Tilley's second quarter report, filed today with the Missouri Ethics Commission, showed he received $56,980 during the last three months, with more than half of that total, $29,575, coming in maximum $325 contributions from 91 of Sinquefield's political action committees.
If you don't think Tilley earned his money, check out this passage from the April 11 Turner Report:
An amendment to the bill would have allowed parents of autistic children to receive public money to put their children in private schools. The 80-58 vote came on an amendment to strip that wording out of the teacher pay increase bill.
Though many of those who supported the voucher proposal also were purported to be for the teacher pay increase proposal for the bill (which mostly was designed for teachers in small rural districts and for teachers who were willing to work in poor districts including those in the inner city), at least one has spitefully indicated if he doesn't get his way on vouchers, the pay increase proposal is dead:
House Majority Leader Steven Tilley said he will not allow the legislation to be brought up for a vote, because he says the bill now only helps teachers — not children.
"That bill will not see the light of day," Tilley, R-Perryville, told The Associated Press.
Perhaps someone should tell Rep. Tilley that providing the pay to encourage experienced, qualified teachers to relocate to troubled inner-city schools does help children.
Providing better pay to keep qualified teachers from leaving education to take more lucrative positions in other fields also helps children.
When it comes right down to it, the only ones not helping children are Rep. Tilley and those who are so narrow-minded in their pursuit of voucher legislation that they cannot see the harm they are doing.
Of course, the higher pay for teachers was a smokescreen for the voucher legislation for many legislators.
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Tilley, who is House Majority Leader and Ethics Committee chairman found legal, though not necessarily ethical, ways to raise money for his re-election campaign. Among the methods he used:
-As mentioned, Tilley received maximum $325 contributions from 91 committees formed by retired billionaire Rex Sinquefield. The contributions came from such colorfully named committees as Missourians Needing Educational Alternatives, Your School, Your Choice, Missourians for Economic Growth, Missourians Supporting Teaching Excellence, My Job, My Wage, Merit Pay for Missouri Teachers, Missourians for Tax Reform, and Public Charter Schools for Missouri.
-Another $4,515, all in small amounts from 23 pharmacists or pharmacies from Willow Springs, Neosho, Reeds Spring, Excelsior Springs, Benton, Chesterfield, Kansas City, Independence, Moberly, St. Clair, Poplar Bluff, Mountain Grove, Strafford, Buffalo, Greenfield, Portageville, New Haven, Columbia, and Ozark.
-$1,170 in small amounts from optometrists from Monett, Lamar, Warrensburg, El Dorado Springs, Bridgeton, Cape Girardeau, Joplin, and Kirksville.
-$13,400, consisting of eight $1,675 contributions from legislative district committees.
-$1,300 from four maximum $325 contributions from different Missouri Bankers Association PACs.
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