The dance of trash ballot measures..

"You have to remember one thing about the will of the people: it wasn't that long ago that we were swept away by the Macarena."- Jon Stewart Excitement and anxiety fill the fall air here in the state of Missouri as our midterm elections are less than two weeks away. Candidates from both sides of the aisle are scrambling to get the final push to get voters' attention and support for the exchange of seats for both state and national levels. But one thing that hasn't gotten much attention this cycle is the ballot measures listed on the docket for November 8th. To me, it's kind of weird, that there's not been more coverage on them as compared to past measures. During a typical election cycle, folks are bombarded with fliers and signs telling folks how they should vote on these measures and why, but not this year. It's a little curious for sure but after seeing what's on the ballot this year--The mystery of the absence of the information is halfway solved. I mean the amendments 1, 4, 5, and the "con con" (Constitutional Convention) are pretty sketchy. Let's get into them and how those amendments are going to affect the state. First, let's take a look at the Constitutional Convention.[1] Now it's been a federal law for the state conventions to occur every 20 years. It's a way to revitalize our state's constitution and make amendments or repeal amendments that (In theory) expand our citizen's rights. It would use bipartisan delegates from across the state with no ties to Mo Leg. This gives the power to these delegates the power to write legislation outside of the Missouri Legislative branch. And yes, that sounds like a grand idea in theory. Except for the fact, that Missouri is heavily conservative, and given the super majority's past behavior to try to pull "fast ones"--This could turn easily turn into a disaster of epic proportions for the state. And did I mention how deep corruption runs in this state? I mean if you need an example of that, all you have to do is look at the Agape saga and how it's going. This of course leaves out how much it's going to cost the taxpayers. It's a total waste of our money to push a one-sided circus that this convention will eventually turn into considering that is no fixed adjournment date. I mean in 1861 the convention lasted 3 years. And with a budget of $14,406,261 this thing could drag on forever with expensive speeches and not much else. We should consider a vote "no " strictly out of principle. Not only will it waste our tax dollars, but as imperfect as our state constitution, and could always be improved. It's not the best idea considering the ones in charge of Mo Leg. Next up, Amendment 1 and why that should be a definite no. Amendment 1 is a piece of legislation that would allow our treasure to be in control of our entire Treasury and spend money where they see fit. Sounds good right? Well, it's not quite as seems to be. To sum up this amendment in 5 seconds or less,-- It's "anti-woke" legislation that wants to use public funds that are supposed to go into schools, law enforcement agencies, state agencies, etc to prove political points. It's a useless piece of legislation that ties into Mo Leg's wish to push "bigger government" on a state level. Basically, it's more of the same as we have been seeing for the past 20 years from Mo Leg. Now on to amendment 3 which has been a hot topic as of late. Amendment 3 is the "full legalization of Marijuana" for the entire state. And while I fully support the legalization of a plant that has never hurt anyone. I am hesitant on this particular, as it's poorly written and doesn't expunge current marijuana convictions, and could create a backlog of previous convictions that need to be expunged. The other reason is the same people that hold all the licenses for medical pot have their dogs in this race. Which means it's going to restrict who can buy, sell, or farm marijuana. There are also a lot of (GOP) groups pushing the "No" narrative. I imagine that has more to do with the dirty business of the "School to Prison" pipelines into private prisons. Since it's mainly the poor, and minorities that get hit the hardest for pot convictions. Other than that, it's a fairly solid piece of legislation. On this amendment, use your best judgment with it, because it's a measure that both the pros and cons cancel themselves out. Time to buckle up for amendment 4. Mo Leg has decided that we the people should decide whether we want a state police. No, I'm not talking about MSHP (Highway State Troopers), but to let Mo Leg have control of our local law enforcement and create a commission board for our local leo's to answer to.. Now, I think we can all agree that the State doesn't need control over local agencies. They claim it's to better budget and funding, but I think we can all see where this is going to lead if it's approved. Given the past few laws, Mo Leg has passed and wants to pass this upcoming session, they do not need a state police force. Otherwise, we'll have to change our state motto from "Welcome to the Show me State" to "Welcome to Missouri, we are like Venezuela but ran like a zoo". Bureaucratic tendencies often hinder more than they carry out. I mean keep in mind this measure came about after both Kansas City and St. Louis told Mo Leg to mind their own business and to stay out of their business. So it's a typical super majority hissy fit and a form of retaliation because two of our biggest cities wouldn't bow down to their demands. This also brings about the super major's fetish with "Bigger Government". The state can barely run Jefferson City, do we really want to run our police departments? I mean we choose our chiefs and sheriff's who know the communities and their needs better than anyone. So, we need to ask ourselves if we really want some bureaucrat making decisions for us? Probably not--Vote "No" on this for all of our sakes. And finally Amendment 5. Mo Leg's attempt to create its own private army via the National Guard. This amendment would allow the state to take our National guard away from the DOD and DOT and put their "marching orders" under the direction of the State of Missouri. Now, I don't know if the folks up in Jefferson City think there's such a divide that we need to have our own private state army, but if you ask me--It's a waste of taxpayer money, resources, and showboating for a marginal group of extremists. It's something the state doesn't need full stop considering the crazies that run the supermajority that fully supported the unrest of January 6th of last year. Definitely vote "No" on this amendment. Our state guards need to stay at the federal level for lots of reasons. Now that you can see that all these amendments with the exception of one are trash. I hope y'all realize that it's much more than regular politics or even laws. Our independence depends on telling Mo Leg to "take a hike" with their ridiculous legislation, and persevere our smaller government philosophy for future generations to come. Just Say No to Bigger Government that Mo Leg is offering, because Mo Leg's version of "Macarena" is doing the weird dance of insurrectionists and power-hungry politicians. And for reference, so you can see and get more information on these amendments the link to Ballotpedia is at the bottom in the citations. As always take care, be good to one another, Much love and peace out, Jojo Citations: https://greatstateofstlouis.com/2022/09/22/no-on-con- con/https://ballotpedia.org/Missouri_2022_ballot_measures