behavior.

Those that were promoting his visit said that the kids would listen to him, that he could get through to them. It sounds like he already has. It might be time to look for some new heroes.

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.

My grandad had onea those hearin’ aids that he carried in his pocket. A wire ran up and hung from his ear.

The theory in the family was that when he didn’t wanna listen he just shut the thing off. At least that was what grandma used ta think.

Like most advances in technology, grandad found a higher use, that was not usin’ the technology except as a decoy.

The "computer is down" excuse always brings the question of whether there is a technology problem or if there is actually a more human default.

Cell phones are becomin’ a handy excuse for not talkin’ to someone. If ya don’t want to be bothered, ya turn the thing off. I’m guessin’ Grandad woulda had onea those too.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

McCune- Brooks Hospital

Health Notes

by Judith Sheldon

"SHOE" AWAY THE CALORIES: As I’ve said over the years, the need to walk is probably built into our genetic code. Our prehistoric ancestors were not the hunters you see on museum murals. They were, instead, pickers and gatherers of grains, nuts and fruits, and scavengers of game that were killed by other animals.

Walking remains an important part of our makeup. Walking relaxes the mind while it tones up the body. It helps reduce cholesterol levels, and helps diabetics burn carbohydrates at a safe, regular rate. It also burns calories, which leads to the loss of excess poundage, while maintaining desired weight.

And speaking of diabetics, it’s essential that if you have diabetes, that you also have the right shoe that won’t cause foot problems. Talk to your podiatrist. He or she will probably recommend a shoe that has a low, rounded or beveled heel to absorb the shock of coming down on the heel first.

The shoe should also have a flexible forefoot to let the foot bend naturally. It shouldn’t slip at the heel or pinch or bind. The arch should be under your arch. The width of your thumb nail should equal a comfortable width between your toes and the end of the shoe. A rocker shape as well as a toe-spring will help make the heel-and-toe movement comfortable.