Crosspost: 0% Income Tax is Managed Decay

 By David Rice

According to the Missouri Independent, Mike Kehoe stated during the campaign, “Since I’ve been in state government, we’ve cut the income tax from 6% to 4.7%,” Kehoe said. “I have backed $2.4 billion in tax cuts since I’ve been in office. But now, we need to take that to zero. That’s a key to our economic development strategy.”

 He’s working closely with two organizations, Americans for Prosperity and the American Legislative Exchange Council, to help push bills through this session to accomplish his campaign promise.

@RareCamellia [Camellia Peterson] is an AFP Lobbyist, self-declared Libertarian [Big-Government Libertarian], and School Choice [Tax-Funded Private and Homeschools] proponent. Experience has shown that it is always worth investigating how her benefactors manipulate the tax code if she is behind something.

Missouri's 2025 legislative session has revealed two competing visions for tax reform, each with dramatically different impacts on how Missourians will pay taxes. One plan aims to directly reduce taxes, while another reorganizes how taxes are collected while maintaining state revenue. 

The bill Kehoe supports doesn’t reduce spending, though I am sure they will claim their pretensions of tax cuts. Under Kehoe’s tenure as Lt. Governor, spending in Missouri doubled from ~$27B to ~$52B. This year, his budget is $54B. Kehoe stated they cut $2.4B in tax cuts, yet they spent so much money that it is hard to see where the tax cuts occurred.

 Bill Sponsors

Senator Mike Moon, widely recognized as the Senate's most conservative member, has introduced Senate Bill 1029. His proposal would phase out corporate income tax entirely by 2029, reducing it by 0.8% each year until it reaches zero.

On the other hand, Representative Bishop Davidson, not known for conservative values, introduced House Bill 100 and House Joint Resolution 1. These bills are backed by Americans for Prosperity (AFP), a pseudo-conservative advocacy group, and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), an organization that develops model legislation for state lawmakers. 

Bills are often written by front groups like ALEC, who then convince Reps like Davidson to present them in exchange for support during their runs for office. Reps like Davidson rarely read the bills but are convinced easily because they want the office and the prestige that comes with the office.

Several senators, including Curtis Trent, Ben Brown, Nick Schroer, and Jill Carter, have filed identical bills to increase the chances of passage. These senators have shown more interest in serving their own re-election than their constituents. 

Two Different Approaches

Moon's approach is straightforward: remove corporate taxes that businesses currently pass on to consumers through higher prices. Companies paying less in taxes can reduce prices on everyday items like groceries, shoes, and gas. His bill states, "Beginning with the 2029 tax year, there shall be no income tax on corporate income."

The AFP/ALEC plan is far more complex—this complexity is purposeful. They don’t want you to be able to read it or understand it. They disguise it using legal code. While marketed as an income tax reduction, it introduces a European-style consumption tax system known as the Value Added Tax (VAT). Here's how it works:

First, they expand what can be taxed. The plan removes Missouri's current ban on taxing services (adding a new tax) and sets a sales tax rate of "three and seven hundred seventy-five thousandths percent" on goods and services. This means you'll pay taxes on products and services like car repairs, haircuts, and professional fees. 

This is taking more money out of your pocket that you can’t afford and giving it not to the business owner but to the government. Taxes—corporate taxes—always go to the government. They don’t go to the business. The people who pay for them are the end consumers—you and me. Mike Moon understands this. AFP/ALEC also assumes you’re stupid and will be easily fooled. 

Second, they create a "Tax Reform Fund." The bill states, "if the amount of net general revenue collected exceeds the anticipated general fund revenue expenditures for a fiscal year by one million dollars or more," that extra money goes into this fund.

Finally, they promise income tax relief, but with conditions. The law says income tax rates can only be reduced "if the tax reform fund reaches and maintains a minimum balance that is greater than or equal to one hundred twenty million dollars." In other words, you'll only see income tax relief if the state collects enough extra money from the new service taxes.

Here is Mike Moon’s Plan:

1. People won’t give the government any more money when they buy goods through corporate taxes. 

2. The end.

Here is the AFP/ALEC Plan

1. People will now have a new tax through haircuts, car repairs, and professional services. 

2. People will pay more for groceries, gas, and goods.

3. If people have paid enough money through the VAT tax system and been good boys and girls, and only if the government gets $120M in reserves will they get an income tax break.

