Sunday Poll: Which GOP Candidate for Missouri Governor Do You Think Will Win Their August Primary?

A big primary is coming up on Tuesday August 2nd. Among the many offices up for grabs is that of Missouri governor. There are four candidates on both the Democratic & Republican ballots, but it’s almost certain AG Koster will win the 4-way Democratic primary. Who he will face in the November 8th general election is anybody’s guess.

From the Washington Post back in April:

2. Missouri (D) OPEN: Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon is term-limited, and Democrats are turning to state Attorney General Chris Koster, a former Republican, to keep the mansion in Democratic hands. It’s going to be tough, given Missouri’s governor’s race is a toss-up in a state that, notably, has voted for the Republican candidate for president since 2000. But Koster’s chances are getting better with each passing day that Republicans muddle through a primary with four solid candidates, all of them viable: Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, former state House speaker Catherine Hanaway, former Navy SEAL Eric Greitens, and businessman and former Senate candidate John Brunner. Each has their own advantage, whether it be money or résumé. As such, the August Republican primary risks damaging the eventual nominee just two months before the general election. In addition, all of them have to be careful to avoid any political third rails when it comes to controversial legislation to give businesses and individuals the right to refuse service to same-sex couples. (Some of Missouri’s biggest businesses are opposed to the law.) If this seat does go red, Republicans have good reason to think it will stay that way for a while. But Missouri voters are famously hard to pin down, and they have a few more months to watch Republicans battle it out. (Washington Post: The top 5 governors races in 2016)

If you’ve watched any television in the last month you’ve been bombarded by ad after ad. But if you’ve missed the ads, here are the most recent for each, in ballot order:

Not that I’m a fan of Koster, but I want the least electable GOP candidate to win the primary. But my want is different than who I think will actually win. So I’m putting the question to you:

The responses are shown in random order, the non-scientific poll will close at 8pm tonight. If I see evidence of a campaign to significantly alter the results I’ll close the poll early.

— Steve Patterson

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: