'Elvis' Makes Guest Appearance At Chamber Banquet

It was a busy week again last week. Monday was a work day for my Grandson and I at the old courthouse. When we get the upstairs remodeled, it will be a one of a kind courtroom! There's a lot of work to be done, but we are shooting for a grand opening in May 2015. I am absolutely amazed at the building project on the Pineville square. There is a new cook shack, a wonderful grandstand and bathrooms that are just magically appearing! Not only are they being built almost overnight, they are designed to resemble 1800s structures. What a great addition to the square!

Tuesday morning I was invited to a brunch for Catherine Hannaway. She has announced her candidacy for Governor in 2016. Catherine was the first woman Speaker of the House and has also been a federal judge. She was also the author of our current laws for child Abuse and Foster Homes Programs. She spoke to a group of area business people and Legislators and spelled out her ideas for job growth in Missouri. She pointed out that although we will probably never have the economic prosperity of Texas or Florida, there's no excuse for us being 47th or 48th in the nation! She listed tax reform, tort reform, and right to work as being the three most important things we can do to turn our state around. She took some questions from the attendees and was well accepted. It's a long time before 2016 and I'm sure we will hear from other candidates before long. I do believe she has some good ideas for Missouri and I'm anxious to hear more from her.

Wednesday was the McDonald County Chamber lunch at Noel Elementary School. Cotton Eyed Joe's served the meal and I spoke on the constitutional amendments and took several questions from the crowd. The Chamber is going to hold their monthly meetings at different places around the county so more businesses have an opportunity to attend lunch. It sounds like a good idea to me.

Thursday afternoon I was a guest at Access Family Health Care in Anderson for their board meeting. There were some concerns about funding withholds and changes in Medicaid policies for the next year. I am checking with the budget chairman to determine whether he thinks the funding will be restored. In my mind, there are some things that the Governor should not be able to adjust. We went from there to the Newton County Republican Watermelon Feed. Their featured speaker was Tom Schweich, the State Auditor who is running unopposed. We also heard from Senator Schaefer who explained Amendment 5, (right to keep and bear arms and ammunition) and Senator Kehoe, who explained Amendment 7, (funding for roads and bridges). Representative Reibold explained Amendment 1 (right to farm), Representative Davis talked about Amendment 8,( veterans lottery tickets), and Representative White, who explained Amendment 9, (protection from search and seizure of electronic devices).

Friday evening we attended the McDonald County Chamber banquet. It was held at Mustang's Alley and the theme was "Sock Hop" A great time was had by all and there was even a guest appearance by Elvis!

We had a subcommittee hearing a couple of weeks ago and focused on the supervisors for Children's Service. It was really informative and we uncovered several issues that I believe we can help with. Our next meeting will be the 13th of August and will be a lot different than what we are used to dealing with. We are to receive a report on trafficking in children. There are literally thousands of children crossing the borders in this latest mess that are destined to be slaves for the sex trade. I'm not too sure what will become of society? What the blazes are we turning into anyway?

In closing, I thought I'd share a quote from Wayne Pacelle, the CEO of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). "We have no ethical obligation to preserve the different breeds of livestock produced through selective breeding. We have no problem with the extinction of domestic animals, they are creatures of selective breeding." HSUS spends 41 percent of your donations on advertising and 31 percent on salaries. Only.05 percent goes to local shelters. These are the folks that are funding the opposition to the Right to Farm Amendment. Get more info on HSUS at Humanewatch.org and humanesocietydonations.org

More next week. Until then, I am and remain in your service.

Bill Lant

417-437-8223

[email protected]

573-751-9801

General News on 07/31/2014