4. There are no guarantees that there will be a reduction to 0%. It’s only proposed.

The government does not have to reduce its spending but is encouraged to spend more under this model. Under Mike Moon’s model, the government has to reduce its spending because it generates less revenue from the taxpayer. 

Understanding the European Model

The AFP/ALEC plan mirrors the Value Added Tax (VAT) system used in Europe. Under a VAT system, taxes are built into the price of goods and services at every step of production and sale. While your paycheck might look bigger because of reduced income tax, you'll pay more every time you purchase anything from a good to a service.

So, the corporations still have to pay their taxes to Missouri every step of the way under the AFP/ALEC plan, which gets pushed to you. Then, they will add new taxes, which get driven to you again. The corporation doesn’t pay taxes on anything. The consumer pays taxes on everything. Taxes for a business are a cost built into the price of every tube of toothpaste, every roll of toilet paper, and every bag of Tostidos. 

The AFP/ALEC plan doesn’t assist you or save you money unless you can somehow drop out of the economy and live as a homesteader. Yet, this won’t work because they will rely on income tax if you do. You would have to quit working and buying not to pay any taxes into their system. A few of us are hardy enough to do that, but most of us do not have the resources to live as a homeless person. 

Think of it this way: Moon's system recognizes that government taxes on businesses make your groceries, shoes, and gas more expensive. He wants to make those items cheaper by removing those taxes. The AFP/ALEC system says they'll give you more money in your paycheck, but only after you've paid higher prices on everything you buy and if the state collects enough revenue from those higher prices.

Impact on Missourians

The difference between these approaches is significant. Under Moon's plan, corporate tax reduction would directly lower business costs, potentially reducing consumer prices. 

Under the AFP/ALEC plan, while your paycheck might eventually show less tax withholding, you'll pay new taxes on services and likely higher prices on goods to make up for it without forcing the government to be lean or to force the government to reduce its budget. If the government never reduces its budget, it may have enacted a VAT and an income tax system, which we’ll never get rid of.

Governor-elect Mike Kehoe has promised to eliminate Missouri's state income tax—but you can be sure he will plan to increase your tax burden. The state receives 65% of its revenue ($13.35 billion) from income taxes. [Consider how much of our revenue comes from other sources and how much we overspend right now.]

In 2024, Missouri’s income tax declined for the first time. Our population is flat and not growing. Our children are not being born. Our people are retiring and aging out of the job market.

Do you understand why they want a VAT? Because they can tax retirees using a VAT when they can’t tax their retirement accounts. This is about an aging population that must be taxed to maintain enormous expenditures.

 

With more young people postponing families, birthrates plummeting, and family formation not occurring until a later age, AFP/ALEC is also calculating they can take more of the expendable income from these young individuals rather than encourage them to have families and have children. They are managing our decline rather than trying to head it off. They have decided the culture war is lost (a strange thing for supposedly conservative groups to give up on), and they are helping RINO legislators capitalize on it to spend more money like Democrats. 

 

The AFP/ALEC plan ensures this revenue continues through expanded sales taxes, while Moon's plan seeks an actual reduction in total tax collection.

For Missouri taxpayers, the choice is between a genuine tax reduction that could lower prices and our budget versus a restructuring that maintains state revenue while making taxes less visible. While the AFP/ALEC plan's promise of zero income tax sounds appealing, the reality is that Missourians could end up paying the same amount or more in total taxes, just in a different way.

The battle over these competing visions will likely define Missouri's 2025 legislative session. Kehoe’s plan, backed by the AFP/ALEC, aims to continue spending at unsustainable levels through a regressive tax structure to take money from families who can’t afford to spare it.

Mike Moon plans to reduce the costs for every family across the state by removing the government’s invisible hand from business costs that we don’t see in gas, groceries, and goods. Mike Moon’s plan doesn’t add a new tax to our services or lock us into a new tax in our code that we may never remove again.

Conclusion

The contrast between these approaches reveals more than competing tax policies—it exposes fundamentally different visions for Missouri's future.

