|
Welcome!Welcome to the 137th Legislative District Open Community Website! You now have a voice in the news, information, and events that affect everyone who calls Northwest Springfield home. |
From The Wires (page 3)The Big Disconnect
By Admin, Section From The Wires
There are still some pundits out there lecturing people about how great the economy is. But most analysts seem to finally realize that Americans have good reasons to be unhappy with the state of the economy: although
G.D.P. growth has been pretty good for the last few years, most workers have seen their wages lag behind inflation and their benefits deteriorate.
By Paul Krugman, New York Times Money Talks The disconnect between overall economic growth and the growing squeeze on many working Americans will probably play a big role this November, partly because President Bush seems so out of touch: the more he insists that it's a great economy, the angrier voters seem to get. But the disconnect didn't begin with Mr. Bush, and it won't end with him, unless we have a major change in policies. The stagnation of real wages -- wages adjusted for inflation -- actually goes back more than 30 years. The real wage of nonsupervisory workers reached a peak in the early 1970's, at the end of the postwar boom. Since then workers have sometimes gained ground, sometimes lost it, but they have never earned as much per hour as they did in 1973. Meanwhile, the decline of employer benefits began in the Reagan years, although there was a temporary improvement during the Clinton-era boom. The most crucial benefit, employment-based health insurance, has been in rapid decline since 2000. (783 words in story) Full Story New York Times Editorial: Downward Mobility
By Admin, Section From The Wires
If you're still harboring the notion that the economy is "good," prepare to be disabused.
The New York Times Even the best number from yesterday's Census Bureau report for 2005 is bad news for most Americans. It shows that median income rose 1.1 percent last year, to $46,326, the first increase since it peaked in 1999. But the entire increase is attributable to the 23 million households headed by someone over age 65. So the gain is likely from investment income and Social Security, not wages and salaries. For the other 91 million households, the median dropped, by half a percent, or $275. Incomes for the under-65 crowd were hurt by a decline in wages and salaries among full-time working men for the second year in a row, and among full-time working women for the third straight year. In all, median income for the under-65 group was $2,000 lower in 2005 than in 2001, when the last recession bottomed out. Despite the Bush-era expansion, the number of Americans living in poverty in 2005 -- 37 million -- was the same as in 2004. This is the first time the number has not risen since 2000. But the share of the population now in poverty -- 12.6 percent -- is still higher than at the trough of the last recession, when it was 11.7 percent. And among the poor, 43 percent were living below half the poverty line in 2005 -- $7,800 for a family of three. That's the highest percentage of people in "deep poverty" since the government started keeping track of those numbers in 1975. (467 words in story) Full Story Missouri Settles with Bicycle Shops
By Admin, Section From The Wires
from
Consumer Affairs
The ProCycle dealerships in Springfield and Columbia, MO, will pay more than $114,000 in settlement payments to the Attorney General's Office for the benefit of 364 consumers and $84,000 to the state under settlements with Attorney General Jay Nixon. New Booster Seat Law Goes Into Effect Monday
By Admin, Section From The Wires
by Steve Walsh,
MissouriNet
A new law taking effect August 28th is aimed at keeping children safer when they're riding in vehicles. The new law passed this year by the General Assembly requires that passengers ages four through seven be secured in booster seats. Scott Turner with the State Transportation Department says the prior law covering kids in cars required any child under the age of four to be strapped into a child safety seat. That rule remains. But he says there is a need for added safety for kids four-years-old and older - kids who are not big enough to be comfortably secure in a regular safety belt. There are exceptions for bigger children who weigh at least 80 pounds or are at least 4-feet-9-inches tall before the age of eight. They are allowed to ride while secured only by a seatbelt. AUDIO: Steve Walsh Report (:60 MP3) Greene County Clerk of Circuit Court Michael Carr Under Criminal Investigation
By Admin, Section From The Wires
Sheriff's Office Actively Working Two Cases of Financial Fraud
According to Greene County Sheriff's Department Detective Mark Hall, two criminal investigations have been initiated on Michael Carr for Fraud. As reported by the Springfield Business Journal over four years ago, "Greene
County Circuit Clerk Mike Carr has been withholding funds from the county treasury for the last 25
years." No one really knows exactly how much money has been collected for copy fees as the same audit report notes that,
"Copy monies are not properly handled and
recorded". No Resolution in Legal Challenge to Voter Photo ID Law
