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Missouri Ballot Amendments Explained · West Insider

0:11
SPEAKER_02: Okay, so we have around the office been eating a lot of pie recently.
0:16
SPEAKER_02: So if we seem a little sugared up today, uh that's because there was a pumpkin pie tasting uh yesterday at the office.
0:26
SPEAKER_02: We cannot share the results because we don't know them.
0:30
SPEAKER_02: Uh they're secret even from us.
0:32
SPEAKER_02: But but stay tuned, dear listeners, and welcome to the Weston Mid Rivers Insider Podcast.
0:40
SPEAKER_02: My name is Tim Weber, and today I am joined by Dan Fox.
0:43
SPEAKER_02: Hey, Tim.
0:43
SPEAKER_02: And Laura Brown.
0:45
SPEAKER_02: Hello.
0:45
SPEAKER_02: We are going to talk about things other than pumpkin pies, things other than He-Man movies, things other than Oreos.
0:55
SPEAKER_02: Uh, and mainly we're gonna focus on the upcoming election, the only thing that anybody is really talking about.
1:02
SPEAKER_02: Uh, but we're gonna stay with the the the local end of things.
1:05
SPEAKER_02: Um and let's talk about the amendments and uh and propositions statewide, shall we?
1:12
SPEAKER_05: Sure.
1:13
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, there's plenty on the ballot this go around.
1:16
SPEAKER_02: There's plenty on the ballot.
1:17
SPEAKER_02: So let's start with the most controversial one.
1:19
SPEAKER_02: I think the most controversial one.
1:21
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, definitely.
1:23
SPEAKER_02: You know, uh uh amendment three.
1:25
SPEAKER_02: So Missouri Amendment three uh effectively reverses Missouri Amendment three from two years ago?
1:33
SPEAKER_02: Yes, it 24.
1:34
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
1:35
SPEAKER_02: Um uh so so so two years ago, uh uh Missouri, to use broad language, legalized abortion across the state.
1:48
SPEAKER_02: Um and and this amendment three.
1:51
SPEAKER_02: This amendment three comes in and was it overwhelmingly?
1:54
SPEAKER_02: I don't even have the numbers to be honest with you.
1:56
SPEAKER_02: Um uh this amendment three comes in and brings in a whole bunch of restrictions on abortion um and permanently bans uh uh gender transitions, right?
2:14
SPEAKER_02: Uh for for minors, yeah.
2:15
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, for minors, sorry.
2:16
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, which um which that I've seen uh on some of our Facebook posts there's been some comments uh voicing some confusion about that.
2:24
SPEAKER_03: Um there was previously a uh bill passed through the legislature, Senate Bill 49, uh the Missouri Safe Act.
2:34
SPEAKER_03: Um that prohibited uh uh uh some ginger transition procedures for minors as well.
2:42
SPEAKER_03: However, what amendment three would do would put that in the Constitution.
2:46
SPEAKER_03: Whereas Laura, I believe Senate Bill 49 uh sunsets uh in 27.
2:53
SPEAKER_03: Could be extended.
2:54
SPEAKER_03: Could be extended, but if uh those provisions were put in the constitution, they'd be in the constitution.
3:00
SPEAKER_05: Right.
3:00
SPEAKER_05: And however this the vote on this amendment goes, that law will still be in place.
3:05
SPEAKER_03: Correct, yeah.
3:07
SPEAKER_05: So even if Amendment three fails, the law that's already on the books, Senate Bill 49 still.
3:14
SPEAKER_03: That bans gender transitions for minors for now.
3:16
SPEAKER_03: Yep.
3:17
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
3:18
SPEAKER_03: Um yeah, I find uh I I I keep getting confused on amendment three.
3:23
SPEAKER_03: Uh what what a yes vote means and what a no vote means.
3:28
SPEAKER_05: Yes means you would like more restrictions on abortion.
3:31
SPEAKER_05: No means you want to keep um the choice between a woman and her doctor.
3:37
SPEAKER_05: Okay.
3:37
SPEAKER_03: So it is it is a flip of what we had several years ago.
3:42
SPEAKER_03: Yep.
3:42
SPEAKER_03: Okay.
3:43
SPEAKER_03: Interesting.
3:44
SPEAKER_05: So it allows um it allows abortions in cases of medical emergency and fetal anomalies, although it's not very specific as to what that is, but as well as rape and incest up to 12 weeks of pregnancy.
3:58
SPEAKER_05: So after 12 weeks, it it is not protected.
4:01
SPEAKER_05: Um and it would also permit lawmakers to enact even more abortion regulations in the state legislature, and it would require informed and voluntary consent, including parental or judicial consent for minors who are uh seeking to get abortion.
4:18
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
4:18
SPEAKER_05: Where they don't need that right now.
4:20
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean this amendment is um uh it it it's it's pretty weird because it's got, you know, uh uh what is it?
4:28
SPEAKER_02: Politics makes strange bedfellows.
4:30
SPEAKER_02: It's got, you know, the the the pro-choice group is obviously opposed to this, right?
4:35
SPEAKER_02: They're a no vote.