The AFP/ALEC plan represents sophisticated bureaucratic management that accepts demographic decline as inevitable. It aims to maintain high government spending through complex tax mechanisms by shifting tax burdens to young professionals and retirees while making taxation less visible but more pervasive. It's a nuanced strategy for managing Missouri's diminishing population and changing demographics without addressing the root causes of decline.

Moon's approach, by contrast, represents a vision of economic liberty. By removing corporate taxes that inflate the cost of everyday goods, his plan returns money directly to people's pockets. This gives families more resources for formation and growth while forcing the government to operate within reduced means. Rather than managing decline through bureaucratic complexity, it trusts Missourians with their own economic choices.

The fundamental difference isn't just about tax rates or revenue collection. It's about whether Missouri will accept and manage its decline through sophisticated tax schemes or potentially empower its citizens through economic freedom to reverse these trends. 

Moon's straightforward plan offers a genuine reduction in tax burden and government scope, while the AFP/ALEC proposal ensures continued high spending through an intricate web of consumption taxes.

For Missouri's future, the choice is between managing decay and enabling renewal.

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The Spider Web of Propaganda

 

David Rice has written a series on the propaganda web that surrounds our local communities in Missouri. It isn't just the national media--it's here and it's insidious.

I am pleased to introduce his series, "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" with an article published at Hick Christian, "How the Spider Web of Propaganda Affects You."

First in his series drops tomorrow HERE.

David Rice Hits a Home Run

 David Rice has revealed much more about how the local press seeks to influence rather than simply report on local news stories such as the Christian County Library's Board of Trustees changes and the reasons why.

Perhaps both nationally and locally, the press is hitting the bottom of the barrel. How to recover and reform an institution that has sunk so low is a hard question. It would take reporters and editors and publishers with moral fortitude and respect for traditional journalistic principles to turn the ship around and get it to shore.

If they are not willing or able to do it, others will take their place. That is the way of things.

In the meantime, Rice's article is riveting.

Xenophobia and Racism is Alive and Well in Baldknobber Country by David Rice

Liberals continue to espouse a spirit of hatred and intolerance in our community. Are we ready to don hoods and burn crosses because we our ideas are being challenged by outsiders?

Read on Substack

CROSS POST: The Library Battle is Not a Local Fight

 By David Rice

UTurn's recent article attacking Echo Schneider's fitness to serve as library board president represents a departure from balanced journalism in favor of guilt by association tactics. While attempting to raise concerns about library governance, the article relies heavily on personal attacks and tenuous connections rather than examining Schneider's actual performance or qualifications.

The current controversy extends far beyond local issues though . As reported by Them: "Republican officials in at least eight states are pushing to completely withdraw from the American Library Association (ALA)... Montana State Library Commission withdrew all state libraries from ALA membership" (Riedel, 2023)

• Arizona

• Idaho

• Illinois

• Georgia

• Louisiana

• South Carolina

• Wyoming

• Montana (already withdrawn)

Montana State Library Commission's specific reasoning for leaving the ALA is because the supposedly storied organization "undermines the shared goals of Montana libraries.”

Further, U.S. Senators Marco Rubio, Kevin Cramer, and Mike Braun demanded suspension of federal funding.

American Library Association Controversy

The UTurn article ignores the significant context that eight states are currently considering withdrawing from the ALA, with Montana having already done so. This exodus follows the ALA president's self-identification as a "Marxist lesbian" and concerns about the organization's ideological shift. Many library professionals seek alternatives for professional development and policy guidance while maintaining core library principles.

ALA President Emily Drabinski's tweet: "I just cannot believe that a Marxist lesbian who believes that collective power is possible to build and can be wielded for a better world is the president-elect of [the ALA]. I am so excited for what we will do together. Solidarity!"

Historical Context of Marxism in Practice

To understand the justifiable concerns about institutional Marxism, it's important to note documented historical impacts:

The Black Book of Communism (Harvard University Press, 1997) compiled death tolls under Marxist regimes [I requested Christian County Library add this book to their collection but was denied.]:

• USSR: 20 million deaths

• China: 65 million deaths

• Vietnam: 1 million deaths

• North Korea: 2 million deaths

• Cambodia: 2 million deaths

• Eastern Europe: 1 million deaths

• Latin America: 150,000 deaths

• Africa: 1.7 million deaths

• Afghanistan: 1.5 million deaths

These numbers provide context for why many Americans are concerned about institutional embrace of Marxist ideology.

