Nodaway County Sheriff’s Office Hiring Jailers

The Nodaway County Sheriff’s Office is currently accepting applications for full-time Jailers. The applications are being accepted to establish a one year eligibility list.

The Jailer is required to make inquiries, enter warrants, missing persons, stolen property and other computer entries. Starting salary is $13.37 per hour.

Jail primary duties include processing and booking inmates, releasing inmates and overseeing care and safety of inmates. 

Training will be provided by the Nodaway County Sheriff’s Office. Eligible candidates must be available to work all shifts, weekends and holidays, possess a high school diploma or GED and have no criminal history.

Applications must be picked up at the Nodaway County Jail, 404 North Vine Street, Maryville Missouri 64468. Or you can go to our website at nodawaycountysheriff.com to print one out, but the application must be turned in at our office. Applications sent online or on Facebook will NOT be accepted. You must come to the office.

Facebook Hoax -- Powerball Winners are not Paying $10,000 per Like or Share

No, Powerball winners are not paying $10,000 or $1,000 to everyone who likes their Facebook pages. Even a Lottery winner has a finite amount of money to give out. These pages are likely hoaxes whose purpose is to collect and share personal private information. Or, they might be simply living out personal fantasies about what life would be like if they were to win such a large amount.

From the link, some are not even legitimate -- you can look up winners by Googling up Powerball. In the worst case, the "winner" will contact you and ask for your bank account details -- so they can deposit the promised $10,000 in your bank account, of course. When you give it to them, they will empty your bank account and cut and run.

If you want to win a quick $1,000 or $10,000, playing the Lottery is a better option; however, the odds are stacked so that the Lottery would win -- otherwise, there would be no more Lottery. There are plenty of good ways to make a better living -- look for a better job in your field would be one way to start. The website jobs.mo.gov would be a good place to start and the Missouri Career Center has an office in Maryville. Draw up a business plan and ask people for funding would be another if you own a business. Holding a yard sale and advertising it in the local papers would be a good way to raise a quick few hundred or a thousand -- and no need to play the odds or give out information to people you don't know personally.

But the best way to get a better lifestyle would be to elect officials who would raise our standard of living -- as opposed to tearing the other person down. Push for policies that would create jobs and improve our way of life. While we have some radical ideas that we think would raise everyone's standard of living, we support any idea from any party that would help. No idea is too large or too small.  If everyone participates in the political process, we would put scammers out of business and raise everyone's standard of living.

Opinion -- Proposition B: The Right Thing to Do for Missouri's Children

 by State Rep. Chris Kelly
Missouri voters will soon decide whether to increase Missouri's tobacco tax from 17 cents a pack (lowest in the nation) to 90 centsan increase that would still place us nineteenth lowest in the nation. Fifty percent of the revenue will go to public elementary and secondary schools, 30% to higher education, and 20% for smoking cessation and healthcare programs. I sponsored a similar bill in the legislature and am a strong supporter of the tobacco tax increase, which will appear on the November 6th ballot as Proposition B.

Proposition B provides an opportunity to achieve several important results:

    €  Smoking will decrease
    €  Fewer Missouri young people will begin to smoke;
    €  Fewer Missourians will die from smoking-related diseases;
    €  Missouri will see lower Medicare and healthcare costs; and
    €  The estimated $283 million increase in revenue will go to our most pressing needs
        - $162 million new dollars for public Elementary and Secondary education;
        -   $85 million for our public institutions of Higher Education; and
        -   $56 million for smoking cessation and healthcare.

Criticisms of Proposition B aboundfrom threatened loss of businesses and jobs, to loss of state revenue from those purchasing tobacco products across state lines, to unfairly targeting smokers. These are desperate claims without merit. One criticism of Proposition B invoked by the tobacco lobby deserves further analysis.  That is, whether the additional revenue generated for education would simply offset the general revenue (GR) that would have gone to education, resulting in no effective increase in overall educational funding. You may have heard ads referring to the likelihood of money going in the "front door" and out the "back door"a criticism that has often been levied against lottery funds. In budget parlance, this is called "supplanting"where money is used from one source to take the place of money from another source. Supplanting would mean that no net addition of funds to education or healthcare would result.

