Rep. Nolte Bankrolled by Pro-Voucher Multi-Millionaire

Rep. Jerry Nolte (R - Gladstone) told the N. K. C. School District he is opposed to vouchers. The N. K. C. School district passed a resolution against vouchers. So, what does Rep. Nolte do - he takes over $27,000 from a pro-voucher, St. Louis multi-millionaire Rex Sinquefield.

Here is Jerry Nolte's campaign finance report from the most recent quarter...you can see where he is getting his money. Bottom line...he is taking over 90% of his money from campaign committees controlled by one man...a wealthy St. Louis businessman that is a supporter of right wing causes including school vouchers, charter schools and tax cuts for big corporations. Rex set up a hundred PACS so he could funnel money to folks through committees called "Missourians Needing Education Alternatives" and "Your School Your Choice."

Nolte shows he raised $29,300 this last reporting period. Of that $29,300 not a single dollar was raised from any individual inside his district. There are only two contributions from individuals that total $425. Five contributions come from other Republican State Rep. candidate committees...$1,275 total. He took money from Enterprise Rent A Car - the folks who opposed the Sprint Arena.

The balance of $27,600 come from multiple political action committees controlled by one St. Louis businessman that supports right wing causes. Rex Sinquefield is buying school vouchers one politician at a time. Looks like Rep. Nolte is the most recent person to sell out.

You have to ask yourself who is Jerry Nolte representing and who is he obligated to!!

Vouchers and Open Enrollment, one politican at a time

Rex Sinquefield is on a mission; to buy enough politicians to get school vouchers and open enrollment in Missouri. Those ideas are the exact opposite of the alleged Republican principles of smaller government and local control. Who wants Matt Blunt running the North Kansas City school district?

You will recall a previous post on Buying Vouchers, One PAC at a Time. That one discussed how Rex set up 100 PACS to pass his money through since the Missouri Supreme Court struck down the unlimited contributions that the Republicans put in place. You will also remember the hub bub about Missouri School's getting a bad report grade from President Bush's Department of Education. Getting told by Bush - a guy who struggles with the English language - that your schools stink really hurts.

So here's the question, who has been benefiting from Sinquefield's mission to get school vouchers? Rep. Jerry Nolte? Sen. Luanne Ridgeway?

Representative Nathan Cooper (R) gets 15 months in the big house

You will recall that Republican State Representative Nathan Cooper pled guilty to federal charges that he steered temporary work visa to illegal aliens for his clients in in the trucking industry. Republicans love profiting off illegal aliens!!

This blog discussed Nathan Cooper several times. You know, things like Rep. Nathan Cooper and Rep. Jerry Nolte determining that abortion is the cause of illegal immigration. KC Blue Blog was the first to call on Cooper and the Republicans to give the tainted money he raised in a single golf tournament (65,000) to charity.

Fired Up pointed out the Cooper got half the sentence recommended by the federal sentencing guidelines, passed in part of 32 letters of support that were filed under seal. Don't you wonder which Republicans went to pat for their pal? Which Republican with ties to Blunt think we should go light on an attorney who uses his political power to help corporations profit off of low wage illegal immigrants?

I think Matt Blunt, who called for openness during Supreme Court nominations, should call for openness during the sentencing of some one who supports profitable illegal immigration. Surely Blunt's buddy, U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway, would listen and petition the court to make the letters open.

Nolte (R) v. Stone (D) - 33rd - look for a great race

Terry Nolte (R - 33rd) is looking at a good quarterly report (as opposed to some other Republican state representatives in close races). He went out and raised $12,000 from PACs and Republican election committees.

Rep. Nolte knows he is in for a battle. He followed Gov. Blunt around Jefferson City, and we all know how unpopular Blunt is after he kicked 100,000 people off health care. Nolte barely beat Terry Stone by 76 votes in 2006.

Nolte raised $4,800 this quarter. That is the wonderful power of the incumbency. Check out Stone's report, it is filled with Clay County residents donating $25 and $30 (yes, there's a few checks for the state max of $325).

The 33rd is a battle for the control of the Missouri House. The Republicans have to keep swing suburban districts like this one. The Democrats must take this one back to regain control of the House. The battle ground is in Clay County. Let the best candidate (who talks about the issues of education, health care and immigration and works the hardest) win.

Missouri House Republicans: Spend Spend Spend!

Tax & Spend & Giveaway; that's our current batch of Republicans.

First they cut the sick and the poor off Medicaid. Then they give away tax breaks to developers. Finally, it is spend, spend, spend. The Republicans have found $200,000 extra dollars and instead of returning it to taxpayers under the Hancock Amendment they spend it like kids in the candy store.

