County Loses One of The Good Guys.

The report of Jasper County Clerk Jim Lobbey’s death rippled through the community yesterday. The news came as a surprise to all who knew Lobbey. His recovery from a heart attack a year ago was reportedly progressing well and he showed no signs of relapse. He was preparing to run for a second term as Clerk. According to County Coroner Ron Mosbaugh, Lobbey died of an apparent heart attack sometime in the early hours Sunday morning. Lobbey was 62.

Memorial services are scheduled at the Fairview Christian Church in Carthage on Saturday morning at 11 o’clock. A visitation will be held at the Thornhill-Dillon Mortuary, located at 602 Byers, in Joplin Friday from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m.

Education is the Key.

by Steve Hunter

State Representative District 127

"The civilized world faces unprecedented dangers. Yet the state of our Union has never been stronger," the President said in his State of the Union message on Tuesday. Missouri has an incredible opportunity to grow stronger this year if state government will responsibly confront the challenges it is facing.

The key to long-term success is education. As in the previous two legislative sessions, Republicans in the Missouri House have outlined an ambitious plan to improve education in our state. In order to provide the quality of education our children deserve, we must not only fully fund the education foundation formula, we must use our gambling revenues to provide additional resources for schools as they were intended to do and resolve our urban education crisis. We must also reward teachers and schools for their achievements.

Missouri voters intended gambling revenues to provide additional funding for schools, not to replace tax revenues. The Legislature should establish a Classroom Trust Fund that would capture the state’s gambling revenues and channel them directly to schools. This Classroom Trust Fund legislation would send gambling money to every school district in the state, bypassing state bureaucracy, to give schools an additional $165 per student with no state strings attached. Schools could use these funds for their most pressing needs, whether it is teacher salary increases, school construction, computers, or whatever they need.

We must also address our state’s urban education crisis. An entire generation of our children is graduating from our urban schools with an officially inadequate education. Sixty-four percent of 7th graders in Kansas City schools cannot read at their grade level, and only 2 percent of 10th graders are proficient in math. We should break up the unaccredited Kansas City School District into smaller, more accountable and locally controllable districts. We should also provide a $1,000 tutoring credit for students in failing schools who need extra help.

Missouri should also adopt performance-based measures to reward good teachers and schools. The Teacher’s Choice Compensation Plan would give each teacher the choice of staying with their current salary or opting-out of tenure in exchange for bonuses based on additional performance appraisals.

By strengthening education funding and implementing education reform, we will ensure that Missouri’s future will be stronger than it has ever been.

As usual, I can be reached at (573) 751-5458 or at Room 103 B-B, State Capitol, Jefferson City, MO 65101, or by email at shunter@services.state.mo.us if you have any questions or comments.

Commentary

Martin "Bubs" Hohulin
State Representative, District 126

Not surprisingly, talk of the budget seems to be dominating the conversations in the State Capitol. As I mentioned last week, this year’s budget will be about the same as last year’s budget. That is the case in many households, but apparently when it happens in government, it is a disaster. If there is not a lot of new money to hand out to every special interest group, you can bet there will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Already, there have been several major tax and fee increases proposed. There have been increases proposed on everything from alcohol, tobacco, gasoline, and billboards. Honestly, the liberal left in the Capitol are in the height of their glory. Now they think they have all the justification they need to propose one tax increase after another.

It never makes sense to raise taxes. It certainly doesn’t make sense to raise them during an economic slowdown. If there isn’t enough money in peoples’ pockets to circulate around through the economy, then what sense does it make to take even more money from them?

On a related issue, I mentioned last week that Gov. Holden’s proposed budget raids the Rainy Day fund to pay for everyday programs. The Rainy Day fund was set up to pay for unexpected emergencies. It was never set up to pay for mismanagement from previous years. The floods of 1993 and 1995 were paid for in part by the Rainy Day fund. That is exactly what it was designed for.

In this year’s budget, Gov. Holden is proposing to pay for ongoing programs in the Department of Mental Health with money from the Rainy Day fund. You have to admire his cleverness. By earmarking the Dept. of Mental Health to receive the Rainy Day funds, he is trying to blunt criticism of dipping into the fund. After all, how can anyone be opposed to funding mental health programs, no matter from what source?

I actually think that funding mental health programs is one of the responsibilities of government. After all, these are people that truly cannot take care of themselves. I think it is reprehensible that Gov. Holden would use our most underprivileged and vulnerable citizens to justify raiding the Rainy Day fund. He should be ashamed of himself for using the mentally retarded as political shields.

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.

There are some folks ya just enjoy bein’ around. In the recent past, several of those folks have passed on.

I can remember my mom talkin’ about this or that person who had died. Typically the conversation included the phrase "they weren’t really that old."

‘Course as a kid, ever’one was "old" and I didn’t give it much thought.

Hopefully those who go on before can convince the rest of us to better use the time we are allotted.

Those that are missed the most for me are always remembered with a smile on their face, a good word of encouragement, and a good perspective of real values.

Fortunately, there are those that are and always will be fondly remembered.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

McCune- Brooks Hospital

Health Notes

by Judith Sheldon

It has been found that problems with contact lenses are often related to the use (or, should I say, misuse) of cosmetics. The American Academy of Ophthalmology offers some advice to help prevent some of the more common problems that could arise:

1. Use hair spray, mousse, and other aerosol products BEFORE inserting lenses. Many of these products can cause permanent damage to the contact lens surface.

2. Insert lenses before applying cosmetics.

3. Before inserting or removing lenses, be sure to wash your hands with a mild soap, such as Neutrogena, Ivory, or a clear glycerine soap. Soaps that contain cream, deodorants, or heavy fragrances should be avoided if you plan to handle lenses immediately after washing.

4. Avoid frosted or iridescent eyeshadows which may contain ingredients that can be harmful to the eyes, especially if a particle is caught under a contact lens (where it can’t be washed out by blinking).

5. Avoid mascaras called "lash-building" or "guaranteed waterproof." Many use nylon and rayon fibers that can dry and flake onto or under the lens, and could scratch the cornea.

6. Remove, clean and store lenses BEFORE removing makeup.