The legal restrictions outlined in Proposition B and the protection given to education in the Missouri Constitution undercut this criticism. Nonetheless, I want to address this issue as fairly and as accurately as I can.

Supplanting can take several forms:

1.  Direct supplantation would occur if Prop B funds were placed into the General Revenue Fund, rather than into the Health and Education Trust Fund as mandated by law. This form of supplantation is neither legally possible nor politically plausible. By law, money placed into the special Health and Education Trust Fund can only be used for the three purposes set out in the lawElementary and Secondary Education, Higher Education, and Smoking Cession/Healthcare. The language specifically says that any balances in the Trust Fund "shall not revert to the general revenue fund."

2.  Indirect supplantation refers to supplanting in its most common form, a situation in which the legislature would reduce the amount of money now going into the General Fund for education by some amount because of the increases coming from Prop B‹the so-called "back door" approach. The plain language of Proposition B prevents this form of supplanting. For the Legislature to do this would be illegal.

Such supplanting of funds is also not politically feasible. First, education enjoys a Missouri constitutional preference in that, after public debt, education must receive priority funding. Second, the natural inclination of legislators is to fund education at the highest possible level, given revenue constraints. The political forces one would have to confront to reduce the amount of General Revenue currently going to education would be overwhelming. Even a suggestion of the taking of current GR from schools would result in a firestorm of opposition to legislators both from within and beyond their own party, inviting electoral disaster. Third, the amendment requires that the state auditor shall perform an annual audit of the fund, including "an evaluation of whether appropriations for tobacco-related programs and elementary, secondary, and higher education have increased." The state auditor is obligated to make copies of each audit available to the public and to the General
 Assembly.

3.  Supplanting through erosionIt is technically possible that, in future years some amount of General Revenue that would have gone to Higher Education, for example, might instead be used to deal with other state issuesthe dismal conditions of the Veterans' Homes, overtime compensation for prison guards, or nurses for disabled children who are wards of the state. It is impossible to quantify or know with certainty what the increase in GR funding to education would have been, absent the addition of Prop B funds. There is simply no reasonable way to determine what future funding might have been. We do not know if another Joplin-type storm will occur, or whether we will suffer another significant economic downturn, or if we will lose an expensive roof at a state hospital that requires state funds. We do know that education has the most effective advocates in the Capitol and that in any budgetary prioritization education is likely to prevail.

Having served on the Missouri House of Representatives Budget Committee for 14 years, with two terms as Chairman, I understand the process of state budgeting. Without the naiveté of youthful exuberance and with the experience of having seen how budgets are formed, I know that passing Proposition B will result in significant new revenue to healthcare and to education at all levels, and that neither direct nor indirect supplanting will occur.  Education will continue to receive both the statutory and popular lion's share of general revenue. The protections against supplanting as written into the amendment are intentionally as strong as could have been made and, unlike previous legislation involving lottery or gambling revenues, include language to prevent supplanting to the legal extent possible.

I am positive that the vast majority of my colleagues, both Republicans and Democrats, join me in that resolve. Should supplanting occur against all our efforts, Missouri voters will know and can take the next electoral opportunity to take decisive action against the legislators responsible. There is no perfect safeguard, but there is also no question that Prop B will result in significantly more revenue for education at every level, as well as for smoking cessation and healthcare.

During my 35 years in public life I have found that the best policy is to tell people the truth and trust them to do the right thing.  Ultimately, the voters will decide, as it should be, but before you cast your vote, please weigh the enormous benefits that Prop B brings to the state against the criticisms levied by those paid to promote their cause. I believe there is no legitimate reason to reject Prop B.

Proposition B is the right thing to do for Missouri's children. Please vote "YES" on November 6th.

