Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Friday, May 06, 2005
Kansas City Star | 03/17/2004 | Area lawmakers share in lobbyist riches
Kansas City Star | 03/17/2004 | Area lawmakers share in lobbyist riches
“I can't eat with chopsticks, but I've learned to eat with toothpicks,” Dougherty said with a chuckle. “You know you've arrived when you can balance a plate of meatballs in one hand, a drink in the other and still shake hands.”
“I can't eat with chopsticks, but I've learned to eat with toothpicks,” Dougherty said with a chuckle. “You know you've arrived when you can balance a plate of meatballs in one hand, a drink in the other and still shake hands.”
Thursday, May 05, 2005
Columbia Daily Tribune-Hot Springs trip spotlights lobbyist spending
Hot Springs trip spotlights lobbyist spending
That willingness can produce some eye-popping numbers in the reports that lobbyists must file with the Missouri Ethics Commission. In 2004, for instance, lobbyist John Bardgett reported spending $31,389.59 on "meals, food and beverage" - and that was just in January and February.
That willingness can produce some eye-popping numbers in the reports that lobbyists must file with the Missouri Ethics Commission. In 2004, for instance, lobbyist John Bardgett reported spending $31,389.59 on "meals, food and beverage" - and that was just in January and February.
Kansas City Star | 02/29/2004 | Gifts, favors flow freely to Missouri politicians
Kansas City Star | 02/29/2004 | Gifts, favors flow freely to Missouri politicians
A Highlight:
Posted on Sun, Feb. 29, 2004
R E L A T E D L I N K S
• Area lawmakers share in lobbyist riches
• Lobbyist gifts: Check what your elected official got
Jefferson City awash in lobbyist largess
Gifts, favors flow freely to Missouri politicians
By KIT WAGAR The Kansas City Star
With the kickoff of the 2002 Super Bowl just hours away, Wayne Crump and Jim Foley found themselves on a corporate jet winging their way toward New Orleans.
It was rarefied air for Crump, a cattle farmer and former sheriff's deputy from Potosi; for Crump's wife, Tiffany; and for Foley, a former pipe fitter and one-time alderman for tiny St. Ann in St. Louis County.
What put them on Monsanto Corp.'s jet with $400 tickets to the Super Bowl were Crump's and Foley's part-time jobs as majority leader and assistant floor leader of the Missouri House of Representatives.
The entire trip — the private flight, food and drink after the game and tickets to see the St. Louis Rams lose on a last-second field goal — was worth $4,136 as reported by two lobbyists who picked up the tab.
The trip, although certainly among the pricier offerings, was just one of hundreds of gifts and favors that lobbyists routinely provide to Missouri's elected officials.
Lobbyists reported spending nearly $2.4 million on Missouri public officials, their families and their staffs from 2001 through 2003. The gifts ranged from free meals, concerts and alcohol to seminars at Harvard, lavish birthday parties, trips to the Kentucky Derby, and New Year's at the Four Seasons lodge for seven lawmakers and their spouses.
Lobbyist gifts to elected officials have been reported to the Missouri Ethics Commission since the mid-1990s. But the records were largely inaccessible to the public until a computerized reporting system went online in January 2001.
With legislative term limits bringing dozens of new legislators to Jefferson City, The Kansas City Star began taking a hard look at how special interests are attempting to influence the latest crop of policy-makers.
By almost any measure, the paper found, Jefferson City is awash in lobbyists' money. And the tide is rising.
The value of lobbyists' gifts rose 28 percent last year, reaching $916,828 — nearly $3,600 every business day of the year. The money flows so freely that many legislators — from freshmen to veterans — have no qualms about asking lobbyists to pay for expensive trips, tickets and receptions for constituent groups.
The average elected official in Missouri received nearly twice as much as their counterparts in Kansas last year. A computer analysis of lobbyist gifts in Missouri over a 31-month period found a trend that tends to undermine the purpose of lobbyist disclosure laws: Spending skyrocketed last year on official groups of lawmakers, which are allowed to accept gifts without them showing up under each recipient's name. The number of such groups doubled last year.
