“Do you have any change?” Most of us have been approached by a homeless person asking for money.
ABOVE: entrance to the Horizon Club, a downtown St. Louis safe haven.
The poll this week asks how you respond when asked for money. Next week when I present the poll results I’ll have some expert views on the subject. In the meantime please vote and share your thoughts below.
– Steve Patterson
Do you diligently recycle every item in your house? Have you given up buying bottled water and even bring home bottles and food containers from places where recycling isn’t available? Have you opted for more vegetarian meals and created a plan to recycle gray water to your garden? Then you are someone who believes the planet is in trouble and are willing to make lifestyle choices to support your eco-concerns.
Then there’s your significant other: well-mannered, smart, a perfect fit, and totally opposed to giving up meat even one day a week. He/she recycles when it’s convenient, refuses to give up long showers, and doesn’t believe small personal choices have any impact whatsoever on global warming.
You are at odds. It’s a source of constant friction: he scowls at the vegetarian chili; she resents the single-ply toilet paper and the constant washing of his reusable water bottle. And worst of all is the sense of moral superiority that the significant other exudes while performing small acts of green living.
According to an article this week in the New York Times, therapists are counseling more and more couples who are having a hard time reconciling their green practices. It is their observation that:
“While no study has documented how frequent these clashes have become, therapists agree that the green issue can quickly become poisonous because it is so morally charged. Friends or family members who are not devoted to the environmental cause can become irritated by life choices they view as ostentatiously self-denying or politically correct.”
As climate change becomes an ever more divisive issue, not based on the science which is irrefutable, but on different personal values, it can lead to a parting of the ways. Some couples now look deep into their future and see different journeys and destinations as their partner adopts more green values. At stake now are differing ideas on how to live, how to invest money, what to eat, and what values to pass on to the children. There may soon be a need for a new kind of therapist: a sort of eco-therapist who can help couples and families to work out differences regarding green practices.
So here’s our question: Does a green line divide your household? Between those who choose to live green and those that don’t? The weekly poll is in the right sidebar.
- Deborah Moulton
Two hundred two people responded to the poll last week:
Q: What temperature is your thermostat normally set to during the Winter months while you are home & awake?
- 67º F or less: 70 [35%]
- 68º F: 55 [27%]
- 69º-71º F: 49 [24%]
- 72º F or higher: 24 [12%]
- N/A – radiators, no heat, etc: 4 [2%]
Each week I’m surprised by the poll results – they are hardly ever what I expected. In this case the results are better (lower) than I thought I’d see.   I’m still not sure why most readers are able to keep their thermostat at a reasonable level. Do they have well insulated homes? Do they like the cold? Do they fear huge winter heating bills?
Local utility Laclede Gas has a list of 30 Hot Tips for Using Energy Wisely that are worth reviewing. Here are a couple from the list I do regularly:
I have now spent about half my life living in multi-family housing, I can attest to the efficiencies gained through shared walls & roofs. My thermostat has been set on 60º for over a week and my loft stays a comfortable 67º day & night. Those living in single-family detached houses should have a vegetable garden to offset the extra energy used.
– Steve Patterson
July 2006, Veronica O'Brien talks to the press after Dr. Bourisaw was made superintendent of the St. Louis Public Schools.
A bill before the Missouri legislature could, if passed, change the composition of schools on the Missouri side of the St. Louis region:
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missouri lawmakers are to debate whether parents should be allowed to pick the public school their children attend.
Supporters contend open enrollment gets parents more involved and improves academic performance. But critics argue that open enrollment can create problems with school funding and makes planning harder. Teacher and school district groups also say the benefits of open enrollment are uncertain. (Fox 2: Mo. lawmakers propose open enrollment system to let parents choose school kids will attend)
Opponents to this idea are fighting back:
“We think that the emphasis ought to be on improving public education in local school districts rather than encouraging students to be attending other school districts,” said Missouri School Board Association spokesman Brent Ghan.
Representative Jane Cunningham (R-Chesterfield) sponsored the bill to allow students the choice in which school they want to go to within 30 miles of their home. She said that there are problems in Missouri’s schools that need fixing.
