Jefferson Thomas's blog

As dove season opens today, Ed Martin will no doubt be remembering (probably proudly) his shake-down of the Department of Conservation Director for a free hunting license.

Here is the still-smoking Martin email:

From: Martin, Ed
To: John Hoskins 
Sent: 9/6/2007 8:43 PM 
Subject:

John

Does the chief of staff get a dove hunting permit as part of his position? I am hoping to go on Monday next.

Ed Martin

And now he wants to be your Congressman--- at least that's the current best thinking of his wandering mind.

Tonight, after weeks of promises and foot-dragging, Peter Kinder pledged to America that he would hire a undisclosed lawyer using yet-to-be-raised funds to file a cryptic lawsuit challenging the patient protections of the federal health care reform bill.

Some observer are wondering why Kinder hasn't just filed the lawsuit himself.  After all, Kinder's Official Biography boasts that he "graduated from St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas, in 1979, and was admitted to the Missouri Bar in 1980."

Maybe because Kinder's name is now missing from the Official Rolls of the Missouri Bar.

Using one of Kenny Hulshof's time tested tactics, Peter Kinder launched his campaign for Missouri Governor yesterday from... Washington, DC.

Kinder selected Jack's Restaurant near DuPont Circle as the venue for his historic declaration.

Kinder's stirring announcement speech, delivered to a handful of College Republicans, was summarized by the Washington DC media as follows:

""He said the first thing we could do was join his Twitter and Facebook pages," said a college Republican.

In the coming weeks, watch for Peter Kinder to weigh in on the health care debate to anyone who will listen.

As he rails against government sponsored health care, some enterprising reporter ought to ask Kinder about his own misadventure in making big promises to provide affordable health care insurance outside of government... and then falling flat on his face.

In 1997, Kinder and two Senate colleagues started a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to providing affordable health care coverage to children.

Kinder filed the not-for-profit's Articles of Incorporation, served on its Board of Directors and even listed his Capitol suite as the corporation's registered office.

But not a single child was ever covered through Kinder's alternative to government run health care.  His not-for-profit corporation was administratively dissolved in 1998 after Kinder stopped filing required reports.

And now he thinks its good enough for everyone.

Today, a legislative committee recommended that taxpayers spend $33 million to renovate the State Capitol Building.

Yet late last year, as he assumed the House Speakership, Richard announced a plan to fund capitol renovations through $200 million of private donations that he would begin raising.

Maybe it's just another infamous Richard u-turn.

Yesterday, State Auditor Susan Montee took issue with a secret lobbyist funded slush account Peter Kinder established as Senate Leader in 2003.

Over the last several days, Kinder has been talking to anyone who will listen about the Tour of Missouri.

And yet, Kinder has been mum on why he set up the secret slush fund and whether he leaned on lobbyists to contribute to it.

It's time for Kinder to come clean on the slush fund and account for every dollar...

An audit by Susan Montee is raising troubling questions about the judgment and ethics of Peter Kinder for establishing a secret lobbyist slush fund in 2003 to pay for Senate parties.  The monies were solicited from lobbyists and held outside the state treasury using a second set of books.  

Here is a link to PD coverage of this developing story.

Peter "Every Dollar Counts" Kinder is preparing for the "biggest thing to hit Missouri since the Civil War"--- the Tour of Missouri.

While he's at it, he should be spending some time raising private money to backfill diversions of public funds from highway and highway patrol funding.

The AP is reporting that MoDOT and the Highway Patrol are spending increasing amounts of time, energy and public resources accomodating Kinder's pedal.

Kinder needs to do taxpayers a favor and raise private money to reimburse the public till. 

As dove season opens tomorow, Ed Martin will no doubt be remembering (probably proudly) his shake-down of the Department of Conservation Director for a free hunting license.

Here is the still-smoking Martin email:

From: Martin, Ed
To: John Hoskins
Sent: 9/6/2007 8:43 PM
Subject:

John

Does the chief of staff get a dove hunting permit as part of his position? I am hoping to go on Monday next.

Ed Martin

And now he wants to be your Congressman--- at least that's the current best thinking of his wandering mind.

We are hearing a lot these days about "Death Panels."

We don't see a word about it in the comprehensive health care reform bill moving through Congress...

Maybe Missouri "End of Life" Czar Peter Kinder has the scoop?