Editorial -- The Time for Partisan Ideology is Over.

The American people have spoken -- Barack Obama will be the President for the next four years. The American people don't completely buy into his ideas, given that they reelected a Republican Congress. But based on the election results, they feel he is still the best person for the job. Now that he's reelected, we need to let him be President. I would have said the same thing had Mitt Romney been e

lected.

Now is not the time for ideology or stonewalling. President Obama is not a socialist and most people who supported Romney are not racist. The President and Congress were elected to work together, not engage in partisan grandstanding. We need to get a budget passed and we need to decide what direction we wish to go. The way our political system is set up, nobody is going to get their way all the time; sometimes, we have to give up some of what we want so that our system of government can continue to function. To do otherwise will mean that billions of dollars of farm subsidies, upon which a lot of us live off of, will be in jeopardy along with funding for roads, bridges, and schools.

 

The time for partisan ideology and grandstanding is over. Today, we were driving over Route F, which had been cobbled together by the Highway Department a few times since 2006. It is getting into bad shape. We have driven along Route C from Allendale to Albany, which had always been a good alternative to 169, which was getting into bad shape. Now, that is no longer possible; there are places along C which are not passable at speeds greater than 30 miles per hour. Just as an example, for Congress not to act and reach a deal with President Obama would risk turning all of our roads into similar shape, not just our lettered roads. There would no longer be adequate funding for our roads and bridges should the massive automatic spending cuts be triggered in January of next year.

The Pew Research Center has done research into the attitudes of the American people towards deficit reduction and the great majority of the American people have spoken -- most people want compromise and not confrontation. 67% of Americans want Republicans to work with Obama while 72% of Americans want Obama to work with the Republicans.

There is another broad area of agreement as well -- most Americans (56%) want a smaller government providing fewer services instead of a bigger government providing more services. And (same link), most Americans want a combination of higher taxes and reduced services (69%), not one or the other. There are two common sense ways of reducing the size of government that will not threaten basic programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security -- one was put forward by a CEO on NPR's Morning Edition on Wednesday, November 21st, who pointed out that by simply eliminating duplication of tests in Medicaid and Medicare, we could save $750 billion annually. The same CEO was willing to pay more taxes in order to get rid of the deficit and pointed out that most of his fellow upper-income friends were willing to do the same thing. Another hundreds of billions can be saved by identifying and eliminating defense programs that have been passed by politicians engaging in pork barrel politics, but which the Department of Defense identifies as a want instead of a need.

 

 The problem comes when identifying specific programs to cut. Many people want to reduce the size and scope of government, but don't want their pet projects cut. So what we should do is focus on cuts that most of us agree on and have a debate over others in which there is a partisan split. Ideas which are opposed across the board should be off the table.

With that in mind, here is what the Pew polling finds general agreement on:

--Reduce Medicare income for higher income seniors;

--Limit tax deductions for large corporations;

--Raise tax on high income earners;

--Freeze salaries of federal workers;

--Raise Social Security cap for affluent earners.

Those areas in which there is a partisan split are as follows:

--Raise income taxes on income over $250,000 -- Will this take a substantial chunk out of the deficit, or will the government be taking money that would have otherwise been invested in the economy?

--Reduce military defense spending -- Now that we are leaving Afghanistan in 2014, what are our biggest national security concerns and how do we pay to address them?

--Raise taxes on investment income -- See the question on income taxes over $250,000.

--Reduce funding to help lower-income Americans -- Is it necessary to help people get back on their feet, or is it an incentive for people not to find work?

--Reduce aid to the world's needy -- Do we have a moral obligation to give to the world's needy, and if so, how do we keep it from going into the wrong hands?

These are areas in which we should not necessarily include as part of the package, but that we should have a constructive debate over.

Areas which voters have expressed disapproval of and which should be off the table include:

--Limit home mortgage interest deduction;

--Gradually raise the Social Security retirement age;

--Raise peoples' Medicare health care contributions;

--Reduce funding for college student loans;

--Reduce funding for scientific research;

--Reduce federal funding for education;

--National sales tax;

--Raise Medicare contributions;

--Reduce federal funding to states;

--Raise the gas tax;

--Tax employer-provided health insurance. 

Any agreement that comes out of the present talks between the Obama administration and House Republicans must respect the wishes of the American people. It must protect everything that our people have identified as needs and not wants. To do otherwise would undermine the foundations of our democracy and make a mockery of our political system even more than it is now. Politicians of both parties will suffer at the polls come 2014 and 2016.

Your Taxpayer Dollars at Work -- Bahrain Arrests Human Rights Activist

The Bahrain government arrested this human rights activist merely for expressing his opinion. This government is supported by your taxpayer dollars paying for weaponry that is used to shoot down protestors in the streets. The Obama Administration needs to call it both ways -- if Libya's human rights violations were so egregious that they warranted UN and NATO action, then Bahrain is not worthy of our military support at the very least. This is just like a bad referee in basketball who calls fouls on one team but won't call them on the other team.

