Governor Blunt's plan with Mohela and the sale of student loans is in the news again. This time they are working on some compromises. Instead of using the money in one area only, they are looking to spend all that money in different areas. I think that it is a good idea that they are hoping to spend some of the money on debt retirement. They should spend the money on debt retirement of school related debts, (which does seem to be the idea) and of course the health care industry wants some of that money. So they are discussing ways to set up health care for students. Not a bad idea. Mostly it seems that a few people are meeting to circumvent the political process. If they can compromise between Blunt , Jett, Gibbons and a few others now, then they do not have to go through the conference committee later. Of course, they are not sure yet whether they will ever see the money, because they still do not know if it is legal.
By TERRY GANEY of the Columbia Daily Tribune staff
Published Tuesday, April 11, 2006


Governor Blunt is going after people defrauding the welfare system. Yes, it still exists, just under a different name. Blunt want the state department to verify that people are truly eligible before being approved, as well as having to prove it each year. In theory this is a cost saving measure, although in reality it probably won't work. The people most likely to scam have all of the bases covered, while those in true need will most likely end up being turned down. The amount of manpower required to do even the slightest follow up will be huge. In a system that is already overworked, they could not handle the extra requirements without adding more people. In theory, it should happen, in reality I hope they have taken all of this into consideration and learned from the other states that have tried to stop medicaid fraud.
St. Louis Business Journal - 2:48 PM CDT Tuesday

Governor Blunt is trying to get out of a lease. The lease is on a building that is charging nearly one and a half million dollars per year for 65,000 square feet. He is going to accomplish this by simply not appropriating the necessary funds to pay the rent. It is a constitutionally allowable loophole. There may be some backlash to Gov. Blunt. He may find that it will be harder to get people to lease property to the state, however it seems to be a one time occurence, negotiation has been attempted, and he could have tried eminent domain, (that's what our Gov. would do.)
www.columbiamissourian.cim/news/print.php?ID=19187

Governor Blunt is going head to head with the local utility company AmerenUE. They operate the hydroelectric Bagnell Dam on the Lake of the Ozarks. Suggested by AmerenUE is a shoreline management program to help the environment, while limiting the rights of mostly vacation property owners.
Blunt's oposition is that "The controversial provisions could also unfairly infringe upon the rights of property owners at the lake." He has told the department of natural resources that the program needs to be removed from the re-licensure proposal.
I think that Blunt has many wealthy people in that area of Missouri who all want to outdo the "Jones's" that he is trying to pacify. just recently he was opposed to damaging the environment in any way, as it would harm tourism. Now, he seems to have flip-flopped over this program that would not stop the building of docks, only limit them to a manageable size. True, you couldn't hold a barbecue out on the water, but if it helps maintain the beauty(and therefore value) of the lake, it's worth it.
There are not a whole lot of details in this article on the management program, but it looks like Blunt is objecting on the wrong grounds.
(www.newstribune.com ) Jefferson City News Tribune posted 3-30-06

Governor Blunt is trying to have President Bush declare 23 Missouri counties to the federal disaster declaration after the storms this past week. If so declared, the residents and businesses in the state will be able to rebuild or repair homes and businesses and obtain low interest loans to cover gaps in insurance. It will also help local governments with cleanup costs. Bush had already declared 9 counties as disaster areas.
There seems to have been less than 400 destroyed structures and almost a thousand damaged structures. I do not htink that any thing other than low cost loans should be offered unless a major portion of the county is destroyed. Posted March 18th 2006
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/14127708.htm?source=rss&channel=kansascity_local


Governor Blunt is opposed to the federal government's plan to sell national forest land in Missouri. 21,000 Acres from the Mark Twain National Forest is supposed to fund the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act of 2000. However, little, if any, of the money is destined for schools in Missouri. Posted March 18, 2006

http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/13611/

Missouri seems to be in a drought at the moment. It is severe enough that Gov. Blunt is asking people not to do any open burning.
Kohl10 Governor urges Vigilence as Drought Lingers
(www.kolr10.com/news/default.asp?mode=shownews&id=4905)

"Recently, we have faced a siege of wildfires, especially in southwest Missouri, and until conditions improve, Missourians should refrain from conducting open burns, which have the potential to cause serious economic damage and injury to the general public and firefighters responding to fire activity. I urge Missourians to take caution during these poor conditions." Gov Matt Blunt Thursday March 02, 2006
as reported by Brandon Cone in the Branson Daily News.
Residents not adhering to burn ordinances can be fined and made to pay for any damages if the fire burns out of control. I wouldn't have thought a neighbor state could have a drought this severe in the winter.
www.bransondailynews.com/story_print.php?storyID=413