4:36
SPEAKER_02: But also um the the most pro of the pro-life is also opposed to this because it allows abortion at at some level.
4:45
SPEAKER_02: Far enough, correct.
4:46
SPEAKER_02: Um uh so so you've got these two factions that are find themselves on the same side of this particular issue.
4:53
SPEAKER_02: Um so I don't know.
4:54
SPEAKER_02: What what do we think about his chances of of passing?
4:59
SPEAKER_02: I think Did you find the numbers?
5:00
SPEAKER_02: How bad did we lose in 24?
5:02
SPEAKER_05: Okay, it was closer than I thought it was.
5:05
SPEAKER_05: I thought it was pretty close.
5:06
SPEAKER_05: 52 percent in favor, 48 against.
5:09
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
5:09
SPEAKER_05: Um I think the confusion factor on this is gonna play a role in it, because it's also called Amendment 3.
5:15
SPEAKER_02: Called the same thing.
5:16
SPEAKER_02: Yep.
5:17
SPEAKER_05: I even, you know, I wait a minute, isn't abortion already legal?
5:21
SPEAKER_05: Why do we need this?
5:22
SPEAKER_05: Um, you know, currently it says abortion is legal up until uh fetal viability outside of its mother's uterus.
5:34
SPEAKER_05: Um you know I would say sometimes you don't women who are carrying a fetus don't know at 12 weeks if there is a fetal anomaly.
5:45
SPEAKER_05: Um it is very limiting and it it takes the choice away from women and their doctors.
5:54
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and um so tying this together with the gender transition surgeries is I mean that's a political gambit, right?
6:07
SPEAKER_02: Like that it's just a move.
6:08
SPEAKER_03: Aaron Powell It's very blatantly a tactic.
6:10
SPEAKER_03: That's how it feels to me.
6:11
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
6:12
SPEAKER_03: Because, you know.
6:13
SPEAKER_05: Well, the way the woman I interviewed from the Missouri Right to Life, Pamela Fichter, she tied it in as it's all reproductive health.
6:23
SPEAKER_05: Um because if someone is changing, I guess, you know, taking hormones, right.
6:31
SPEAKER_05: I I see what you I hear you.
6:34
SPEAKER_02: I disagree.
6:35
SPEAKER_05: Uh and I understand you, but um that's the I feel seen, thank you.
6:41
SPEAKER_03: Tim is both seen and heard.
6:44
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
6:45
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I mean I I don't like packaging stuff in.
6:47
SPEAKER_03: Um I Laura and I had this discussion about writing the headline for the story on it, you know, whether or not to include the ginger transition transition procedures part in the headline.
6:59
SPEAKER_03: Um and you know, we were talking about you know how integral is that to the main spirit of the of it, which is focused on abortion.
7:09
SPEAKER_03: Right.
7:10
SPEAKER_03: And the discussion was like, do we want to focus on what it's the amendment is focusing on, or do we want to be holistic and you know make sure we're not hiding the bag?
7:19
SPEAKER_03: So you know it's it's it's an important piece of the bill.
7:23
SPEAKER_02: It is it does both.
7:25
SPEAKER_02: So I you know I I I um I I think you know, whatever.
7:31
SPEAKER_02: One one's a lot more rare than the other, but like other than that, it's you know I don't like things being packaged together, especially when they're going in the constitution.
7:40
SPEAKER_03: I think it should be, you know, limit limited and a little bit more precise.
7:44
SPEAKER_02: Well, I I I I think there's a number of people who would have different positions on the two issues.
7:53
SPEAKER_05: Um and that's oh you mean the same person might vote differently on each one?
7:57
SPEAKER_05: Sure.
7:58
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, okay.
8:00
SPEAKER_02: Um I I I I think there's an awful well, I shouldn't say an awful lot.
8:07
SPEAKER_02: I think there's a decent number of of people out there who are pro-choice who don't want to allow minors to go to undergo gender transitions.
8:16
SPEAKER_02: Right.
8:17
SPEAKER_02: I I I think it's that simple.
8:18
SPEAKER_02: Um I I I don't think that there's many out there that are pro-life but in favor of gender transitions.
8:30
SPEAKER_02: I don't I don't I I think that person is a unicorn, but right um, but but I but I absolutely think there's people who are pro-choice, but but who oppose gender transitions?
8:39
SPEAKER_05: I mean, I would think that too.
8:40
SPEAKER_05: Any surgery for a minor has to be approved by their parent or guardian, right?
8:46
SPEAKER_05: So it's not just this kid deciding on their own whether or not they're they want the procedure.
8:53
SPEAKER_05: Their parents are approving and supporting of that.
8:58
SPEAKER_05: And you know, also if they can find a doctor who's willing.
9:01
SPEAKER_02: Um I you know, I I I hear you.
9:08
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
9:09
SPEAKER_05: I'm just I think it's different if you think of, you know, oh, this 12-year-old kid has decided they want to do this life-changing surgery and they're just gonna go do it.
9:18
SPEAKER_05: If they can do that on their own, I think that's different than having a team of family members, healthcare providers that are agreeing with you.
9:28
SPEAKER_05: Trevor Burrus, Jr.
