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.

10th & Olive Parking Lot Loses One Entry; Fence Gains Height, Gate

It’s rare to see an owner of one of downtown’s many surface parking lots spend money making improvements, but for nearly a month now that has been the case at 10th & Olive.

Ideally, at some point in the future, this corner will once again have a multi-story building. In the meantime, these changes are welcomed — especially closing off the 10th Street entrance.  Would be nice to see one additional on-street parking space added where the driveway was.

— Steve Patterson

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

Bought A Honda Metropolitan Scooter Ten Years Ago Today

Last weekend was the 10th anniversary of Katrina hitting the Gulf Coast:

Hurricane Katrina surprised disaster preparedness authorities when it made landfall 10 years ago, leveling entire communities and killing more than 1,800 people. The storm caused more than $100 billion in damage, making it the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. But for all the damage the storm caused in New Orleans, Katrina was a relatively weak hurricane when it hit the city.

In the academic community, the unexpected disaster prompted climate scientists to consider the link between climate change and storms. Since then, research has shown that climate change will increase the devastation caused by hurricanes as sea levels rise due to global warming. Some research has also suggested that climate change has increased the intensity and frequency of storms. (Time: Why Climate Change Could Make Hurricane Impact Worse)

After watching video of the resulting destruction I knew I had to do something, but what? My solution was to buy a nearly-new Honda Metropolitan scooter, 49cc. I did so ten years ago today!

Most scooters get very high fuel economy, I regularly got between 80-95 mpg. Over the next 29 months I put about 5,000 miles on that scooter — driving all over the region. Eventually it allowed me to go car-free!

On February 1, 2008 my scooter days came to an end, 15+ hours of no help following a hemorrhagic stroke left me able to ride scooters or bicycles. I sold the scooter to a neighbor — he eventually got another with a larger engine.  I also sold all my bicycles — except one.

I have many fond memories of riding both the scooter and the orange bike. New poll on Sunday — have a great weekend!

— Steve Patterson

New Saint Louis University Hospital An Opportunity To Build A Great Urban Mixed-Use Campus

On Tuesday SSM Health took over Saint Louis University Hospital from Saint Louis University, at the same time announcing plans to construct a new facility:

SSM Health plans to invest $500 million to build a new St. Louis University hospital and ambulatory care center. 

The new facilities, which will be situated in the immediate vicinity of the current 365-bed hospital near the midtown campus of St. Louis University, will be completed within five years, SSM officials said. (Post-Dispatch)

Uncertainty of the existing Desloge Tower left many wondering if it might be razed.

First, some background:

Going back in the history books, Firmin Desloge Hospital was officially dedicated on November 3, 1933, rising 250 feet and topped by a French Gothic roof of copper-covered lead. Over the next several weeks, it began admitting its first patients. It was unique for its time, offering patients private or semi-private rooms instead of the open ward model common in most hospitals. Desloge Tower served as the main hospital building of the Saint Louis University Medical Center until 1959 when Firmin Desloge Hospital, the Bordley Memorial Pavilion and the David P. Wohl Sr. Memorial Institute were collectively renamed Saint Louis University Hospital.

Desloge Tower is also home to the chapel of Christ the Crucified King, commonly known as Desloge Chapel, which was designed by Gothic revivalist architect, Ralph Adams Cram, who was a prolific and influential American architect of collegiate and ecclesiastical buildings. The chapel was designed to echo the contours of the St. Chapelle in Paris, which was Louis IX’s palace chapel, and in 1983, Desloge Chapel was declared a landmark by the Missouri Historical Society.

Desloge Tower continues to serve SLU Hospital with physician offices, gastroenterology, interventional radiology and the cardiac catheterization lab.

Its image is a well-recognized part of the St. Louis skyline, and is often the symbol of the hospital itself. (SLU Hospital)

With a fresh start nearby, it does mean the future is uncertain. The future of the old Pevely Dairy just to the North is more certain — it’ll likely be gone.

I’m fine with the Pevely coming down — as long as the new facilities are very urban in form. This is on the route of the busiest MetroBus route in the region — the #70 (Grand), and the #32 (ML King-Chouteau) runs in Chouteau. Just to the North is the Grand MetroLink (light rail) station.

What many in St. Louis, especially at City Hall, fail to realize is facilities can be friendly to motorists and pedestrians — these are not mutually-exclusive. The street grid need-not be decimated to create a campus.

When we visit Chicago next month, our 4th time in 2015, we’ll be staying in a friend’s condo located within the Northwestern Medicine/Northwestern Memorial Hospital campus. The sidewalks are packed with people visiting street-level restaurants. The internal walkway system and lots of parking garages hasn’t made the sidewalks a ghost town.

SSM Health is going to build a new complex. Now’s the opportunity to look at how medical campuses in other cities can be vibrant active places that are also convenient to those using cars. Dislodge Tower could become a mixed-use building with retail, restaurants, offices, and residential.

— Steve Patterson