Mehlville Fire Department Board of Directors Break Many Laws

The Mehlville Fire District's Board of Directors has been breaking so many laws lately that they're not even trying to be sly about it anymore.
Let's start with last week's approval of a bid to sell a district firehouse. This was done in closed session. When I asked about the closed session votes, I was told by their records' custodian that she could withhold the votes for 72 hours. I informed her that that was not the law, that only votes on personnel issues could be withheld. I've gone back and forth with the district's attorney for the last couple of days but he won't give me a straight answer. They violated the law and are just playing stupid! Believe me the Call would be crying all the way to the courthouse with this one if it was anybody but their buddies with the Mehlville Fire Board! When I got the info on the sale of the firehouse, I asked why it was in closed session when approval and execution of the sale should be in open session. Guess what? The agenda for the next meeting was amended to include the sale of the firehouse. Either Matt Hoffman or the district should be paying me for legal advice.
Then, I looked a bit closer at the agenda for the meeting on the 27th and there's no tax rate hearing on it. That's good, cause one was never held. Board Chairman Arron Hilmer held perhaps the fastest meeting on public record. His agenda included the sale of the firehouse, public comments and a tax rate hearing. All were done within a minute. He didn't even read the tax rate resolution. No citizens were offered the opportunity to speak. This is what Missouri Law says about tax hearings.

Prior to fixing the rate of taxes, as provided in this section, the county governing body shall hold a public hearing on the proposed rate of taxes at which citizens shall be heard.

And guess what, no minutes were taken of the meeting as required by Missouri's Sunshine Law. The meeting was recorded. There will not be an official record of this meeting, as required by law, for perhaps months, if the district follows its normal practice.

Update/Correction I was wrong. Apparently the regular board secretary wasn't at this meeting and the interim secretary took minutes. Could this be the beginning of complying with Missouri statutes?

Now that's the facts. Here's my opinion. The district's record custodian needs some training on the sunshine law, the district needs to get a new attorney, one that will give legal advice instead of participating in this in this theft of good government and the mainstream media in this town needs to look in on our fireboard. It's understandable why the Call Newspapers willingly go along with this board. They make money off them. But, it's a shame that the Post Dispatch doesn't look into them. My only guess is that the Post gives that north county fire department hell cause their BOD and its lawyer is black. I'm guessing that its more popular with their white readers to go after the black guys when they break the law and abuse the public's trust.

Oh yeah, after all that nonsense about getting a tax decrease after the first ever tax decrease election in the spring, the fire board raised the tax rate the other night!

I Must Praise the Mehlville Fire Board

The Mehlville Fire Protection District's BOD broke all records and Missouri law by having a public meeting Thursday that lasted approximately one minute. In it, they approved the sale of a firehouse and held a tax rate hearing. Unbelievable!

Skippy Worked His Magic in Mehlville

You won't read about it in the Oakville Call, but Milton "Skip" Ohlsen III worked on a volunteer basis for Michael Ocello when he defeated me for the Mehlville School Board. During the election in 2003, Mehlville School District parents were sent an anonymous flier that was less than flattering about me. OK, it was downright mean. I have received a couple of calls over the last few days telling me that these fliers and the ones from the Carnahan election look quite similar. Only two people requested the parents names and addresses during the campaign. That was Skip and myself. These are major violations in the campaign world. But did the Concord Call report on it. Of course not.

The Pitchforks of August

Submitted by Jean Carnahan on August 11, 2009 - 3:38pm

In recent weeks we have seen disruptions at town halls, mob hysteria, arrests, death threats, and remarks that border on treason. Those who should be in control of the GOP remain mute or, even worse, they bless the hordes that take up pitchforks to puncture the idea of health care reform.

Yes, boys and girls, the anti-government tea baggers are being ginned up anew to squelch the president's health care plan. Sara Palin recently spoke of an “Obama death panel” that would decide when and how her parents and disabled child would die. Newt Gingrich—who knows better—endorsed her nonsense. High Priest of the GOP Rush Limbaugh took time out from rattling the cage of the birthers to compare Obama Health to Hitler Health of the 1930s. Scary stuff.

All across the country, pitchfork carriers are shouting spoon-fed slogans compliments of GOP pols and insurance big wheels. One distraught woman at a town hall meeting cried out, “I want my country back.” A man in South Carolina told his congressman that “there is not a day that goes by … that I don’t hear talk of revolution in our country.” A GOP nominee in Virginia declared we could “fight this battle at the ballot box” … or “the bullet box.”

Cenk Uygur is one of those who thinks the current outrage has little to do with health care reform. Writing on Huffington Post, he calls the ugly flair ups “the last gasp of the angry white man.” According to Uygur, the town hall screamers are upset at having a black man in the White House, a Hispanic woman on the Supreme Court, and immigrants competing for the few available jobs. They resent the bailouts, scientists tampering with their firmly held beliefs, and gays and women gaining more influence in society. Like a fomenting volcano their fear and anger erupts, spilling into the public arena, scorching civil discourse.

If what Uygur says is true, there is little hope of placating their frustrations. They are willing pawns being manipulated by those who find raw prejudice and passion convenient tools in maintaining the status quo.

But I am by nature hopeful. As I thought about the current pitchfork wielders, I recalled that during the early days of hot air balloon flight, French farmers would attempt to chase away the newfangled contraption to protect themselves and their cattle. At landing, they would flatten the balloon with their pitchforks, thinking it was a diabolical intruder from outer space.

Clever balloonist discovered that if they waved a bottle of champagne bearing a label from a nearby town their descent was far more welcomed. (This ancient ritual is still observed by balloonists. Once when I was in a balloon that set down in a field, the farmer’s wife upon discovering that I was the First Lady of Missouri, ran to the house and brought back her best wine glasses so we wouldn’t have to drink from the bottle—but that’s another story.)

