Will Kraus

Sen. Will Kraus (R-Lee's Summit), quoted by Eli Yokley of PoliticMo at a Rick Santorum for President event last night: "Moms and dads don’t want that urban flight into our school districts."

"Missouri is turning those things down in order to prove…what?"

One-term Senator Jim Lembke (R-Lemay), Brian Nieves (R-Freedom Bunker), Will Kraus (R-Lee's Summit) and Rob Schaaf (R-St. Joseph) filibustered HB18 for almost 14 hours overnight to remind everyone just how much they hate the federal government sometimes when they can really make a show of such hatred.

In the end, a compromise version of the bill cut $14.4M in federal money for weatherization projects.

There are a lot of things about this filibuster I don't understand. 
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For great twitter coverage of the whole thing, check out the feeds from @Missourinet, @DrebesD, @RoseannMoring, @VirginiaYoung, @EYokley, @AllisonBlood and @ScottCharton.

Carl Bearden -- currently of United for Missouri, a Rex Sinquefield-funded organization -- thinks that the ongoing filibuster by one-term Senator Jim Lembke, Brian Nieves, Will Kraus and Rob Schaaf is just peachy. Posted this evening to Nieves' incomparable Facebook page:

You guys are doing a great job! I'm interested as to how other Senators believe that they can trust any "deal" they make in the future seeing that the "deal" you and the others are honoring has not been honored in return!

Missourinet's Bob Priddy has strong feelings about the filibuster of unemployment benefit money by Jim Lembke, Brian Nieves, Rob Schaaf and Will Kraus, but goes out of his way to not be specific about attaching names to offending actions.   In fact, Lembke is the only one of these clowns who gets his full name printed in Priddy's most recent blog post, titled "The Four." Here's a passage where attaching names to behavior would clarify things:

One of the other participants thought that stereotyping the unemployed as people who needed to get off the couch and get a job was helpful to the discussion.(We are reminded of a former colleague at the Missourinet who once remarked, “Stereotyping saves time, doesn’t it?”) Another of Lembke’s allies seemed to feel that arm waving, shouting, and partisan demands that the governor get into the middle of the issue was somehow clever, amusing, and useful. (As Queen Victoria once remarked in an example of British understatement, “We are not amused.”) We’re not sure what the last participant’s contribution was. He seemed to be the little brother who wanted to play with the older kids.

So it was that Senators Lembke, Schaaf, Nieves, and Kraus set forth.

"I’m not going to be held hostage by a few people." 

Speaker Steve Tilley on the misguided filibusters and threatened filibusters of Jim Lembke, Brian Nieves, Rob Schaaf and Will Kraus

"Here’s the Missouri Senate’s idea of a compromise: Kill projects that create jobs, and penalize people who will lose jobs in the future, all in order to accept federal money to help the long-term unemployed."

UDPATE: 

False alarm. Sen. Jim Lembke and his three feckless followers had no intention of standing down and allowing the Missouri legislature to accept federal benefits to help the people who have had the hardest time in the job market.

Word was earlier today that the gang of four was ready to make a deal. Turns out it was just more grandstanding. Their “deal” was that Gov. Jay Nixon would have to find $3 worth of cuts for every $1 the benefits would cost.

Sure. Nixon should cut state services more deeply than he’s already had to, hurt more Missourians, probably lay off state employees and add to the unemployment rate — all of that so Lembke and company can back out of the jam they’ve gotten themselves into and declare victory. Don’t think so...

Breaking news from the Associated Press: "Sen. Jim Lembke told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he will end his filibuster against the reauthorization of the benefits that expired for about 10,000 Missouri residents on Saturday. But he says he will instead try to block the state from spending as much as much as $400 million of federal stimulus act money on such things as home energy efficiency programs for low-income residents and a study about high-speed rail service."

Image credit: Associated Press

This weekend in the Joplin Globe:

While the state, with its 9.4 percent unemployment rate (for almost two years), struggles with how to create more jobs, about 34,000 unemployed Missourians will see benefits shrink and feel the pinch of joblessness much more sharply.

And that $105 million, part of a 2009 federal stimulus act, won’t go to other states. According to an Associated Press report, it will just sit there, locked away in a safe, instead of helping Missourians make ends meet.

Our frustration isn’t political, because this isn’t a Republican or Democratic issue. The measure passed the Republican-led House with a 123-14 vote, and had the support of Gov. Jay Nixon...

These people know crazy

...It's time to take a good hard look in the mirror.

