Sunday Poll: The Taxicab Commission has been fighting with Uber ride sharing service. Which side do you support?

The battle between the Metropolitan Taxicab Commission, which regulates taxicabs in both St. Louis City & St. Louis County, and Uber, the ride sharing app got lots of attention last week:

One day before Uber was slated to begin giving free rides through the holiday weekend, it withdrew the offer. The ride-hailing service said it reversed course after the St. Louis Metropolitan Taxicab Commission ordered its drivers to get temporary permits.

The move came as a surprise to many, because the Uber drivers would not have charged passengers. (Post-Dispatch)

Here’s more specifics:

On Monday, Uber offered to give free rides over the long Fourth of July weekend. On Tuesday, the Metropolitan Taxicab Commission said it was considering the proposal. On Wednesday, the MTC laid out a series of conditions for UberX drivers, like fingerprint background checks and cheek swab drug tests. Thursday, Uber cancelled its plans.

Uber called those requirements “onerous” and said it’s already checked the backgrounds of its drivers. It also accused the MTC of a “charade” to help taxi companies keep out competition. (KMOX)

There is a lot of passion on both sides of this issue, making it a perfect topic for today’s Sunday Poll.

The poll closes at 8pm. Note: This post was updated by moving the poll from the sidebar to within the post, this permits mobile users to vote without having to switch to the desktop layout on their mobile browser.

— Steve Patterson

Sunday Poll: What Should St. Louis Do About The Confederate Memorial & Street In Forest Park?

Since nine people were shot & killed at a historically black church in Charleston S.C., the confederate flag has thankfully become politically toxic:

In South Carolina, the governor called for the Confederate flag to stop flying over the capitol. The governors of Virginia and North Carolina quickly declared that they would remove the flag from state license plates. Meanwhile, several of the country’s top retailers — from Walmart to eBay and Amazon — announced in quick succession that they would stop selling Confederate flag merchandise.

Not for the first time this year, the concerns of political leaders and business elites converged on a single issue — and swiftly forced dramatic change. (CNN: Why business fought the Confederate flag)

The confederate battle flag should’ve been banished decades ago, but what about other confederate symbols & memorials? Namely the confederate memorial in Forest Park…located on Confederate Drive:

Historians say don’t let the old artillery mislead you. Forest Park was never a civil war battle field. The only reason there a confederate statue here is because it is where the donor wanted it built back in 1914. But now, some want it gone.

For 100 years the statue has stood just east of the Missouri History museum and some would say on the southern side of the state’s Civil War history – a monument to Confederate “soldiers and sailors” built fifty years after the war. (KSDK: Confederate memorial debate in Forest Park)

Today’s poll question asks: “What should St. Louis do about the confederate memorial & street name in Forest Park?”

The poll, open until 8pm tonight, is at the top of the right sidebar. Mobile users will need to switch to the desktop view to vote.

— Steve Patterson

Sunday Poll: Should St. Louis tax payers get to vote on funding a new NFL stadium?

The subject of today’s poll may ultimately be decided by a court, from April:

The public body that owns and operates the Edward Jones Dome filed suit Friday against the city of St. Louis. They are trying to avoid a public vote on the use of taxpayer money for a new downtown football stadium. The St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Authority would ultimately be responsible for building the proposed stadium on the riverfront. The RSA is suing St. Louis city claiming the city ordinance requiring a citywide vote before public funds are spent on a stadium is, “Overly broad, vague and ambiguous.” The city says the ordinance is legal. (Fox 2)

The lawsuit makes sense, the St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Authority wants legal clarity:

At the center of the St. Louis lawsuit is a 2002 city ordinance that says a vote is required to decide whether public funds can be used to help pay for a sports venue. (LA Times)

Then last month a third of the aldermen weighed in:

Nine of the city’s 28 aldermen are calling for a public vote on the use of city tax dollars for a new riverfront football stadium — regardless of the outcome of a lawsuit seeking to escape just such an election.

On Friday, Alderman Scott Ogilvie sent a letter signed by him and eight colleagues asking the public board of the Edward Jones Dome to drop its lawsuit against the city and “embrace a conversation with St. Louisans” about the funding of a $985 million downtown arena. (Post-Dispatch)

Ordinance 65609/66509 called for a public referendum, becoming Chapter 3.91 Professional Sports Facility of the city code after approval by voters. City election results aren’t available online before 2005 so I asked Election director Gary Stoff about the results:

“Proposition S appeared on the Nov. 5, 2002 ballot.  The results were 48,872 (55.37%) in favor of the proposition and 34,552 (44.63%) opposed.”