It remains to be seen if lawmakers can dodge the pitchforks of August long enough to land a health care bill safely onto the president’s desk. Somehow, I suspect it will take more than champagne to get the job done.

Stolen from Firedupmissouri.com

The Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing But the Truth

I wonder if the Truth Detector, James Stonebraker, of the South County Truth Spot, knows what that means. Surely, his attorney has advised him to to evade, avoid and delay, but will he lie in a sworn deposition. It's one thing to lie about a political opponent. It's another to lie in a sworn deposition. Well, James, what's it gonna be, the truth or perjury?

Call Newspapers Fail Again Update

The numbers are in on the judgement slapped on Milligan and the Call Newspapers/Call Publications for not paying their bills.

09SL-AC16994 - PELARIOUS INC V CONCORD PUBLICATIONS

Judgment Date:08/10/2009
Description: Judgment Entered
Against: CONCORD PUBLICATIONS INC
This is Call Publishing AKA the Oakville Call, Concord Call, Sun Crest Call and other rubbish.

Amount of Judgment: $9,182.69
Date of Satisfaction: not yet on file

Text:
AFFIDAVIT FILED. SO ORDERED: JUDGE JUDY PREDDY DRAPER

We'll keep you updated on the payment of this judgement.

Civil Discussion About Health Care

Ramblings _One Who Can Discuss Health Care Without A Gun (+)
by: Tom B

My wife was an old school, hands on RN for all of her too short adult life. We met when she was an MICN and I was a firefighter/medic hauling patients into her ER over 30 years ago.
When she learned that a maternally hereditary and terminal kidney condition had picked her generation to strike and her in particular to afflict, she quietly sat down and put her affairs in order. When the time came that she knew the only way she was going to be able to live was through constant dialysis treatment in some assisted care facility she, again very quietly, checked herself out of the hospital and went home to die.
She firmly believed in every person's inherent right to live a life of dignity and to a certain standard quality of life in regard to health issues, with the knowledge that nobody will be given preferential treatment based on their position on the financial food chain, especially when it comes down to living or dying. She worked her entire life doing what she could to provide that right to anyone and everyone she ever came into contact with professionally. Now those beliefs are being spit on by gun toting extremists being whipped up by pimp politicians and radio and TV talking heads.
We spent many hours during those days in the hospital, me not wanting to let go and her trying to explain to me that what was going to be left was not going to be her anyway and that she truly needed to go... for our sakes and for hers. She finally managed to convince me and I and the rest of the family were able to finally realize that we selfishly wanted her around for us and that it was time to think of her for a change.
She came home on a Monday, lapsed into a coma eight days later and passed away ten days after coming home to be among friends and family at the end. I hope... when my time comes... I can meet it head on with as much grace and dignity as that woman did.
I learned a lot of lessons during the short weeks after her decision was made. Things that today, the running dogs of the health care industry are attempting to marginalize in favor of higher profits for their corporate handlers. I've seen things in recent weeks and months that have led me to develop huge levels of contempt and disgust for those politicians and other government lackeys that would have denied her the care she received had the hospital she worked at not been a public entity.
In other words, had she, as a public employee, not had the "public option" health insurance that the ultra right wing mavens of religious righteosity and corporate self interest would deny the average citizen... most often while enjoying and/or taking advantage of it themselves... the choice wouldn't have been hers to make. She would have been SENT home instead of them trying their damnedest to get her to have surgeries and other expensive treatments that she as well as they did would not improve her condition.
By the way, his is not a political issue for me. I don't give a damn what party you belong to or what your "ism" happens to be, so don't start flinging labels or calling names. This is an issue of my right to decent health care at an affordable price as opposed to your right to unimaginably obscene profits based on denying me that right or... if your a running dog politician... your "right" to make more money acting against the public interest than for it. It's an issue of right or wrong, pure and simple and I just wanted to get that crap out of the way.
People who profit hugely... to the point of profiteering especially... from the suffering of other people are simply evil. There is no other word for it. Republican, Blue Dog Democrat or what the hell ever, if you're taking huge amounts of money from our for profit health care system and supporting the abuses and what ought to be called crimes against humanity being committed daily by the corporations and Wall Street bloodsuckers, then I'm sorry... you're nothing but totally evil, greedy little punks... jackals pecking at the bones of the dead... and often before the dying is even over.
I used to think there were a lot more people like my wife out there than there were miserable self serving malignant little gnomes who would vote to let people die if they didn't have the means to contribute to the obscene bottom line of the health care "industry". But I suppose that if the percentage of punks in congress reflects the percentage of punks in our society, then I was probably wrong about that, eh?
When you stand in the way of universal health care... and ESPECIALLY when your sole verifiable reason for doing so is that you have taken MONEY for it and you have to make up bullshit stories to absolve your masters of being little more than maggots... you lose any credibility you might ever have had with any thinking human being on the subject.
The more I hear the crap coming from the fringe 29 percenters, most recently epitomized by the blithering fricking idiot who openly wore a damned gun to a presidential appearance on health care with who knows WHAT fricking purpose in mind and thereby crapped on the entire concept of reasoned debate on an issue of supreme importance, the more convinced I become that maybe the wrong people are wearing guns to the wrong rallies. I wonder what would happen if I strapped on my old Colt and went to a "tea party".
To you bloviating right wing punks... I'm sorry, punks is the most printable name I can come up with for you right now... you congressional and right wing talking head punks... who advocate and egg on the kind of political "dialog" and "debate" we're seeing today... thanks, you miserable little sonsofbitches for turning this country into a fricking banana republic style lampoon of itself. Too bad you're doing it solely for the money and, even worse, including gnawing the bones of the dead and dying as one of your major means of doing so.