“Right now, in Missouri, we are looking at some real crisis situations as far as the academics and the accreditation of some of our school districts,” she said. “So, I think from that stand point, those parents are going to be looking at opportunities for their children to attend an accredited school.” (KOMU, Open Enrollment Stirs Debate)
Jane Cunningham is a State Senator (R-7), not a State Rep. She is the sponsor of SB537:
Current Bill Summary
SB 537 – This act creates procedures for open enrollment across school district boundary lines for children in foster care and for children of parents who are employed as a firefighter, emergency medical technician, or peace officer who must live within a designated school district as part of their employment. School districts must adopt a policy and designate appropriate class sizes for purposes of open enrollment, incorporating the minimum standard of teacher-pupil ratio promulgated by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The policy may include spaces that could be filled by open enrollment. A student wishing to participate in open enrollment must declare intent by March first prior to the year in which the student would open enroll. If a receiving school has insufficient space for all students who want to enroll, it may institute an admissions process.
If a parent believes that a receiving district has unreasonably disapproved an application for admittance, he or she may request that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education review it. School districts must keep records and make them publicly available, as described in the act.
A student requiring special education services may only transfer if the receiving district verifies that it has an instructional program that is appropriate for the student and that the enrollment would not negatively affect the class size.
A student who enrolls in another district will be included in the receiving district for purposes of state school foundation aid.
The parent or guardian is responsible for transporting a child who enrolls in another school district. At the discretion of the receiving district, the parent or guardian may transport the child to a point on an existing school bus route.
The act also contains provisions for statewide assessment scores of students, intradistrict transfers, participation in school activities, and school district eligibility for small school grants.
This act is similar to HCS/HBs 807 & 690 (2007). (Source: SB537)
I have no horse in this race other than wanting inner-city schools to remain competitive with suburban districts and for our region to do a good job of educating all our future adults. We certainly should use caution before doing anything that might undermine fragile districts. Exploring and discussing ideas is certainly where we must begin.
The idea of open enrollment is the topic of the poll this week. You can vote in the upper right corner.
- Steve Patterson
Cold weather has hit St. Louis which means people are cranking up their furnaces, using more energy. You can possibly save energy (and money) by adjusting the setting:
You can easily save energy in the winter by setting the thermostat to 68°F while you’re awake and setting it lower while you’re asleep or away from home. By turning your thermostat back 10°-15° for 8 hours, you can save about 5%-15% a year on your heating bill-a savings of as much as 1% for each degree if the setback period is eight hours long. The percentage of savings from setback is greater for buildings in milder climates than for those in more severe climates.
A common misconception associated with thermostats is that a furnace works harder than normal to warm the space back to a comfortable temperature after the thermostat has been set back, resulting in little or no savings. This misconception has been dispelled by years of research and numerous studies. The fuel required to reheat a building to a comfortable temperature is roughly equal to the fuel saved as the building drops to the lower temperature. You save fuel between the time that the temperature stabilizes at the lower level and the next time heat is needed. So, the longer your house remains at the lower temperature, the more energy you save. (EnergySavers.gov: General Thermostat Operation)
I’m fortunate in that my condo stays about 68º just based on heat from surrounding units and only a single exterior wall. The past week my furnace has only kicked on during the night because I went to bed with the thermostat still set at 68º.
The poll this week asks where you keep your thermostat set when you are home and awake. Share your thoughts in the comments below.
– Steve Patterson
Grand @ Olive. Image Source: GrandCenter.org
Despite the annual First Night event in Grand Center, I stayed at home New Years Eve. If I were more mobile and it wasn’t so cold out I might have joined the party. The question about people’s plans for New Years Eve was the poll question last week:
Q: New Year’s Eve I will celebrate:
- at my home: 28 (33%)
- at the home of family/friends: 28 (33%)
- at a local business in my region: 9 (11%)
- at a local event in my region: 9 (11%)
- unsure/still deciding/not celebrating: 6 (7%)
- in a region other than my own: 5 (6%)
It was a soft question to end out 2009 and the response was lower than normal. Two-thirds were going to be at home – theirs or that of others. I imagine most of us at home watched the ball drop in Times Square. Such events are held in urban spaces. You’d never see a New Years Eve celebration in a Home Depot parking lot.  People just expect celebrations (parades, festivals, etc) to take place in urban settings.
As Grand Center gets more restaurant venues, hotels and residential housing this area and the First Night event should become more and more important. Maybe this coming NYE won’t be as cold?
