Video: President Obama speaks on budget deal

Billy Long tweet indicates doubt on budget deal

 Seventh District Congressman Billy Long tweeted the following message concerning the budget deal that has just been struck between Congressional Republicans and Democrats. It seems to indicate Long does not think the House vote on the issue is as cut and dried as Speaker of the House John Boehner seems to think:

  Vote on a 5 or 6 day CR tonight to keep Gov't open until I's are dotted & T's crossed on agreed to Bill next week. Passage seems assumed????

Missouri House Week in Review

Schmitt: Bill solidifies St. Louis' status as trade hub

In his weekly report, Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-St. Louis County, explains SB 390, which he describes as designed to solidify St. Louis' status as a trade hub:

We have talked a lot about job creation in the Senate this year. With more than 280,000 Missourians out of work, we are motivated to pass legislation that will help create good paying jobs for those looking for work now. But, what this recession should also teach us is the importance of thinking for the long-term and putting our state on a trajectory towards economic success. This week, Senate Bill 390, a bill I am sponsoring, was discussed on the floor of the Missouri Senate. This important piece of legislation could benefit St. Louis and the entire state for many years to come.


From the day it was established, St. Louis has been valuable for its location. In the 1800s, the abundant use of steamboats for travel and transport made St. Louis a center of commerce. Soon, cheaper forms of transportation started to emerge and the city of Chicago recognized the importance of the railroad as the next mode of transportation. By the time the Eads Bridge was completed in 1874, Chicago already had the advantage. The rest, as they say, is history.

St. Louis is still located in the center of the country, situated on the Mississippi River with a great highway network. We have an underutilized airport with the capacity and property to support much more than we currently do. These assets give us the means to seize opportunities in international trade and change the trajectory of our state.

Senate Bill 390, also called the Aerotropolis Trade Incentive and Tax Credit Act, has two parts — one to encourage global trade and one to solidify our place as a trade hub. Incentives would encourage freight forwarders, the people who organize and manage overseas shipments, to use St. Louis when transporting cargo internationally. Much of this traffic is currently moving through Chicago. The second aspect of the bill would encourage companies to establish the infrastructure necessary — the miles of refrigerated warehouse storage, assembly facilities, and distribution facilities — that makes trade possible.

Accountability is a major concern right now for all of us in the Legislature, so this legislation contains provisions to make sure no one receives these incentives without results. Before tax liability could be reduced for construction projects, the investment would need to be made and the building would need to be built and operational. Incentives would only be available for exports if trade was taking place—meaning no one would receive a benefit until the results we are looking for are realized.

Senate Bill 390 presents an opportunity for St. Louis and for our state as a whole. We need to make sure that history does not repeat itself and take this opportunity to once again become the trade-hub of the region.

C. L. Tanner: Do some research on the Tea Party; it will open your eyes

The following op-ed piece is from Curtis "C. L." Tanner of Granby:

The Boston Tea Party took place because of "Taxation without Representation." The colonist were upset because their tax money was going to England, but they weren't represented in the government of England and especially in regard to benefits they received. This was an organized demonstration, which brings up this question, "Why doesn't the "Tea Party" today organize into a legitimate political party and quit hiding and posing as Republicans? Is it because they don't want to lose to "real" Republicans as was the case in Alaska where the "Tea Party" primary winner lost to the write-in real Republican candidate in the Nov. election?


These Tea Party extremist wants to lower taxes and throw out the entire Federal Government financial budget and start over from scratch. I would like to see lower taxes especially for lower and middle income people. As I've stated before if you cut your income, then you have to cut what you spend.

Which benefit that the Federal Government funds should we give up? These figures are from the 2010 Federal Budget. Looking at Top five places where Fed. money goes. 1. Department of Defense $663.7 billion 2. Dept. of Transportation $72.5 billion 3. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development $47.5 billion 4. Dept. of Education $46.7 billion 5. Dept. of Homeland Security $42.7 billion.