The US government has had a systematic pattern of supporting dictators over the years. From Ronald Reagan supporting the El Salvadoran government which was shooting priests for exercising their freedom of conscience to Obama supporting the Bahrain government today, this is not a partisan political issue. The Obama Administration, along with every President on both parties since World War II, has been obsessed with propping up dictators in the Middle East and Central America while ignoring Middle America. In the meantime, right here in Middle America, our water infrastructure is crumbling, roads and bridges are turning to potholes, and our buildings are falling down with no help to fix them up. And then our politicians wonder why they get such a bad rap from the folks back home.




Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia:

The error seems not sufficiently eradicated, that the operations of the mind, as well as the acts of the body, are subject to the coercion of the laws. But our rulers can have authority over such natural rights only as we have submitted to them. The rights of conscience we never submitted, we could not submit. We are answerable for them to our God. The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg. If it be said, his testimony in a court of justice cannot be relied on, reject it then, and be the stigma on him. Constraint may make him worse by making him a hypocrite, but it will never make him a truer man. It may fix him obstinately in his errors, but will not cure them.

Reason and free enquiry are the only effectual agents against error. Give a loose to them, they will support the true religion, by bringing every false one to their tribunal, to the test of their investigation. They are the natural enemies of error, and of error only. Had not the Roman government permitted free enquiry, Christianity could never have been introduced. Had not free enquiry been indulged, at the aera of the reformation, the corruptions of Christianity could not have been purged away. If it be restrained now, the present corruptions will be protected, and new ones encouraged. Was the government to prescribe to us our medicine and diet, our bodies would be in such keeping as our souls are now. Thus in France the emetic was once forbidden as a medicine, and the potatoe as an article of food. Government is just as infallible too when it fixes systems in physics. Galileo was sent to the inquisition for affirming that the earth was a sphere: the government had declared it to be as flat as a trencher, and Galileo was obliged to abjure his error. This error however at length prevailed, the earth became a globe, and Descartes declared it was whirled round its axis by a vortex. The government in which he lived was wise enough to see that this was no question of civil jurisdiction, or we should all have been involved by authority in vortices. In fact, the vortices have been exploded, and the Newtonian principle of gravitation is now more firmly established, on the basis of reason, than it would be were the government to step in, and to make it an article of necessary faith.

Reason and experiment have been indulged, and error has fled before them. It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself. Subject opinion to coercion: whom will you make your inquisitors? Fallible men; men governed by bad passions, by private as well as public reasons. And why subject it to coercion? To produce uniformity. But is uniformity of opinion desireable? No more than of face and stature. Introduce the bed of Procrustes then, and as there is danger that the large men may beat the small, make us all of a size, by lopping the former and stretching the latter. Difference of opinion is advantageous in religion. The several sects perform the office of a Censor morum over each other. Is uniformity attainable? Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch towards uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites. To support roguery and error all over the earth. Let us reflect that it is inhabited by a thousand millions of people. That these profess probably a thousand different systems of religion. That ours is but one of that thousand. That if there be but one right, and ours that one, we should wish to see the 999 wandering sects gathered into the fold of truth. But against such a majority we cannot effect this by force. Reason and persuasion are the only practicable instruments. To make way for these, free enquiry must be indulged; and how can we wish others to indulge it while we refuse it ourselves.

Confucius:

CHAP. I. The Master said, 'He who exercises government by means of his virtue may be compared to the north polar star, which keeps its place and all the stars turn towards it.'

CHAP. II. The Master said, 'In the Book of Poetry are three hundred pieces, but the design of them all may be embraced in one sentence-- "Having no depraved thoughts."'

CHAP. III. 1. The Master said, 'If the people be led by laws, and uniformity sought to be given them by punishments, they will try to avoid the punishment, but have no sense of shame. 2. 'If they be led by virtue, and uniformity sought to be given them by the rules of propriety, they will have the sense of shame, and moreover will become good.'

Given the fact that the people are revolting against the Bahrain government, that means there is no virtue whatsoever within that government. Given the fact that there is no virtue within the Bahrain government, the Obama administration has no business whatsoever supporting it.

Brad Lager's Capitol Report -- Fighting for Better Roads

Fighting for Better Roads in North Missouri

The 12th Senate District has over 12,000 miles of highways and roads that are life lines to our communities and our economies. These highways and farm to market routes are vitally important arteries that help to fuel our economies and grow our communities. Unfortunately, many of our farm to market routes have been untouched for decades and are now in great disrepair.

As I travel throughout the district, I cover a lot of miles on our farm to market routes. As vehicles and farm equipment get larger, traveling on these roads without shoulders and venturing over single lane bridges that were built decades ago become increasingly more dangerous. The overwhelming majority of this infrastructure was not designed nor ever upgraded to handle the current traffic demands.

For too many years, the decision makers in state government failed to recognize the unique challenges and needs that we experience in north Missouri. As a result, we have lacked the resources necessary to ensure a reliable infrastructure that adequately and safely services our communities. Our problems with bridges, lettered routes, and highways are not matters of inconvenience; they are matters of safety and protecting the avenues that fuel our communities.

In today’s world of tight budgets and fewer financial resources, it is imperative that our state government works in a logical and responsible manner to maximize and optimally utilize the financial resources available to meet the needs of Missouri’s citizens. We never ask for too much from the state, but the time has come to put additional resources towards fixing our deteriorating lettered routes so that we have a safe and reliable transportation infrastructure serving our communities.

