Readers Support Gov Nixon’s Veto of ‘Right to Work’ Bill Passed by Missouri Legislature

In the Sunday Poll less than 20% support or lean to supporting a legislative override of Gov Nixon’s veto of a right-to-work bill passed this year:

Q: The Missouri legislature may attempt to override Gov Nixon’s June veto of right-to-work legislation. Which side are you on?

1. Governor — veto 26 [70.27%]
2. Legislature — override 5 [13.51%]
3. Unsure/no opinion 3 [8.11%]
4. Leaning ovreride 2 [5.41%]
5. Leaning veto 1 [2.7%]

A statewide poll wouldn’t result in the same outcome.

Lawmakers have a chance to override that veto Sept. 16 during their annual veto session. They need a two-thirds majority vote — 109 in the House and 23 in the Senate — to override the veto and pass the measure into law.

At the end of this past legislative session, however, neither chamber had those numbers. The House passed the bill 92-66 and the Senate voted 21-13 in favor of it, only after the Senate used a rare procedure known as the “previous question” to shut down debate and force a vote following a more than eight hour filibuster by the Democrats.

Opponents argue the measure would lower wages and lead to a more dangerous work environment for some. Proponents say the measure would help the state attract businesses and therefore increase wages. (Post-Dispatch)

I’m glad Nixon vetoed this bill in June, this would be a disaster for worker’s rights.

Sunday Poll: The Missouri legislature may attempt to override Gov Nixon’s June veto of right-to-work legislation. Which side are you on?

The national fight over ‘right-to-work’ has come to Missouri. In June Gov Nixon vetoed such legislation:

Missouri did not become the country’s 26th “right to work” state Wednesday: Gov. Jay Nixon issued a veto, setting up a clash with the state’s Republican-led Legislature.

The bill would have made it a misdemeanor for anyone to be required to become a union member, or to pay dues to a labor organization, as a condition of employment. Nixon, a Democrat, was expected to block the legislation, leaving state lawmakers to round up enough votes to override him. (LA Times)

I’m not going to get into the pros & cons now, I’ll save my views for Wednesday.  In the meantime, I thought this would be a good topic for today’s poll:

The answers are presented in random order, the poll closes at 8pm.

— Steve Patterson

Readers Would Like Bernie Sanders To Get 2016 Democratic Nomination

On the night in 2008 that Barack Obama was first elected president I told myself in the future I wouldn’t support a candidate born before him. In the years since I realized there was nobody born in the 1960s or 1970s I could support. My first choice would be Sen. Elizabeth Warren, like me, she’s also a native of Oklahoma City. A year older than my brother, they briefly attended the same high school — then my parents moved. Like George W. Bush & Bill Clinton, Elizabeth Warren was born in the 1940s — June 22, 1949.

While the GOP field is considerably younger than the six Democratic candidates, none represent my progressive liberal views. I took a look at the ages of all 17 GOP candidates and the Democratic candidates (+ Joe Biden).

Here’s a breakdown of the decade the 17 GOP candidates were born in:

• 1970s: 3 (Cruz, Jindal, Rubio)
• 1960s: 3 (Christie, Paul, Walker)
• 1950s: 8 (Bush, Carson, Fiorina, Graham, Huckabee, Kasich, Perry, Santorum)
• 1940s: 3 (Gilmore, Pataki, Trump)

The average of the field is 59 years old.

Here’s a look at the Democratic side:

• 1970s: 0 (–)
• 1960s: 1 (O’Malley)
• 1950s: 1 (Chafee)
• 1940s: 4 (Biden, Clinton, Sanders, Webb)

Their average is 67 on election day, 68 on inauguration day. To date the oldest president was Reagan — he was 69 at both election and inauguration.  Biden will be 73 & 74, respectively. Clinton will be 69 at both, Sanders 75 at both.

Here is a very short video of Bernie Sanders’ supporters.

Here’s a long video of Bernie Sanders speaking in Los Angeles, with introduction by Sarah Silverman:

Here are the results from the Sunday Poll:

Q: Of the following, who would you LIKE to see get the 2016 Democratic nomination?

1. Bernie Sanders 25 [49.02%]
2. Hillary Clinton 14 [27.45%]
3. Joe Biden 6 [11.76%]
4. Unsure/no answer 4 [7.84%]
5. Martin O’Malley 2 [3.92%]
6. TIE 0 [0%]
   1. Lincoln Chafee
   2. Jim Webb

Some further reading:

• Bloomberg: Hillary Clinton’s Bernie Sanders Problem Is Bigger Than Anyone Realizes
• Huffington Post: Almost Every Major Poll Shows Bernie Sanders Challenging or Defeating Clinton and Republicans. Here’s Why

Missouri & Illinois both hold their primary on Tuesday March 15, 2016:

• Missouri has open primaries, so if you’re registered to vote you can vote for Bernie Sanders. You must register by 5pm on Wednesday, February 17, 2016.
• Illinois has closed primaries, so you must be registered as a Democrat to vote for Bernie Sanders. Those who will be 18 by November 8, 2016 can vote in the primary even though they’re 17.

I recommend everyone — even those who think they know who they’ll vote for —  take the quiz at ISideWith.com to see which candidate from both major parties best aligns with your views. The more detailed you get in the questions the more accurate it’ll be.

— Steve Patterson

Sunday Poll: Who Would You Like To See Get The 2016 Democratic Nomination?

We’re about 6 months away from Missouri’s presidential primary — Tuesday March 15, 2016. Unlike some states, Missouri voters can take a primary ballot from any party they want. A while back the Sunday Poll asked about the GOP side, today is about the Democratic side.

This is who you want to see get the nomination — not who you think will.

The answers are presented in random order, the poll closes at 8pm.

— Steve Patterson

Downtown & Downtown West Neighborhoods Should Be Merged Into One

Technically Downtown, a city neighborhood, is only East of Tucker Blvd (12th). So much of what we think of as downtown is considered Downtown West.

All of the following are located not in Downtown, but in Downtown West:

• Police Headquarters (old & new)
• City Hall
• Peabody Opera House
• Scottrade Center
• Main U.S. Post Office
• Soliders Memorial (WWI)
• Central Library
• City Museum
• Campbell House
• Downtown YMCA
• Union Station
• Schlafly’s Tap Room
• Civic Center MetroLink/MetroBus
• Transportation Center (Amtrak, Greyhound, Megabus)

But I don’t want news reporters outside police HQ to say “Reporting from Downtown West”, I think we should combine the two.

From a 1989 Post-Dispatch article:

So when the city first created the neighborhood map it had 74 neighborhoods, but currently it is 79:

There are 79 different neighborhoods, each with its own distinctive style and characteristics. Many of these neighborhoods have very active community organizations and associations. Some are on the rebound, while others have remained stable for decades, and still others are striving for renewal. A variety of sources for information about neighborhoods exist, both on and off this website. None of these sources include everything there is to know about a neighborhood, but by putting together information from each of these sources, one may get a sense of the incredible variety of lifestyles available in the diverse neighborhoods of the City of St. Louis. (St. Louis Neighborhoods)

Now you might be wondering if the Downtown West neighborhood association would object to being consolidated with Downtown’s NA. Well, there has never been a separate Downtown West neighborhood association. The Downtown Neighborhood Association boundaries had included all of Downtown and about half of Downtown West, but last month their bylaws were amended to expand their boundaries to match both.

The Downtown Community Improvement District boundaries also includes much of Downtown West. Just because people in 1989 wanted to better identify where murders happened doesn’t mean we can’t alter the map 26 years later. It’s time to reduce the 79 neighborhoods to 78!

— Steve Patterson