– Steve Patterson
St. Louis City Hall
The question of municipal earnings taxes have been raised once again last week:
“A series of proposed ballot initiatives unveiled by the Missouri secretary of state this week could spell the end of the city’s much-maligned 1 percent earnings tax.The ballot questions – five of them – were approved only for circulation, meaning that supporters are free to begin the process of gathering the 100,000 or so signatures needed to put any one of them on the statewide ballot.
The initiatives were officially submitted to the secretary of state by a Jefferson City attorney, but the push itself is being led by – who else? – wealthy financier Rex Sinquefield, who has flooded the coffers of Missouri politicians with campaign cash.” Source: P-D Political Fix)
The following is the news release from Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan (link):
The first ballot title for the petition relating to earnings taxes reads:
Shall Missouri law be amended to:
- repeal the authority of certain cities to use earnings taxes to fund their budgets;
- require voters in cities that currently have an earnings tax to approve continuation of such tax at the next general municipal election and at an election held every 5 years thereafter;
- require any current earnings tax that is not approved by the voters to be phased out over a period of 5 years; and
- prohibit any city from adding a new earnings tax to fund their budget?
The proposal could eliminate certain city earnings taxes. For 2010, Kansas City and the City of St. Louis budgeted earnings tax revenue of $199.2 million and $141.2 million, respectively. Reduced earnings tax deductions could increase state revenues by $4.8 million. The total cost or savings to state and local governmental entities is unknown.The second ballot title for the petition relating to earnings taxes reads:
Shall Missouri law be amended to:
- repeal the authority of certain cities to use earnings taxes to fund their budgets;
- require voters in cities that currently have an earnings tax to approve continuation of such tax at the next general municipal election and at an election held every 5 years thereafter;
- require any current earnings tax that is not approved by the voters to be phased out over a period of 10 years; and
- prohibit any city from adding a new earnings tax to fund their budget?
The proposal could eliminate certain city earnings taxes. For 2010, Kansas City and the City of St. Louis budgeted earnings tax revenue of $199.2 million and $141.2 million, respectively. Reduced earnings tax deductions could increase state revenues by $4.8 million. The total cost or savings to state and local governmental entities is unknown.The third ballot title for the petition relating to earnings taxes reads:
Shall Missouri law be amended to:
- repeal the authority of certain cities to use earnings taxes to fund their budgets;
- require voters in cities that currently have an earnings tax to approve continuation of such tax at the next general municipal election and at an election held every 10 years thereafter;
- require any current earnings tax that is not approved by the voters to be phased out over a period of 10 years; and
- prohibit any city from adding a new earnings tax to fund their budget?
The proposal could eliminate certain city earnings taxes. For 2010, Kansas City and the City of St. Louis budgeted earnings tax revenue of $199.2 million and $141.2 million, respectively. Reduced earnings tax deductions could increase state revenues by $4.8 million. The total cost or savings to state and local governmental entities is unknown.The fourth ballot title for the petition relating to earnings taxes reads:
Shall Missouri law be amended to:
- repeal the authority of certain cities to use earnings taxes to fund their budgets;
- require voters in cities that currently have an earnings tax to approve continuation of such tax at the next general municipal election and at an election held every 5 years thereafter;
- require any current earnings tax that is not approved by the voters to be phased out over a period of 10 years; and
- prohibit any city from adding a new earnings tax to fund their budget?
The proposal could eliminate certain city earnings taxes. For 2010, Kansas City and the City of St. Louis budgeted earnings tax revenue of $199.2 million and $141.2 million, respectively. Reduced earnings tax deductions could increase state revenues by $4.8 million. The total cost or savings to state and local governmental entities is unknown.The fifth ballot title for the petition relating to earnings taxes reads:
Shall Missouri law be amended to eliminate the ability of cities to use earnings taxes to fund their budgets by phasing out any existing earnings tax over a ten year period and prohibiting any city from adding such a tax as a potential source of revenue?The proposal could eliminate certain city earnings taxes. For 2010, Kansas City and the City of St. Louis budgeted earnings tax revenue of $199.2 million and $141.2 million, respectively. Reduced earnings tax deductions could increase state revenues by $4.8 million. The total cost or savings to state and local governmental entities is unknown.These five petitions relating to earnings taxes, which would amend Chapter 92 of the Missouri Revised Statutes, were submitted by Mr. Marc H. Ellinger, 308 East High Street, Ste. 301, Jefferson City, MO 65101-3237.