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.

138 Miles of Minor Roads to be Resurfaced in NW Missouri

The Missouri Department of Transportation has announced that 138 miles of minor routes in Northwest Missouri will be resurfaced this year due to internal operations savings. The Department is working toward a five-year direction that calls for cutting costs, with the goal of keeping major highways in good condition and improving minor roads. Last year, The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission approved a statewide allocation of funding to improve minor routes. Twelve percent of the allocation, $7.5 million, was dedicated to Northwest Missouri. As Spring approaches, many of these projects will soon be underway and contractors will begin projects, as weather permits. The following minor routes have been identified for resurfacing this construction season:

Andrew County

*Route E from Business 71 to west of 102 River (length: 2.00 miles)

Atchison County

*MO 111 from I-29 to Route W in Holt County (length: 9.95 miles)

*Route C from US 59 to Route O (length: 4.10 miles)

Buchanan County

*Route B from MO 116 to Platte County (length: 1.82 miles)

Caldwell County

*Route A from U.S. 36 to MO 116 (length: 10.2 miles)

Clinton County

* Route C from MO 116 to Route CC in Clay County (length: 8.45 miles)

* Route Z from US 169 to Platte County (length: 1.76 miles)

* Route PP from US 69 to I-35 and from I-35 to MO 33 (length: 5.03 miles)

* Route V from US 69 to MO 33 (length: 4.85 miles)

* Route A from Route H to MO 116 (length: 6.0 miles) * U.S. 69 from Loop 35 to I-35 (length: 4.50 miles)

DeKalb County

*Route E from US 169 to Route D (length: 15.04 miles)

*MO 33 from US 36 in Dekalb County to MO 116 in Clinton County (length of 13.26 miles)

Gentry County

*Route A from Route Z to Route E in Dekalb County (length: 4.70 miles)

*MO 85 from Town Creek Bridge to Evona (length: 3.00 miles)

Harrison County

*Route M from Route D to US 69 (length: 6.97 miles)

*US 69 Hwy. from Route M to Route A (length: 6.90 miles)

*Route N from US 69 to I-35 in Eagleville (length: .70 miles)

Nodaway County

*Route EE from Route NN to US 136 (length: 10.57 miles)

*Route U from US 71 to Route N (length: 4.51miles)

*Route CC from US 71 to 148 (length 1.00 mile)

*Route T from US 136 to state maintenance ends (length: .60 mile)

Nodaway/Worth Counties

*Route W from MO 46 in Nodaway County to Route YY in Worth County (length: 9.65 miles)

Worth County

*Route YY from Route W to US 169 (length: 2.6 miles)

Route W to Close for 6-8 Weeks

The Missouri Department of Transportation has announced that Worth County Route W is scheduled to close on Monday, March 21, 2011 (weather permitting). Route W will be closing approximately three miles west of the town of Worth, at the bridge over Bear Creek. The bridge is expected to be closed to traffic for six to eight weeks. This bridge replacement is part of the Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement program for the Northwest District, which will be improving 802 of Missouri's bridges by October 31, 2014. In Worth County, 5 bridges will be rehabilitated or replaced through the program. For a complete list of bridges scheduled for improvement, visit the following website: www.modot.mo.gov/northwest/safeandsound/index.htm#Worth For more information about this or other projects being handled by MoDOT, please call our toll-free customer service hotline at: 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (1-888-275-6636).

Route F to Close East of Sheridan

The Missouri Department of Transportation has announced that Route F in Worth County will be closing on Thursday, March 17, 2011 for a routine culvert replacement (weather permitting). The section of Route F scheduled to close is located 1/2 mile north of Route 46 east of the town of Sheridan. MoDOT crews will close the road at approximately 8:30 a.m. and reopen it by 1:00 pm the same day.

Graves Blasts Deficits, Obama Health Plan, Cap & Trade

During a districtwide tour, Congressman Sam Graves came to Grant City last week and blasted the federal deficit, Obama's health plan, and Cap & Trade. Around 40-50 people attended the meeting at the Fairgrounds Building, in which he talked about his work in Washington and in which he took questions from constituents.



Regarding the deficit, he said that "if you did that, you would go broke." He said that the current deficit, which he said was higher than any in history, was "a legacy that we would have to pay back."



The theme of Graves' tour was "Main Street Matters," and he pointed to specific legislation that he said would be bad for small businesses. Cap and Trade would require all businesses to place caps on emissions or face a carbon tax. Proponents say that this legislation is necessary because they argue that man-made pollution will create long-term global warming that will result in rising ocean levels, leading to the displacement of millions or even billions of people. They envision worst-case scenarios in which low-level cities such as Boston or New Orleans or Florida would be flooded under by rising sea levels. But Graves said that the proposed solution was bad for this area because Missouri was a coal-dependent state that would be hit hard by any such legislation. Senator Claire McCaskill has publicly voiced concerns about Cap and Trade because of Missouri's coal dependence as well. He said that the result would be an estimated 60% increase in electricity rates for the state and that it would become more expensive to move goods across the country. Consequently, he said that it would be bad for the economy since it takes fuel to move goods. And Graves said that there was nothing to protect farms from these new offset requirements because he said that the EPA could overrule any agency who tries to exempt farms from Cap and Trade requirements.