We've all heard it being said that Social Security and the Environmental Protection Agency are the driving forces behind rising Fed. debt. How much money goes to these big grabbers? Soc. Sec $11.6 billion and the EPA $10.5 billion. These two combined equals $22.1 billion, not even half of the lowest of the top 5 Homeland Security's $42.7 billion. If the Dept of ED is cut, be ready to come up with more school tax money, as the cut will cause the states and local governments to raise taxes in order to maintain the level they now operate at. Remember, the only thing greater than the cost of education, is the price of ignorance.

In reality we should abolish both SS and the EPA. Why you ask? If SS was privatized and the EPA canceled it would help control the growing population. How? Had SS been a privatized retirement method during the financial fiasco of 2008-09 when all of the investments went down the toilet so would of the income of these retired people. Since there wouldn't be anything for them to fall back-on in a few weeks they would have starved to death. Doing away with the EPS we would have the pleasure of drinking and swimming in contaminated water. Lung cancer would do away with people and prevent them from starving and spare children from placing their parents in nursing homes.

Those of you who don't know much about the Tea Party, please do some research, it will open your eyes.

Blunt: The Democrats are at fault for potential shutdown

Sen. Roy Blunt says he doesn't want the federal government to shut down, but if it is, it's the Democrats' fault:

"We're facing a potential government shutdown, thanks to President Obama and Senate Democrats' failure to lead and their refusal to come to the table and support real spending cuts," Blunt said in a statement. "We cannot continue spending money we don't have, and we have a responsibility to ensure Washington is living within its means just like every family and job creator in Missouri

."

Cleaver: GOP willing to shut down government to defund Planned Parenthood

In his weekly EC from DC column, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo. gives a full explanation of what will be affected if the federal government shuts down in a few hours:

Our area has 38,000 federal employees. The federal government is the single largest employer in the metro area.

As of this writing, and frankly, things are changing every hour, as of midnight tonight, none of those 38,000 federal employees will be paid. Unless the Congress enacts retroactive pay, many of those furloughed will not receive pay at all.

Right now, 38,000 families are on pins and needles. 38,000 families are looking to see how much they have in savings. All are preparing for uncertainty, and many are worried about how to pay their bills.

Let me speak for a moment about what a shutdown means for a typical solider in the field right now, bravely doing his or her job in Afghanistan.

A Private First Class (PFC) makes $1,700 a month when on duty. Our military pays twice a month. Each pay period, while defending our nation overseas, our PFC’s are paid $850. Out of that check, often sent to their wife and children at home, the average PFC’s families pay rent, car payments, insurance, credit card bills, and utilities. Of course, that is before we get to food, gas, daycare or any number of things that require payment each month.

Our typical solider, sailor, airman or Marine and their families and children back home are living paycheck to paycheck. Many in Congress have forgotten what that is like. These 18 year-olds, they do not have a great deal of savings. Perhaps you remember what it was like to be young and barely scraping by.

Lives are hard for our young men and women in uniform in the line of fire. Their lives are in danger every day.

But now, as we discuss this Continuing Resolution, we add one more worry to their already full plate. Not only do they have to worry about a sniper around the corner, but because of ideological political games of brinkmanship by the Majority party in the House, these men and women may have to wait for their paychecks.

If the government shuts down tonight, those serving in uniform will be paid for the first week of April, but have to wait until Congress passes the CR to be paid.

Can you imagine how they feel?

I should tell you that I have voted multiple times to prohibit Members of Congress and the President from receiving basic (or retroactive) pay for any period in which there is more than a 24-hour shutdown. Now let us examine why we are here. How could something so important come to this? Last night, the final amount of cuts to be part of this CR was agreed upon.

We went 2/3 of the way towards the House Republicans target of cuts. That is what was agreed upon. It was not even close to meeting in the middle. But it wasn’t enough.

Many Americans are hearing the word ‘riders’ for the first time in the context of a national budget. These are social policy issues that the House Republicans have added onto the budget to score points. They have very little to do with budget cuts. In fact, the final sticking point represents .01% of the federal budget.

The holdup is a ‘rider’ that would completely defund the $360 million budget for Planned Parenthood.

Why, you might ask is this important?