World Library Association

Rather than evaluate the WLA's stated goals or achievements, UTurn attempts to discredit it through selective portrayal of certain members. The organization appears focused on providing alternative resources for libraries seeking local control over policies - a legitimate aim in library governance.

• The WLA's stated mission focuses on:

• Local control over library policies

• Professional development alternatives

• Community standards in collection development

• Transparent governance processes

From their website: "Our mission is simple, Your Library, Your Way™. We make best practice suggestions, you decide whether to use them."

Echo Schneider's Record

Notably absent from UTurn's coverage is any substantive criticism of Schneider's actual work as board president. Instead, the article relies on attacking others associated with WLA and implying guilt through these connections. This approach sidesteps fundamental questions about her competence and performance.

Notable absences from UTurn's coverage include:

- Any specific criticisms of her board decisions

- Evidence of policy violations

- Complaints about her leadership

- Problems with her qualifications

Instead, UTurn relies on guilt by association through:

- Links to unrelated individuals

- Speculation about motives

- Attacks on WLA members

- Mischaracterization of professional affiliations

Assassination Tactics

The article employs several concerning techniques:

• Uses the tragic suicide of Shawn McBreairty to attack others

  • UTurn wants to tell us about the high rate of suicide among Trans teens. What about the high rate of suicide among men?

• Presents one-sided allegations against Vicki Baggett without evidence or response

  • They never quote Vicki or give evidence of racism from anything she actually says.

  • The articles that malign her use the same tactics as UTurn.

• Characterizes Dan Kleinman's criticism of public figures as harassment

  The lawsuit against Dan Kleinman for exposing the work of Amanda Jones, a public figure who entered the fight on behalf of the ALA demonstrates that the ALA will use Lawfare to defend themselves rather than Free Speech and Public Discourse.

  
  
  

  • Portrays Bruce Friedman's legal challenges as inherently illegitimate

    • Alternately, if Friedman was a leftist, they might have said, using the system to fight the system is brilliant.

    • It’s how you defeat an unjust system. You can’t win against a bureaucracy more interested in reelections than in children by fighting it fairly.

 

A More Balanced View:

A fair examination would:

• Focus on Schneider's actual decisions and leadership

• Consider legitimate debates about ALA's current direction

• Acknowledge that professional associations can have diverse membership

• Evaluate library policies based on their merits rather than personal attacks

The article ultimately fails to make a case against Schneider's fitness to serve, instead relying on character assassination by proxy. In doing so, it undermines rather than advances important discussions about library governance and community standards.

Analysis of UTurn's Coverage: Logical Fallacies and Source Review

Guilt by Association Fallacies

UTurn attempts to discredit Echo Schneider through WLA membership without addressing her performance:

"Echo Schneider (fka Alexzander), is a 'Team Member' of the 'World Library Association'. This new group's apparent goal is to damage the oldest, largest, and most respected library association in the world" (UTurn article)

This ignores that, as reported in the Gillette News Record:

"What I would like to see for it is that it be a resource for librarians, as well as those who want to make their libraries more conservative" (Bear, quoted in Gallardo, 2023)

Using McBreairty's death to taint Echo & WLA:

In 2024, Shawn McBrearity passed away. He took his own life. In the UTurn article, they state, “He’s also famous for baiting and suing multiple school districts in Maine. McBrearity died by self inflicted gunshot in June 2024.” Without taking a break, UTurn ties his suicide directly to his activism against radical school districts.

 

In another article, Uturn links to, it makes accusations against McBreairty that can’t be established. "It's not known whether Shawn McBreairty saw MFM's 'Attack' video during that time, but it seems likely he would have at least heard about it" (Busby, 2018)

This last quotation from Busby represents pure speculation presented as fact and neither Busby nor UTurn wants want you to dig deeper.

