The background for the initiative was provided in the Feb. 10 Turner Report:
The group, as I noted in an earlier Turner Report post, is entirely a Sinquefield operation, fronted by the people who have been doing his business with the state legislature the past few years.
Missouri Ethics Commission documents show Let Voters Decide lists Stephanie Bell as treasurer. Ms. Bell is a lawyer with the firm of Blitz, Bardgett, and John Deustch. At one time, she was an assistant to former Senate President Pro Tem Michael Gibbons, now a lobbyist.
The deputy treasurer for Let Voters Decide is Mandy Studer, grass roots director for Americans for Prosperity and chief of staff at Pelopidas, the organization formed by Sinquefield lobbyist Travis Brown.
On the incorporation documents filed Jan. 13 with the Missouri secretary of state's office Jan. 13, Brown is listed as an incorporator.
The registered agent for Let Voters Decide is Marc H Ellinger, Cole County presiding commissioner and a partner with Blitz, Bardgett an Deutsch.
In addition to the half million dollars Sinquefield has pumped into Let Voters Decide, another indication that the retired billionaire is going on an all-out blitz to get his way with this proposal, the fair tax proposal, and his other pet issues, is the beefed up lobbying staff at Pelopidas.
When Pelopidas formed, it had three lobbyiists, Travis Brown, his wife Rachel, and former Rep. Carl Bearden. In addition to Travis Brown and Bearden, Pelopidas' team of lobbyists has six others for a total of eight, including two, David Barklage and Brad Bates who have been added this year.
4 comments:
Well i hope that effort is successful. I'm happy to hear some people are trying to make Missouri a better place too live by working to lower our taxes. There are so many activists and lobbyists supported with millions of dollars from the Mo teachers union and the Mo NEA, that it's great to see someone in the private sector is on our side. I just read the most recent Mo. NEA and Mo teacher union legislative agenda, and it's shocking how hard they're working to increase taxes (Internet Sales Tax is a big one they're supporting now), and against any kind of increased school accountability to go along with increased federal tax money the schools receive.
In the Western part of the State the earnings tax is a factor in NEW businesses locating in JOCO and WYCO. And these have been relatively good paying jobs with benefits. But then in this economy, any job is relatively good. The politicians at ALL levels seem dedicated to TAX and SPEND, regardless of the shape the economy is in.
Just to clarify for some of you...this will be a tax--just on evertyhing that you buy including services. So, maybe you won't have income tax but the sales tax will be over 11% and therefore discouraging to businesses and voters. Those who live near the borders of other states may be more apt to cross state lines to buy their goods at a lesser tax rate. Wake up.
Folks who think this is a good idea for Missouri need to do a lot more research. It's interesting that there are those who think this will make MO a better place to live, when what is at stake are the very services and systems that MAKE Missouri a nice place to live. Taxes are the price we pay for living in a civilized society, one that looks out for our senior citizens and cares about educating our children. How funny that such things can be painted as terrible ideas to those who think these things somehow are magically paid for--or frankly don't care at all about people other than themselves. If you don't want to invest in democracy, then feel free to move to the hills of Afghanistan, squat yourself in a nice cave, buy some black market weaponry and have a blast. Those of us who actually understand how the public sector works and why we have it will be fine here without you, ensuring that our state and our country are doing what's right. Please get the facts.
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