Media Awakening in MO

[loyalsister]

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch gave the State House Republicans the media attention they deserved and they very literally may pay for it. The Missouri State Legislature has taken it's lessons from the Bush White House. They recently made a move to use their lawmaking powers to retaliate against the media for negative coverage. The public HAS to be aware of the fact that this is happening!
The irony is, they gave us a spring board from which to extend a part of the first story. NOONE hired these guys to go in and entertain their fantasies of vengeance. Their JOB is to make laws that benefit us and handle problems. (It's only a part time job at least do it, etc). They just handed us a great issue, and gave the Post every reason to give them hell from here on.
Missourians need to circulate this! Hanaway is in charge of the House, and therefore, this retaliation.
She needs all of the bad press she can get right now!!!

House of Hypocrites
4\11\2004

GET YOURSELF ELECTED to the Missouri Legislature and you're in line for some pretty good benefits: $31,351 in salary, $76 in expense money for every day you're in session and, of course, state-subsidized health insurance. Not bad for a part-time job.

In recent weeks, House Republicans have approved bills to cut off health insurance for thousands of working poor people enrolled in Medicaid and for thousands of kids in the state's children's health insurance program.

more......
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/resources/edpage041104.pdf


House Votes to Raise Taxes on Two Dailies

JEFFERSON CITY - The Missouri House voted to raise taxes on the state's two largest newspapers Thursday after an editorial in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch branded the Republican-led chamber the "House of Hypocrites."

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/News/Missouri+State+News/B8789FCAC38F132886256E780050F49E?OpenDocument&Headline=House+votes+to+raise+taxes+on+two+dailies

[shockingelk]

1. THE SCUM!

"Missouri law exempts all newspapers from state and local sales taxes on newsprint, ink, computers and other equipment. Byrd's amendment would remove the exemption for papers with at least $250 million in annual operating revenue and a Missouri-based average daily circulation of 200,000."

I'd like to say un-fucking-believable, but instead have to say "typical".

[strategery blunder]

2. Note to self...vote against Hanaway

Also, I will have to start reading the Post-Dispatch in addition to the NY Times. This sounds like excellent journalism (in freeperville, no less), and I can get both papers for free!:)

[aquart]

3. Wow. Supreme Court case, here we come.

I assume the newspapers have already called their lawyers?

[Eric J in MN]

4. I don't think the Supreme Court can help.

If the Supreme Court said it's unconstitutional for a state legislature to raise taxes on newspapers in retlatiation, then a state never could, because there is always at least one newspaper which criticized a state official in the previous month.

[strategery blunder]

5. It would help if the burden of proof was on the newspaper imo

If the newspaper had to PROVE retaliation (as I'm sure the Post-Dispatch could do), such a policy MIGHT work.

[loyalsister]

8. Maybe not proof, but....

the fact that this happened just FOUR days after the editorial is a pretty good indication of what they were up to. There's another article about Hanaway trying to vote. They really pissed her off. Katherine Harris wishes she could be half the bitch that Hanaway is!!

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/columnists.nsf/0/999DFC7A9CCE8B6986256E74000E6380?OpenDocument&Headline=Dust-up+over+Hanaway's+voter+ID+may+cause+fallout+down+the+road

The fact that they are calling it "closing corporate loopholes" is the most pitiful part! The Dems have been trying to get them to do that for the past two years.
We have one that allows corporations to avoid paying any taxes in MO, and they won't close that one.

[loyalsister]

9. I agree

However, if we can call attention to the fact that the legislature was maliciously trying to deprive the public of a free press, they might get somewhere- at least in realm of public enlightenment. These stories need to be presented TOGETHER repeatedly. I agree that every news outlet in the country should have this story. We should throw in the Hanaway story that I added below, as well.
One of the greatest ironies here is that this happened in the home state of THE school of journalism.

[ezee]

6. I imagine that the newspaper

has already thought of this, but, they should send this to EVERY paper in the United States! and contact all TV media about this. Enough public support will squash the bastards into the soil from where they were spawned.

[shockingelk]

7. It takes gaul to complain of "liberal" media with stuff like this

I mean, are the papers supposed to fawn over the new tax?

And when Bush starts off a press conference by saying before the press conference he's going to speak to the American people ... I mean respect is a two way street.

Republicans suck. I'd like to have beers with one like McCain so he could explain why he doesn't think being a Republican sucks.

[9215]

10. OH that last paragraph, that is excellent!!

JEFFERSON CITY - The Missouri House voted to raise taxes on the state's two largest newspapers Thursday after an editorial in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch branded the Republican-led chamber the "House of Hypocrites."



It is also a very,very positive development. The Dispatch's response is what all the newspapers in the country need to be doing.

The battle is joined!!

[ikojo]

11. The other good thing is that the letters to the editor

pretty much side with what the PD said about the House of Hypocrites. Naturally there are the right-wingers who will support pugs in whatever they do, but most of the letters were horrified at what the pugs have done while the majority party.

These pugs have also taken a piece of legislation (conceal and carry) that was DEFEATED by the PEOPLE at the POLLS and passed it anyway! They clearly do not care what the little people think.