I never believed in starting a new reporter off slowly and building up to the bigger assignments.
That's why Peggy Brinkhoff was so surprised that day in 1987 when I told her that her first assignment for The Lamar Democrat would be to cover Senator John Danforth's visit to the city.
I prepared the 16-year-old Golden City High School junior beforehand and I was also at the Horton Building to see the senator, both as a precaution and as a show of support for Peggy.
As it turns out, she didn't need it. Peggy was a trouper from the word go and turned out to be one of the best of a few dozen young reporters who worked for me at the Democrat and The Carthage Press over a two-decade span.
It turned out there were two stories that took place that night. The first was Senator Danforth's speech. The second was a young farmer who challenged him about his positions on numerous issues.
The young man was brazen, some, including me, thought that he was rude, but there was no doubt, he made an impression.
That was the first time that Martin "Bubs" Hohulin stepped foot on the public stage. At that time, no one thought much of it. He later parlayed that initial appearance, a series of columns in the Democrat, and some campaigning lessons he learned from someone who should have known better than to teach him, into a seat in the Missouri House of Representatives.
No one took him seriously when he announced his candidacy against veteran Rep. Jerry Burch, D-Walker. After all, Burch had served five terms, had worked his way into the House Democratic leadership, and he was being touted for statewide office. Also, at that time, the district, thanks to Nevada, normally voted Democratic.
Hohulin hammered home his message that Burch had lost touch with the little guy, that he was beholden to the Kansas City and St. Louis interests. The message resonated with voters. Even in Nevada, he received a sizable vote, many still think not for him, but to teach Burch a lesson by making the outcome close. They taught that lesson too well and Hohulin pulled the upset of the decade.
By the time term limits pushed him out of office, however, he had become everything he accused Jerry Burch of being. His campaign contribution list was filled with donations from Kansas City and St. Louis interests.
Hohulin, who started out as an Iantha hog farmer, became the poster child for the corporate farming interests, championing their expansion throughout the state.
And when his time in the House was through, the champion of the little man did not return on a full-time basis to Barton County, but stayed in Jefferson City as a $62,000 a year assistant to State Senator Carl Vogel.
For the most part, Hohulin has stayed out of the limelight since his days in the House ended, until it was announced earlier this year that he had been selected to run a Department of Revenue fee office in Lamar.
That brought an ethics complaint from the Democrats since awarding the office to Hohulin would mean that he would be double dipping into state money. Last week, the Director of Revenue announced that Hohulin would not be awarded the license office.
Today's Joplin Globe revealed what most people in Lamar already knew...the office has been awarded to Marilyn Hohulin, Bubs' wife.
And this is not a violation of state ethics law? Probably not, though the Democrats have already said they will try to make that charge stick.
Meanwhile, Hohulin will continue to receive a $62,000 a year salary, share in the profits no doubt from the state license office in Lamar, and head peacefully toward what promises to be a sizable pension...all footed by Missouri taxpayers.
As usual, Bubs showed class in his dealings with The Joplin Globe as it researched its article. He wasn't interested in talking with The Globe. Bubs never was much for criticism. Anyone who opposed his views was simply wrong...and in this case, the Globe was simply trying to find out what was going on.
The Globe article points out that Hohulin took himself out of consideration for the fee office. I would guess that noble gesture was not made until it was pretty much certain that another Hohulin would receive the contract.
It has been a long time since that day in 1987 when a young farmer had the gumption to challenge a powerful United States senator.
My, how times have changed. Bubs Hohulin is now the personfication of every bad caricature Americans have of politicians, the fatcat who continues to lap away at the taxpayers' milk dish.
***
While Bubs Hohulin is obviously a local ethical flashpoint, the appointment of Hohulin's wife to head the Department of Revenue office in Lamar again shines the spotlight on the ethical mindset of the man behind the appointments, Missouri Governor Matt Blunt.
Blunt has done the unthinkable. He has made former Governor Bob Holden look almost competent. Blunt's ethical decisions have made late, unlamented United States President Warren Gamaliel Harding look like a pillar of integrity.
If Governor Blunt thinks the appointments of Marilyn Hohulin and all kinds of campaign contributors and relatives are signs of good government, then he may be headed toward Joe Teasdale/Bob Holden territory.
It's time for the governor and the Director of Revenue to show us these plans that convinced him to appoint the people he appointed to run the license fee offices.
After all, even though the governor appointed Marilyn Hohulin, I would assume that the plan she is working on is the same one that was approved for her husband earlier. I doubt if the governor said, "Mrs. Hohulin, you need to submit a new plan." And what plans were we comparing the Hohulin plan to? Was anyone else asked to submit a plan? Isn't it possible that some other Republican could have come up with an even better plan?
The time for the Hohulin plan to be made public is now.