The Post-Dispatch in January:

St. Louis residents passed the ordinance in 2002 by nearly 10 percentage points, 55 percent to 45 percent. St. Louis County voters approved a similar measure in 2004 by even more, 72 percent to 28 percent. (Post-Dispatch)

So there you have it. Today’s poll question asks “Should St. Louis tax payers get to vote on funding a new NFL stadium?” The poll is in the right sidebar (desktop layout) and will close at 8pm tonight.

— Steve Patterson

Sunday Poll: Yesterday a Ohio man wanted to enter the St. Louis Zoo openly carrying his gun, thoughts?

Last week a Cincinnati Ohio man announced he planned  to visit the St. Louis Zoo openly carrying a gun:

An Ohio man is planning to walk into the St. Louis Zoo with a gun Saturday.

Even though there are signs posted around the zoo stating that weapons are not allowed, Jeff Smith is planning to walk into the zoo with a gun visible to others, most likely in a holster or belt on his hip. Smith said he will demand to know what Missouri State Law he has violated if he is stopped from entering. (KMOV)

Local officials, including the police chief, looked for ways to prevent Smith’s plan:

St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson says Missouri has some of the most liberal gun laws in the country, and it may allow an open-carry protest to happen inside the zoo.

Amendment 5, was passed in August 2014, establishes the “unalienable right of citizens to keep and bear arms, ammunition and accessories associated with the normal functioning of such arms, for the purpose of defense of one’s person, family, home and property.”

Dotson says attorneys are looking to see if the amendment can allow police to keep the protest outside of the zoo. (KMOX)

Friday morning the St. Louis Zoo filed for a temporary restraining order, which was granted a few hours later:

A judge has barred a gun rights advocate from entering the St. Louis Zoo with a gun. (Post-Dispatch)

The poll today seeks to find out how regular readers feel about open carry of guns at the St. Louis Zoo. The poll answers might be a bit confusing, but they should cover all the various views. They’re presented in random oder. If you don’t like an answer you can provide your own. You can also share your thoughts in the comments below. The poll closes at 8pm — sooner if corrupted.

— Steve Patterson

Readers Split On Bill To Gradually Increase The Minimum Wage In St. Louis

Readers split on the question of raising the minimum wage in St. Louis.  Here are the results of the Sunday Poll:

Q: A bill introduced Friday would raise the minimum wage in St. Louis to $10/hr, with annual increases of $1.25/hr until reaching $15/hr in 2020. I…

1. Strongly support 12 [25.53%]
2. Oppose 11 [23.4%]
3. Support 10 [21.28%]
4. Strongly oppose 9 [19.15%]
5. Neutral 3 [6.38%]
6. Unsure/no opinion 2 [4.26%]

Support narrowly edged opposition 22-20.  The common argument against raising the minimum wage is that doing so would lead to inflation. That’s interesting, because the minimum wage hasn’t kept up with inflation:

Myth: The federal minimum wage goes up automatically as prices increase.

Not true: While some states have enacted rules in recent years triggering automatic increases in their minimum wages to help them keep up with inflation, the federal minimum wage does not operate in the same manner. An increase in the federal minimum wage requires approval by Congress and the president. However, in his call to gradually increase the current federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour, President Obama has also called for it to adjust automatically with inflation. Eliminating the requirement of formal congressional action would likely reduce the amount of time between increases, and better help low-income families keep up with rising prices.
Myth: The federal minimum wage is higher today than it was when President Reagan took office.

Not true: While the federal minimum wage was only $3.35 per hour in 1981 and is currently $7.25 per hour in real dollars, when adjusted for inflation, the current federal minimum wage would need to be more than $8 per hour to equal its buying power of the early 1980s and more nearly $11 per hour to equal its buying power of the late 1960s. That’s why President Obama is urging Congress to increase the federal minimum wage and give low-wage workers a much-needed boost. (Minimum Wage Mythbusters — U.S. Dept of Labor)

Not raising the minimum wage means these people find it harder and harder to survive each year as most everyone else gets raises, and groceries and other goods go up in cost. People are also focusing on $15/hr — that rate isn’t happening soon anywhere — increases will be gradual:

Among the cities that have enacted even higher local minimums are San Francisco ($15 by 2018), Seattle ($15 by 2021), Chicago ($13 by 2019) and Washington, D.C. ($11.50 by 2016), according to the National Employment Law Project. (5 facts about the minimum wage — Pew Reseach)

I hope this bill passes.

— Steve Patterson