“I know that we have, a certain, you would probably have to call them fringe, I would probably call them lunatic fringe, in the Senate that is holding up $189 million of education money that’s coming down from the federal government,” [Minority Leader Mike] Talboy stated.

It’s a delicate issue for [House Budget Chairman Ryan] Silvey, who hesitated to criticize fellow Republicans in the Senate, as Talboy worried about the impact on Missouri school districts.

“So catastrophic events for our students, either way,” Talboy suggested.

“Obviously, it’s not something I want to see happen. I think the House took a pretty strong position that we would like to see that money applied the way we asked it to be applied,” Silvey responded. “Use whatever adjective you’re comfortable with. It’s not going to be a good situation.”

In Sen. Will Kraus' (R-Lee's Summit) brand new newsletter to his constituents, he completely forgot to mention that he's been an active (if unpersuasive) supporter of Sen. Jim Lembke's (R-Lemay) filibuster to block extended unemployment benefits.   He talks about the state budget process that is about to begin in the Senate, how much he loves to see visitors and how to host a foreign exchange student -- but there isn't a peep about the filibuster.   He didn't mention the filibuster in last week's newsletter either.  Or the one before that.

Wha' happened to the big talk about sending [misguided] messages to Washington? 

The state Senate adjourned early today to make time for baseball -- without passing legislation with overwhelming bipartisan support to accept extended unemployment money from the federal government.   Senate President Pro Tem Rob Mayer promises that he's meeting today with Sen. Jim Lembke today "to make some suggestions to him...so we could free this money up today to get it to those who are unemployed," but I have a hard time believing that much will come from that conversation.  

Here's what the Star's Barb Shelly wrote about the continued insanity:

Shortly before 11:30 a.m., the Missouri Senate adjourned so that lawmakers can attend the Cardinals and Royals opening games, if they so choose. “Drive safely and have a great weekend,” the leader told members as the august body called it a day.

It won’t be a great weekend for the thousands of Missourians described below. They will now lose their unemployment benefits because four senators filibustered a bill accepting federal money, and senate leaders chose not to stop them. Shameful...

Rep. Barney Fisher (R-Richards), a man rarely acused of being a hippie librul, adds his name to the list of Republican leaders in the General Assembly who are unimpressed with the Jim Lembke-led filibuster that jeopardizes extended unemployment money for struggling families.

Lembke and three other Republican senators have stymied the bill by threatening to filibuster it. But most Republicans in the GOP-dominated Legislature support it. The House passed the bill easily, on a vote of 123-14 on Feb. 1.

Its sponsor, Rep. Barney Fisher, R-Nevada, said that while he understands Lembke's point, he also understands the needs of those who are out of work.

"Political philosophical standpoints make great discussions but they don't put food on the table," he said.

He noted that the state accepts millions in federal dollars for education, health care, highways and other projects, but senators aren't suggesting those funds be returned.

"I would admire them if they had the courage of their convictions and filed bills to send back every federal dollar, but to just do this is inappropriate," Fisher said.

KMOX hack Mark Reardon was all a-twitter this morning about the Post-Dispatch's editorial (excerpted below) criticizing Sens. Jim Lembke, Brian Nieves, Will Kraus and Rob Schaaf for their dumb and mean-spirited filibuster to block Missouri from accepting already-allocated extended unemployment money.  Reardon was specifically upset about the line in the editorial, "Money spent on unemployment benefits is one of the best economic stimulus projects that exists."

In chronological order:

The Post-Dispatch can defend their own work -- the ensuing conversation between Tony Messenger and Reardon can be read here -- but I think it's worth emphasizing that the only place where the stimulative effects of unemployment spending is controversial is in the right-wing media universe. 

Ask a Nobel laureate,  former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve, director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office or person actually trained as an economist, and they'll tell you that unemployment insurance does more than keep struggling families afloat -- it helps the economy because almost all of that money goes right out the door into the economy. 

The Post-Dispatch weighs in on the still-dumb filibuster from Sens. Jim Lembke, Brian Nieves, Rob Schaaf and Will Kraus that still hasn't gone away:

For the past month, against the will of an overwhelming majority of lawmakers, including the Republican leaders in the Senate, they have been refusing to make a technical change in state law to allow $105 million in federal funds to flow to the chronically unemployed.

Messrs. Lembke and Nieves and fellow conspirators Rob Schaaf of St. Joseph and Will Kraus of Lee’s Summit say they want to send a message to Washington that federal spending must be controlled. Their stunt would do no such thing.