That is a lot to absorb. Each of the five relates to how “certain cities use earnings taxes to fund their budgets.”
If wealthy financier/political activist Rex Sinquefield (right) gets his way and eliminates the city of St. Louis’ earnings tax, city officials say the impact would be “both disastrously serious and disastrously negative,” according to documents filed with the state auditor’s office.
In fact, city officials say that if St. Louis loses the $141 million collected annually from the one-percent tax, which provides close to 40 percent of the city’s income, “it could no longer function as a viable city government.”
Loss of the earnings tax, without replacing it with a roughly equal source of revenue, “would result in cuts to public safety services so deep as to end the City’s viability as a place to live, work and visit,” officials say. (Source: St. Louis Beacon)
Tax policies can be an important growth factor for municipalities, regions and states. The wrong policies and growth can be above average. Have the wrong policy and growth can lag behind the national average. The latter is the argument put forth by Sinquefield’s Show-Me Institute:
Missouri’s economic development and growth rates are chronically below average. During the past 10 years, employment has grown 8.8 percent nationally, while Missouri has boosted jobs by only 6 percent. Economists have provided one explanation for the state’s lagging performance: Missouri’s personal income tax rates. (Source)
My gut tells me the city & state would eventually be better off if we eliminated the earnings tax. That increased population and taxable activity would make up for the loss. The trick is how to get to that point. I’m all for trying to figure out how to increase our population, our employment base and other factors. We can’t just say the earnings tax is etched in stone.
So take the poll in the upper right corner and add your thoughts below.
- Steve Patterson
The poll last week was about schools. Most of the 89 that responded felt more school districts in our region should be consolidated.
Wellston schools are merging with Normandy schools, should more school districts in the region merge?
Yes: 60 (67%)
No: 16 (18%)
Unsure/no opinion: 13 (15%)
The following is a map of the public school districts in two of the region’s 16 counties: St. Louis City & St. Louis County.
The map only tells park of the picture. For more we need to look at enrollment.
Wellston, that is being consolidated with Normandy, is the smallest district on the list. The troubled St. Louis district, on the other hand, is the largest. But we can’t conclude that small or large is uniformly bad. Other factors, such as the overall economic demographic of the geographic area, are just as important in determining the overall success of a school district. Districts in economically poor areas, in my view, are certain to perform below expectations regardless of the amount of money expensed per student.
The best solution may be consolidation of some and splitting up of others – with an eye toward diverse economics and neither too small or too big with respect to the total enrollment.
- Steve Patterson
Last week’s poll asked what you thought we should call the rebuilt highway through St. Louis, officially known as I-64:
- I-64 only: 74 (45%)
- Highway 40 only: 42 (26%)
- Either Hwy 40 or I-64: 38 (23%)
- Unsure/no opinion: 9 (6% )
163 people voted and as you can see no answer received a majority vote. The biggest group voted for the official name only, I-64. But the second biggest group voted for the original name only, Highway 40. Not far behind are those who are fine with either name.
When I moved to St. Louis in 1990 I found the two names confusing. I thought Highway 40 should be dropped in favor of I-64. But now, nearly 20 years later I have changed my view.  Inner cities will always have limited-access/high-speed roads but interstates should have gone around cities rather than through them.
So, from my view, we shouldn’t celebrate I-64 cutting a swath through the center of the St. Louis region. We should downplay the interstate so outsiders just passing through the region take the highway loop around the region. Keep the highway for local traffic.
– Steve Patterson
No matter where you live you are probably part of a neighborhood and that neighborhood very likely has regular meetings. They may be quarterly or they may be monthly. Some are casual while others can be more formal. Some can be very productive while others never seem to move forward. I personally have a low tolerance for neighborhood meetings.
The poll this week asks how often you attend your own neighborhood meeting? Are you at every meeting or do show up rarely for the hot topic? The poll is in the upper side sidebar.
In the comments below I’d like to hear some of your personal experiences. What do you like, dislike? Any suggestions on how to get more people involved and how to set & accomplish goals for the neighborhood.
I’ll start. I think Robert’s Rules of Order should be dumped. Nobody likes to sit through meetings where people butcher the rules (“I motion that…”). Instead the leadership should work toward decisions based on consensus. Discuss.
– Steve Patterson
