Legislative sanctions

by Jack Stapleton, Jr.

When it comes to devising new methods of appropriating revenue, introducing statutes and enacting laws for a state of more than 5.6 million citizens, Missouri lawmakers don’t have to take second place to elected statesmen anywhere.

Just look at the latest strategy our lawmakers have devised to establish the public welfare, law and order, and truth and justice. Someone within our Capitol chambers hatched an idea that would do credit to the genius of a Thomas Jefferson or at least the creative but punitive abilities of an Aaron Burr. You recall that Burr was the vice president (1801-05) who shot and killed Alexander Hamilton, America’s first U.S. Treasury secretary, in a duel (1804). Historians since that dreadful event have contended that Hamilton had no intention of harming Burr and purposefully fired his volley into the air.

Perhaps inspired by the Hamilton-Burr contretemps nearly two centuries ago, our lawmakers have approved three attempts to wound targets that have allegedly done great harm to the citizens of this state.

The current legislative body has reduced appropriations by nearly three-quarters of a million dollars to various state institutions for the alleged sins and offenses of persons connected with these agencies. Thus far targeted are three institutions of higher education: University of Missouri at Columbia, University of Missouri at Kansas City and University of Missouri at St. Louis.

The sanction against the Columbia campus was triggered by instructions from a news director at the UMC television station to forego patriotic plans while broadcasting news of last September’s terrorist attacks in order to maintain journalistic objectivity. Frankly, the ruling was probably stretching a point. But reducing the school’s appropriation by half a million bucks would seem to stretch the limits of legislative license.

Lawmakers also trimmed $120,000 from UMSL’s funding after an administrative official was accused of being involved in politics, a charge she has denied. One suspects that the administrator may be the victim of intra party dispute.

As for the third sanction, this against a political science professor at the university’s Kansas City campus, who has stated most studies prove that most victims of pedophilia are not permanently harmed psychologically. That news will come as a surprise to mental health professionals who have found just the opposite to be the case. But at least the prof wasn’t advocating this nefarious practice. His attempted academic aphorism will cost his campus a cool $100,000, which should permanently disarm him and any of his colleagues.

If the General Assembly intends to pursue this practice of dollar disapprobation further, a great many of us are likely to become targets in the future. What will happen if a Tiger tight end drops a touchdown pass next season, creating great anguish and embarrassment for political alumni seated in the stadium’s luxury boxes? Will a Capitol janitor who overlooks emptying a legislative wastebasket face rejection of his request for a new broom? What will happen to highway funding if a maintenance worker overlooks filling a pothole on Jefferson City’s West Main Street?

Frankly, we should all be concerned about the next governor who may be tempted to spend more than legislators believe should be wasted on his inauguration party. He’s liable to find his office in the Capitol basement. Or worse, forced to park legislators cars.

[Missouri News & Editorial Service, Inc. Copyright (C) 2002 MNES Corp.]