The Post-Dispatch has it at 59% for.
It’s a no-brainer to pass - really, the only people who would clearly oppose it are the citizens of KC and St Louis, since it funds a huge chunk of the city budgets by taxing people not in the city (and, often, not in the state - in KC, it presumably pulls in a lot of cash from relatively affluent Johnson County, KS, no idea what the Illinois suburbs look like on the St Louis side).
The out-state people presumably look at it as giving their cash to people who waste it - even though the ones paying it work in the city and actually get at least some benefit from it, it’s nothing obvious.
But even with that, I see signs in my neighborhood blaring “Let the Voters Decide!” - people are already bitching about city services, it’d be interesting to find out how they think they’ll be paid for if the tax is dropped. Waste and fraud, no doubt.
Joe
Well, I oppose it for the sake of the smaller cities & towns that would be forbidden to institute earnings taxes by state law if it passes. Imagine having to get statewide approval for a tax in your own town? An earnings tax doesn’t hit those outside the city limits any more than a sales tax. A combination of the two may actually be better for business in the city limits than a reliance on only one.
I was kind of meh on Proposition B, 2010-85 Initiative Petition --what little I knew of it I didn’t disagree with, but I wasn’t that sure about it. Tonight I went to a presentation on it.
Presently in Missouri, puppy mills are overseen by the Department of Agriculture, & local law enforcement can’t seize animals. Proposition B would allow law enforcement–sheriffs & city police–to step in & remove animals. It also mandates at least yearly veterinary visits & mandates exercise areas, whereas present law does not require these things. But it’s the fact that violations would become misdemeanors, & that puppy mill operators could no longer automatically keep out police or the ASPCA, that really persuades me.
I’m voting for it. You’re voting for it. Chicagoans who’ve sent in their absentee ballots are voting for it. It’s time.
http://YesonPropB.com
573-263-9226
Constitutional Amendment 1
Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to require the office of county assessor to be an elected position in all counties with a charter form of government, except counties with a population between 600,001-699,999?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA…no. I’m sorry, maybe there’s some historical reason why this is framed this way, but it’s just too silly for a constitutional amendment. “OK, everyone does things this way, unless you have between 600K & 700K inhabitants non-inclusive. Hope the census doesn’t screw you up, Jackson County!”
Constitutional Amendment 2
Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to require that all real property used as a homestead by Missouri citizens who are former prisoners of war and have a total service-connected disability be exempt from property taxes?
I have no great objection to laws exempting former POW’s from property tax, or giving retired schoolteachers chocolates on Valentine’s Day, or paying the rent of retired police officers, or what have you. But does anyone else think this is too goofy for a constitutional amendment? Yeah…no.
Constitutional Amendment 3
Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to prevent the state, counties, and other political subdivisions from imposing any new tax, including a sales tax, on the sale or transfer of homes or any other real estate?
It’s not a vote on a tax, it’s a vote against having a vote on a tax, & completely unnecessary due to the Hancock Amendments. Utterly unworthy of being in the constitution. No no no. Also, the double taxation argument is hogwash. We pay personal property tax & sales/transfer tax on other items (like vehicles) all the time.
Proposition A
Shall Missouri law be amended to:
repeal the authority of certain cities to use earnings taxes to fund their budgets;
require voters in cities that currently have an earnings tax to approve continuation of such tax at the next general municipal election and at an election held every 5 years thereafter;
require any current earnings tax that is not approved by the voters to be phased out over a period of 10 years; and
prohibit any city from adding a new earnings tax to fund their budget?
Huge no, as I have said above. If this passes, it will because people think fewer taxes is the same as less tax. It’s not. If Springfield can never have an earnings tax, that doesn’t mean it’s taxes won’t go up. It means sales & property taxes can’t be cut by going to a broader-based system including earnings taxes. The nicest things I can say about it are that it doesn’t prohibit county earnings taxes (but it does restrict the city of St Louis, which is like a county); & at least it’s not a constitutional amendment.
I appreciate the rundown neighbor. Looks like it’s no on everything except prop B.
Funny thing is, I don’t particularly care about earnings taxes or real estate transfer taxes. But these propositions are shortsighted. It’s the combination of attempting to prevent such taxes from being passed in the future, & grabbing power away from localities, that makes me rabidly opposed to these props.
Amendment 1, otoh, is completely ridiculous. If you have to make a targeted exception to the rule you’re putting in the constitution, why are you putting it in the constitution?
And if a tax break for POW’s were a statute, I wouldn’t object. In fact, I don’t really care if this one passes, because it’s* hilarious.* But it’s still too goofy for me to really advocate it for the constitution.
Blunt ended up winning by 13 points. I guess there are also a lot of conservatives who don’t have land lines.
Missouri has really become quite a lot more conservative since I’ve been a voter. It went against the tide in 2008, and went strongly conservative last night. Skelton got trounced in MO-4. All of the conservative ballot issues won handily (even the “should it be illegal to not feed puppies” proposition almost failed!).
The kicker was that Russ Carnahan almost got dragged down by his sister’s poor showing. He pulled it out, and maybe surviving this just shows how safe that seat is for the Dems, but it was pretty tight for awhile.
The cities are still reliably Democratic, and St. Louis County is as bellwether as ever. But the rural regions are basically Arkansas North at this point, as opposed to Iowa South.