9:29
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
9:29
SPEAKER_02: Well, now I gotta weigh in.
9:31
SPEAKER_02: Because if any parent allows their 12-year-old to undergo a gender transition, it's an example of a parent should be arrested.
9:36
SPEAKER_05: 16-year-old.
9:38
SPEAKER_05: Well, hormones.
9:39
SPEAKER_02: So now we'll get some letters.
9:42
SPEAKER_05: Hormone suppression therapy, though during um puberty.
9:47
SPEAKER_05: I it's a crucial point in time for famously 12-year-olds have it all figured out.
9:53
SPEAKER_05: Well, I'm thinking maybe a 16-year-old.
9:56
SPEAKER_05: I just pluck 12 because that is more shocking, of course.
10:00
SPEAKER_02: Um, anyway.
10:02
SPEAKER_02: Um we should not go down that rabbit hole, although I got pulled in maybe a little bit.
10:08
SPEAKER_05: Um uh I did not reveal my own opinion on that topic, by the way.
10:15
SPEAKER_02: Well, yeah, you did.
10:16
SPEAKER_02: Um uh okay, so anything else on any, you know, anything else on Amendment Three?
10:25
SPEAKER_02: I mean, it's it's it's um it's it's fairly cut and dry.
10:28
SPEAKER_02: It is it it is a practical repeal of Amendment three from a couple years ago.
10:36
SPEAKER_02: You know, I I don't know if this is gonna be the sort of thing that just shows up on every ballot.
10:43
SPEAKER_02: I hope not.
10:44
SPEAKER_02: From here on out in Missouri.
10:45
SPEAKER_02: I mean, you know, that's that's the the fact that it's happening two years later is is is I suppose well bonkers to me, but there's zealots on both sides of this issue, and so it it's it's gonna continue to get it.
10:57
SPEAKER_05: Might lead into our discussion about amendment six.
10:59
SPEAKER_05: But I you're right.
11:01
SPEAKER_05: So if this is approved, then uh voters can do an initiative petition and get it back on the ballot again.
11:08
SPEAKER_03: And then then we'll have another amendment three where uh a yes vote still confuses me because I'm going the other direction.
11:14
SPEAKER_05: I hope they call it something else.
11:16
SPEAKER_03: I yeah, I really hope so.
11:17
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
11:17
SPEAKER_03: I mean I uh it's it's uh to answer your question earlier, Tim, I would be shocked if this passes just because uh of of the reasons that you that you list that it's sort of making strange political bedfellows uh with people who are opposed to it and the people who think it doesn't go far enough and are also opposed to it.
11:37
SPEAKER_03: Um so I think it's just hurting its chances.
11:39
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think it's gonna also face the political reality of today where I think Republican turnout's gonna be lower than normal.
11:47
SPEAKER_02: Um in Missouri.
11:49
SPEAKER_02: Oh yeah.
11:49
SPEAKER_02: I mean, um I think Republicans are pretty disaffected right now.
11:56
SPEAKER_02: So I think there's you know I I think there's likely to be some some weird results and and turnouts that favor um more classically liberal causes.
12:07
SPEAKER_02: Um yes, indeed.
12:11
SPEAKER_02: Okay, so let's move on to amendment six, um, which is less um uh I don't know, toxic, but but but a little weirder, right?
12:24
SPEAKER_02: So so this is uh uh again, it's revisiting a topic from the very recent past, right?
12:32
SPEAKER_02: So so two years ago um there was an attempt to uh to to to get rid of the process of these of of um initiative petitions.
12:44
SPEAKER_02: Initiative petitions, which are basically where citizens can gather a bunch of signatures and get something put on a ballot, right?
12:51
SPEAKER_02: Um uh it lost by a lot.
12:55
SPEAKER_02: No, it it it it did get its butt whooped uh two years ago.
13:00
SPEAKER_02: And so this is a pretty aggressive move to try and make those initiative petitions almost impossible to change once they're passed.
13:13
SPEAKER_02: Um uh you know it it it would it this requires an 80 percent vote in Missouri legislature to overturn an initiative petition, which is a big ask.
13:26
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, getting 80 percent of people to agree with each other is gonna be tough.
13:31
SPEAKER_05: Well, so is it though when most of the state legislature is the same party?
13:37
SPEAKER_02: I think so.
13:41
SPEAKER_02: Currently uh uh Republicans have 111 of 163 house seats.
13:45
SPEAKER_02: That's that's what Missouri looks like.
13:47
SPEAKER_02: 80 percent is 131.
13:49
SPEAKER_02: So they need to get 20 uh uh Democrats that's in the House.
13:54
SPEAKER_02: That's in the House, and then uh in the Senate it's 24 of 34 and it would take twenty-eight votes to get to eighty percent.
14:03
SPEAKER_02: So it it's I think that's good.
14:08
SPEAKER_02: But what if you don't like the initiative petition, then?
14:10
SPEAKER_02: Do you think it's good?
14:12
SPEAKER_05: Well then how was it passed by the majority of voters in the state of Missouri?
14:18
SPEAKER_02: Um what do you mean?
