Commentary
Missouri shouldn’t follow Josh Hawley’s plan for pharmacy reform
While it’s great to see one of Missouri’s own, U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, take a leading role at the federal level in pushing for much needed health care reform, our state should not follow along with his apparent plans for rewiring the pharmacy system. Last December, Hawley surprisingly partnered with U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts […]
Diet pills and muscle-building supplements pose a threat for minors in Missouri
Seventeen-year-old Christopher Herrera can no longer play sports. After Christopher ingested concentrated green tea extract labelled as a “fat burning supplement”, his liver was compromised so severely that he nearly needed a liver transplant. Although doctors managed to save his liver, Christopher now lives with the lasting repercussions of this incident. He can no longer […]
Rudi ’splains it: Missouri property tax rates and how they are set
Property tax rates for this year must be set by Monday in Missouri’s 2,807 local political subdivisions authorized to impose levies. That starts the annual billing cycle, with each county collector using those rates and the property values determined by the county assessor to generate tax bills mailed in October. By Dec. 31, every tax […]
America is in an identity crisis, becoming morally and ethically bankrupt
In the past eight months we have seen what is tantamount to a wrecking ball smashing the meaning of the Statue of Liberty, many components of our Constitution rendered null and void and two branches of our government — the legislative and judicial — neutered. Think about what the Statue of Liberty has symbolized and […]
Missouri activist hopes to open American eyes to injustices experienced by Palestinians
Palestinians strive to practice “sumud,” Arabic for steadfastness in reference to their dignified, nonviolent resistance to Israel’s occupation of their ancestral lands over the past many decades. Their resolve to remain is being tested as never before as Israeli military forces slaughter and starve the people of Gaza. Their perseverance and humanity merit expanded global […]
Missouri early education deserves better than a clickbait ranking
A recent WalletHub ranking labeled Missouri’s early education system the “worst in the nation,” based on data from the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER). The problem? That label is based not on what’s happening in classrooms, but on what’s codified in state regulations. In other words, Missouri scored low not because we lack […]
Women dropping out of Missouri workforce is an economic red alert. Here’s how to fix it
A recent drop in women’s workforce participation is a blinking red light for women and our economy. For nearly a decade, women have driven the growth in overall prime-age labor force participation – strengthening local economies and contributing billions to GDP. The McKinsey Global Institute estimates that continuing to advance women’s equality could add trillions […]
The president has spoken. Will Missouri Republicans obey on redistricting?
Once upon a time, Missouri Republicans were proud to declare their independence from Washington, D.C., and anyone associated with it. During Barack Obama’s administration, they authorized specialty “Don’t Tread on Me” license plates, decorated with the Gadsden Flag. A lot of red states have those now, but Missouri was a trendsetter. Lawmakers were also fond […]
Visa delays, hospital closures and the abandonment of rural Missouri
Shannon County has no hospital-based maternity care. While the local health center offers limited prenatal services, pregnant women often drive 60 to 90 minutes to reach a hospital equipped for labor and delivery. That kind of loss does not just change where babies are born. It changes whether they survive. Across rural Missouri, the health […]
The EPA is waging war on climate science and public health
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under President Donald Trump is seeking to rescind the EPA’s longstanding finding from 2009 that greenhouse gas emissions endanger public health and welfare. The EPA is making a truly radical move here. The endangerment finding has been a linchpin to the agency’s regulatory actions over the years to deal with […]
Targeted by Missouri senator, immigrant-rights leader delivered a message to Latinos
Before the leader of one of the most respected immigrant-rights organizations in the nation could get on a flight and come to Missouri, she was issued a threat by one of the state’s politicians. U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley targeted Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), in […]
Gov. Trump? Rep. Trump? Sen. Trump? Can one man dictate our entire government?
Carefully assess the actions of Missouri’s governor, Republican members of the state legislature and our Congressional delegation. Then ask yourself: Whose priorities, interests and concerns have they supported, fought for and voted for? Certainly not those of most Missourians. Missourians voted for candidates in various elective offices to represent and fight for their interests in […]