As reported in the current St. Louis Business Journal , a soon to be released Better Together study proposes a cheat worthy of James Kirk: change that pesky Missouri Constitution so that a new style of entity – essentially the city taking over the county – would be created.
This spring the legislature will allocate more money in the next state budget than can reasonably be expected to materialize. Promised services to Missouri citizens, again, won’t be delivered.
Remember, to start any reunification with the county, two-thirds of city voters must vote to dissolve the county status of the city. That’s in the Missouri Constitution. My guess is that most city voters don’t want to give-up that level of local control.
…where around 42% of adults over age 25 in St. Louis County have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent, in Macon County and Shelby County the degreed portion lays around 15%.
A quick example of what that means…My wife and I stopped at the Hardees where U.S. 36 meets U.S. 61 on the edge of Macon. On this past Saturday morning the line staff all appeared to be 35 to 55 years old, the manager looked to be my age and, well, I easily earned the title “Sonny” among those waiting to order.
Hunger exists. It’s an irrefutable fact. Miller lays out the numbers: In Missouri, 826,000 people—14% of the state’s population—live below the Federal Poverty Level (FPL); in St. Louis County 90,000 people—nine percent of the area’s population—live below the FPL.
Changing minds, like changing the size of parking spaces, won’t happen quickly. Those of us wanting a better, more humane Missouri have to think – and act – over the long haul, over years and maybe a decade or two. The trick is to work at change every day.