"China and India love bills like this," said Graves. He said that a better alternative was an "all of the above" approach that he and his Republican colleagues were developing. Graves said that contrary to media reports that the Republicans had no ideas, he said that they did have ideas for energy policy but that the Democrats who control the committees would not give them a fair hearing. "We do have alternatives to the President's proposals and we have been trying to push these alternatives," he said.



Turning to healthcare, Graves turned to one of his favorite props, a huge copy of HR 3200, the Health Care Bill thousands of pages long, which he dropped on the table to demonstrate what he said was the ridiculous size of government. He said that the Democrats tried and failed to get that bill passed without letting people read it or knowing what it was about before the August recess. But he said that the August recess was bad for the bill's chances because people could read it and see for themselves what a bad bill it was. "We've read it and we don't like what we see," he said. For instance, on page 16, he said it states that after five years, no new individual plans could be written. In another section, according to Graves, it allows the government to set health insurance prices. Graves said that problem with a government-run healthcare system was that it would drive hospitals away and make healthcare even more inaccessible. "More and more hospitals are not taking Medicare or Medicaid anymore," he said. "And I don't want some bureaucrat deciding for me what healthcare choices I can make."



Graves accused the current Democratic leadership in the House of not listening to Republican ideas. "I've had a bill on associated healthcare plans that would drive down the cost of health insurance for three years, and it has never even gotten a hearing," he said. "We do have alternatives to what the Democrats are proposing. We are going around the county holding hearings on healthcare solutions, and the Democrats are calling us 'unamerican' because we get the word out that the way they are going to pay for all this is to cut Medicare by $500 billion to pay for all this."



Turning to the current budget deficit, Graves aid it was "absolutely unsustainable" and that the government was trying to balance it "on the backs of small businesses" with such things as surtaxes. He said that increased taxes were the "wrong approach" during a recession and that the current healthcare plan would add one to two trillion dollars to the deficit. "It doesn't mean we don't need changes," said Graves. For instance, he said allowing businesses to pool together to purchase insurance would drive rates down because he said that an insurance pool of 8,000 employees was more manageable from a risk standpoint than 10 employees. Graves said that would allow small businesses to offer health insurance to their employees. Graves said that another solution was tort reform, saying that people in states that have it have to pay for those who don't.



Talking about possible changes down the road for local jurisdictions, local authorities have worried about changes coming down the road that they would not be able to meet financially. Graves said that what was being considered was a revision to the Clean Water Act that would give the EPA jurisdiction over all waterways; currently, they only have jurisdiction over navigable waterways. Graves feared that this change would mean that the EPA could regulate runoff from farms. "That would be a huge infringement on property rights," he said.



Addressing rumors that the BRO Program, which has funded 15 new bridges in the county, would be dropped, Graves said that it was part of the Transportation Bill; he explained that transportation bills are authorized every six years and that it would not be up for renewal for another 18 months. The administration can ask for an extension, which they have in this case. In other words, he said that nothing was written in stone regarding the BRO Program.



Asked for his thoughts on the Fairness Doctrine, which required radio stations to give equal time to differing points of view, Graves said that it was "basic business sense" for outlets to put what people wanted on the air.



Talking about Social Security, Graves said that it was in "a lot of trouble" and that the administration had already announced that there would be no cost of living increase for next year despite the fact that prices were still going up.



Graves said that in order for the administration's agenda to pass, it would have to be done this year. "Bills like this have to get done this year, because they would never pass in an election year," he said. He said that the problem was that "we are always told that we have to support this or that bailout or it will be the end of the world." By contrast, Graves said that the economy comes and goes in cycles and that it would have recovered without all of the government bailouts that he said added to an already massive deficit. "I voted against President Bush's bailout last year, the GM bailout, the stimulus bill, and the spending bill," he said. "The economy will recover regardless of what the government does, but the goverment can prolong a recession by passing more taxes." By contrast, Graves said that the proper way to stimulate an economy was to cut taxes "or at least don't increase taxes." He said that as opposed to passing "Speaker Pelosi's baby" of stimulus bills, "Let's give the people more money thru tax cuts so that they can stimulate the economy themselves."



The problem according to Graves was that "bad legislation is easy to pass but hard to get rid of." For instance, he said that the Healthcare Bill was written by Chairman Henry Waxman's staff and HHS staff and consisted of what he called "regurgitated ideas" from the failed health care reform efforts of 1993. And he said that the Stimulus Bill was originally considered to be an infrastructure bill but that only 3% or so of the funds were actually devoted to that.



Asked a question about the Guantanamo detainees, he said that that "they can rot in Guantanamo as far as I'm concerned." He explained that he had read the intelligence reports on them for three hours after getting the necessary clearances and "it takes a whole week to get over what these folks were capable of." Graves said that terrorists only needed to be right one time and we needed to be right all the time in combatting terrorism. "We weren't thinking ahead before 9/11," he said. Graves said he wasn't buying the argument that America's interrogation policies had hurt our standing in the world. "People gripe about us, but we're the first country they turn to when they need help," he said. "And I do not want the UN coming in and telling us what we have to do with ourselves."