September 17, 2007

TO: All House Members


RE: House Contingent Fund Postage Credit

Dear House Members:


Effective fiscal management of the House Contingent Fund has resulted in the one-time purchase of an additional $200,000 in bulk-rate postage for use by House members. This will result in an additional $1,227 in bulk-rate postage to be available to each House member for mailings prepared by the House Publications office, separate and apart from your House Member Expense Account. This should help relieve fiscal challenges in your member expense account that have occurred due to recent increases in US Postal Service rates.

Specifically, the House Appropriations office has established a method for separately tracking a $1,227 House Contingent Fund Postage Credit in bulk-rate postage costs for each House member to be incurred from postage purchased through the House Contingent Fund. These funds will not be credited nor deducted from your member expense account, as the funds are separately appropriated. The Contingent Fund Postage Credit will be available to you until such time that you exhaust the $1,227 allotment established in your name.


Because this House Contingent Fund Postage Credit purchase occurred as a bulk-rate postage purchase, members cannot use these funds to supplement a member's need for stamps or metered mail costs nor may the credit be converted to cash. Members may only access this Postage Credit through the distribution of a constituent services mailing that is produced by the House publications office and is authorized to contain the House bulk mail permit stamp. All House Publication Procedures and Guidelines will still apply. Finally, members which currently retain an FY 2007 encumbrance for the purpose of a constituent mailing not yet distributed must first exhaust all FY 2007 funds encumbered in their House Member Expense Account before accessing the House Contingent Fund Postage Credit.

Please do not hesitate to contact Chief Clerk Adam Crumbliss at 1-3829 or Joe Roberts at 1-3972 for additional information on this credit.

Sincerely,


Kenny Jones

Chairman

House Standing Committee on Administration and Accounts

What this means is that with Republicans in the majority, this is just a mini-donation to each candidate (yes, to the D's too). This is incumbent (and majority) protection money. Expect Representatives Will Kraus, Jerry Nolte and Jeff Grisamore to pump out an additional mailing to every voter in the district reminding them of how great they are for not fixing medicare or increasing school funding.

Here's a fiscal conservative challenge to Kraus, Nolte and Grisamore - don't blow the money just because you can. Tell the leadership to use it to restore medicare funding and to increase funding to public schools.

Missouri's Schools Suffer under Blunt and Nolte

Parents of Missouri school kids have known it for a long time, but now even President Bush recognizes that Missouri's schools have been back sliding under the Blunt Administration.

All the papers in the State have reported that Bush's Department of Education determined that "Missouri has demanded too little of its schools and reprimanded their shortcomings too slowly." Zollie Stevenson, chief of federal Student Achievement and School Accountability Programs, and leader of the team that reviewed Missouri says "The state needs to be more proactive — actually going out and monitoring." The KC Star reports Missouri could lose major school funding dollars.

Not only are our schools not performing, but they underfunded. Missouri legislators, like Rep. Jerry Nolte (R) in Gladstone, did not attempt to 1) increase funding or 2) make a more equitable funding formula. Half the school districts have sued the state for underfunding. Regardless of the outcome of the suit, its a bad thing for half the school districts to know they are underfunded. What does Nolte due to improve our schools? He co-sponsored a HJR1 that would strip Courts of the power to determine under the Missouri Constitution if schools are adequately funded. Nolte sure doesn't want anyone telling him to take care of Gladstone school kids.

So Bush's Department of Education gives our schools a F, half the school districts have to sue the state because they are underfunded and Nolte's solution is to beat up on the Courts. Maybe the solution is to get rid of Representative Nolte and Gov. Matt Blunt. The solution is to elect Terry Stone and Jay Nixon.

Nolte (33) - Abortion Causes Illegal Immigration

As the Immigration issues continue to draw attention and as we discuss Rep. Jerry Nolte's (33rd) lack luster performance in Jefferson City, it is important to examine these issues along with abortion. What, abortion & immigration? Those two things are unrelated!!!

Recall that Rep. Nolte (R) - Mr. "limited activity"- is the vice chair of the immigration committee. That committee did not pass a single bill into law in 2007. 2006 wasn't a banner year, either. That was the year the immigration committee decided that abortion caused illegal immigration. This was the Special Committee to study immigration reform. Not a single Democrat signed the illogical report, but felon Nathan Cooper did, along with Rep. Nolte. Check out page 9 of the offical report by Nolte & Cooper.

Right there in black and white - 30 years of abortion causes illegal immigration. What about before Roe v. Wade? What about Nathan Cooper working for trucking companies to get illegal aliens into the US?

Rep. Nolte - we want to know where you stand!! You should either publicly take your name off this report, stating your disgust for your friend and felon Nathan Cooper or not run for office. Which one is it?

Terry Stone to Challenge Nolte in the 33rd

Rep. Terry Nolte (R) is in for a rematch from Terry Stone(D)!!!