Ad Hominem Attacks

Against Dan Kleinman:

The defamation and false light lawsuit appears aimed at silencing criticism of public officials. As reported in Library Journal:

"Jones is still awaiting judgment on the re-petition of her original case in Louisiana, spent a year considering taking action against Kleinman before finally deciding to sue him" (O'Brien & Weidmayer, 2024)

Against Vicki Baggett:

The allegations rely entirely on unverified student claims. From Popular Information:

"Popular Information previously reported that, in 2015, Baggett posted an image of the Confederate Flag to her Facebook page" (Legum & Crosby, 2022)

However, no direct evidence of classroom misconduct is provided beyond student allegations. No quotes are provided of racism. Getting all of the information second-hand is some evidence, but what they have as direct quotes is not racism. None of the students provided direct quotes or video evidence about her beliefs related to intermarriage between people with different skin color. For these types of accusations, we need an exceptionally high standard of evidence. We cannot accept the word of people anymore.

False Equivalence

Equating ALA membership with endorsement of all member views:

The Gillette News Record reports a more nuanced reality:

"Butler said it's meant to give people a choice, and he likened it to car companies... 'Some people like Fords, some people like Chevys, and right now the only dealership you've got in town is a Ford'" (Gallardo, 2023).

The ALA is an organization that represents some Librarians. It is not homogeneous, nor is it the only one. To say it is the only one is a misrepresentation of nearly nine other organizations out there, some of them just as radical as the ALA. Why would it be wrong for some Libraries to have a place to go that doesn’t have the radical or Marxist beliefs that the ALA espouses? Shouldn’t Librarians have more than one politburo to apply to? More than one Commissar?

Previously, Dan Kleinman was accused of calling for Censoring of books, but he challenged the ALA writer, Marta L. Magnuson, and she conceded the points. Maybe UTurn in Education will concede they were wrong for using these fallacies against Echo Schneider and apologize as Ms. Magnuson did?

 

Conclusion

UTurn's coverage fails basic journalistic standards by:

• Ignoring relevant context

• Using guilt by association

• Presenting selective evidence

• Engaging in character assassination

• Avoiding substantive policy discussion

The broader debate about library governance deserves better than partisan attacks masquerading as journalism. Whenever I write about UTurn, I diligently work to apply the highest level of journalistic standards. I try to use these guidelines more and more in my writing for journalism, notwithstanding when I do Satire which is a separate animal.

I do so because they claim that we have no journalistic ethics on our side. UTurn’s article on Echo was demonstrably a hit piece with no journalistic integrity or value. It lacked any truth. It doesn’t frame the issue for why Echo shouldn’t be a board member or the Board president in a substantive way.

They have no arguments for or against Echo in their article beyond she has associated herself with patriots who fight against the Sexually Exploitative Material in our Libraries. Good on Echo, then. Shame on UTurn for supporting the wrong side of this issue once again.

I’ll begin to close with a quotation from Heterodoxy in the Stacks:

"Yet, I can't help but think the sheer, litigious drama of the years-long battle was high in emotion and low on results" (Dudley, 2024)

If we would have a more productive dialogue about library governance rather than personal attacks, maybe there wouldn’t be the need for a WLA or for heroes like Echo Schneider. 

Because the ALA has made that impossible and will continue to support directly or indirectly lawfare against anyone that stands against them, we need heroes in the Library standing against these Character Assassinations by people who lost their love for humanity a long time ago.

There be dragons in the stacks…

 You can access Rice's article by clicking here:

Journalism or Character Assassination: A Response to UTurn's Library Board Coverage by David Rice

Reform Under Fire: How Institutions Fight Back Against Library Independence.

Read on Substack

The Libraries are Pursuing Your Daughters

 David Rice of Hick Christian shares what our libraries are up to...as far as the continuous sexualization and demoralization of our culture. If only we could wake them up to what groups like the American Library Association and the Missouri Library Association are pushing.  The ALA and MLA are not organizations that promote actual reading skills, quality literature, and community cohesiveness. They push "literacy" in things like DEI, SEL, CRT, and so on. They push to divide us into siloed groups so they can further destroy the cohesiveness of our community's values.

The preponderance of books in many libraries are often recent fiction with little literary value. Librarians "weed" out classics that were published years ago. It deprives us our literary and cultural heritage, but that's the point.