Critics question whether the size and frequency of gifts force lawmakers to choose between two masters — the lobbyists who add an element of fun to the job or the public that voted to put them in office.
Celia Wexler, research director for the government watchdog group Common Cause, said gifts are the means lobbyists use to get the access and influence they need.
“That's why it is so troubling,” Wexler said. “What we want to believe, what we need to believe, is that every vote counts and every constituent counts and no one has a direct line to our state representatives. … But it's human nature to develop warmer feelings for people who are nice to you, and to begin to view lobbyists' opinions more favorably. It creates questions about what arguments lawmakers are listening to and who is whispering in their ears.”
A Highlight:
Posted on Sun, Feb. 29, 2004
R E L A T E D L I N K S
• Area lawmakers share in lobbyist riches
• Lobbyist gifts: Check what your elected official got
Jefferson City awash in lobbyist largess
Gifts, favors flow freely to Missouri politicians
By KIT WAGAR The Kansas City Star
With the kickoff of the 2002 Super Bowl just hours away, Wayne Crump and Jim Foley found themselves on a corporate jet winging their way toward New Orleans.
It was rarefied air for Crump, a cattle farmer and former sheriff's deputy from Potosi; for Crump's wife, Tiffany; and for Foley, a former pipe fitter and one-time alderman for tiny St. Ann in St. Louis County.
What put them on Monsanto Corp.'s jet with $400 tickets to the Super Bowl were Crump's and Foley's part-time jobs as majority leader and assistant floor leader of the Missouri House of Representatives.
The entire trip — the private flight, food and drink after the game and tickets to see the St. Louis Rams lose on a last-second field goal — was worth $4,136 as reported by two lobbyists who picked up the tab.
The trip, although certainly among the pricier offerings, was just one of hundreds of gifts and favors that lobbyists routinely provide to Missouri's elected officials.
Lobbyists reported spending nearly $2.4 million on Missouri public officials, their families and their staffs from 2001 through 2003. The gifts ranged from free meals, concerts and alcohol to seminars at Harvard, lavish birthday parties, trips to the Kentucky Derby, and New Year's at the Four Seasons lodge for seven lawmakers and their spouses.
Lobbyist gifts to elected officials have been reported to the Missouri Ethics Commission since the mid-1990s. But the records were largely inaccessible to the public until a computerized reporting system went online in January 2001.
With legislative term limits bringing dozens of new legislators to Jefferson City, The Kansas City Star began taking a hard look at how special interests are attempting to influence the latest crop of policy-makers.
By almost any measure, the paper found, Jefferson City is awash in lobbyists' money. And the tide is rising.
The value of lobbyists' gifts rose 28 percent last year, reaching $916,828 — nearly $3,600 every business day of the year. The money flows so freely that many legislators — from freshmen to veterans — have no qualms about asking lobbyists to pay for expensive trips, tickets and receptions for constituent groups.
The average elected official in Missouri received nearly twice as much as their counterparts in Kansas last year. A computer analysis of lobbyist gifts in Missouri over a 31-month period found a trend that tends to undermine the purpose of lobbyist disclosure laws: Spending skyrocketed last year on official groups of lawmakers, which are allowed to accept gifts without them showing up under each recipient's name. The number of such groups doubled last year.
Critics question whether the size and frequency of gifts force lawmakers to choose between two masters — the lobbyists who add an element of fun to the job or the public that voted to put them in office.
Celia Wexler, research director for the government watchdog group Common Cause, said gifts are the means lobbyists use to get the access and influence they need.
“That's why it is so troubling,” Wexler said. “What we want to believe, what we need to believe, is that every vote counts and every constituent counts and no one has a direct line to our state representatives. … But it's human nature to develop warmer feelings for people who are nice to you, and to begin to view lobbyists' opinions more favorably. It creates questions about what arguments lawmakers are listening to and who is whispering in their ears.”