The 33rd District, just North of the River in the Gladstone area, is a Democratic seat. Sen. Claire McCaskill carried this district by 56.7%. Terry Stone ran against Nolte, an incumbent, and lost by only 74 votes in 2006. Nolte has not been out raising money and reported "limited activity"on his last MEC filing. Nolte's immigration committee in Jefferson City has literally passed no laws. Nolte supports vouchers and open enrollment - ideas that are not popular in his district. Nolte's "limited activity" is not just limited to fundraising, he's done nothing for his district in Jefferson City besides serve as a rubber stamp for Blunt.

Before Nolte, the seat was held by Rev. and Rep. Phil Willoughby (D). Before that is was held by Insurance Commissioner and Rep. Scott Lakin (D). A fundraiser was recently held that was headlined by Jay Nixon, the current Attorney General and the Democratic candidate for Governor. Listed on the invite, in addition to Willoughby and Lakin, were the widely popular father and son duo of Councilman Bill Skaggs and Rep. Trent Skaggs. The fact that Terry Stone has such heavy hitter support so early clearly indicates this is a Top 5 race in the State. If the Missouri House is going to switch to a Democrat in the Speaker's chair, it will require that Terry Stone be in Jefferson City.

Good Luck, Terry Stone.

Republican Representative Cooper a Felon - Give the Dirty Money to Charity!!

Representative Nathan Cooper (R), from Southeast Missouri, has plead guilty to a felony for lying about immigration paperwork. Kinda of ironic that Republicans, especially Rep. Nolte from Gladstone, are harsh critics of the immigration, yet pass no substantive laws, and one of their own is breaking immigration law for Republican donors. Representative Cooper (R) will be resigning his political office.

Two days before pleading guilty to a felony in federal court, Representative Cooper (R) transferred over $65,000 from his campiagn account to the "Friends of the 158th." There is symbiotic relationship between the "Friends of the 158th" and the "Friends of Nathan Cooper." They have the same treasure (Victor Gunn), they write checks back and forth, they jointly hosted a golf tournament.

Nathan Cooper (R) served on the Joint Committee for Government Accountability. You can tell he learned alot there. According to Missouri Political News, Democrats were quick to respond to the incident. "First they started trading tax credits for campaign contributions, then they sold fee offices to political allies, and now we learn that Rep. Nathan Cooper — one of Matt Blunt’s top lieutenant in the legislature — has been handing out visas to illegal immigrants for personal gain," said Jack Cardetti, Missouri Democratic Party spokesman. "Today’s guilty plea pulls back the curtain on the culture of corruption created by Matt Blunt and his legislative allies. It’s no wonder that Missourians are ready for change." The Missouri GOP has issued no official response regarding the incident. According to the Associated Press, Cooper took in at least $50,000 from trucking industry clients in the scheme between 2004 and 2005.

Many folks are calling for Cooper's tainted money, which now sits in the "Friends of the 158th" to be donated to charity. I cannot imagine that any Republican would want to get a donation from the "Friends of the 158th." Why not refund the money to the donors? Because even before pleading guilty to a felony, Cooper wanted to help his Republican friends. Victor Gunn and Rep. Cooper made sure they got refunds from the "Friends of Nathan Cooper" committee for the federal guilty plea.

Give the money to charity!!! Where is Blunt?

Nolte (33rd) - Doing Nothing About Immigration

Representative Jerry Nolte (R) - state representative for the 33rd District just north of the river in Clay County - is busy taking on problem if illegal immigration. He's chair of the special committee on immigration.

Thank goodness someone is going to punish employers who hire illegal immigrants. Without a demand, there is no supply. HB 85, which makes it illegal (i.e. a crime and felony) for an employer to knowingly hire an illegal alien, was sent to Rep. Nolte's committee and was never passed into law. The Republicans control the Senate, the House and the Governor's mansion. What's Nolte's excuse for failure on this issue of great importance to him?

Rep. Nolte gets appointed the chair of a special committee and gets nothing passed. Criminalizing people doing the hiring - law and order, baby - is what the Republicans are all about. Why can't the chairman Nolte get things done? Maybe Clay County folks need a new state representative in the Missouri House.

Nolte (33rd) has "Limited Acitivity"

I guess we all knew it was true, but Rep. Jerry Nolte(R) from Gladstone filed his Missouri Ethics Commission (MEC) report yesterday and fessed up to his role in Jefferson City - "Limited Activity"

What the heck does "Limited Activity" mean? It means that Nolte has been so consumed with filing pro-voucher bills and pro-open enrollment bills - which hurt public schools in the Northland - that he is not taking care of his campaign. It means, according to the MEC instructions that Nolte has had "little or no financial activity." That mirrors Nolte's impressive showing in Jefferson City.

Rep. Nolte (R) won this traditionally Democratic seat in 2006 by a landslide victory of 50.5% to 49.5% - challenger Terry Stone (D) only needed 74 more votes to win. This is a race that Missouri Democrats can rally around. Between Rep. Scott Lakin and Rev. Phil Willoughby, this seat was solidly held by Democrats for a decade. The district voted for Claire McCaskill, it will vote for another D to help us take back the state house.