Graves said that he was more excited by the "tax revolts" than he had been by anything in a long time. He said that part of the reason that people were fed up was because the government was "overreaching on simple little stuff" and coming up with "goofy ideas." For instance, he said that the Cap and Trade bill included a tax per head on cattle, which he said that Chairman Henry Waxman was preparing to slip in at some point.

Regarding ethanol, Graves said that he was continuing to fight for more ethanol standards, which he said that Big Oil was trying to block. "A blend of 50% soy/diesel is 50% out of their market share," he said. He called arguments that ethanol was not clean "ridiculous" and that pushing to end our dependence on foreign oil through ethanol was a "win-win." He said that the CBO has debunked one of the main arguments against ethanol, that it would raise the price of food. Graves said that as an example of the kind of ridiculous arguments he heard against ethanol, the Kansas City Star did an article about how ethanol was going to raise the price of popcorn at movies.

Addressing No Child Left Behind, Graves said that it was currently in limbo because "nobody wants to act on it." It was supposed to be reauthorized last year; however, it never was. He said he would like to see three things changed. The first was that it should differentiate between schools that miss one or two criteria and schools that miss all 13. Currently, a school that misses one criteria narrowly is treated as failing, just like schools that miss all 13. The second idea that Graves said he wanted to see was for children on IEP's to be removed from No Child Left Behind standards; he said that the goals of the IEP program and No Child Left Behind were in conflict with each other. The third thing that Graves said needed to be changed was that No Child Left Behind should measure students as they progress through school, not measure last year's fourth grade against this year's fourth grade. He said that "there is a big difference between one fourth grade class and the next" and that the law of averages might work in bigger schools, but that it doesn't in smaller schools.

On the flip side, Graves said that vouchers were not a solution for failing schools because he said that would take away what made private schools unique. He said that once the government started funding private schools like they do public schools, they would start making regulations for them like they currently do public schools. "A lot of public schools are just as good as private schools," he said.

County Commissioners Answer Ballot Initiative Questions

The Worth County Commissioners have provided the Sheridan Express with written answers to frequently asked questions about the road rock fund as well as the brush removal ordinance which are both on the ballot on August 4th. Poll information is on Page 5.

How much is needed to pass?
Both measures require a simple majority to pass.

Why should the voters of Worth County vote for and pass the Gravel Tax and Brush Enforcement Law?
There are several reasons why the residents will benefit if these two issues are approved. One is to improve Worth County roads. This will allow for absentee landowners to contribute and help maintain our roads. They typically use these roads for recreation on a regular basis, but have had no responsibility in the maintenance of these roads. Worth County is one of the few places in the country that does not have the benefit of the two proposals. The positive impact of these two issues would have numerous benefits to families living here in the county.

Better and safer roads should be a concern to everyone, not just parents whose children are bussed to school. We feel that people who live, work, and raise their families here should have the same benefits of living elsewhere. We feel that it is past time to level the playing field and find a more equal and fair way to maintain and improve our roads in the county for which we live.

At one time, almost all of the land in Worth County was once owned by hard-working people who resided here. They farmed, raised their families, sold their livestock, and purchased supplies and machinery all locally. The problem now is that purchasing and selling locally is not always an option and that means our tax dollars are leaving our area and are benefiting and supporting some other county’s roads. Every dollar spent locally works several times over to benefit all. There is a high percentage of farmland in Worth County that is owned by people or corporations that do NOT live in or work in the area. This situation puts more burdens and responsibilities on the people that do live here and do their business locally. As the trend continues of land purchases for recreation and hunting, it hurts our local economy.

Mowing, brush control, and road rock has always been on the “honor system” for lack of a better term. The “honor system” worked fairly well at one time, but things are much different now. If a landowner decides not to control the brush by mowing or spraying or buying gravel for the road, then someone else has to either take up the slack and do more than his fair share, or the road becomes neglected and soon will become a large problem. School busses, emergency vehicles, and other vehicles all need to have the ability to travel all of our county roads. We see no way that this will cure itself and only foresee it getting worse if we do not act and vote YES on August 4th and pass both of these issues.

We believe that all of the elected officials and employees of the county should be and are committed to doing the best and most efficient job for all of the county. We are looking for ways to make the most of what we have to work with. These are trying times economically. The Road and Bridge Department must become more efficient to meet existing goals and to use and maintain equipment and machinery safely. Breakdowns because of brush and trees are a constant threat.

Another problem is that the state will not allow a county credit for roads that fall below a certain standard. Our county has already lost credit on some roads which equals a loss of money and we cannot afford to lose anymore. Our county needs to recapture some of these credits and increase our inventory of safe and reliable roads. Not only would we have safer roads, but we will not have to pay the majority of the price tags. The new system would spread it out to all landowners equally, whether they live here or not. We cannot depend on the absentee landowners to donate to help keep our roads to a decent standard. While a few have helped to donate, most have not. Every time we purchase something out of the county, we help to maintain that county’s roads and schools. It is time for us to stand up and take a stand for ourselves and take care of our county. Today, Worth County has an “honor system.”