A Moment with Mike -- Primary Election & Jobs Bill

Last week many Missourians went to the polls to vote in the August primary.  As we all know, one of our most important rights is the right to determine who will represent us the halls of government and I hope that you exercised that right.  The best way to make our voices heard is to cast your vote and help determine the path our area, our state and our nation will take in the future.  Primary elections typically see turnouts that drop below 30% and even though the primary may not be the final election to determine who will serve your interests in office, it does reduce the field of candidates and it is a major part of the democratic process that places us above most countries.  Voting is one of our most basic rights and I hope that you will all make a concerted effort to make your opinion count as we continue through this very important election season.
With more than 83 percent of the vote, a constitutional amendment that reaffirms and strengthens our right to pray was approved overwhelmingly by Missourians.  Amendment 2, which I have mentioned in past reports, was approved by the General Assembly in 2011 with the intent of making it clear that the right to pray in public will always be protected here in our state.  We have all heard stories of how our expressions of worship have been suppressed by threats of lawsuits and fear of criticism.  By changing our state constitution to more closely reflect the United States Constitution we hope to prevent such acts and protect the rights of all Missourians to pray and worship as they see fit.  I was extremely proud to see the overwhelming number of Missourians who supported this effort.
As the news in recent weeks was dominated by coverage of the elections, many may have missed the fact that an important piece of legislation focused on job creation was signed into law.  It is a bill that was originally passed by the legislature in 2011 to give a tax break to small business owners who create new jobs.  Our intent was for the legislation to apply to all business with 50 or fewer employees.  However, a ruling by our Department of Revenue narrowed the focus of the bill so that it applied to only a select few businesses.  Because we want this deduction to be available to all small business owners who create new jobs, we revisited the issue this year and passed a bill to clarify our intent.  This new piece of legislation, which was signed into law a few weeks ago, provides a tax deduction for small business owners for each new job they create.  The deduction is $10,000 per job or $20,000 if the new job includes health insurance coverage.  In addition, the jobs must pay a wage that matches the county or state average for wages.
Small businesses make up an enormous part of our economic engine here in Missouri and it’s important that we do all we can to sustain an environment that allows them to succeed.  In recent years Missouri ranks high when it comes to efforts to encourage small business growth.  We need to continue to look for ways to make Missouri attractive to business if we are to improve our economy and provide Missouri families with the kind of good-paying jobs they need.
          If you have questions, you may reach me at my Capitol number 573-751-9465, at the local district number, 660-582-4014, by email at mike.thomson@house.mo.gov or by mail at Room 401B State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101.

Roy Blunt: 800 Days = Still No Senate Budget

U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) issued the following statement today marking the 800^th day since the Democrat-led Senate passed a federal budget:

“As the nation marks the 29^th consecutive month with unemployment over 8 percent, Senate Democrat leaders have failed the American people by refusing to pass a budget for 800 days.

“Instead of working with Republicans to rein in spending and pay down our country’s out-of-control debt, the Democrats have proposed a second so-called stimulus after the first one failed, and they are calling for tax hikes on job creators who are already struggling to make ends meet.

“In the meantime, Washington has spent $7.3 trillion over the last 800 days. Our nation has added $3.2 trillion to the debt since the Senate Democrats passed a budget. And 40 cents of every dollar that the federal government spends today is borrowed.

“Missourians and Americans deserve better than this kind of irresponsible, inexcusable lack of leadership that the Democrat-led Senate continues to demonstrate. We must change business as usual in Washington, and I hope my colleagues across the aisle will join us as we work to get nation’s our economy back on track.”

According to the Associated Press, "Hiring slowed to a near-standstill last month. Employers added the fewest jobs in nine months and the unemployment rate rose to 9.2 percent. The economy generated only 18,000 net jobs in June, the Labor Department said Friday. And the number of jobs added in May was revised down to 25,000."

Graves: Small Firms Need New Markets

Navigating the trials of international trade barriers is akin to “watching a cow poke its head through a sharp barbwire fence and struggle to get that next piece of greenery,” said John Taylor, President of T-Tech Inc., a leading manufacturer of printed circuit board prototyping systems.

