[TSFH Fan]

Perspective: Nixon again tries to move goalposts
http://www.newstribune.com/news/2015/se ... goalposts/
State Rep. Jay Barnes, R-Jefferson City, Mo.
Sunday, September 6, 2015

When we first sued to stop Gov. Nixon’s illegal stadium scheme, he told reporters he didn’t have time to worry about “five or six legislators.”

When he said that, Nixon knew that Sen. Schaaf, myself and the others did not represent a minority of legislators, but an overwhelming majority. Since that first series of articles, several other key legislators have spoken out against Gov. Nixon, including the chairs and vice-chairs of both the House and Senate budget committees. There are also enough stalwart senators who have pledged a filibuster that there is zero chance next year’s budget will include money for Nixon’s scheme.

So what does a governor do when the opposition is marching the ball down the field? Move the goalposts.

His new line on last year’s budget. “They had language that would have limited this,” Nixon said. “And after discussing it, they took that language off.”

This seems to suggest that the Legislature either voted to appropriate money for Nixon’s plan or kept language in the budget that was sufficiently vague to be interpreted to allow him to spend taxpayer money.

Unfortunately for Gov. Nixon, the actual budget bills are online for the public to read. In particular, section 5.215 of House Bill 5 appropriates $12 million from general revenue “for debt service and maintenance on the Edward Jones Dome project in St. Louis.” There is no money appropriated anywhere in the budget that an honest person could rationally argue was intended for a new stadium.

Here, Nixon is a poor man’s Donald Trump. If you just say it loudly enough, someone will believe you. Nixon is wrong to think he’s going to bully anyone into following him down this path of new stadium debt – and he knows it.

Just this week, Sen. Ryan Silvey, R-Kansas City, promised to work to put stadium funding to a statewide vote next November. Nevermind for a moment that the project is premised on illegal financing for an illegal location. Gov. Nixon’s authority to sign any long-term obligation is limited by the constitution. He cannot bind the Legislature to appropriations. Instead, he can only sign an agreement that would purport to bind his and future gubernatorial administrations to requesting appropriations for a project. In plain English, Gov. Nixon does not have the power to appropriate your tax dollars. Much as Gov. Nixon would like to be king, the power to appropriate is exclusively a legislative power.

Sen. Silvey’s proposal punches the bully in the nose. While Nixon may believe the Legislature two years from now will blink, he has to know the people of this state will not authorize their tax dollars to build a stadium for a billionaire. There’s a great chance Sen. Silvey’s proposal will be headed to your ballot next November.

Trump v. Hillary now not later

You may have missed amidst all the other bluster coming from his mouth, but Donald Trump made the following claim, “You know a lot of the gangs that you see in Baltimore and in St. Louis and Ferguson and Chicago, do you know they’re illegal immigrants? They’re here illegally. . . .
continued at http://www.newstribune.com/news/2015/se ... goalposts/

[RedAlice]

Great read - thanks TSFH.

It seems everything in St. Louis may not be so settled as some of them would like us to believe.

[bubbaramfan]

Whenever politicians or lawyers start butting heads and get stuff tied up in committee or court, you can bet it will take a LOT of time before anything get decided. Opposition to the stadium is growing. Among citizens and among politicians. The NFL owners will NOT like that at all.

The owners have no reason to side with the city of St. Louis. They have more reason to side with one of their own. They didn't side with St. Louis when Bidwell moved his Cardinals to Arizona.

[Hacksaw]

This deal is closing. What still needs to happen is for everyone to make their final pitch in October. Then the argument rebuttals then the truth. StL is going to fail because they F's their gift and fought over it. They can't be trusted nor is their financial outlook as solid as the bank of Kroenke.

[dieterbrock]

I tend to agree with the opinion that it's all been a ruse to keep interest in St Louis active.
I think the NFL is hoping that the regular season will provide a nice distraction from what is going on.

[The Ripper]

Local senator speaks out against Rams’ stadium proposal
Jon Swedien, News-Leader 1:40 p.m. CDT September 3, 2015

http://www.news-leader.com/story/news/p ... /71649586/

Sen. Jay Wasson, R-Nixa, has joined several of his Republican colleagues in criticizing plans to spend public dollars on a new football stadium in St. Louis without approval of the Missouri General Assembly.

Wasson issued a news release this week criticizing current proposals made by a task-force appointed by Gov. Jay Nixon to to build a new stadium for the St. Louis Rams.

“I want to be clear that I’m in no way against the Rams organization, but I strongly believe that when it comes to spending taxpayer money, especially so large a sum, a vote by the people or the representation of the people should legally take place,” Wasson said in the release. “To commit our taxpayers to another 30 years of debt without their permission is wrong.”

His comments echo those made by two Republican colleagues who have significant control over the state’s budget.

House Budget Chairman Tom Flanigan sent a letter to Nixon last week warning that he will block any effort to put money in the state budget for payments on a new stadium unless the legislature or voters first approve the additional debt.

Meanwhile, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Kurt Schaefer told The Associated Press he doesn't believe there is legislative support for using taxpayer money for a new St. Louis stadium.

The Rams’ owner Stan Kroenke is working to relocate the franchise to Los Angeles. Supporters of a new stadium in St. Louis hope a new facility could convince the NFL to keep the team in Missouri.

Plans for a stadium include $135 million from the state to help the sports authority make payments on bonds for the stadium. Missouri still is paying $12 million a year for debt and maintenance at the Edward Jones Dome, which opened as the Rams' home about two decades ago when they moved from Los Angeles.

http://www.news-leader.com/story/news/p ... /71649586/

[Hacksaw]

Cha ching