The question for today’s poll is pretty straightforward: Which of the following best describe you political views?
Here are the options, in alphabetical order:
They’ll be in a random order in the poll — see top of right sidebar to make your selection.
— Steve Patterson
Today’s Sunday Poll is about a tough call between residents and jobs:
Last week, the Board of Alderman approved the use of eminent domain to move people out of a 100-acre site that the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is considering for relocation. Now, officials are saying that property owners will have an option to stay in their homes and businesses if the NGA chooses another location.
The area, just north of the former Pruitt-Igoe site, is one of four under consideration in the region by the federal agency, which is now located south of downtown. The city is eager to keep the NGA, along with its 3,100 employees and $2.4 million in earnings taxes each year. (St. Louis Public Radio)
Glad it was clarified they could stay if the NGA selects another site, but check the fine print from St. Louis Development director Otis Williams:
Williams’ comments are merely a promise. The bill doesn’t have language mandating that homeowners can stay if the land isn’t used.
“We will not demo before we have a decision,” Williams said.
Still, Williams said there “may be a few properties” that the city will exercise rights on anyway.
The purchases will come at a hefty price. The city has allocated $8-10 million for residential property purchases, if the government chooses the city location. But several businesses, including Faultless Healthcare Linen, would cost an additional $10 to $15 million to move.
Faultless reportedly spent $12 million in 2012 to expand at the location. The city provided real estate and property tax abatement for the property. (Post-Dispatch)
So there you go, today’s question is Should the City of St. Louis use eminent domain powers to assemble a site if the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency selects the city option?
The poll is in the right sidebar, it closes in 12 hours (8pm)
— Steve Patterson
The latest controversy in St. Louis is over a proposed QuikTrip on the SW corner of Jefferson & Chouteau, you can view the site plan on Scribd.
For the poll today I’d like to see what readers think. Answers provided range for let them build it to deny it, with two levels of compromise in between. The poll is at the top of the right sidebar, it closes in 12 hours (8pm).
I’ll detail my thoughts on Wednesday when I share the results.
— Steve Patterson
Years in the making, one year ago today Illinois & Missouri cut the ribbon on a new bridge over the Mississippi River at downtown St. Louis, officially named the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge. The name, like everything about the project, is a compromise between interests in each state.
For budget reasons the bridge has fewer lanes than originally desired, in downtown it feeds into Tucker rather than a West bypass loop. Now that a year has past I’d like you to rate the overall bridge project. How did Illinois & Missouri do?
The exact question is: Rate the new Mississippi River Bridge (aka The Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge) based on your overall impression.
The 1-5 rating scale will be presented in random order, the poll is in the right sidebar on the desktop layout. The Sunday Poll closes at 8pm — 12 hours from now. Note: your feelings for the late Stan Musial shouldn’t be a factor in your rating of this major infrastructure project.
— Steve Patterson
As a child of the 60s (barely) and 70s I received all the normal vaccines available at that time, so the news that some parents today don’t get their kids vaccinated came as a shock. The measles has returned to the US as a result:
Scientifically, there is no debate. The measles vaccine is effective. Most of those who contract measles, unsurprisingly, are those who are unvaccinated.
But a conversation about the current measles outbreak brings up other ideas — on personal and religious freedoms, skepticism of scientific findings, reach of government regulations — that are inherently political. And here is where the arguments arise. (CNN – Measles outbreak: How bad is it?)
Kids too young or too sick to receive the vaccine are placed at risk by healthy but unvaccinated kids. Here are the results from the Sunday Poll:
Q: When it comes to childhood diseases like measles, mumps and whooping cough, should all children be required to get vaccinations?
Over 91% — across the political spectrum — agreed with requiring vaccines. This is different than a recent national poll where only 60% supported requiring, with 37% for opt-outs. Nationally Democrats favored requiring vaccines at a higher rate (65%) than Republicans (58%) and Independents (48%). Not enough votes here to draw any conclusions other than Democrats make up over half the readership.
— Steve Patterson