�Midwifery Bill� passes House; now to Senate Cunningham: �I voted for it, but the bill likely won�t pass the Senate�
�Midwifery Bill� passes House; now to Senate Cunningham: �I voted for it, but the bill likely won�t pass the Senate�
“Personally, I don’t think that I would have wanted any of my three children to be born in the home with the assistance of a midwife, but I also felt that proponents of the bill stated their case very well,” he said. “As a whole, I felt it was a good bill that benefitted the residents of my district.”
“Personally, I don’t think that I would have wanted any of my three children to be born in the home with the assistance of a midwife, but I also felt that proponents of the bill stated their case very well,” he said. “As a whole, I felt it was a good bill that benefitted the residents of my district.”
Truman Index-Midwife bill awaits delivery
Midwife bill awaits delivery - Index - News
A Highlight:
Missouri is one of seven states that still outlaws midwives. Dougherty said Missouri's method of outlawing the practice is unusual in that midwifery is included in the state's definition of medicine.
"In no way is it prohibited for a husband or a friend or a neighbor, someone who doesn't have the skills or experience to catch babies," Dougherty said. "But under current state law, once you have attained enough training and education that someone could call you a midwife, all of a sudden it becomes illegal, and that doesn't make sense."
Dougherty said Missouri outlawed the practice in the 1950s during a push to move all birthing into hospitals.
"It wasn't because of safety reasons," Dougherty said. "It was just because people in power had the power to make these laws."
Dougherty said that during a resurgence in popularity of midwifery during the 1970s, most states rescinded their restrictions.
"Women and families were taking a stand and saying, 'Wait a second, where did this right go? I have a right to birth my baby at home with a midwife,'" Dougherty said. "At that time, most states repealed those old laws, realizing that they probably shouldn't have been passed in the first place."
A Highlight:
Missouri is one of seven states that still outlaws midwives. Dougherty said Missouri's method of outlawing the practice is unusual in that midwifery is included in the state's definition of medicine.
"In no way is it prohibited for a husband or a friend or a neighbor, someone who doesn't have the skills or experience to catch babies," Dougherty said. "But under current state law, once you have attained enough training and education that someone could call you a midwife, all of a sudden it becomes illegal, and that doesn't make sense."
Dougherty said Missouri outlawed the practice in the 1950s during a push to move all birthing into hospitals.
"It wasn't because of safety reasons," Dougherty said. "It was just because people in power had the power to make these laws."
Dougherty said that during a resurgence in popularity of midwifery during the 1970s, most states rescinded their restrictions.
"Women and families were taking a stand and saying, 'Wait a second, where did this right go? I have a right to birth my baby at home with a midwife,'" Dougherty said. "At that time, most states repealed those old laws, realizing that they probably shouldn't have been passed in the first place."
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Columbia Daily Tribune-Midwifery bill faces resistance in Missouri Senate
Midwifery bill faces resistance in Missouri Senate
One of the best articles written so far, providing the most balance to the discussion. I was so impressed that I called the Tribune and thanked them for the balanced coverage!
Some highlights:
As a physician, Elizabeth Alleman of Columbia can offer home births, but she testified in support of decriminalizing midwifery. She said families who believe in home birth already make their own informed choices about caregivers, even though their midwives risk arrest. "The state has moved into the arena of childbirth and said women have to go to the hospitals and have doctors," Alleman said. "Citizens can’t vote with their feet."
Alleman left the hearings deeply disappointed by the testimony and the questions from the committee. She worries that senators won’t give the issue enough consideration with so many bills to wade through before the legislative session ends.
One of the best articles written so far, providing the most balance to the discussion. I was so impressed that I called the Tribune and thanked them for the balanced coverage!
Some highlights:
As a physician, Elizabeth Alleman of Columbia can offer home births, but she testified in support of decriminalizing midwifery. She said families who believe in home birth already make their own informed choices about caregivers, even though their midwives risk arrest. "The state has moved into the arena of childbirth and said women have to go to the hospitals and have doctors," Alleman said. "Citizens can’t vote with their feet."