Here you go:

Christian County Library is a threat to your Daughters by David Rice

Why Does the Christian County Library want to Empower your Daughters to be Murderers, Gay, or Overly Sexualized?

Read on Substack

Hick Christian Interviews Linda Rantz

David Rice of Hick Christian interviews Linda Rantz who teams with Cause of America. Rantz has been an indefatigable supporter of hand counting, and her Missouri Method eManual--Return to Hand Counting is a wonderful tool to learn about how to hand count. And you can find Missouri voting issues HERE at a list COA keeps updated. The latest is May 2024.

Just to let you know, our local Republican central committees could use this training.

The Importance of Hand Counting Ballot Training by David Rice

Linda Rantz, of Cause of America (Mike Lindell's Election Accountability organization) spoke with me about the accuracy of Hand Counting, the problems with Machine Counting, and Election Myths

Read on Substack

 

Rantz will be in Cass County tonight:

 

We'll be in Cass County, Missouri, next Monday evening (June 10) talking about hand counting, and protecting our elections. @CauseAmerica pic.twitter.com/bxLaivOixb

— Linda Rantz / Cause of America-Missouri (@CofAMissouri) June 6, 2024

Missouri Freedom Initiative Livestream at 7:30 p.m.

 

 According to Patrick Holland, the MFI's live stream tonight will include "special guest, David Rice. David is a conservative writer, journalist, grant writer, freelancer, and playwright. He writes about many different topics that draw his interests. David is focused on exposing Marxism and all of its lies. We’ll discuss the uniparty in Missouri and the PAC money that flows to “Republican” politicians that is intended to allow for research on aborted embryos and fetuses and how that ties into SJR74 and the ballot initiative process. We’ll be live on the usual platforms. Twitter (X), Rumble, Odysee and You Tube."

Also, Patrick shares that "Operation D" is a thing, and the August primaries are vital to our state. Lots more, too. To sign up for MFI's weekly email, go here: patrick@mofree.org

 

It's Not Going Away

David Rice interviews 2024 GOP State Convention delegate, Tony Petrosino, for another perspective about the day. Naturally, more questions are raised. 

For audio or to read, go HERE.

Tony Petrosino--7th Congressional District Delegate by David Rice

Tony shares his experiences with the State Convention and the Floor. He discusses some of the failures of the day.

Read on Substack

For a certain hick, I know...

 

The Power of One

If you want to get a parent or grandparent or taxpayer up to speed about the issues with the Christian County Library, this interview by David Rice is the perfect vehicle.

One Parent Created a Movement

Not only does it give a short history of how Christian County citizen Mary Hernandez de Carl became involved in the movement to bring sanity to the children and teen sections of the library, but how the battle is going. Many very important points are shared.

Our publicly-appointed officials at the library continue to dig in and provide inappropriate materials to children. The staff seem to be creatures of the American Library Association and its chapter the Missouri Library Association. There is a lot of money and power behind the agenda to demoralize our children and destabilize our culture.

One person stood up.

Again, the Christian County Library Board of Trustees meets tonight at the Nixa branch at 6 p.m. Also, the Facebook group mentioned at the end, Pray for Christian County, can be found HERE. Also, We the People of Christian County was instrumental in giving a citizen's a voice in the effort to clean up the library.

Connections

 

 

From: MSBA

 

By Gretchen Garrity

 David Rice writes about Ozark School Board Member Patty Quessenberry, who has served on the board for 27 years--and she's running again. Quessenberry is also the president-elect of the Missouri School Boards Association (MSBA) about which you can read here, and watch below:

 

Rice writes: "Mrs. Quessenberry’s loyalties are not to you. At the very least, she is loyal to the MSBA which is buried in DEI and wants to increase school debt so they can make their Bank overlords happy. Is it possible her loyalties are to the businesses and organizations that stand to make the most money off the district? Even if all she gets out of being a board member is a massage to her ego, is it worth so many students failing?"

Rice shares the crux of the matter--that low academic scores are the elephant in the room that school boards avoid talking about at all costs.

