Airport Relocation Committee to Meet.

The Airport Relocation Committee will meet officially for the first time today at City Hall. Any actions taken by the Committee at a meeting that took place on February 5 will be considered void as the meeting was not properly posted.

The Council approved the formation of the Committee that is charged with the "development of a new airport including securing property and to file for grants and alternative funding as necessary to insure the continued progress of the airport project."

The Council committed to the building of a new airport for Carthage within five years with the condition that "the City be granted funding in the amount of ninety percent of the total project." Three hundred thousand dollars has been set aside from City reserve to provide a local matching fund.

Members of the Committee include Tom Short, City Administrator; Max McKnight, City Economic Development Director; Bill Johnson, John Cuaderes, Art Dunaway, Ray Grace, and Dick Rhine.

Commentary

by Martin "Bubs" Hohulin

State Representative

Well, your money is finally in the process of being returned to you. I’m referring of course to the tax refunds mandated by the Hancock Amendment to the Constitution. It seemed like this day was never going to come, what with Gov. Carnahan quibbling about how much he HAD to return and various left-wing organizations trying to tie up the refunds in court. But they are finally on their way and now you need to beware of politicians trying to claim credit and telling you what great folks they are for sending back YOUR money that was illegally taken and kept for over two years. What do you think would happen if you underpaid your taxes and told the IRS not to worry, that you would send it in a couple years or so? They probably wouldn’t be quite as understanding.

The thing that is hard to watch now is Gov. Carnahan trying to claim credit for you getting some of your own money back. After working as hard as he could to make sure the refunds are as small as possible, he is now holding himself out as the great tax cutter. Don’t forget it was his ham-handed passage of SB 380 that pushed us over the Hancock lid in the first place. Please don’t fall for the line being put out by Gov. Carnahan that the reason the refunds are necessary is because of the "booming economy". The refunds are necessary because taxes were simply raised too high! The Hancock threshold had never been breached in the history of the state until Gov. Carnahan took office. Now we have went over it every year and are required to refund the excess either by check or tax rate reduction. The important thing to remember is that none of this refunding would be happening if the Constitution didn’t say we had to. Maybe I am just overly sensitive, but I think there is something wrong with politicians claiming credit for you getting some of your own money back when they were the ones that illegally took it in the first place.

Incidentally, it is important to remember that SB 380 passed on practically a party line vote with all but seven Republicans opposing it. We believed then as we do now; There is never a good time to raise someone’s taxes!

Congratulations on your soon to be received check, but remember, it was always your money, and you ought to be mad it has been kept from you all these years.

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, and advice.

This part of the country has never been known for its enthusiasm for hockey. I suppose that’s why I’ve never paid much attention to the sport.

The other night I happened ta watch a little of the U.S.A vs. Canada matchup at the Olympics. (We lost). I suppose it’s because of the highlights seen on the sports during the nightly new, but I thought all hockey players did was get into brawls. What little hockey I had seen on TV seemed ta be too confusin’ to actually follow.

The other night for some reason, the game started ta make a little sense to me. I have no doubt that it is definitely a physical game, folks gettin’ knocked down and banged around all the time. But there is a flow to the game and I got hooked into stayin’ up a little later than I wanted.

I suppose most things are more involved and subtle than is initially perceived. ‘Course the commercial showin’ the hockey player tryin’ a "free style" skatin’ routine prob’ly helped.

This is some fact, but mostly, Just Jake Talkin’.

by

McCune Brooks Hospital

Heath Notes

FOLIC ACID: Evidence that folic acid helps prevent many types of birth defects continues to come in from studies around the world. According to a publication of the Council of Responsible Nutrition, researchers in Ireland found that the risk of babies being born with Spina Bifida, or other neural tube birth defects was linked to the folate levels in the mothers’ red blood cells.

This is one of the more recent studies done over several years. It points up the importance of encouraging increased folate consumption by fortifying flour or other food staples with folic acid.

(Folic acid is a B vitamin that can be round naturally in green leafy vegetables and other foods.)

CALCIUM UPDATE: If you have a lactose intolerance problem, you can still take in adequate amounts of calcium from dairy sources such as yogurt and hard cheeses. You can also find calcium in foods such as tofu, sardines, salmon (eat the bones, too!) kale, and broccoli.

Incidentally, many people who believe they are lactose intolerant may find they can tolerate lower amounts of dairy foods. Dr. Michael Levitt of the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center, says, "It’s often more a question of how much milk one drinks than whether one can drink any milk at all."

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