How are roads funded now?
Currently, we operate under the CART (patron gravel) program, which is generated from the State Vehicle Tax, other state fees, and the state's gas tax. This is the county’s primary source of gravel. This is money that the state collects and reimburses the county based on the number of miles of county roads. With the current economic conditions, the state reimbursements have drastically dropped and could drop in the next few years as well. What this means is that the county's cost-share for gravel would continue to drop every year. For instance, last year, the county's cost-share for CART gravel was 100%; this year, the county could only match 75%. As state funds decline, the county will have to make further reductions.

What can the voters expect if these two issues are not passed?
We can only project that the county’s share of the patron gravel will decrease and the road conditions will deteriorate. Cost share budget on brush removal will need to be reduced as well.

Will the Patron/CART Gravel system still be used if the new system is passed by voters?
Yes, it will still be utilized to the best advantage of the residents of Worth County. This system can be used on a cost-share basis to bring a road up to specs to qualify a road to the newly-passed system or if a road for some reason does need more rock.

Will all roads in Worth County be graveled?
Only roads that have had patron gravel applied recently or is brought up to spec will qualify. This means that if the road has not been graveled for years, it must be brought up to spec, improved, and inspected after base rock is applied before normal road stone could be applied and qualify for the newly-passed gravel system.

By passing the Brush Enforcement Law and Gravel Tax, do you think that this is the best way to maintain our road system?
No, but it is much more fair and equal than the system we currently have, and will be the best system that is, or will be available for Worth County at this time. We would like to see some changes made at the state level that would make it possible for Worth County landowners who live here in the area to not have the full burden of purchasing all the gravel on our roads. But until changes can be made, this is the first step that has to be made before better ways of improving the system can be made for the residents of Worth County.

If the voters pass the Brush Enforcement Law and the New Gravel System Tax, what can they expect to change?
Better and safer roads. Approximately 70 tons for every mile of rocked road would have been applied at the 2009 delivered price if the new system had been in place for this season. This would have been applied to every mile of all of the current graveled roads.

As for the Brush Enforcement Tax, roads will be maintained and clear of trees to a standard that at a minimum will allow road maintenance equipment to properly blade, keep gravel on, and allow water to drain off the roadways and autos and farm machinery to pass down a road. The cost share program will still be in place and will be expanded as funds are available for brush removal.

County Commission Minutes for January 26th, 2009

January 26, 2009
Meeting was called to order at 9:00 am by Acting Presiding Commissioner. Members present: Ruckman and Gabbert
1. In the absence of a Presiding Commissioner, County Clerk Lisa Hargrave appointed Dennis Gabbert to conduct the meeting and sign checks.
2. Commissioner Ruckman made a motion to approve January 20, 2009 as read. Commissioner Gabbert seconded. Motion carried. Minutes approved.
3. Commissioner Ruckman made a motion to approve the agenda. Commissioner Gabbert seconded. Motion carried.
4. Commissioner Ruckman made a motion to approve pay bills and payroll. Commissioner Gabbert seconded. Motion carried.
5. Commissioner Ruckman made a motion that five Erroneous Assessments be signed and processed. Commissioner Gabbert seconded. Motion carried.
6. Marty Liles; MoDOT Area Engineer for the County came to the Commission to introduce himself and explain the Safe and Sound Bridge Program as it will apply to Worth County. There are five bridges slated for replacement under this program in the County: they are on Route C, Route W, and Route PP.
7. Jerry Baker, University of Missouri Extension, came to the Commission to present the Annual Report FY 2008.
8. Keith Johnson, Colonial Life Agent, came to the Commission to present information for on a Limited Benefit Program.
9. Jim Fletchall, Road and Bridge Supervisor; came to the Commission to report the MoDOT’s Bridge Inspector was in the county to inspect bridges last week. The Bridge Report will be coming out but in the meanwhile the inspector pointed out problems on several different bridges. Jim plans to work on these problems soon.
10. Jim also reported he has two resignations one effective on January 30, 2009 and the other effective in February 6, 2009. Replacement of these two employees was discussed.
11. Jim reported on the Champion Grader has a shaft the runs from the motor to the hydraulic pump failed. The parts have been ordered and the guys will be working on it when the parts arrive.
12. Commissioner Ruckman reported CR 162 needs bladed, a tube was possibly run over on CR 188 and on CR 178 has tubes washing out and the road bed is caving off.
13. Jana Findley, Circuit Clerk and Joel Miller, Associate Circuit Judge came to the Commission to explain how the Courts work in Worth County.
14. Linda Brown, County Treasurer gave weekly financial report.
15. Public Administrator requests a printer/scanner/fax machine the matter tabled until she can present her claim to the Commissioners.
16. Jim Fletchall came back to the session to go over invoices and vouchers; all expenses were verified. The discussion turned to personnel vacancies. Afterward, Commissioner Ruckman made a motion to offer the full time vacancies to part time employees. Commissioner Gabbert seconded. Motion carried. Jim will notify the employees.
17. Commissioner Ruckman made a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Gabbert seconded. Motion carried, meeting adjourned at 2:30 pm.