14:20
SPEAKER_05: I mean just because there's an initiative petition doesn't mean it's going to be passed.
14:23
SPEAKER_05: It needs to be passed by a 51 percent.
14:25
SPEAKER_05: Um I also think of the the bill for minimum wage that required the sick ten days of paid sick leave for for everyone.
14:36
SPEAKER_05: And um the legislators removed the the sick pay, but did they did keep the minimum wage.
14:43
SPEAKER_05: Um but it it's things like that where it is you know the will of the voters and the representatives overturn it.
14:55
SPEAKER_03: Well, and isn't this kind of what we're saying with um with some of these other uh just amendments?
15:02
SPEAKER_03: Would this prevent the back and forth of stuff being curtailed and then proposed and curtailed?
15:09
SPEAKER_04: Back on the ballot again, over again, over and over again.
15:12
SPEAKER_02: Um let me kind of save me on the other side of this, right?
15:20
SPEAKER_02: So so one of the reasons that initiative petitions in the state of Missouri are controversial is because they allow pieces of legislation out of St.
15:30
SPEAKER_02: Louis and Kansas City to win in a straight up popular vote, even though those things are horrible potentially for the more rural parts of the state.
15:43
SPEAKER_02: And the check on that has always been that the legislature itself can come in and correct that uh issue.
15:50
SPEAKER_02: And this would take that away.
15:52
SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, what's good for St.
15:54
SPEAKER_02: Louis uh for for the city of St.
15:57
SPEAKER_02: Louis might not be good for Franklin County, might certainly might not be good for Cape County, right?
16:04
SPEAKER_02: You know, it it's they're they're they're they're just different places.
16:08
SPEAKER_02: So um uh have having having effectively a way for St.
16:15
SPEAKER_02: Louis and Kansas City to alone to rewrite the Constitution, I don't think it's good.
16:21
SPEAKER_02: Well, and um There's my argument against that.
16:23
SPEAKER_05: Well when you talk about representation though, too.
16:25
SPEAKER_05: It you know, su just because someone lives in St.
16:29
SPEAKER_05: Louis City doesn't mean their vote counts less than someone who lives in rural Missouri.
16:34
SPEAKER_02: So it's I agree.
16:38
SPEAKER_02: And and and that's so so I mean they have the initiative petition, but then but then also the legislature has has a a mechanism to fix it.
16:45
SPEAKER_02: This would take away uh the legislature.
16:48
SPEAKER_02: So so in other words, you you were just talking about the provisions uh of uh the minimum wage minimum wage increase where the the sick leave got pulled.
16:59
SPEAKER_02: I I think that's a reasonable I disagree with the minimum wage hike, but um a reasonable compromise.
17:07
SPEAKER_02: But but but I think that's a reasonable compromise.
17:10
SPEAKER_02: You know, where I you know I it's why I'm against the federal minimum wage, right?
17:14
SPEAKER_02: I don't think I don't think the minimum wage needs to be the same in the city of St.
17:18
SPEAKER_02: Louis as it does in Kirksville.
17:20
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
17:20
SPEAKER_02: You know, just doesn't.
17:21
SPEAKER_03: Um Well and and one of the sources and costs different amounts to live in the different places.
17:26
SPEAKER_03: Right.
17:26
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, New York and St.
17:27
SPEAKER_03: Louis aren't the same.
17:28
SPEAKER_03: They shouldn't have the same minimum wage.
17:30
SPEAKER_05: Before in the minimum wage was hiked, I'm quite certain that someone in St.
17:34
SPEAKER_05: Louis or St.
17:35
SPEAKER_05: Louis County was getting paid more than someone in Kirksville to work a minimum wage job.
17:40
SPEAKER_03: Yep.
17:41
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
17:41
SPEAKER_03: Well, I uh we you you did some research into that and found that was gener generally generally the case.
17:47
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
17:47
SPEAKER_03: Research is my kid.
17:53
SPEAKER_05: Right off the bat.
17:54
SPEAKER_03: Well you talked to you talked to the county, uh the county economic development director, too.
17:58
SPEAKER_03: I think you pretty Yeah.
17:59
SPEAKER_03: Anyway, well one one of the sources in the story, your amendment six story, Laura, uh, from the freedom principal uh uh Byron Keelan, um, something he had said in uh opposition to amendment six is that it would also take an 80% vote to fix an actu like if there's an issue, like a like a mechanical issue with it, it would take a 80% vote to do that.
18:23
SPEAKER_03: And if there's a particularly partisan issue, then you may not be able to actually fix something.
18:27
SPEAKER_03: You just have something that doesn't like doesn't function.
18:30
SPEAKER_03: So um so it would put a speed bump in the way of that.
18:33
SPEAKER_02: So I I I th an 80% bar is just it that's incredibly high.
18:37
SPEAKER_03: Um 2026 uh it it absolutely is.
18:42
SPEAKER_02: Well, and it and it feels like it was it's specifically set to discount the Republican majority.
18:48
SPEAKER_02: So like that's why the number's picked, um, I think.
18:53
SPEAKER_05: That's interesting.
