Blog
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Early Voting
When I went to vote, I was confronted with this petitioner at my polling precinct. A percentage of people will sign petitions just because they are being amenable and can’t think of a reason not to do so.
I didn’t sign his petition, but I did take his picture. The point is that some people will vote “yes” for whatever is on the ballot just because they figure if someone wants it bad enough to ask, they might as well just give it to him.
The greatest harm caused by early voting is that a percentage of voters will be pressured to vote for a person or a law whom they might otherwise not choose. When people show up to vote without knowledge of what they are doing or without enough self-motivation to go without prodding, you can be sure that others outside the system are manipulating the process. In some states that have early voting, organizations have loaded up buses to transport people from their work places to go vote. Many of these are voting under compulsion and would otherwise lack the intrinsic motivation to exert the effort.
On your November ballot, you will see a question of whether we should have early voting. At first glance, most will think this is a matter of convenience, but it is far more devious than that. It has the potential to destroy the honor of our system and will allow the winning side to be determined by who can bus-in and arm-twist the most uninformed voters.
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How to Run a School District
This photo was snapped at a campaign sign prep party we had two years ago. In the photo is Cindy Redburn, candidate for State Representative in South County. It takes a lot of great friends to have a great campaign! I can remember many times through the course of eight years when we debated bills and I stood at my microphone asking the members if we are a state legislature or a school board. It always puzzled me when we would pass laws pertaining to how to run a school district. Perhaps I am sensitized to this from having served nearly nine years in municipal government. I vividly remember how offended we were over the threat of the state or national government putting mandates on our city.
In the case of Amendment 3, which you will see on the ballot in November, this amendment was not put on the ballot by our state legislators. It was put on by a petition initiative.
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Ballot Questions
Voting is a moral issue. We owe it to ourselves and our government to take the time for thoughtful consideration before we cast our votes. Many people go out to vote for one special candidate or one issue. When they get into the voting booth, where it is too late to ask any questions, they are suddenly confronted with the problem of all these other people and surprise issues they never considered.
With less than two months to go before the next election, it’s time to start the education process for what you will see in November. The purpose of these next few newsletters is to help you understand what you will see on the ballot, but more importantly, how you should think when you see these questions on your ballot.
Please be wary of the technique that many political parties employ to put an emotional issue on the ballot just to drive up the vote tally. Many proposals do not belong on the ballot, but overzealous legislators and civic organizations feel they need to prove their validity by attempting to pass more laws. Bear in mind that we already have plenty of laws to cover nearly every topic and sometimes new proposals can be redundant or make things worse with unintended consequences.
One problem we have in Missouri is that the ballot summary may be written by someone who misses some details. We end up voting for what sounds like a fine idea on the surface, but might be horrible in practice. The majority of voters (but not my readers), are easily manipulated and tend to like the idea of being able to pass laws, but the consequences often don’t come out until later.
Oftentimes, a proposal comes with a story of something it is attempting to correct. If we are going to pass laws based upon stories, let’s also include the story of what could happen if the worst interpretation occurs.
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The Family Project
This was taken at the wedding for our daughter. (Standing) – Our two other daughters, Susanna and Cathryn; my parents, Marylin and Gordon; Bernie and I flank the bride and groom, Amanda and David; next to me are two of our four sons, Matt and Philip. (Sitting Left) Our son, John with his wife and three girls, (Sitting Right) Our son, Ben with his wife and four children. There’s a very special sense of completeness that happens when everyone is together and safely ushered into safe relationships. Our morality is not our own private business. The decisions we make for ourselves affect many others all along the chain. It is impossible to achieve stability without a commitment. Unfortunately, even a commitment is not a guarantee that anything will be permanent, but at least it shows a good faith effort.
The purpose of this publication is to help you make the connection between the break-up of the home and the costs to the taxpayers. Certainly, we can’t oversimplify by pretending the problem will be fixed just by letting people know they should get married and stay married.
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Minimum Pay
Several years ago I watched my husband change light bulbs. The problem was that the ceiling was 18 feet high. He had to bolt 2 X 4s to the bottom of the ladder and then he needed a step ladder to get to the bottom rung. Probably the biggest misconception is that minimum wage is designed to help those on the lowest end of the ladder. Actually, the opposite is true. Minimum wage raises the height of the lowest rung of the ladder, making it more difficult to find gainful employment.
I’m getting weary of candidates for public office saying they are going to create jobs. Really??? Businesses don’t have the same goal as government. Businesses don’t open up so they can create jobs. They open up so they can engage in an industry the owners find meaningful and so they can make a profit and then hire more people to keep growing. If they don’t make a profit, they naturally go away.
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Adoption
She almost looks like a doll.
This is a real grandbaby born in Knob Noster.Years before abortion was considered legal in all 50 states, many young ladies were pressured into giving their babies away. Whenever a baby cannot be raised by his own mother and father, it is always tragic and should give us pause to reflect on the consequences of living in a fallen world. Yet, sometimes circumstances beyond our control warrant eliciting the help of others.
In life, there is no such thing as rewinding the tape. The reason many women destroy their babies is because they want to believe they can undo a segment of their lives later in the process. Many times parents who either give their children away or destroy them, feel a sense of loss and sadness for the rest of their lives. My city clerk once told me, “You can take the baby out of the mother’s body, but you can never take the baby out of the mother’s mind.” Those words stuck with me through the years because they are true.
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Virtue vs. Lawlessness
The Ferguson problem is not about racism. It’s about the way citizens and law enforcement interact with each other. During my service in municipal government, our city set up a “Citizens’ Police Academy”. I went through it to gain a better understanding of our police officers’ experiences and challenges from the other side of the badge.
I never allowed my children to use the word “Cop” because we thought it was disrespectful. The reason we have government is to protect citizens and their life, liberty and property. Therefore, we need to have police officers establish, protect and reassure our civil stability.
The primary duty of a police officer is to maintain control. There are innocent people in Ferguson who need to be protected. However, the more lawless the citizens become, the more forceful the police are inclined to become. At the end of the day, we should all desire to have civility and peace in all of our cities.
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Special Analysis for the Voters
This photo was taken at one of my Election Night Parties.
It always feels good to be surrounded by family and friends.This is the first time in the past 20 years my name has not been on the ballot. If you ask my husband, he will tell you it feels pretty good. Like Kenny Rogers sang, “You’ve got to know when to hold ’em…know when to fold ’em…know when to walk away…know when to run….”
Just because I didn’t run doesn’t mean I was not deeply engaged in researching and analyzing the process of learning. Today I share with you some insights you might find helpful.
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College By 12
It seems like they’re getting younger all the time.
This is my son at his kindergarten graduation.All of us want our children to succeed. Some people are overachievers and want “Trophy Children”. Doing your best to raise your children with sound principles and moral integrity is the best social security program of all.
The “Back to School” sales are making people think about and prepare for the next school year. While lots of parents and grandparents are taking their children to extracurricular events, the Harding family members are driving their children to college. Kip and Mona Lisa Harding are doing something special. Out of ten children, the first seven have started college by the time they were twelve years old. We will have a conversation with them this week on our show and ask the question, “How do you do it?”
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Giving Away the Farms
She was probably calling home to ask her mother if she would mind if she brings a lamb home. 
Having chickens is a great way to teach kids lessons they may never learn anywhere else.