It would, however, hurt the Missouri economy while causing unnecessary pain and suffering to workers left reeling from a lasting recession that has caused unemployment to hover around 9 percent for nearly two years...

Let’s explain it one more time: Rejecting federal money doesn’t mean it doesn’t get spent. It just gets spent elsewhere. Money spent on unemployment benefits is one of the best economic stimulus projects that exists. If there’s one thing economists agree on, it’s that when the unemployed get money, they spend it.

Most of it, we would surmise, goes to food to feed their families...

Sen. Will Kraus (R-Lee's Summit) appeared with KTRS' McGraw Milhaven earlier today to talk about his support for the filibuster spearheaded by Sens. Jim Lembke (R-Lemay) and Brian Nieves (R-Freedom Bunker).  If successful, their filibuster will block the acceptance of our own federal tax dollars to fill holes in the state education budget and provide for extended unemployment benefits.  

As everyone from Speaker Steve Tilley to President Pro Tem Rob Mayer have advised their colleagues, this absurd stunt will do nothing to reduce federal debt or deficits.   Nieves has tried to suggest otherwise, but today Kraus acknowledged the fact that the federal dollars have already been allocated and will not go back into a magic bank account if he, Lembke and Nieves and successful.  

MCGRAW:  This money you're rejecting... from the federal government. That's not going to go back to pay off the deficit, that's just going to go to another state for jobless claims and for education.  You understand that?

KRAUS: I do.

MCGRAW: And even though it's -- some will call it pork, some will call it whatever, you would rather not do it and have some other state get those tax dollars...

KRAUS:  We need to start sending messages to Washington that they need to be more responsible...

Listen:

Yikes.

The best blowhards don't need facts

Please update your files:  Reasonable persons, GOP President Pro Tem Rob Mayer, Senate Majority Leader Tom Dempsey, Sen. David Pearce, birther House Floor Leader Tim Jones and New Black Panther Party associate Steve Tilley think the filibuster by Sens. Jim Lembke, Brian Nieves and Rob Schaaf is dumb.   Joined by Sens. Will Kraus and Chuck Purgason, Lembke, Nieves and Schaaf want Missouri to reject federal money for extended unemployment payments.  But, as you know, this is dumb. 

Other Republicans — including leaders in both the House and Senate — said that while reducing the federal deficit is laudable, the plan is flawed because Missouri's share of the federal money would simply be rerouted to other states.

Any returned money "is not going to go back to pay off people who have notes in China," said House Speaker Steve Tilley, R-Perryville. "It's going to be absorbed."

...Majority Leader Tim Jones, R-Eureka, said Missourians pay taxes to the federal government, so the state deserves its share of the federal pie.

"The talking points you're hearing sort of miss the point and the reality," Jones said. "This is money coming back to us as a state to spend wisely as we see fit."

When the tea party's choice to lead the Senate, the Speaker of the House, an unapologetic birther and the New Black Panthers all say you're out to lunch...

The Senate Appropriations Committee voted 7-2 this week  to reject the ridiculous idea supported by Sens. Jim Lembke, Brian Nieves, Jason Crowell and Will Kraus to send $189M in federal education funds to other states, rather than use it for Missouri's schools as allocated by Congress. The plan from Lembke et al. to reject the money won't change federal deficits or debt, no matter how big they puff their chests;  it will just be distributed to other states for their kids and teachers.

Only Lembke and Kraus voted to send the money to other states.  Chairman Kurt Schaefer, Scott Rupp, Dan Brown, David Pearce, Rob Schaaf, Tim Green and Jolie Justus all voted to put kids before tea party politics. H'ray, bipartisanship!

The Turner Report flags legislation filed by new Sen. Will Kraus (R-Lee's Summit) that would reinstate campaign contribution limits. 

The bill calls for capping contributions for statewide office at $2,000, and setting limits at $1,000 for state senators, $500 for state representatives, $325 for any other office if the population is under 100,000,  $850 if it is between 100,000 and 250,000, $1,275 if the population is more than 250,000.

I guess this new TV ad from Rep. Will Kraus (R-Lee's Summit) attacking Rep. Bryan Pratt (R-Blue Springs) means that he isn't worried about Rep. Gary Dusenberg (R-Blue Springs) in the SD8 primary. 

Note that Kraus and Bill Stouffer are using the same DC media firm, CRAFT | Media / Digital.