Ed Martin still taxing taxpayers with reckless abandon

Before last week, Ed Martin had filed 28 versions of his ironically labeled “Taxpayer Protection Initiative Petition” with the state.  A backhanded attempt to ban stem cell research and cures, most of the petitions were rejected by the Attorney General for failure to follow the basic rules of initiative petition drafting. 

Of the surviving petitions, Martin and his front group, the self-labeled “Missouri Roundtable for Life,” subsequently withdrew all but two. But not before costing taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars as public officials at the Secretary of State’s Office, the Attorney General’s Office, the State Auditor’s Office and dozens of other state and local agencies painstakingly analyzed each of Martin’s petitions.

And Martin has used litigation to further sock taxpayers,  He has filed multiple self-described “nuisance” lawsuits against govenment officials and agencies that have been branded by the courts as frivolous and without merit.

Should we be surprised?  No.  Martin is best known for costing taxpayers over a million dollars (and himself a job and his boss a shot at re-election) by firing and disparaging a Sunshine Law whistleblower--- and then trying to destroy the evidence.  And Martin even made time for petty corruption, once leaning on the Conservation Director for a free hunting license.

Last week, Martin filed his 29th version of the inexplicably titled initiative petition.  Martin went out of his way to brag to the press that this initiative was finally the one--- “we now think we're at a point where we can safely say this will be an opportunity for the Missouri Constitution [to be amended].”

And yet, after 29 tries, Martin has misstepped again and taxpayers are (again) paying for his misadventure.

You see, Martin, like a school-boy rookie, violated the first rule of initiative drafting.  In his proposed Constitutional Amendment, he failed to underline the language he wants to add to the Constitution, as plainly required by statute.

Watch for Martin to attempt a withdrawal of his initiative, blame someone else for his never-ending series of mistakes, and then, as if on auto-pilot, file his 30th initiative.  But by then, the latest damage to taxpayers will have already been done, as public official all across this state carefully review another careless initiative filing by Ed Martin.

Did I mention Martin wants a promotion to draft federal legislation as a Congressman….