Mayor Slay
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Mini Poll: Sausage and Spring


On May 18, as the hands of the two chambers’ big clocks touch six and twelve, the Missouri House of Representatives and State Senate will complete a legislative session. Counting down the weeks, paring down the bills, debating competing philosophies, and invoking dusty rules of procedure, our elected representatives and senators are currently scurrying around Jefferson City finishing up the people's business. Who will be more thrilled when the session ends – our elected officials or us, the people they regulate and tax?


Drafting and passing legislation is not only the art of compromise, but also the craft of creative favor exchange.

Otto von Bismarck, for whom a cute little Missouri hamlet is named, once remarked that it is probably better for our digestion not to watch how either sausages or laws are made. If you have had occasion to watch our legislators, both state and federal, as they are button-holed and cajoled by lobbyists and staffers, rushed from hearing room to floor, and forced to cast yes or no votes on 800 pages of fine print – or watched Blutwurst being made – you have to agree with Otto.


This is not to say that legislatures and their inhabitants are unnecessary. We need the laws they make to protect the health and safety of our citizens; and taxes they impose to pave our streets, provide for public safety, and build schools. So, we owe our legislators thanks for doing a job that we can’t bear to watch, but can’t do without.


This week’s Mini-Poll from MayorSlay.com puts you in a seat in the state senate lobby – and gives you the chance to vote Yea, Nay, or Present to several pieces of legislation now being considered in Jefferson City.


Answer this week's mini-poll: vote like a legislator, but please don't raise our taxes!



Whom do you trust more to look out for people like you, the Missouri state legislature or the state courts?


Legislature
Courts



If you were a Missouri state representative or state senator, what would you most likely do for fun in Jefferson City after a busy day of making laws?


Read at the Missouri River Regional Library
Attend receptions at the Capital Plaza Hotel
Go shopping at the Capital Mall
Serenade the governor and his family at the Governor's Mansion
Have dinner and drinks with fellow legislators at the Hotel DeVille
Put on my PJs and discuss public policy with my apartment mates



In general, how well do think that Missouri's term limit on state legislators has worked out?


It has helped, since we are not governed by a handful of elected officials who seem to hold office forever
It has hurt, since we have too few legislators who have a chance to learn their jobs well and the jockeying for new offices sometimes disrupts the legislative process



A bill being considered in the Missouri legislature would allow motorcyclists 21 and older to ride without helmets. Is this a good idea?


Yes, people should be free to ride motorcycles without helmets if they choose to
No, sometimes you have to protect people against their own bad judgment



A bill being considered in the Missouri legislature would establish a tax credit to assemble large tracts of land for new development in low-income City neighborhoods. Is this a good idea?


Yes, spurring large-scale development in City neighborhoods that have seen years of disinvestment is a good idea
No, the tax credit idea is fine, but the scale of the new development worries me
No, it's just wrong to use public incentives to encourage private development



A bill being considered in the Missouri legislature would require employers to determine the citizenship and immigration status of their workers and would prohibit companies from employing undocumented residents. Is this a good idea?


Yes, it keeps jobs for legal residents
No, it is unfair to place this burden on employers



A bill being considered in the Missouri legislature would change state law and allow local restaurant owners to decide whether or not to allow well-behaved dogs to join their owners on outdoor dining areas and patios. Is this a good idea?


Arf!
Grrrrrrr!



A bill being considered in the Missouri legislature would require people who work for state government to contribute a percentage of income toward their own health insurance. Is this a good idea?


Yes, health insurance costs are skyrocketing and plenty of private businesses already do the same thing
No, free health insurance should be a matter of right for public employees



A bill being considered in the Missouri legislature would require equal pay for the same work regardless of gender, and it would establish a statewide committee to study wage disparities. Is this a good idea?


Yes, women and men should be paid the same for doing the same work
Yes, but I thought we had done this years ago
No, women don't need as much money as men and should therefore earn less
No, men don't need as much money as women and should therefore earn less



A bill being considered in the Missouri legislature would give low-interest loans for alternative energy operations like wind, solar, hydroelectric, and biomass. Is this a good idea?


Yes, we need public incentives to encourage all alternative energy sources so that we do not depend on imported oil
No, government should allow the market to dictate the pace and types of energy innovation



A bill being considered in the Missouri legislature would prohibit discrimination based upon a person's sexual orientation. Is this a good idea?


Yes, some people need to be compelled to treat everyone equally
Yes, but aren't there enough laws that already do this?
No, and aren't there enough laws that already do this?
No, you can't compel people to treat everyone equally



A bill being considered in the Missouri legislature would allow City voters to decide whether to increase the sales tax and use the new revenue to increase the size and effectiveness of the St. Louis police department. Is this a good idea?


Yes, crime and the perception of safety are two of the most important issues the City must address
No, fighting crime is important but the sales tax falls too heavily on the people who can least afford to pay it



A bill being considered in the Missouri legislature would create tuition grants for the children and spouses of veterans killed in combat. Is this a good idea?


Yes, we should do what we can to ease the burdens of veteran families
No, the state should let the federal government take care of compensating veteran families



Have you ever visited Jefferson City, Missouri?


Yes
No
I don't think so



Would you favor a plan to move the state capital to St. Louis or Kansas City?


Yes, to St. Louis
Yes, to Kansas City
Yes, to either St. Louis or Kansas City
No





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