Commentary

Martin "Bubs" Hohulin

State Representative, District 26

This year finds my committee assignments shuffled a bit. I had the chance to go on the Budget Committee this year, so even though it means a major commitment of time I went ahead and took it. This is a significant committee because it determines the spending for the entire state government. I had been on two different Appropriations Committees before, but never Budget. For lack of a better analogy, Appropriations Committees are the minor leagues of the Budget Committee. The Appropriations Committees do the preliminary screening of the state budget and make recommendations, but the Budget Committee makes the final call.

In order to be on Budget, you have to be on an Appropriation Committee, so I accepted an assignment to the Health and Mental Health Appropriations Committee. That committee oversees the budgets for the Department of Health and the Department of Mental health. I was also put on the Rules Committee. I had eight committees, so I gave up the Utilities Regulation Committee. My committees this year are as follows: Agri-business, Budget, Banking, Appropriation-Health and Mental Health, Energy and Environment, Ways and Means, and Rules.

We started meeting Monday morning, going over Department of Health’s budget and have met all week on that as well as the Department of Mental health’s budget. My main priority is, and will be, to find and eliminate spending that is excessive or wasteful. One of the items that jumped out at me was the fact that we are spending $66,000,000 in the Alcohol and Drug Abuse division of Mental health. I’m sure I will offend someone with what I am about to write next, but here goes. The Department of Mental Health should be for just what it implies, mental health. I firmly believe the citizens of the state should provide for those, who through no fault of their own, find themselves or their families in tough situations regarding mental illness. The list of these conditions is long. Autism, Down‘s syndrome, clinical depression, cerebral palsy, bipolar, developmentally delayed, and schizophrenia are just a few of the illnesses and conditions that affect Missourians all across this sate. I truly believe we have an obligation to help them and their families.

You might notice I didn’t put alcohol and substance abuse in that list. This has been a sore spot for me ever since I learned one of the men arrested in Carthage a couple years ago as a suspect in the Oklahoma City bombing was on government disability, claiming alcoholism as his disability! It is shameful when people like that are taking money that is desperately needed by the truly afflicted. To be spending $66,000,000 on alcohol and drug abuse in Missouri when we have people with conditions beyond their control going without should be enough to make any responsible citizen livid with rage. Now to add insult to injury, the department has proposed spending an additional $300,000.00 to hire clinicians that know sign language, in part to better serve the deaf and hard of hearing drunks! Needless to say, this is not a proposal I support.

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 .

This will be the last time ya hear me say this for a while. Get to City Hall and file for office. Taday’s the last day ta get on the ballott.

Don Sterns has filed to run against Lujene Clark in Fifth Ward. No other Council candidate has opposition and Fourth Ward doesn’t have a candidate. Here’s the list ta date.

First Ward, Larry Ross; Second Ward, encumbent Bill Fortune; Third Ward, encumbent Jackie Boyer; Third Ward (appointed position, this election for a one year term), encumbent J.D. Whitledge; Fourth Ward, no candidate; Fifth Ward, encumbent Lujene Clark, and Don Sterns.

Mayor candidates; Hugh Overton and Ken Johnson.

City Hall is open until 5:00 this afternoon.

The Mayor elected this time will most likely have the opportunity to sit through the selection of a new Police Chief as Ed Ellefsen has indicated he will retire within the next four years.

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

by

McCune Brooks Hospital

Health Notes

READERS WRITE: From Fern in: "I have three questions about diet and exercise which I hope you can answer.

"First, is it better to exercise before or after a meal?

"Second, can you control your weight just by exercise and not by dieting?

"Third, how much weight can you gain as you get older and still remain in the safety zone?"

Answer: It’s better to exercise shortly before you eat. This raises your metabolism and helps burn calories more efficiently.

To lose unwanted pounds, you need to combine a regimen of dieting and exercise. After you’ve reached your desired weight goal, you should continue your exercise programs so that you can maintain muscle which helps the body burn fat.

If your doctor approves, you can ease up on the more restrictive diet associated with weight loss. But don’t return to your previous eating habits or you’ll see those pounds creeping back even if you continue exercising.

As for your third question, the federal government’s health watchdogs tell us that weight gain in later life is discouraged. While it was once assumed that you could safely take on a few pounds as you got older, studies show people do better when they don’t put on a middle-age spread.

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