Interstate 29 in Atchison County closed

The Missouri Department of Transportation has announced that recent freeze and thaw conditions have damaged Interstate 29 in Atchison County at the 107 mile marker south of Rock Port. The northbound driving lane at that location will be shut down beginning immediately with all signs and arrow boards present. The northbound passing lane will remain open. Weather permitting, all lanes should reopen to traffic the morning of Wednesday, December 31, 2008.
MoDOT apologizes for any inconvenience this necessary closure will cause. The public is asked to slow down and drive safely through all work zones.

DOT: Salt Shortage Will Not Affect Missouri Roads

When the first snowfall of winter hits this year, MoDOT is prepared with enough salt and equipment to maintain the level of service we have provided in previous years. Safety is always our highest priority. While some towns and municipalities in Missouri may be concerned about salt supplies, MoDOT will not have trouble keeping highways drivable.

Last year's particularly harsh winter depleted much of the country's salt supply causing prices to rise. This, coupled with a strong hurricane season and high Mississippi River levels, has made delivery of salt via river barges slow.

MoDOT takes salt bids in May and is virtually unaffected by the supply decline that happened late this summer. The department received its first salt shipment over the summer in order to pre-fill and prepare for the first snow in Missouri. During the winter, as salt supplies are used, part of the agency's contract agreement with suppliers is to provide for a replenishment order sometime between Nov. 1 and April 30.

"Trying to keep salt throughout the winter and not run out is tricky," Maintenance Liaison Engineer Tim Jackson said. "Conserving as much salt as possible is the best method. You have to keep the strength of the storm in mind and use the right amount at the right time, while still maintaining road safety."

MoDOT reminds you, "In Ice and Snow, Take It Slow."
Here are some tips for driving in winter weather:
Slow down for wet, snowy, icy conditions.
Avoid quick braking or acceleration.
Find out about driving conditions before you go.
Every time you travel - Buckle Up to Arrive Alive.
Turn signals, brake lights and windows need to be clear of snow.
You should never use cruise control in winter weather conditions. Find out more at www.modot.org/newsroom.

Capitol Report for September 24th, 2008

Repairing Missouri’s Bridges
From the very first day that you sent me to Jefferson City, I have fought vigorously for better roads and bridges. Although the progress has not occurred at the speed that I had hoped, our perseverance and determination has prevailed as MODOT has become more aware of the significant needs we have across this great state. Last week, MODOT forged ahead into an area very seldom seen by our state government when they announced their intention to use a design build approach for repairing some of Missouri’s worst bridges.
For nearly two years now, MODOT has been working to find a solution that would allow them to rebuild or replace the 800 lowest rated bridges in Missouri. It comes as no surprise to those of us who drive the roads in northwest Missouri to learn that over 150 of these unacceptable bridges are in the 16 counties that make up the 12th Senate District. As a result of MODOT’s actions last week, over 100 of the worst bridges in this state will be under contract and construction by next spring.
Having traveled thousands of miles on Missouri’s lettered routes and major highways, I understand first hand the need for these repairs. The citizens of this great state should not be forced to drive on roads that are unsafe for themselves and their families. Although the final implementation of the 800 Bridge Project has been modified from its original form, MODOT has held true to the goals and expectations of these projects while maintaining their commitment to thinking outside the box.
Our transportation infrastructure is the lifeblood of our communities and we cannot survive without safe and reliable roads and bridges. The 800 Bridge Project is an important step in improving our transportation infrastructure thereby ensuring the safety of our families and the continuation of our economy. While I will continue to fight for even greater improvements, I am hopeful that these projects mark the beginning of a steady commitment to finally bring our roads into the 21st century.
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 429, State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101.

Elevator Bids Come in $50,000 Over Grant

The County Commission found that the bids for the elevator project came in $50,000 over the projected estimate. The Northwest Missouri Regional Council and Roger Versules, the engineer for the project, are working to cut the costs of the project. The county was unable to get extra money for the project from the state. One option for the county would be to turn down the grant and reapply based on the bids.
The commission set their next meeting for Wednesday, August 6th due to election day.
Mary Carroll was appointed by the commission to the Library Board.
The commission voted to authorize Dallas Ruth to set up a horseshoe pitch in the courtyard subject to commission approval.
Commissioners Bill Mozingo and Lorace Waldeier and County Clerk Lisa Hargrave were checking for a surplus truck that could give better mileage than the current one that Road and Bridge foreman Jim Fletchall could use to check gravel.
There was gravel washed off some roads and debris that was caused by the flooding last week. The commission authorized Jim Fletchall to get pictures and documentation in the event the county was declared a FEMA disaster area. Rain was not heavy in the west part of the county, but East Commissioner Bill Calhoon said that he got 3 inches of rain and the northeast corner of the county got 6. There was brush on the road near Jerry Cook’s, while the flooding completely submerged the Mosbarger bridge and the Nonneman bridge needed shoring up. In addition, there were some ditches that needed to be graded back into shape once the roads had sufficiently dried. Emergency Management Director Pat Kobbe said that she was doing preliminary estimates on damage.
Among other work, the Lynch road needed blading while a tube on the Kerwin road needed repair and the road by the Jerry Dignan was caving in. Fletchall said that the county would need to order some more tubes before the year was out. Richard Supinger told the commission that the repair work on the road west of his house help up against the rains and flooding of last week.
Len Green will look at the lock on the trailer that was broken.
Treasurer Linda Brown reported that the state had reimbursed $53,000 for Barb Foland’s office. The county is waiting on $7,000 that the state owes the county for prison restitution.
Fletchall reported that United Electric was working on an overhead power line at the Missouri Taylor bridge; after that project is complete in a couple of days, the project would be ready to start.