By Admin, Section From The Wires
by Brent Martin,
MissouriNet
Whether you will have to have photo identification to vote this November remains a question before the courts. A day-long hearing in the Cole County Courthouse in Jefferson City failed to reach a resolution to the legal challenge of the Voter Photo ID law. It's a two-track challenge; one, that it violates the Hancock Amendment by mandating changes for local election authorities without providing the money to cover the costs and two, that it will disenfranchise those who don't have picture IDs. Lawyer Burton Newman wants the law ruled unconstitutional and says the hearing gave him a chance to provide the evidence needed to do that. Newman hopes to build his case on testimony from local election authorities in Kansas City, St. Louis and Columbia, who all testify that the new law will cause them to spend tens of thousands of dollars they otherwise would not have to spend. The hearing combined the arguments of the second lawsuit, which claims the law will disenfranchise the poor, the elderly and the disabled who might have trouble getting photo identification.Lawyers from the Attorney General's office contend the arguments have no merit. They point out the state promises free ID cards to anyone who doesn't have a driver's license, passport or other suitable ID. They also say the extra costs associated with the law have been exaggerated by local election authorities and add up to nothing more than the normal added costs that any change of law requires. Cole County Circuit Judge Richard Callahan, who is hearing the case, has scheduled a second hearing for September 7th. All sides expect the case to eventually be decided by the State Supreme Court. AUDIO: Brent Martin reports (:62 MP3) The Really Big Lie About Autism
By Admin, Section From The Wires
by Anne McElroy
Dachel, OpEd News
This commentary is about something I've come to call, "the really big lie," which is surely based on the theory that the masses are more willing to believe totally illogical, absurd propaganda, than a small little lie. I'm talking about the claim by the medical community, health officials, educators, and a vast parade of reporters, that the epidemic in kids with autism and related disorders overwhelming our schools, is the result of "greater awareness" and "better diagnosing." I've been living with the really big lie for years but by now I am totally dumbstruck by the fact that it's still believed. It's not a lie as far as everyone who repeats it. To be fair, while it's a lie for many, it's a fallacy, medical myth, or just wishful thinking for others. It's a crazy way to rationalize a health care disaster, but it works! I see it everyday in the press, usually backed up by quotes from a CDC official or a doctor. I've rarely, if ever, heard anyone in the mainstream media challenge people who make this pronouncement. I'm constantly pointing out that the explosion in special needs kids in our school can't be explained away so simply, but no one seems to notice. (1 comment, 1905 words in story) Full Story Show me the money
By Chris Fluharty, Section From The Wires
Springfield, MO- As the Independent campaign officially takes off, Chris Fluharty has already showed himself the only candidate who stands with the people of the 137th Legislative District interest in mind. In elections, the money trail is a good indicator as to who a candidate will represent in Jefferson City. The money trail for Charlie Norr and Dan Scott lead straight out of the district. You see, Chris Fluharty is an independent candidate with no obligations. Yet his opponents have seen fit to acquire money from the likes of Anheusur-Busch (Dan Scott) and trial attorneys (Charlie Norr and Dan Scott). In a district of working-class families, whose real interest is served by these groups? Chris Fluharty has pledged to work for the people and not campaign contributors. Will Dan Scott and Charlie Norr return the money and make the same pledge? Chris Fluharty challenges his opponents to only take money from 137th district businesses and residents and to resist PAC's and their party's contributions. Then we all could see who really has the 137th in their mind when running for election.
|
From The Wires
Saturday September 23rd
Monday September 18th
Saturday September 16th
Thursday September 14th
Sunday September 10th
Saturday September 9th
Wednesday September 6th
Friday September 1st
Thursday August 31st
|
|
American |
|
||
|
All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective owners. Comments are owned by the Poster. The Rest ? 2005-2006 the 137th. |
|||
|
The purpose of this site is to serve the public interest: As related to Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, all materials on this site are made available without profit. Reprints are published for permanent archival of public information for the purpose of news reporting, criticism, comment, education and research. Site User/Editors strive to ensure that every user submission includes, at the beginning and end of all re-published material, the original author's name and a direct link to the original source of any and all copyright protected material. |
|||