18:54
SPEAKER_05: So this proposes an 80 percent threshold in the House and Senate to overturn an initiative petition.
18:59
SPEAKER_05: And in the last election, there was something on the ballot saying that initiative petitions um needed eighty percent Needed eighty eighty percent in uh in every district.
19:09
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
19:09
SPEAKER_05: So it's yeah.
19:11
SPEAKER_02: It's a political hot potato that we're just you know this is this is a this is an in your face.
19:17
SPEAKER_02: Now, here I'll I'll keep going with my predictions.
19:19
SPEAKER_02: I think this one passes.
19:20
SPEAKER_02: Um Really?
19:22
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, same same same reason.
19:23
SPEAKER_02: I don't think prop I I think this is gonna be the weird one where the liberals get this one passed.
19:34
SPEAKER_05: Looking at me when you say that.
19:36
SPEAKER_02: No reason.
19:37
SPEAKER_05: Um, and that one about the congressional majority in each congressional district failed.
19:43
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, quite I I also, by the way, I think that the supporters of of Amendment 6 have a lot more money than I you know than than any organ, you know, uh organized opposition to it.
19:54
SPEAKER_02: Um so I so I don't know.
19:56
SPEAKER_02: So I you know, and and frankly, I think it'll be a real problem.
19:59
SPEAKER_02: So I so I you know I'll further predict that there's gonna be something else on the ballot two years from now.
20:05
SPEAKER_02: Trying to fix it.
20:06
SPEAKER_05: Well, and when we were kind of talking, um we were saying, does does St.
20:10
SPEAKER_05: Louis need more representation at the state capitol because our population is so high?
20:15
SPEAKER_05: Like I don't know if that would make a difference as far as laws that are passed or things, you know.
20:23
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
20:23
SPEAKER_02: Well we do there is more representation at the like but more.
20:32
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
20:34
SPEAKER_03: Let's just put an amendment on the ballot.
20:36
SPEAKER_03: Make Missouri a blue state.
20:37
SPEAKER_02: Let's go.
20:39
SPEAKER_02: All right.
20:40
SPEAKER_02: So let's go to amendment seven, the show me prosperity fund.
20:47
SPEAKER_02: I mean, who can possibly be against a prosperity fund?
20:50
SPEAKER_02: So this this is um uh this creates a public endowment, right?
20:56
SPEAKER_02: It creates a it creates a state's version of a sovereign wealth fund.
21:03
SPEAKER_02: Um lets lawmakers uh invest money.
21:09
SPEAKER_02: Uh and and and then this one has the stated goal of one day replacing the income tax.
21:16
SPEAKER_02: Big doubt on that.
21:17
SPEAKER_03: Well someday.
21:19
SPEAKER_03: Someday.
21:19
SPEAKER_02: Well maybe there's well one little problem.
21:22
SPEAKER_02: If you find oil in the in the Mississippi, it'll do it.
21:25
SPEAKER_02: Well, there's I mean the problem with this right now.
21:27
SPEAKER_02: So so this would allow the creation of the fund.
21:29
SPEAKER_02: It doesn't put any money in it.
21:31
SPEAKER_02: Right.
21:31
SPEAKER_02: It has no funding mechanism.
21:33
SPEAKER_02: Like it it it doesn't contemplate a sales tax, it doesn't contemplate you know, I I don't I don't know if this is there's no tourism tax attached to it, you know, Trump ballroom where just people get to write checks.
21:45
SPEAKER_02: I don't know if it's you know, um I I there's there's no funding.
21:49
SPEAKER_02: So I so I'll be honest with you, I've not paid a lot of attention to this one 'cause I think it's silly.
21:54
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
21:54
SPEAKER_02: Um you know, and un until you talk about how to fund it, I don't you know right.
21:58
SPEAKER_05: It's a neat idea.
22:00
SPEAKER_03: Well in in other states where this is like Alaska, uh there's oil, there's natural resources that feed into the fund, and then you know, uh the other states have tourism that that feeds feed the fund.
22:11
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
22:12
SPEAKER_03: Um this is Missouri.
22:14
SPEAKER_03: We do not have other states have this?
22:16
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
22:16
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I think twenty twenty?
22:18
SPEAKER_03: Twenty other states have it?
22:20
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
22:20
SPEAKER_03: Um how do they fund it?
22:22
SPEAKER_03: Well, like uh through sales taxes?
22:24
SPEAKER_05: No, natural resources or tourism, just a portion of Taxes.
22:30
SPEAKER_02: For for tourism would be taxes for um a percentage of the sale of the thing.
22:35
SPEAKER_02: Right, yeah.
22:35
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
22:36
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
22:36
SPEAKER_02: So a hotel tax or a you know, yeah.
22:40
SPEAKER_03: Um Correct.
22:43
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and and for Alaska, like at all the people who who live there, they always refer to it as just something that helps you, you know, cover the additional cost of living, of living, you know, living.
22:54
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
22:54
SPEAKER_03: Um it's a decent amount of money, but it's not gonna you know, you they I think I think when I was up there it was like uh to maybe two thousand dollars a person, four thousand five hundred for a family, uh just a I think a year.