After all, federal funds are currently banned by law for being used for abortions. I voted just last year, as part of the Affordable Care Act to reaffirm that law. In the last 30 years, no federal dollar has gone to pay for an elective abortion.

So, we are arguing about a statement to make social conservatives happy. But that statement will eliminate the preventive care Planned Parenthood provides to the many in our nation. Over 70% of Planned Parenthood’s clinics are in rural towns where they are often the only place for preventive checkups, cancer screenings and pre-natal care.

Literally, right now, Republicans are contemplating shutting down the world’s largest and most powerful nation because they want to make it harder for women to get the health services they need.

So, in order to score political points, our fragile economy will reverse its momentum. In five weeks, our GDP could lose a whole percentage point.

Families right here in Missouri’s Fifth District won’t be able to get home loans. Our small businesses won’t be able to get the loans they need. And as we come up to the deadline for filing your tax returns, individuals won’t get their tax refunds or their returns processed.

The choice Republican Leaders are making has consequences for everyday Americans all over the country.

And all of this is not about spending. We have agreed on the amount we will cut under this CR. We gave up far more than I wanted, but still there is no agreement because there is a desire on the far right to stop women from getting the regular tests and preventative services they deserve.

Even former Governor and fellow minister, Mike Huckabee, says his party should not hold up this CR on the issue of funding for women’s health.

So here we sit, staring at a government shutdown. We are being held hostage by the far right. And we wait. The cuts have been agreed to, and now we are down to radical ideology. Millions of Americans are waiting for common sense to prevail in a town where good sense is in short supply.
What a shutdown means for you

If Congress cannot agree on or pass a budget for the remaining 2011 fiscal year, the government will shut down Friday, April 8, 2011 at midnight. I have said it before and I will say it again. While there will be plenty of blame to go around if our nation's government shuts down, the pain will not be borne by those who caused the meltdown. American citizens seeking assistance, our nation's public workers, our seniors, our troops, our veterans and the poor will bear the brunt of this act of folly.
How Does the Shutdown Affect You?

Services will continue that are deemed essential for the safety of human life and the protection of property. This includes the armed forces, border patrol, police, fire fighting and federal workers who provide medical care on the job. The Postal Service and the Federal Reserve, which are both self-funded, will also continue to operate.

If a shutdown happens, the government temporarily stops all "non-essential" services. However, "essential services" will continue to operate, such as those listed above. Other federal agencies may cut their services to a bare minimum, and are determining which of their services fall under these rules.

IRS—Tax forms still need to be postmarked by Monday, April 18 (Patriots Day is not a federal holiday and you can no longer send forms to the IRS for processing). Electronic tax returns should be processed, but paper returns will not be, leading to a delay in getting your refund.

Social Security—Benefits for this crucial program do not go through the appropriations process, so they should continue being deposited in your account or mailed to your home. However, staff cuts may delay other services such as enrolling new participants, holding hearings, or resolving problems.

Medicare—Benefits for this program are also exempt from the shutdown, so current participants should not notice any disruption, but new applications could be delayed.

Veterans—VHA hospitals will stay open, and VBA disability compensation will be paid. While VA hospitals will remain open, the last government shutdown saw many veterans' benefits cut or reduced.

Visas and Passports—Prior shutdowns have kept new visa and passport applications from being processed. Embassies will remain open for services for American citizens, but will not conduct visa interviews.

National Parks—National Park Service grounds, museums, and monuments will close, disrupting educational visits and vacation plans.

Unemployment—If the shutdown continued for an extended period, the federal funds that help states pay the costs of their unemployment programs could run out, which would require the state to step in and advance the money to keep their programs running. Otherwise, benefits would be reduced or stopped.

Federal Courts—Federal courts are not affected by the shutdown and remain open.

Disaster Response—Disaster Response is not affected by the shutdown.
How Does the Shutdown Affect Government Workers?

Federal Computer Week reports that there are two types of shutdowns—“soft" and "hard." A "soft" shutdown would require federal employees to come to work, but are not allowed to do anything "productive," which is essentially anything to carry out the central duties of the agency. A "hard" shutdown means that employees are furloughed from work and only a few exempt employees come into work. The "soft" shutdown only occurs if the President believes there's a chance for rapid compromises with Congress.