Located in Norcross, with 15 employees, T-Tech opened its doors in 1983 and started exporting in 1988. Despite the cumbersome trade process, exports now account for approximately 60 percent of this small firm’s gross sales.

With 95 percent of the purchasing market outside the U.S., small businesses like T-Tech understand the vital importance of opening new markets in order to compete in the global marketplace.

“Any area of the world that is becoming tech savvy is a potential market for us. Right now we export to over 46 different countries — including Colombia where the U.S. is currently discussing a free trade agreement.

“Opening the doors to free trade in Colombia and eliminating the burdensome tariffs would be an enormous asset to my business. And more exports equal the ability to create more jobs,” explained Taylor.

T-Tech is just one example out of the thousands of American small businesses that continually deal with difficult trade barriers.

In fact, 97 percent of identified U.S. exporters are small businesses — yet that only represents a small fraction of those who could compete globally if trade barriers and high tariffs were reduced. Most small firms lack the resources and capital to navigate through trade barriers and as a result, many simply do not export.

This is why passing the pending free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and Korea is critical. Trade agreements with all three countries were concluded in 2007; however, no congressional action has been taken.

Passing the agreements is a surefire way to spur job creation, spark long-term growth in our economy and ensure that America remains competitive in the global marketplace — all without one dime of new government spending.

But we must act now. While the Obama administration continues to hold the agreements, our global competitors are aggressively moving forward with similar free trade agreements. In July, the Colombia-Canada and European Union-Korea free trade agreements will go into effect, placing American small businesses at a competitive disadvantage if the pending U.S. agreements are not passed.

As chairman of the House Small Business Committee, I have heard from dozens of small business owners who are counting on the three trade agreements to expand their businesses.

It would be damaging to not pass the agreements before July and cause small businesses and farmers to lose more market share to foreign competitors and opportunities to create quality American jobs.

The U.S. International Trade Commission estimates that the three trade agreements combined would increase U.S. exports by $13 billion — and for every $1 billion in U.S. exports, an estimated 6,000 jobs are created.

In 2010 alone, American exports supported nearly 10 million jobs, including an estimated 4 million for small businesses. Additionally, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce reports that jobs supported by exports pay as much as 18 percent higher than the national average.

We must do more to eliminate the uncertainty and obstacles plaguing our job creators. And approving the stalled free trade agreements to provide a level playing field would be a great first step.

Graves' Statement on April Jobs Report

House Small Business Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO) today issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Labor reported that 244,000 jobs were created in April while the unemployment rate rose to nine percent:

“While any job creation is always welcomed news, we still have a long way to go as evidenced by today’s unemployment rate. The number of Americans who filed unemployment claims for the first time during the final week of April was the highest level since August of 2010, and the underemployment rate, which includes people who’ve stopped looking for work and those settling for part-time jobs, rose to 15.9% from 15.7% the previous month. These numbers shouldn’t be a surprise, as the Obama Administration continues to pursue anti-business policies that are especially damaging to small employers, who are the primary source of job growth in the United States. On top of this, high energy costs are making it increasingly difficult for small businesses to add employees and invest in their companies. The estimated 29 million American small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy and we must foster policies that allow them to prosper - not be crushed by higher taxes and more regulations.”

Brad Lager's Capitol Report: Strengthening Missouri’s Future

Since the opening day of the 2011 legislative session, creating an economic climate that facilitates job creation has been our number one priority. We are blessed that our great state continues to be a place where people want to live and raise their families. However, this cannot occur without high quality good paying jobs. While we have made many great strides already this session, we still have work to do in order to build the healthiest and most prosperous economy.

Every day, companies evaluate a number of factors when making decisions about where to locate their businesses. One of the most important factors is a state’s tax structure. For nearly 100 years, Missouri has levied a franchise tax on many businesses. We are one of the few states in the nation to still impose this additional tax. In order to make our tax structure more competitive, the General Assembly has passed a phase out of this tax over the next five years with it being completely eliminated in 2016. This will allow those businesses to keep more of their money to hire employees and reinvest in their companies.

