Voting In Missouri
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Constitutional Amendments 2,3,6 and 7 -plus Proposition B

When you go to the polls, each issue will have a short paragraph describing the intent of the issue to be voted on. Sometimes these paragraphs are misleading, vague, or deliberately worded to confuse the voter. Don't be fooled! Read the entire amendment or proposition online at: the Secretary of State's webpage.

Amendment 2 bans human cloning. It bans the sale of embryos and eggs for the purposes of creating stem cells. Any embryo or egg used to create a stem cell line must be donated with the full written consent of the donor and without any monetary or non-monetary reward. (As an example: An couple pays for fertility treatments. The treatments result in a dozen fertilized eggs. Four eggs are implanted in the womb, the rest are frozen. The implanting results in two healthy babies. The couple decides they have enough children. If amendment 2 passes, the couple has the option of donating the remaining fertilized eggs to the research project of their choice -but only in Missouri, to Missouri researchers and companies. The donated eggs cannot be collected in Missouri and subsequently moved to a country with less lenient laws.)
In addition, Amendment 2 cannot allow any stem cell research that goes against Federal Law. Amendment 2 provides for an oversight committee, and all proposed research must be recorded and approved every year by the oversight committee. The committee would consist of researchers, physicians and common citizens. Amendment 2 clearly defines "embryo" as a zygote aged 14 days or less -not counting time frozen.

Why amendment 2 is good: It will make Missouri more attractive to research companies, bringing in more revenue and jobs. It will place restrictions on stem-cell research and use. It will provide oversight of those restrictions, and harsh penalties for abuse. It will offer stem cell therapy opportunities to those desperately seeking a cure.

Why amendment 2 is bad: It puts a lot of power in the hands of government.

Amendment 3 taxes tobacco products. The proposed tax is 4 cents per cigarette (80 cents per pack) and 20% on other tobacco products (like chewing tobacco). The tax revenues raised will be used to shore up medicaid and medicare (funding for both have been cut by our current Governor).
Even though the descriptive paragraph begins with

"Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to create a Healthy Future Trust Fund which will:
1. be used to reduce and prevent tobacco use, to increase funding for healthcare access and treatment for eligible low-income individuals and Medicaid recipients, and to cover administrative costs;"
17.5% of the revenue would be used for smoking cessation and prevention programs. That 17.5% breaks down to: 15% for community smoking reduction programs, 15% for advertising, 5% for oversight, and up to 30% for medicaid.
82.5% goes to medicaid and medicare.

Why amendment 3 is good: It will increase revenue through taxes
Why amendment 3 is bad: Low wage workers and unemployed persons are more likely to be smokers. This tax hits the addicted poor harder than anyone else, and doesn't do a damn thing to help them quit. It's taking money from the poor to pay for programs for the poor.

Amendment 6 fiddles around with the tax laws, and tries to count veterans organizations as non-profit entities for the puropses of taxation.
Good or bad: I don't honestly know. I don't know enough about out tax structure to make sense of this one.

Amendment 7 adds to a law passed in 1996 about a comission deciding wages and compensation. It's a good law. The new part reads as follows: "12. Beginning January 1, 2007, any public official subject to this provision who is convicted in any court of a felony which occurred while in office or who has been removed from office for misconduct or following impeachment shall be disqualified from receiving any pension from the state of Missouri.

13. No compensation schedule filed by the commission after the effective date of this subsection shall take effect for members of the general assembly until January 1, 2009."

Why amendment 7 is good: Currently, there is no provision for disalowing compensation. Passing amendment 7 would ensure that any elected state official, member of the general assembly, or judge, except municipal judges would not recieve a paycheck after being convicted of a felony, removed from office due to misconduct, or impeached.
Why amendment 7 is bad: I can't think of any reasons.

Proposition B raises the minimum wage to $6.50 per hour, or the Federal minimum wage -whichever is higher. Don't get your hopes up, there are lots of exceptions. Small farms, apprentices, persons employed for 6 months or less(learning period), etc. Can be paid less.