Alleman left the hearings deeply disappointed by the testimony and the questions from the committee. She worries that senators won’t give the issue enough consideration with so many bills to wade through before the legislative session ends.
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Sunday, May 01, 2005
STLtoday - News - St. Louis City / County
STLtoday - News - St. Louis City / County
"Monica Manley, 25, of St. Louis, said her boyfriend got information about how to use biodiesel fuel to power his car and planned to do so. At last year's festival, she happened by an informational booth on midwifery and later hired one for the birth her son, Joad. Joad, now 5 months old, came to this year's event with his mother.
"Monica Manley, 25, of St. Louis, said her boyfriend got information about how to use biodiesel fuel to power his car and planned to do so. At last year's festival, she happened by an informational booth on midwifery and later hired one for the birth her son, Joad. Joad, now 5 months old, came to this year's event with his mother.
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Intuitive Art and Science of Midwifery- History
Intuitive Art and Science of Midwifery
An article from 1995 about Diane Barnes, a Missouri midwife which contains information about her involvement in trying to change Missouri law.
An article from 1995 about Diane Barnes, a Missouri midwife which contains information about her involvement in trying to change Missouri law.
Monday, April 25, 2005
AP Wire - House OKs bill allowing midwives
AP Wire | 04/20/2005 | House OKs bill allowing midwives
A highlight:
"We have the finest physicians in the world, we have the finest hospitals in the world, in this country. Those are the people that should be delivering babies," said Rep. Jeff Harris, D-Columbia."
I would like to ask Rep. Harris why we are last in the maternal infant mortality rate. Doesn't make sense Mr. Harris.
A highlight:
"We have the finest physicians in the world, we have the finest hospitals in the world, in this country. Those are the people that should be delivering babies," said Rep. Jeff Harris, D-Columbia."
I would like to ask Rep. Harris why we are last in the maternal infant mortality rate. Doesn't make sense Mr. Harris.
STLtoday - Measure would loosen limits on midwives
STLtoday - News - St. Louis City / County
Some highlights.... :-)
"Samanda Rossi's 19-month-old son is the product of an illegal underground movement."
"The unlicensed midwives work within a kind of clandestine network,..."
Some highlights.... :-)
"Samanda Rossi's 19-month-old son is the product of an illegal underground movement."
"The unlicensed midwives work within a kind of clandestine network,..."
The Missouri Midwifery Reading Room is Open
This blog will feature all the exciting happenings related to midwifery in Missouri. Our current focus is House Bill 36, which passed the House last week!
I will be putting older stuff on here and to keep it all straight I will put a timestamp that will reflect when the information came out.
Happy Reading!
I will be putting older stuff on here and to keep it all straight I will put a timestamp that will reflect when the information came out.
Happy Reading!
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
News-Leader.com | Opinions | Bill would give women home-birth option
News-Leader.com Opinions Bill would give women home-birth option
"The United States spends more money per capita on health care than any other country in the world, yet we rank 27th in infant mortality and morbidity rates. We are 15th in the world with our maternal mortality rate, which has not improved in 20 years. Check out www.cfmidwifery.org.
So, who is doing better than us? Surprisingly, it is the industrialized countries of the world who use midwifery care for nearly all births. Countries like Denmark, Sweden and England that rank at the top of the world with their birth statistics use obstetricians only for high-risk pregnancies. They have the fewest brain-damaged babies and the lowest infant and maternal mortality rates."
"The United States spends more money per capita on health care than any other country in the world, yet we rank 27th in infant mortality and morbidity rates. We are 15th in the world with our maternal mortality rate, which has not improved in 20 years. Check out www.cfmidwifery.org.
So, who is doing better than us? Surprisingly, it is the industrialized countries of the world who use midwifery care for nearly all births. Countries like Denmark, Sweden and England that rank at the top of the world with their birth statistics use obstetricians only for high-risk pregnancies. They have the fewest brain-damaged babies and the lowest infant and maternal mortality rates."
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