The price and the reliability of energy are also major considerations when companies are looking to expand. Missouri’s energy generators do a great job of producing reliable power at a relatively affordable level. Although we have all seen increases in our monthly utility bills, the fact remains that Missouri has the 4th lowest rates in the nation. This makes Missouri an excellent choice for manufacturing companies and other businesses that have large energy needs. To ensure we retain this advantage in the future, Missouri will need a balanced energy portfolio which underscores why it is so important to have numerous energy generation options available to meet our future energy needs.

While taxes and utility rates are not the only concerns of business owners, they are significant costs that impact the growth and development of any venture. I believe that fair litigation, reasonable regulation and limited taxation is a formula that will encourage economic investment in our state. If successful, businesses will locate here and grow here, thereby creating new opportunities for the communities and people who live here.

As always, please feel free to call, email, or write with your ideas or concerns. The Capitol number is (573) 751-1415, my email is brad.lager@senate.mo.gov and my mailing address is Room 422, State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101.

Republican Weekly Radio Address by Congressman Tom Price -- "Spending binge has got to stop."

“Hello, I’m Congressman Tom Price and I have the privilege of working for the people of Georgia’s Sixth Congressional District. In addition to serving as the Chairman of the House Policy Committee, I’m a member of the House Budget Committee.

“And by now you’ve probably heard a lot of talk coming out of Washington about a so-called budget battle. We’ve even got some Democrats who run Washington threatening to shut down the government instead of listening to the American people and cutting spending. Right now, our focus should be creating jobs and getting our economy moving again.

“After all, the President promised that this would be the year that he got serious about the deficits and the debt hurting our economy. Instead, he started out by asking Congress to raise the debt limit, without any commitment to cutting spending at the same time. In his State of the Union address, he called for more ineffective ‘stimulus’ spending. And this week he submitted a budget for the next fiscal year that destroys jobs by spending too much, and borrowing too much, and taxing too much.

“Listen to economists, listen to the folks who create jobs in this country, and you’ll hear that we need to end Washington’s spending binge to reduce uncertainty, to boost confidence, and to encourage private investment in our economy. To help create a better environment for job creation in America, the spending binge has got to stop. Now with the support of Republican governors and our reform-minded colleagues in the Senate, the new House majority is working hard toward that goal.

“That’s why the House spent this past week working on a bill to cut discretionary spending by $100 billion over the last seven months of the current fiscal year. We’re not only living up to our Pledge to America, we’re exceeding it. And more cuts and more reforms are on the way.

“Now as part of our focus on job growth, committees in the House are combing through job-crushing government regulations, and conducting rigorous oversight of how the government spends the people’s time and your money. We’ll soon begin work on legislation to cut wasteful mandatory spending.

“In the spring, under the leadership of our Budget Chairman, Paul Ryan, we’ll put forth a budget for the next fiscal year that confronts the fiscal challenges facing our nation instead of ducking them. It’ll offer ideas for real entitlement reform so we can have a conversation with the American people about the challenges we face and the need to chart a new path to prosperity.

“Now as a doctor and as a parent, I find it astounding that the President has submitted a budget that ignores the recommendations of his own fiscal commission and it punts on all of the tough choices – including entitlement reform. Instead, he’s expanded entitlements through ObamaCare – a government takeover that will destroy 800,000 jobs, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, and will accelerate our path to fiscal ruin.

“This issue demands presidential leadership – something that the President so far just seems unwilling to offer.

“Now if we can find an upside, it’s that the President admitted that his budget fails to address our fiscal crisis. You see, some Members of Congress still won’t even acknowledge that there’s a crisis. One in particular, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, said not too long ago, and I quote, “Social Security is fine.” But you know it’s not fine. This year, for the first time, it will pay out more money than it takes in.

“And, with the wave of Baby Boomers starting to retire, there’s no way that we can protect programs like Social Security for the future and get our debt under control unless we begin to honestly address entitlements. Now for the President, leadership requires telling friends like Harry Reid the truth, even if it’s politically difficult.

