Weekly Wrap: Law Enforcement Jobs, Medicare & The Birthers

Good: New state and federal programs were announced to increase funding for law enforcement.

• Missouri law enforcement agencies will receive "more than $19,697,636 in federal grants to fund the hiring and rehiring of 118 law enforcement officers in Missouri."
• Kansas City won $8.4 million in federal grant money Tuesday, saving the jobs of 28 police recruits and allowing the department to hire up to 22 more officers.
• The cash-strapped city St. Louis City Police Department was awarded federal funds Tuesday to save 50 officers from a planned cut of 100.
• Gov. Nixon announced that law enforcement agencies across the state will share more than $7.3 million in grants designed to combat drug-related crimes and strengthen law enforcement efforts.
• In total, $7,339,177 in federal Justice Assistance Grants (JAG) are being awarded to 28 drug task forces operated by counties, municipalities and the Missouri State Highway Patrol and to eight law enforcement agencies to strengthen their law enforcement programs.

Bad: Roy Blunt said "Medicare has never done anything to make people more healthy."

• Watch the video here.
• It's an incredible claim, but consistent with his comments a few weeks ago that it would have been best if Medicare and Medicaid had never been created.
• The Beacon's Jo Mannies compared Blunt's Medicare comments to former Virginia Senator George Allen's "Macaca" moment.
• So far, we haven't seen a statement from Blunt telling people he was taken out of context.

Ugly: Roy Blunt thinks there are "legitimate" questions about Barack Obama's birthplace, but doesn't want anyone to think he's a birther.

• Blunt was videotaped telling a Fire Dog Lake reporter that there are "legitimate" questions about Obama's birth.
• After the video was posted online, his campaign falsely claimed his comments were taken out of context, and his spokesman refused to tell a reporter if Blunt believed Obama to be a legitimate president.
• Nevertheless, Blunt says he's not a birther.
• It's possible Blunt is cynically stoking the flames of anti-Obama birtherism.  But after watching the video of Blunt answer questions about Obama's citizenship, it sure looks like he's a believer.
• Either way, he's incredibly misinformed about documents confirming Obama's birth.
• Headline of the Week: "More Than One-in-Four Republican Voters – Who, Presumably, Somehow Manage to Dress Themselves – Believe That Barack Obama Was Born on Foreign Soil"

Other Notes:

• Politico's Ben Smith: "There's not a hint that Americans want a Republican health care plan."
• Roy Blunt is done blaming Democrats (for now) for his inability to produce health care reform legislation, and is now promising a bill by "the fall."
• Nixon announced a $1 million Community Development Block Grant for Wi-Fi Sensors’ new location in Kirksville. Wi-Fi officials said the loan will guarantee the creation of 40 new jobs and new investment of $4.07 million, with more room to expand the operation in the future.
• The fact that the "Cash for Clunkers" program was extremely popular is a sign that Congress screwed up in creating it. Or something.

Image credit: Fascineating