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Demos Speak Out at Recent Public Forum

Editor
Posted 4/17/04

By Kim Thompson Democrat-Leader Correspondent State Democratic Party candidates spared no punches at a public forum sponsored by Howard County Progressives March 26, in Fayette. Wes Shoemyer, Jim …

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Demos Speak Out at Recent Public Forum

Posted
Editor
By Kim Thompson
Democrat-Leader Correspondent

State Democratic Party candidates spared no punches at a public forum sponsored by Howard County Progressives March 26, in Fayette. Wes Shoemyer, Jim Seigfreid, and Page Bellamy shared their views on agriculture, education and transportation issues with those attending.

Rep. Shoemyer, the incumbent, is running for the 9th District and is unopposed in the primary. He is from rural Clarence, Mo. His likely Republican opponent will be Centralia publisher Jeff Hedberg.

Shoemyer is opposed to the Medicaid reform bill (HB 1566), which has passed in the House and is now before the Senate because, he said, it 'balances the budget on the backs of our most vulnerable.' He noted that it would lower the Medicaid qualifying income for a single-mother to $7,000 (it is now $12,000).

Shoemyer reported that 69 companies over-collected $31 million in state taxes. Currently, those companies do not have to submit the over-collected taxes. Shoemyer advocates taking in those over-collected state taxes as a way to increase state revenues. Republicans oppose such a measure.

Speaking about patented seed laws, Shoemyer said he has sponsored legislation which would allow farmers to save their own seed for subsequent plantings. 'It's a great injustice that a farmer cannot save his own seed,' he observed.

Page Bellamy, prosecuting attorney of Lafayette County, is running against Rep. Jim Seigfreid for State Senate District 21 in the Democratic primary. Beginning next year, that district will include Howard County.

Bellamy proposes to address the problem of a rising prison population by using technology and working toward ensuring that all students are graduated from high school.

He noted that it only costs $4 a day to keep track of an individual using global positioning systems and an identifying ankle bracelet.

Bellamy stated that when he worked as public defender, only two of the nearly 2,000 people he defended were high school graduates. 'We pay now, or we pay later,' he said.

On rural revitalization, Bellamy proposes the preservation of rural schools, reproaching Republicans for proposing consolidation of rural school districts.

Bellamy advocates tax incentives for rural businesses and increased salaries for rural teachers, police officers, firefighters, nurses, and highway patrol officers.

Seigfreid, a resident of Marshall whose House district used to include part of Howard County, opposes the current trend toward out-sourcing by call centers. He has sponsored legislation to prohibit the use of non-U.S. call centers in Missouri.

On education funding, Seigfreid advocates more state funding for rural schools. He reported that 113 school and levy districts are submitting bond issues to local voters because of inadequate state funding.

On transportation, Seigfreid proposes toll roads, especially tolls for bridge use ' though he does not believe I-70 should be a toll road.

On increasing state revenues, Seigfreid proposes placing a one-cent sales tax increase proposal to a vote of the people. Over six years, such a tax would raise $3 billion, he states. He also supports increasing taxes on the gambling industry.

Seigfreid spoke of his opposition to the consolidation of rural schools saying, 'When we close the schools, we close the rural towns.'

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