Because of professional relationships, as well as the policies and guidelines pushed by groups like the MSBA and the Missouri Association of School Administrators (in connection with DESE), academic scores have taken a nosedive, as well as the mental and emotional health of students and staff. Also, these organizations are associated with lending organizations (like Raymond James and Stifel) that stand by to help school districts (taxpayers) get into debt through never-ending bonds for school construction projects, renovations, etc. Both Raymond James and Stifel are associate/business members with both the MSBA and MASA.

Citizens should check into the relationships with these professional organizations and how they work with local school districts to pass bonds and keep the taxpayers in perpetual debt above and beyond the tax levies. Follow the money.

Citizens must not lose sight of the abysmal academic scores. For parents and taxpayers the Return on Investment (ROI) is not there, but for financial organizations it's a never-ending windfall of taxpayer dollars.

The organizational relationships that school board members and candidates have has a lot to do with the decisions they make on the local level. Vote accordingly on April 2.

The Problem with Friends

 

From: Ozarktigers.org

 

By Gretchen Garrity

The oft-repeated line that the Missouri Legislature has a Republican super majority is a terrible hindrance to the truth of the matter. When some Republican legislators vote, on average, about 50% of the time with the Democrats, that is not a super majority of Republicans. 

That is called the Uniparty. And the Uniparty's interests do not align with the vast majority of citizens in Missouri who vote (often vainly) for Republicans who hopefully represent their interests.

This is also a problem on the local level with school boards and other elected offices. Uniparty influence easily reaches down to locally-elected positions. How else are their vast interests going to be implemented in local schools, health boards, city councils and libraries?

Citizens need to awaken to the understanding that the candidate or official you have known for years, who attends your church, whose business you frequent, or whose children go to school with your children, may not be the best person for the local school board or city council.

It is vital that you become educated on how they view the world, how they will or have vote(d), and what organizations and individuals they are affiliated with. For instance, the Chamber of Commerce is not what it used to be. It has been co-opted by globalist interests that seek to implement worker programs in the schools. They are more interested in worker bees than an educated populace.

Many local schools are deeply intertwined with the local chambers of commerce. School board members, past and present, and even superintendents are members of the local chamber of commerce. They represent the public/private partnerships that purport to have a mutually beneficial relationship that helps students as well as the chamber. 

Think.

The chamber is a business-oriented entity. It desires what most benefits businesses in the area. Do the benefits of a culinary program outweigh the negative aspects of turning a school into a business that churns out workers and not educated citizens who can reason and determine their own future?

There are plenty of culinary schools around. Why start a program in a high school? Ask yourself the hard questions. Who benefits most from a bunch of kids that know how to work in hospitality, typically a relatively low-income career? Why aren't schools turning out kids who can read well, write well, and do mathematics? The scores are awful in many local districts, yet programs that ultimately benefit business are an expanding focus. Why?

On a similar note, David Rice has written an excellent article about Dustin Kirkman, a candidate for the Ozark School District School Board. Rice asks some important questions and he exposes some important information. His article deserves to be shared around.

From his article: "Dustin Kirkman has made questionable statements about schools, has supported two men who had felony charges against them (and in Christian County, they received a slap on their wrists), and belongs to an organization that does good and services, but leans left and doesn’t believe in absolute truth. Even the ancient Greeks understood truth better than Rotarians seem to understand it."

Incidentally, there will be a radio spot at 91.1 FM KSMU tomorrow at noon (March 19, 2024) with Ozark School Board candidates sponsored by the Informed Voter Coalition (Show Me Christian County).

Moses the "Superintendent"

 

Detail of a 19th-century wood engraving by Frederick Richard Pickersgill

David Rice does a great job of exposing the worldview of Nixa School Board candidate Megan Deal, who recently spoke at a local meeting. It is vitally important to understand where candidates are coming from.

They can say many right things, they can be Christians, they can be articulate and pleasant. But if their basic understanding of the world is not in line with your values as a voter, you have a decision to make.

In order to really get at their true opinions, you have to spend time digging. Rice does that. He's showing the reader what the press will not--the truth.

From his article:

"[Megan Deal] spoke alongside other school board candidates and she talked about the emotional and mental health needs of the students who are being overlooked by the system. In other words, she claimed she was looking for the marginalized children in schools. 