Most non-essential government employees will be furloughed from their jobs, only a few exempt employees will be allowed to come into work. Federal employees who are furloughed will not receive pay. Additionally, federal contractors will not be paid during this time and will not be eligible for back pay. Even if you want to work unpaid, federal law prohibits the government from accepting volunteer work.

Of the 1.75 million people employed by the federal government, only 250,000 are based in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Within the Fifth District, there are 11,403 men and women serving the American people as employees of the federal government; 27,149 if you include both current employees and retirees. There are 38,000 federal workers in the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan area.

The majority work in federal offices across the nation as police officers, lawyers, correctional officers, mechanics, environmentalists, nurses, mine inspectors and more. Government employees inspect the food we eat, the medicine we use, and the places we work; they defend our country and maintain the safety of our nation's borders and our airline traffic; they care for our nation's veterans, and they make sure the elderly and those with disabilities get their Medicare and Social Security benefits

Kanakuk officials file motion to dismiss Texas lawsuit

In documents filed Thursday in U. S. District Court in Dallas, Kanakuk officials asked that the lawsuit filed by a victim of pedophile Pete Newman be either dismissed or moved to Missouri.

The lawsuit names Kanakuk, its CEO Joe White and Newman as defendants:

Though plaintiffs generally allege that a substantial part of the events or omissions giving rise to each of their claims occurred in the state of Texas, their pleadings do not support those allegations. Instead, the only venue facts alleged by plaintiffs are that one or more of the Defendants mailed letters and advertisements to Texas, that Defendants provided transportation to Missouri for campers from Texas, and that Defendant Joe White gave one presentation at a religious event in Texas. Because the Defendants and Newman are citizens and residents of Missouri and the alleged actions giving rise to this case occurred in Branson, Missouri at Kanakuk Kamps, the Western District of Missouri – Southern Division is the only proper venue for this action.

Kanakuk attorneys claim that the only connections to Dallas mentioned by the plaintiff's lawyers are the fact that he became interested ijn Kanakuk after White made a speech at a Promise Keepers rally in Dallas, and solicitations to attend the camp were sent to Texas addresses. It notes that Newman's sexual violation of the youth is alleged to have taken place in Missouri.

Newman is serving two life sentences, plus 30 years, in prison for sexual crimes involving underage boys.

Trial of accused Rowan Ford murderer delayed two weeks

The trial of Chris Collings, one of two men accused of raping and murdering nine-year-old Rowan Ford of Stella, has been delayed another two weeks. The trial, which was originally scheduled to begin this week, has been moved to April 20, when jury selection will begin:

Collings' attorneys requested the delay because they said they have to change their trial strategy, based on some changes in strategy by prosecutors, and needed more time to prepare. Prosecutors say they only changed what they plan to do in the trial because defense attorneys added to their proposed witness list, including Collings' co-defendant.

Sarah Steelman: Read my lips, no new taxes

Former State Treasurer Sarah Steelman signed the so-called Taxpayer Protection Pledge. From the news release:

Former Missouri State Treasurer Sarah Steelman has signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge in her race for Missouri’s U.S. Senate seat. The Pledge, sponsored by Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), commits signers to “oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses … and oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates."

ATR has offered the Pledge to all candidates for federal office since 1987. To date, 41 U.S. Senators and 237 members of the U.S. House of Representatives have signed the Pledge. Additionally, thirteen governors and over 1,200 state legislators have signed the Pledge.

“I want to congratulate Mrs. Steelman for taking the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. The American people clearly showed their displeasure in November with the tax-and-spend policies coming from Washington. They want real solutions that create jobs, grow the economy, and cut government spending,” said Grover Norquist, president of ATR.

“By signing the Pledge, Sarah Steelman demonstrates that she understands the problems of hard-working taxpayers nationwide, but especially the taxpayers of Missouri.”

“I challenge all candidates for federal office to make the same commitment to taxpayers by signing the Taxpayer Protection Pledge today,” Norquist continued.