Sunday Poll: Should Transgender Persons Be Free To Use The Public Restroom That Matches Their Gender Identity?

A little local history about gender-related issues before I get into today’s poll:

July 6, 1916

The commissioner of parks and recreation proclaimed that the new plan for the city’s swimming pools was a success: ladies were to swim in the morning hours and men in the afternoon and evenings. Homeowners in the neighborhood of Fairground Park had complained that the mixing of the sexes in an informal atmosphere at the swimming pool might attract undesirables. The disapproving residents were joined by members of the Catholic and Protestant clergy. 

In spite of official and clerical sanction, the city’s director of public welfare called the plan a failure. Attendance, especially of women, had fallen off considerably. Newspapers made light of the situation, suggesting that if a gentleman wanted ri take HER swimming, he’d better try the Meramec. Common sense and the emergence of women as full citizens resulted in the later opening of municipal pools to men and women, boys and girls, together, with no disastrous consequences.  (Source: St. Louis Day by Day by Frances Hurd Stadler, pp: 127-128)

A century later the issue is about those who are transgender — physically born as one gender, but identifying as the other. So we have the transgender bathroom debate, the subject of today’s poll:

The poll will close at 8pm.

— Steve Patterson

Sunday Poll: Will North St. Louis Be Better Or Worse 25 Years From Now?

A quarter century ago I moved North of Delmar — from the Central West End. As I reflect back on the last 25 years, I think about what the next 25 might look like.

The National Geospatial Agency (NGA) will have been in it’s new headquarters for years. Will it help or hurt the surrounding area? Will Paul McKee’s plans get built? Will public transit be improved?

I have a lot of questions, but no crystal ball. There’s also a good chance I won’t be alive in 25 years to see the answers to my questions.

There’s no right or wrong answer to today’s poll — it’s a non-scientific measure of readers’ outlook. I’m not setting any criteria by which to compare now to 25 years from now, that’s up to you.

The poll is open until. 8pm.

Starting this week I’ll be cutting back from six posts to five — no more Monday posts, the next post will be Tuesday.

— Steve Patterson

Sunday Poll: Opioids/Herion vs Marijuana — Are They Equally Dangerous Drugs?

In late April singer Prince died at age 57, the corner found he died due to an opioid overdose:

Toxicology tests for Prince concluded that the entertainer died from an accidental overdose of the opioid fentanyl, according to a report on his death by the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office.
Fentanyl, prescribed by doctors for cancer treatment, can be made illicitly and is blamed for a spike in overdose deaths in the United States. It’s 25 to 50 times more potent than heroin and 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. (CNN)

Heroin is an opioid:

Heroin is an opioid drug that is synthesized from morphine, a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seed pod of the Asian opium poppy plant. Heroin usually appears as a white or brown powder or as a black sticky substance, known as “black tar heroin.” (drugabuse.gov)

Prescription opioids include Vicodin & OxyContin. The government classifies drugs relative to each other in five levels, here are the descriptions of the two most dangerous as described by the DEA:

Schedule I

Schedule I drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Schedule I drugs are the most dangerous drugs of all the drug schedules with potentially severe psychological or physical dependence. Some examples of Schedule I drugs are:

heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), marijuana (cannabis), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy), methaqualone, and peyote.

Schedule II

Schedule II drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with a high potential for abuse, with use potentially leading to severe psychological or physical dependence. These drugs are also considered dangerous. Some examples of Schedule II drugs are: 

Combination products with less than 15 milligrams of hydrocodone per dosage unit (Vicodin), cocaine, methamphetamine, methadone, hydromorphone (Dilaudid), meperidine (Demerol), oxycodone (OxyContin), fentanyl, Dexedrine, Adderall, and Ritalin

For today’s poll I’m contrasting opioids/herion (Schedule 1 & 2) to marijuana (Schedule 1):

The term “dangerous” is how ever you define it.  The poll will close at 8pm tonight.

Wednesday I’ll share my thoughts with the non-scientific results of this poll.

— Steve Patterson

Sunday Poll: Should The Presidential Nominating Process Be Revised?

Both major political parties hold their conventions next month. Both parties now have a presumptive nominee, but some think the processes used by the Republicans & Democrats should change:

Both parties have complex mechanisms for choosing presidential nominees, with each state holding caucuses or primaries under different rules. Candidates earn delegates to back them at the summer nominating conventions, with a certain number required to clinch the nomination.

Democrats embraced superdelegates in 1982 to make sure party leaders have a say in who is nominated. By giving key insiders more voice, leaders hoped to avoid what some saw as a mistake in 1972, when George McGovern won the nomination but was a weak general election candidate. (AP)

This is the subject of today’s non-scientific poll:

Sunday Poll: Support Or Oppose A Law Allowing Breaking Into A Car To Save A Child/Pet?

As we get closer to Summer, temperatures are rising. Which means the risk to kids & pets left in cars goes up greatly.  Ohio recently passed a law that protects the public if they try to save a minor and/or pet:

Governor John Kasich signed a bill into law Tuesday that protects a person who breaks into a hot car to save a minor or a pet.

Senate Bill 215 allows people to force their way into a locked vehicle if police are not able to get there in time. The law does come with some limitations, however.

The person must call 911, they must check to see if the door is unlocked and if they feel it is an emergency they can break into the vehicle. (Source)

Today’s poll asks you to weigh in on this topic:

The poll is open until 8pm tonight, please share your thoughts on such a law in the comments below.

— Steve Patterson