She seems to be focused on her narrowly focused project of finding the students during relaxed times at school (like lunch or transitioning from classroom to classroom). She thinks the board should be there speaking to the students during those periods and learning from the overlooked (marginalized) students.

She also spoke about being like Aaron to Moses, trying to lean on her Christian background for her candidacy. She referenced Exodus 17:12-13, when Aaron and Hur lifted Moses’ arms so that God’s power could still work through him. She described the school board trustees as the Aaron to the Superintendent’s Moses."

Read the whole thing here: Can we Trust Megan Deal to be a Nixa School Board Trustee?

Benefit Packages and NGOs, oh my!

 David Rice has written an excellent article regarding questionable benefits packages and payouts in the Ozark School District. Also a great exposure of the NGOs that have undue influence on school districts, robbing them of local control.

From the article: 

"The School Board adopted the "PRIME CHOICE® Plan" offered by Precision Retirement Group, which allows public employers to convert certain forms of compensation like accumulated sick leave, vacation time, and incentive payments into contributions to either a medical trust called the "PRIME Plan" or special deferred compensation plans like 401(a) or 403(b) accounts. Copies of the Prime Plan are at the end of the article.

The materials promote these conversions as allowing tax-free reimbursements for retiree health expenses in the PRIME Plan trust, or opportunities to defer federal and state taxes in the deferred compensation plans. They also advertise eliminating FICA tax obligations for both the employer and employee.

While portrayed as benefits for employees, such specialized retirement plans allowing favorable tax treatments on back-end payouts have been criticized by some as forms of excessive "golden parachutes" for highly-compensated public officials and administrators."

Well worth reading, with links galore to get you up to speed on the issues. 

The Grassroots is Awake

 

The Law

 

David Rice is back with the second of five articles, "Why is Child Porn Legal?" dealing with the subject of child porn and how porn has found its way into our schools and libraries. Rice details a recent visit he had with the Christian County Library's Executive Director:

"I recently met with the Executive Director at the Library near my home. I told her the material was illegal. She told me it was legal, and her smug look of satisfaction let me know I was uninformed. That is why I started this series. I dug into the law and discovered she was right. It is legal."

Part two dissects the legalities behind what has happened. Another must read.

Subscribe to David's Substack. Part one is here.

We're Failing the Children

David Rice begins a five-part Substack series titled "Why is Child Porn Legal?" 

One so wants to recoil from this stuff and not think on it. But in all honesty, porn has affected, on one level or another, almost everyone in modern society. Christians must be willing to take up the cross and fight. Porn, and in particular child porn, is a scourge that grows ever larger.

Our betters (those with most of the money, education, and influence) have long since abandoned their moral position and are not to be followed or trusted. This includes elected officials who pay lip service to protecting children but in reality do little or nothing.

From Rice's article:

"Overall, the Miller decision is just bad law. One of the justices, William J. Brenner, Jr., was eager to remove as many obscenity laws as he could. We can all give him thanks for his service to this nation. I need a sarcasm font. We were given a law which created a market for obscene materials across the nation. Its claim to return the issues to the states is a valueless claim. We are one bad petition initiative to change the Missouri Constitution to enshrine the right to porn in our libraries and our schools. This is what happens when you side with a Free Love worldview."

Just to keep it real, here is journalist Elizabeth Nickson of Welcome to Absurdistan:

 We Chose the Pornification of the Culture, and,

Child Rape in Hollywood. How Much Can You Handle?

Our local culture has become so degraded that our Christian County Library is on par with public libraries in St. Louis and Kansas City for the amount of smut pushing the early sexualization and indoctrination of our children.

But there is hope. The monthly library board of trustee meetings have become a sort of revival of Christian sentiment. Pastors are getting involved, though sadly they are few and far between. Victims of the "pornification of our culture" speak about its trauma, and how to be saved and healed.

The "educated" voices that speak in favor of allowing minors access to smut are slowly being overcome by common sense and sanity. But the Enemy of common sense and sanity will not give up easily.

 The next meeting of the Christian County Library is scheduled for Tuesday, January 23 at 6 p.m. Check the link to confirm the location as the meeting draws closer.

In the meantime, keep up with David Rice's series. Don't turn away. Local action has national impact.