It seems as though the dumb out of the Kansas and Missouri statehouses is in competition, trying to see who can do more--and worse.
Sure, Kansas seems to keep winning but not for Missourians in Jefferson City from trying.
Check out these two little beauties this week:
First, the Republicans down there killed the expansion of Medicare in the state which, by itself is pretty monumentally stupid.
Besides helping take care of Missourians in our really broken and obscenely expensive health care system, it would have a) taken back millions of dollars in federal tax money they're willing to throw at us and b), also fantastic, it would have--drumroll, please--CREATED JOBS for and in the state.
Minority Floor Leader Jolie Justus seemed to say it best, for me, anyway, on this issue:
"It seems to me that it’s pretty simple," Justus said. "Say ‘yes,’ create the jobs, expand the health care, take the money, the money that we’ve already sent to Washington DC in the form of our taxpayer dollars.”
Then, second, with this same nutjob budget from down there in the middle of the state, check this out:
The full Senate also voted to de-fund the Department of Revenue's Division of Motor Vehicles and Driver’s Licensing.
As Liz Lemon (actress ) would say, "What the what?!"
Here's their reason/excuse for it:
It’s been embroiled in controversy over the scanning of source documents for driver’s license and conceal carry weapons applicants, and for compiling a list of all of Missouri’s CCW holders and giving it to a federal investigator. State Senator Kurt Schaefer (R, Columbia) says Missouri’s "DMV" will remain unfunded until the Nixon Administration begins to truly cooperate with his Appropriations Committee investigation.
“We’re not gonna be held hostage by an out-of-control (state) agency whose gonna say, ‘either you give us the money for whatever we want it for, we’re not gonna tell you what we’re using it for, or we’re gonna take it out of Missouri citizens who buy new vehicles or need a driver’s license,’" Schaefer told reporters. "We’re simply not going to do that.”
And what happens now, you ask?
All 13 budget bills now go back to the Missouri House, which will likely reject most of the Senate’s changes and set up final negotiations between both chambers. Lawmakers have until May 10th to send the budget to Governor Jay Nixon (D).
Other than the time the Republicans down there did away with campaign contribution limits, it just doesn't get much dumber.
Link to original story: http://www.kcur.org/post/missouri-senate-passes-budget-de-funds-dmv