23:08
SPEAKER_03: You had to live there a couple of years together.
23:10
SPEAKER_03: Uh I think it was just a check that you got, if I'm remembering right.
23:13
SPEAKER_03: It's been almost 10,000.
23:15
SPEAKER_03: Alaska?
23:15
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
23:16
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
23:16
SPEAKER_02: But they're right citizen checks.
23:18
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah.
23:18
SPEAKER_03: It's just uh a check to the citizens, uh, which is nice, but it's not, you know, it's not you're not talking tens of thousands of dollars.
23:26
SPEAKER_03: You can't retire and live off.
23:28
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah.
23:30
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, they also save a lot of money by not building roads and stuff in Alaska.
23:34
SPEAKER_02: Right.
23:34
SPEAKER_02: They're being able to squirrel some away.
23:36
SPEAKER_02: So yeah, so I don't know.
23:37
SPEAKER_02: So on Amendment 7, I don't have a lot to say.
23:40
SPEAKER_02: I think that um uh it makes sense if Missouri finds money that it should invest it and it should do so smartly.
23:49
SPEAKER_02: And if it that can be used to offset taxes, cool.
23:52
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
23:53
SPEAKER_02: Um but until we talk about how it's funded, I I just I don't know.
23:57
SPEAKER_02: I don't know that it matters.
23:59
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
23:59
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I I agree.
24:00
SPEAKER_03: Same problem with amendment five uh from the last last election, kind of.
24:04
SPEAKER_03: So I can tell you talk specifics.
24:06
SPEAKER_03: I'm not really interested in in entertaining the proposal.
24:09
SPEAKER_03: Like I I want a detail of how you're gonna do it before I agree with that.
24:14
SPEAKER_05: Because while this says it doesn't say what will fund it, it also doesn't say what won't fund it.
24:19
SPEAKER_05: So you don't know if they'll take appropriations from somewhere else to fund this.
24:25
SPEAKER_05: Um and right now that would not be a good thing for the state of Missouri to do.
24:31
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
24:33
SPEAKER_02: Um and is amendment eight on the ballot?
24:36
SPEAKER_02: Amendment eight is on the ballot.
24:40
SPEAKER_02: So amendment eight is sheriffs um uh that would require um every county to have a sheriff.
24:55
SPEAKER_02: I guess that's not in the Constitution.
24:59
SPEAKER_02: Um and the sheriff could only be removed in in in certain ways um brought by the attorney general.
25:11
SPEAKER_03: Um so yeah, now And it does not apply to a number of things, including any county with a charter form of government that has a population greater than 400,000.
25:25
SPEAKER_02: Well, and for the purpose of our listeners, it doesn't apply to any of our areas.
25:28
SPEAKER_02: Right, yeah.
25:29
SPEAKER_02: St.
25:29
SPEAKER_02: Louis, St.
25:30
SPEAKER_02: Charles, and St.
25:30
SPEAKER_02: Louis City are all exempt from this.
25:33
SPEAKER_02: So um but we still get to vote on it?
25:38
SPEAKER_02: Because it's an amendment to the Constitution.
25:40
SPEAKER_02: Statewide, yeah.
25:42
SPEAKER_03: Um I don't think there's much more to say on that one.
25:51
SPEAKER_05: Um I don't know how it would uh benefit or what are the pros and cons of this for a small town in Missouri.
26:09
SPEAKER_02: Um I so a couple things.
26:15
SPEAKER_02: I do think that every county should have a sheriff's office.
26:20
SPEAKER_02: Um I I think that uh makes sense.
26:23
SPEAKER_02: I I I I think that's basically saying, hey, we should make sure we have a local police and not a state police uh department.
26:29
SPEAKER_02: Right.
26:29
SPEAKER_02: Right.
26:30
SPEAKER_02: Um I'm I I'm I'm not well versed enough to understand the limits on removing the sheriff versus where it is right now.
26:42
SPEAKER_02: There's you know recently been all kinds of problems with it.
26:45
SPEAKER_02: I I think the city of St.
26:46
SPEAKER_02: Louis's sheriff had, you know, was in jail and was still sheriff or something like that.
26:53
SPEAKER_02: Like it was I don't know.
26:54
SPEAKER_02: But um so so I I don't I don't know um uh how how that one's gonna go.
27:02
SPEAKER_02: Um but I've made a prediction on everything else, so I need to make a prediction on this one.
27:10
SPEAKER_02: Um Dead Tide.
27:12
SPEAKER_02: Um I don't think it passes.
27:17
SPEAKER_02: I think everybody will get tired of trying to read about it and figure it out and just go, nah, I don't know.
27:22
SPEAKER_02: Just skip.
27:23
SPEAKER_02: Just yeah, might as well leave things the way they are.
27:25
SPEAKER_03: At the end of a long ballot, yeah, and they may just but a lot of times the sheriffs made me mad.
27:32
SPEAKER_02: Um so so that takes us through the statewide amendments.
27:35
SPEAKER_02: What what else are we talking about?
27:36
SPEAKER_02: Let's get into the local stuff, maybe.
27:37
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
27:38
SPEAKER_02: Or or you know, do you want to talk about Ann Wagner?