Barnes, Hepler Introduce Selves to Local Democrats

6th District Congressional Candidate Kay Barnes and State Representative Candidate Mike Hepler introduced themselves to local Democrats Thursday at a breakfast in Grant City. Barnes carried her message against what she called incumbent Congressman Sam Graves’ support for big oil interests and promised more accessibility to her office than Sam Graves; Hepler promised to address the problem of roads in the area as well as continue the work of Jim Whorton. Hepler is seeking Whorton’s seat; Whorton cannot seek reelection because of state-mandated term limits. Local candidate Rob Ruckman spoke briefly; he is seeking election as East District Commissioner.
Speaking with Worth County Democrats at a breakfast in Grant City, 6th District Congressional candidate Kay Barnes pointed to the clearest example yet of how badly Washington is broken. She criticized Congressman Sam Graves' February vote to protect the tax breaks for the big oil companies less than two weeks after he accepted a $2,000 campaign contribution from ExxonMobil.
Barnes said to those gathered, "Exxon got what they paid for. Congressman Sam Graves delivered for them and not for you. So just remember the next time you fill up your tank - thanks to Congressman Sam Graves you are paying Exxon twice: once at the pump and again with your own tax dollars. Now, many of you are also going to have to use your rebate check to pay for the skyrocketing gas prices. He is making Washington work for the Exxon executives in Texas, and not for the consumers in Northwest Missouri and around the country. That is the formula for the status quo and I'm as sick of it as you are. It is not going to change until we change who we send to Congress."
On February 13, 2008, Exxon Mobil gave Congressman Sam Graves a $2,000 contribution, and 14 days later Graves voted against H.R. 5351, the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Act, a bill which would redirect tax breaks away from the big oil companies and toward renewing the production tax credit for wind farms and creating new tax incentives for solar power and ethanol. Graves is one of Exxon's top recipients of campaign cash. Only 14 other members of the House of Representatives have received more campaign contributions from Exxon than Graves since 2006.
Barnes also criticized the national news media for blaming increasing food prices on farmers. "If the editorial writers from newspapers like the New York Times would come down from their ivory towers long enough to talk to real family farmers, they would know that they are working hard to make a living. Now, in addition to coping with high fuel prices, our farmers unfairly have to take the brunt of criticism for what the big oil companies have done to food prices," Barnes said.
Barnes said, "When elected I will fight hard to pass legislation to take the tax breaks away from companies like Exxon and redirect those dollars to our wind farms and ethanol plants right here in Northwest Missouri. Congressman Graves makes Washington work for the corporate special interests and turns his back on consumers everywhere struggling to pay these outrageously high gas prices."
Barnes also promised to hire a senior staff person who specialized in rural economic development who would act as a go-between between her office and constituents. "By working together, we will come up with a plan to develop our rural economy," she said.
Barnes also said that she would create an advisory group from each of the counties that would advise her on local issues. She said that she would push for the Missouri Downtown and Rural Economic Stimulus Act, which she said would allow state and local authorities to participate in certain federal programs. She said that one of the keys would be to help entities navigate through the act and that there needed to be more resources for them to do so. "I don’t want to promise pie in the sky solutions, but there are answers out there," she said.
Barnes said that she liked her chances against Graves; she said that she nearly had as much campaign contributions as Graves did and had ten times as many individual donors as he did. She said that the only reason he had more was because of $700,000 raised by President Bush and Vice President Cheney as the race has drawn national interest.
Hepler said that he had worked at the local level for more than 30 years and that experience qualified him to be state representative. As a county clerk, he was instrumental in getting a 2006 law requiring photo ID thrown out. "It sounds good until you forget your drivers license five minutes before the polls close and you’re disenfranchised," he said.
He said that he had a proven track record of getting things done as a county clerk; he said that his county’s bridge program went from being one of the worst to being one of the better programs in the state. "And now, I want to do that for the 3rd district," he said.
Addressing the problem of roads, Hepler said that there were two reasons for the deteriorating roads in the area; he said that the MODOT had no plan to address the lettered roads in the area and that part of the problem was the rise of Premium Standard and other CAFO outlets; he said they typically use big trucks that lettered roads were not meant to handle. "The state says they are proud of the economic impact that they bring," he said. "If they are so proud of their economic impact, then why don’t they invest more money in our local roads?" he asked.
Hepler said that he wanted to work for more teacher pay, saying that some people who don’t get a college degree make more than teachers. He said that vouchers were a bad idea because the state should take care of the public schools first and give teachers better pay.