Tom Dempsey

It's good to see Republicans like Birther Tim Jones, Auditor Tom Schweich, Sen. Tom Dempsey and richperson Sam Fox finally come out in support of a health insurance mandates.  

Tax incentives to increase health coverage used to be pretty standard fare for conservative politicians -- former Sen. Kit Bond cosponsored legislation in the 1990s with a health insurance mandate.But intellectual honesty isn't exactly in vogue in GOP circles these days. 

See, for example, candidate Mitt Romney on just about any issue that matters. 

Farrah Fite, Communications Director for Missouri Senate Majority Caucus, tweets out the new GOP leadership team:

• Sen. Rob Mayer, President Pro Tem
• Sen. Tom Dempsey, Majority Floor Leader
• Sen. Jack Goodman, Asst. Majority Floor Leader
• Sen. Bill Stouffer, caucus chair
• Sen. Eric Schmitt, caucus secretary
• Sen. Mike Parson, caucus whip

Steve Kraske reports in today's Star about the curious financial arrangement of Speaker Ron Richard's legislative director, Tom Smith.  Smith is a "key player" in the assigning of bills to House committees, and also happens to run a business that collected $500k last year from Republican candidates last year:

A top aide to the speaker of the Missouri House runs a political consulting business on the side that generated nearly $500,000 last year, records examined by The Kansas City Star show.

In his public job as legislative director, Tom Smith holds significant influence over the life or death of bills moving through the General Assembly. Critics said his political consulting business raises questions about the potential for a conflict of interest in one of the most powerful offices in state government.

Previous Fired Up! coverage of Smith's self-dealing can be found here.

Of course, Smith denies any hint of wrongdoing, and no Republican legislators remember an explicit demand from Smith.  “I think it’s absurd that someone could buy 1,000 pieces (of mail) and somehow have a level of influence,” Smith says. 

I think it's absurd to think that Smith's clients are only buying 1,000 pieces of mail.

Last week, the First Capitol News of St. Charles kicked over some rocks to take a closer look at the intricate system of money-shuffling and pocket-lining going on in St. Charles GOP circles. The First Capitol piece draws a bead on Republican House floor leader Tom Dempsey's aide Thomas Smith, who also serves as treasurer for quite a few St. Charles area legislative district and campaign finance committees. In relevant part, the News writes:

To circumvent political contribution limits, Legislative Party Committees have been formed. Unlimited contributions are given to these Legislative District Committees and are then funneled through backdoors making it almost impossible for the public to know who is giving and who is receiving. ...

The First Capitol News has discovered TEN of those back door funding Legislative Committees being operated out of a home at 320 Monroe Street in St. Charles with the only treasurer for each committee listed as Thomas W. Smith, Jr. We have also discovered several fictitious registered companies, apparently unlicensed, owned and operated by Smith, receiving funds from these same committees.

While the story does well to point out the fact that Smith draws an annual salary of more than $53,000 from the public till as legislative aide to Dempsey, it's possible that the piece actually understates the financial benefit to Smith of the current arrangement.