27:41
SPEAKER_02: Ann Wagner's having a bit of a race right now.
27:43
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, uh what it was I think polling from at least end of September was dead, dead, dead, a dead tie, right?
27:52
SPEAKER_02: How good local polling is.
27:54
SPEAKER_02: Um, it all seems to come from incredibly partisan sources.
27:58
SPEAKER_02: Um there's a lot of money being spent on it.
28:00
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, a lot a lot more money than I remember uh uh Anne Wagner having to spend in the past.
28:08
SPEAKER_02: Um uh so I so I think it's gonna be close.
28:13
SPEAKER_02: My prediction is Anne Wagner pulls it out for the eighth time?
28:18
SPEAKER_03: Eighth time, yeah, no?
28:19
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
28:19
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
28:20
SPEAKER_03: Well, and especially because of the Missouri First map being Oh, the try we didn't talk about that.
28:28
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, retracted for Yeah, which is proposition A on the on the ballot.
28:32
SPEAKER_03: Um uh she's back in picking up votes in St.
28:36
SPEAKER_03: Charles County uh as well.
28:38
SPEAKER_03: She's not for the 22 map.
28:42
SPEAKER_03: With the with the 22 map, she is.
28:44
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, but the the revised map would help her more, correct?
28:51
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
28:51
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, well But that's not how we're voting this time.
28:54
SPEAKER_02: Well, would it help her more?
28:55
SPEAKER_02: I thought so.
28:56
SPEAKER_02: Oh.
28:57
SPEAKER_03: I mean, I don't I don't think it would.
29:01
SPEAKER_03: Uh maybe that's that's uh just conjecture, but she's back, she's picking up votes in St.
29:07
SPEAKER_03: Charles County again under the 2022.
29:10
SPEAKER_04: That would help her.
29:11
SPEAKER_03: I I feel like that would help her.
29:12
SPEAKER_03: Um but um Yeah, I think St.
29:17
SPEAKER_03: Charles is pretty much.
29:19
SPEAKER_03: I don't think it's gonna help St.
29:20
SPEAKER_03: Wellness.
29:22
SPEAKER_03: Um and it seems like every election people come, you know, uh come hunting for that seat and you know, and Anne always comes out on top.
29:32
SPEAKER_05: So I wonder though, with all the with the amendments that are on the ballot, that my you know, Tim predicted that the more progressive voters will prevail.
29:43
SPEAKER_05: Maybe that'll carry over the seat.
29:46
SPEAKER_02: That's absolutely what's making this competitive, but I but I I think she still ends up Yeah.
29:51
SPEAKER_03: I I I think Ann Wagner is a pretty good politician.
29:54
SPEAKER_03: Um fairly uncontroversial.
29:56
SPEAKER_03: I mean, like she's and yeah.
29:59
SPEAKER_05: That's a choice she's made to keep her seat.
30:01
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
30:04
SPEAKER_02: Beyond being a good politician, she's also a good public servant.
30:07
SPEAKER_02: So I you know, so I I I think that uh I think I think she can win a lot of votes.
30:11
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
30:15
SPEAKER_05: I would say every go-around too, the Democrats think that they have the candidate to unseat her, and it doesn't happen.
30:23
SPEAKER_05: So we'll see.
30:24
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
30:26
SPEAKER_02: Um okay, so yeah, we also we forgot to we forgot to mention the proposition A is on the ballot.
30:31
SPEAKER_02: Um uh which hasn't been confusing at all.
30:36
SPEAKER_02: Um so proposition A is putting to voters whether they want to use the redistricted, re remapped, re reworked maps that we used in the primaries.
30:52
SPEAKER_03: Uh-huh.
30:52
SPEAKER_03: But we're not using for November.
30:55
SPEAKER_03: We'd be using them next year.
30:56
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
30:57
SPEAKER_05: Well, yeah, in the next election.
31:00
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
31:01
SPEAKER_05: And that was that was the back and forth.
31:03
SPEAKER_05: Which map then do we use for the November um election?
31:09
SPEAKER_05: It was yeah, that was a interesting few weeks where the state Supreme Court was involved, the federal Supreme Court was involved, the Attorney General was involved, and the Secretary of State, and it it it was a lot of um political stuff happening.
31:31
SPEAKER_05: But um yeah, so it'll be interesting to see um if the voters want to redraw those congressional district lines.
31:39
SPEAKER_05: And that was all done to it um annual cleaver seat.
31:44
SPEAKER_02: In Kansas City.
31:45
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
31:47
SPEAKER_02: Um that that's important.
31:49
SPEAKER_02: Um to make Missouri more red.
31:55
SPEAKER_02: Well, one seat more red.
31:58
SPEAKER_02: Slightly more red.
32:00
SPEAKER_02: Um yeah, I so prediction.
32:07
SPEAKER_02: This one's gonna get clobbered.
32:09
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
32:10
SPEAKER_02: I think.
32:11
SPEAKER_05: Right.
32:12
SPEAKER_05: People will want to keep the existing map.
32:15
SPEAKER_02: I don't think people want to see how the sausage gets made.
