Category Archives: Uncategorized

President of Common Cause to speak in St. Louis

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The Missouri Progressive Action Group and Ethical Society of St. Louis are bringing Bob Edgar, President of Common Cause, to St. Louis on June 8thto discuss the role of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in Missouri’s legislative process.

The spotlight has been on ALEC in recent months because of the Trayvon Martin killing in Florida and the controversy over that state’s “stand your ground” law. Coke, Pepsi, and Kraft have recently withdrawn their support of ALEC, which was founded in 1973 by conservative leaders to bring state legislators and corporate lobbyists together to write model bills that reflect ALEC’s principles of limited government, free markets and federalism.

Common Cause has been in the forefront of the national effort to call attention to the negative effects of some of the laws being passed at the state level aimed at weakening workers’ rights, denying citizens the benefits of health care reform, dismantling the system of public education, and gutting environmental protections.

Dr. Edgar will discuss how Common Cause is challenging ALEC’s non-profit status with the IRS and explain the long term implications of a government controlled by corporate interests at the expense of the common good. A former member of Congress, Dr. Edgar also served for seven years as the general secretary of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA.

Following his presentation, a panel of local advocates for public education, workers’ rights, environmental protections, and unfettered access to the ballot box will discuss ALEC’s influence in Missouri politics. Moderator will be Don Marsh, host of “St. Louis on the Air” on KWMU 90.7 FM.

Panelists include:

Denise Lieberman, Senior Attorney, Advancement Project;

Chris Guinther, President, Missouri National Education Association;
Byron Clemens, Regional VP, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO;

John Hickey, Executive Director, Sierra Club Missouri Chapter;
David Cook, President, Local 655 United Food and Commercial Workers.

Doors open at 6:15 PM on Friday, June 8th and program begins at 7 PM. The Ethical Society is located at 9001 Clayton Road. There is no charge for the program. More detailed information about ALEC can be found at www.alec.org and about Common Cause at www.commoncause.org.


Local media contact is Harvey Ferdman (314) 469-0595.

Voters need protection from self-appointed “voter protectors”

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For now, at least, there’s not going to be a voter “protection” ballot measure on the November 2012 ballot, and that’s good news for voters.

In 2011, the Missouri legislature passed a ballot measure that, if approved by voters, would amend the state constitution to make it easier for lawmakers to make it harder for people to vote. Ostensibly, this measure will “protect” us from voter fraud. Last week [March 11, 2012], a Missouri circuit court judge rejected the ballot measure, which had the Orwellian name of “Voter Protection Act.”

Behind the “protection” subterfuge, of course, is the real motive: an effort to suppress voting by people who Republicans would love to keep away from the polls. The measure would require voters to present government-issued photo ID at the polls. The catch is that not everyone has a driver’s license or state ID, and to get one, you have to present your birth certificate or citizenship documents—and those cost money and time. And who are the people who don’t have these items? Mostly, it’s low-income and minority voters—and those demographic groups tend to vote for Democrats.

But what truly amazes me about this year’s voter suppression bill is who is sponsoring it. It’s State Rep. Shane Schoeller, a Republican from Springfield. Schoeller is currently a candidate for….wait for it…Missouri Secretary of State, and the juxtaposition of his voter suppression bill with his electoral quest is ironic, to say the least. In Missouri, the Secretary of State is in charge of elections. He or she oversees registration, candidate filing, voter registration and elections. You would think that the main missions of that job would be to make sure that everyone who’s eligible to vote can actually vote, to make sure the voting process is fair, transparent and therefore trustworthy, and to enfranchise as many people as possible, as a way of promoting participation in the democratic process. I guess that’s not how Schoeller sees the job. By the looks of the bill he introduced, it seems that he views  becoming Secretary of State as a way of ensuring victories for his fellow Republicans.

The judge who threw out Schoeller’s latest attempt at voter suppression said that the name of the ballot measure, the “Voter Protection Act,” violated truth-in-advertising requirements.The problem is that the wording in the ballot measure doesn’t contain the phrase “voter protection,” and, under Missouri rules, you at least have to show that your law is somehow related to what it’s named for.

This year’s legal setback to the initiative probably won’t stop Schoeller from reintroducing the same thing all over again. Apparently, nothing deters the vote suppressors from their mission: not the fact that photo voter ID was struck down by the Missouri Supreme Court in 2006, and not even the fact that that studies of allegations of voter fraud in Missouri have turned up no evidence of fraud that could have been prevented by requiring photo ID.

One can only hope that the courts continue to see through the fraudulent claim of voter fraud and that they and citizens realize the importance, in our increasingly fragile democratic system, of protecting voters from the vote “protectors.”

Rush: no surprise. Russ: big disappointment

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Rush vs. Russ. No one should be surprised that Rush Limbaugh has said something offensive. That’s to be expected. What’s much more disappointing is Russ Carnahan’s divisive and selfish decision to run for Congress in the 1st District, against incumbent Lacy Clay.

While Rush was doing his expected narcissistic thing, many of us had been hoping that Russ would do something generous for Missouri by running for the open seat in the 2nd Congressional district. But, no.

While Rush was claiming–by default–a position of “moral leadership” in the Republican party, Russ was running from the opportunity to stake a Democratic claim in the 2nd district. Russ has name recognition, a political organization and a track record that would be a great contrast to Ann Wagner or any other Republican who might get the Republican nomination. But, no.

While Rush  was uniting Republicans with his anti-Obama, far-right, non-fact-based rhetoric, Russ was filing in the first district, a move that will inevitably be divisive–pitting black vs. white, the north side of St. Louis vs. the south side, democrat vs. democrat–and threatening the stability of a critical minority-majority Congressional district.

And while Rush was doing his customary, highly effective, demagogic job of speaking the no-longer unspeakable for the radical right, Russ made a move that could potentially unseat Lacy Clay, whose voting record–he’s ranked among the top 19 progressive Congressmen–makes him an essential voice for the left.

Rush had to apologize. Russ?