Governor Matt Blunt held a ceremonial bill signing yesterday. The bill signed into law bans anyone from protesting at a funeral. This was done specifically to stop one particular church from interupting funerals of gays and military personnel. The ACLU is getting involved, saying that the protesters have the right to free speech and the people at the funeral should have to deal with it. I personally feel that funerals should be a private affair and if you don't know the person, you should not be there.
KOLR 10 Funeral Protest Ban Law Signed
(www.kolr10.com/news/default.asp?mode=shownews&id=4936)

According to the St. Louis Business Journal, Matt Blunt had proposed the sale of the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority (MOHELA) for $425 million. However, the board of MOHELA has a much better plan. They propose selling half of their $5 Billion in loan assets immediately and an additional group of loans in the future. They will generate $450 million in income and this will allow them to retain their ability to produce future income for the state.
(St. Louis Business Journal Feb. 2nd, 2006.)

According to the Jefferson City News Tribune Online Edition Governor Blunt is trying to have a new school initiative passed. While his bill made it a requirement for schools, he is willing to settle for a "target". This will encourage schools to spend 2/3 of their budget on classroom instruction. It has several good points. Schools may keep control of what they spend their money on. Each school district would have to publish an annual accountability report. After legislative changes, it will include the federal definition of of direct instructional expenses,(supplies, computers, teacher salaries, books, art, gym, music, band, drama and spec. ed)PLUS library and media services and guidance counselors.
(Jefferson City News Tribune Online Edition Feb. 2, 06)

Gov. Blunt seems to be thinking of ways of making money while he is in office, such as the sale of MOHELA, but he does not seem to think about the long term ability of MOHELA to produce more income for the state. His school bill looks much better with the changes proposed by other people. It is also way more realistic. Once again, I must say, Matt Blunt is doing well in media representation. However, I know several people in Missouri from different areas and with different occupations, and not one of them likes him. Makes one wonder, why?

According to the St. Louis Business Journal, Matt Blunt had proposed the sale of the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority (MOHELA) for $425 million. However, the board of MOHELA has a much better plan. They propose selling half of their $5 Billion in loan assets immediately and an additional group of loans in the future. They will generate $450 million in income and this will allow them to retain their ability to produce future income for the state.
St. Louis Business Journal Feb. 2nd, 2006.

According to the Jefferson City News Tribune Online Edition Governor Blunt is trying to have a new school initiative passed. While his bill made it a requirement for schools, he is willing to settle for a "target". This will encourage schools to spend 2/3 of their budget on classroom instruction. It has several good points. Schools may keep control of what they spend their money on. Each school district would have to publish an annual accountability report. After legislative changes, it will include the federal definition of of direct instructional expenses,(supplies, computers, teacher salaries, books, art, gym, music, band, drama and spec. ed)PLUS library and media services and guidance counselors.

Gov. Blunt seems to be thinking of ways of making money while he is in office, such as the sale of MOHELA, but he does not seem to think about the long term ability of MOHELA to produce more income for the state. He seems to know when to compromise in order to accomplish his goals as in the case of the school room spending bill.

According to KOLR 10 on Wednesday the Democratic party filed an ethics complaint against Governor Matt Blunt.
It seems to me as though they have no legitimate complaints against the man, so they are looking to stir up dust in an effort to create dust. If they have filed the same complaint two other times and have had no result with it, one would hope that they would give up and find some new ghost to chase. (KOLR 10 Local news Headlines)

John Ashcroft, former US Attorney General, seems to have made a small donation to MO Governor Matt Blunt. This means that Gov. Blunt currently has more than 1.5 million available for the election in 2008. This seems to dwarf the Democrat possible Attorney General Jay Nixon who has only $500,000. (Kansas City Star as reported by Steve Kraske, posted Jan 20,2006).

Gov. Matt Blunt has helped citizens of Kansas City this week. First, he has worked with KCP&L to increase the amount of money in its' weatherization program. Second, he has added 6.1 million dollars of state money for utility assistance this year. This will allow families with low incomes up to $600 for assistance with their utility bills. Deborah Scott of the Missouri Department of Social Services said that means that abount 139,00 families could recieve help this year. (Kansas City Star as reported by Debra Skodack, posted Jan 20, 2006)

My first opinion of governor Matt Blunt is that he seems to be a political "Golden Boy". He appears to be raising money easily, and also working for the people who elected him. I am interested to follow through with him and see if he can continue to be popular and still keep the money rolling in. I also wonder how much of Missouri's economy he will boost, as there are a lot of areas in Missouri with a majority of people having low incomes.

Matt Blunt is running for reelection as Governor in Missouri.