32:17
SPEAKER_02: And this has just been such a nasty political, you know, weird little you know uh uh bit bit of positioning.
32:29
SPEAKER_02: Um that you know d does does not do much to say, hey, this is how it makes Missouri better.
32:35
SPEAKER_02: Right.
32:36
SPEAKER_02: This is how it makes Missouri redder.
32:38
SPEAKER_02: Right.
32:39
SPEAKER_05: Um, redder at the request of President Donald Trump, who Correct.
32:48
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
32:49
SPEAKER_02: Super popular right now.
32:50
SPEAKER_05: It's not for the state of Missouri.
32:51
SPEAKER_05: It was for President Trump.
32:54
SPEAKER_02: Well, it was yeah, it's trying to offset what what what might be coming.
32:58
SPEAKER_02: So um yeah, so I so I mean I I think overall I think that this um I think that this election is gonna be pretty interesting.
33:07
SPEAKER_02: I think that um I I I I really do think you're gonna see surprisingly low Republican turnout even in Missouri.
33:13
SPEAKER_03: I I'm not feeling a ton of energy from from just yeah, in general from them.
33:19
SPEAKER_05: So the president's rallies aren't aren't helping?
33:21
SPEAKER_05: Aren't working?
33:22
SPEAKER_05: He didn't have any in Missouri Well, because he doesn't need to.
33:26
SPEAKER_02: I mean they're they're well, I don't know.
33:28
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
33:29
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
33:29
SPEAKER_02: And and Wagner might like him to swing by, but uh, you know.
33:33
SPEAKER_02: Um or or incredibly not.
33:35
SPEAKER_05: Um uh yeah, well, isn't his line, you know, vote like I'm on the ticket.
33:41
SPEAKER_05: And that is his line.
33:43
SPEAKER_05: It's not catching on.
33:46
SPEAKER_02: Man, say say what you want to about the guy.
33:48
SPEAKER_02: The rally schedule he's gonna keep for the next two weeks is insane.
33:53
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, he's doing like one a day in different states.
33:57
SPEAKER_02: Like that's just a lot.
33:58
SPEAKER_05: That's what he loves to do, though.
34:00
SPEAKER_02: He does love to do it, but he's 80 years old.
34:02
SPEAKER_02: Like, that's that's he's that's it's it's a lot.
34:05
SPEAKER_02: Um he's he's running a running a pretty vigorous, uh, pretty vigorous schedule.
34:09
SPEAKER_02: So uh bless his heart.
34:12
SPEAKER_02: We'll see uh we'll see how this thing turns out.
34:14
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it'll be interesting though.
34:16
SPEAKER_05: Um Well, when gas prices come down after the midterm elections, like he says is gonna happen, that that'll be great.
34:24
SPEAKER_02: Are we gonna come back after this election and listen to all my predictions and judge me?
34:29
SPEAKER_03: We should, yeah.
34:29
SPEAKER_03: Give you give you gold stars for everyone you got right.
34:32
SPEAKER_03: Uh-huh.
34:34
SPEAKER_02: Do we even have gold stars in the office?
34:35
SPEAKER_02: Um we can't.
34:38
SPEAKER_02: This is serious.
34:39
SPEAKER_02: I don't even remember how I voted on each one.
34:40
SPEAKER_02: So you know what?
34:41
SPEAKER_02: Let's make a board.
34:44
SPEAKER_03: A board?
34:44
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
34:45
SPEAKER_02: Do our own little couchy market.
34:47
SPEAKER_02: Uh okay.
34:49
SPEAKER_04: I'm gonna work on this.
34:50
SPEAKER_02: All right, good thinking.
34:51
SPEAKER_02: Forget everything else.
34:54
SPEAKER_02: Seems like a good use of your time.
34:56
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
34:57
SPEAKER_02: It's gonna be tough.
34:58
SPEAKER_02: Uh I believe you personally get to finish off the vegan pumpkin pie.
35:02
SPEAKER_02: Oh, that should be the top one.
35:06
SPEAKER_02: Loser gets to take home the vegan pumpkin pie.
35:10
SPEAKER_02: Um bless your heart.
35:13
SPEAKER_02: All right.
35:14
SPEAKER_02: Well, thank you listeners for tuning in again.
35:16
SPEAKER_02: Uh, we encourage you to go to West Newsmagazine.com slash subscribe and midriversnewsmagazine.com slash subscribe.
35:24
SPEAKER_02: Um for for those on the west side of things, you have very little time left to vote in the uh in the best of.
35:31
SPEAKER_02: So make sure you you you go out there and uh get your votes in to support local businesses and and and show your love there.
35:38
SPEAKER_02: It's uh it's a it's it's a it's a fun little activity.
35:40
SPEAKER_02: It doesn't take you very long.
35:42
SPEAKER_02: Uh you don't have to you don't have to answer everyone.
35:45
SPEAKER_02: You can go in and just vote for your favorites, you can do do do whatever.
35:48
SPEAKER_02: But uh but but participate in that best of and get subscribed to get the papers.
35:52
SPEAKER_02: And we will be back um, if not next week, the week after, to see how I did.