“Now, our reforms will focus both on saving these programs for current and future generations of Americans and on getting our debt under control and our economy growing. By taking critical steps forward now, we can fulfill the mission of health and retirement security for all Americans without making changes for those in or near retirement.

“The new Republican majority will lead even as the Democrats who run Washington ignore their responsibilities.

“And if Senator Reid and President Obama change their minds, we’ll be ready to work with them. In the meantime, Republicans are focused on listening to the people, confronting our nation’s challenges, and helping our economy get back to creating jobs.

“Thanks for listening.”

Senator Roy Blunt: Where are the jobs, Mr. President?

U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) issued the following statement today in response to President Barack Obama’s budget proposal:

“Simply put, the President’s budget does not do nearly enough, quickly enough.

“According to the White House’s own estimates, the long-term savings in this budget over the next decade are still less than this year’s deficit. In addition, using this budget plan, the President will have doubled the national debt from the time he took office through the end of 2012.

“Our nation is spending $3.8 trillion while only taking in $2.2 trillion, which is why the President’s proposal to freeze current spending levels simply does not go far enough. Everything must be on the table if we’re going to ensure our federal government is operating as efficiently and effectively as possible.

“Americans rightfully want to know: where are the private sector jobs, and why is the government spending a bigger percentage of the economy than ever before? We can no longer continue spending more than we’re taking in – the federal government must start living within our means, just like every family and job creator nationwide.”

President Obama -- "We can outcompete any other nation."

Transcript of President Obama's Weekly Radio Address:

Here’s the truth about today’s economy: If we’re serious about fighting for American jobs and American businesses, one of the most important things we can do is open up more markets to American goods around the world.

That’s why I met with China’s President Hu Jintao at the White House this past week. We’re now exporting more than $100 billion a year to China in goods and services. And as a result of deals we completed this week, we’ll be increasing U.S. exports to China by more than $45 billion, and China’s investments in America by several billion dollars. Most important, these deals will support some 235,000 American jobs. And that includes a lot of manufacturing jobs.

That goal is why I fought so hard to negotiate a new and better trade deal with South Korea – a deal with unprecedented support from business and labor – that will support more than 70,000 American jobs. And that’s why I traveled to India last fall to help pave the way for $10 billion in new deals for American businesses and more than 50,000 new American jobs.

Now, these may just sound like statistics. But yesterday, I saw what that means firsthand when I traveled to a GE plant in Schenectady, New York. This plant is manufacturing steam turbines and generators for a big project in India that resulted from a deal we announced around that trip – a project that’s helping support more than 1,200 manufacturing jobs and more than 400 engineering jobs in Schenectady. Good jobs at good wages, producing American products for the world.

At the same time, GE has also been investing in innovation, building a clean energy center, an advanced battery manufacturing plant, and other state-of-the-art facilities in Schenectady that are resulting in hundreds of new American jobs and contributing to America’s global economic leadership.

Leading the world in innovation. Opening new markets to American products. That’s how we’ll create jobs today. That’s how we’ll make America more competitive tomorrow. And that’s how we’ll win the future.

While I was in Schenectady, I announced that Jeff Immelt, GE’s CEO and one of the most imaginative and visionary business leaders in America, has agreed to head up our new Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. The purpose of this council is to help us find ways to grow our economy by investing in our businesses here at home. And under Jeff’s leadership, I’m confident that they’ll generate good ideas about how we can spur hiring, educate our workers to compete in the 21st century, and attract the best jobs and businesses to America rather than seeing them spring up overseas.

We’re living in a new and challenging time, in which technology has made competition easier and fiercer than ever before. Countries around the world are upping their game and giving their workers and companies every advantage possible. But that shouldn’t discourage us. Because I know we can win that competition. I know we can out-compete any other nation on Earth. We just have to make sure we’re doing everything we can to unlock the productivity of American workers, unleash the ingenuity of American businesses, and harness the dynamism of America’s economy. Thanks everyone, and have a nice weekend.