TresSugar

Missouri State Rep: Do Poor Kids Really Need Free Lunches?

TresSugar — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:30:00 -0700

"Hunger can be a positive motivator."

- Missouri State Representative Cynthia Davis, responding to a press release from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services on a Summer food program that provides “food during the summer for thousands of low-income Missouri children who rely on the school cafeteria for free or reduced-price meals during the regular school year.” According to Feeding America, one in five kids in Missouri often goes hungry. To watch Stephen Colbert's response, read more

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Top 5 Most Dangerous Cities List Puts New Orleans at No. 1

CitizenSugar — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 11:30:45 -0800

With a murder every 40 hours, New Orleans crime rate is hard to beat. The latest City Crime Rankings looked at reported incidents of six major crimes to determine the most dangerous dwellings in the US. With a population of only 250,000 that changed drastically after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans came out on top.

Rounding out the list, the top-five cities with the highest crime rate include:

New Orleans, LA
Camden, NJ
Detroit, MI
St. Louis, MO
Oakland, CA

The FBI warns that ranking cities head-to-head fails to paint a realistic picture. In addition, local mayors and law enforcement officials maintain that such a superficial ranking irresponsibly misuses crime data by ignoring complex factors. Do you think rankings of the most dangerous cities help hold law enforcement accountable or are they counterproductive?

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Sex Offenders Get Scarlet Pumpkin for Halloween

LibertySugar — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:00:53 -0700

As part of their parole, Maryland sex offenders must display a pumpkin sign that states "No candy at this residence." Along with posting the warning sign, the violent and child-sex offenders must also stay in their homes on Halloween, keep the lights off, and not answer the door. The state has distributed warnings to families, telling them to stay away from homes with the pumpkins.

The ACLU is currently challenging an identical Missouri law, claiming the provisions are too vague to enforce and add punishment to sentences already served. While parents and the community must protect children, do you think rehabilitated sex-offenders have a right to some privacy? Does fear go too far in trampling the rights of these ex-cons, or did they give up those rights?

Obama Draws a Crowd of 100,000 in St. Louis

CitizenSugar — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 18:07:50 -0700

A crowd estimated by police to number 100,000 came out to an Obama rally in St. Louis, MO today. Standing before the crowd, Obama said, "What a magnificent sight. All I can say is, wow!" The sea of supporters collected under the St. Louis Gateway Arch the nation's tallest monument. The rally doesn't rival his largest, 200,000 in Berlin, but beats the 84,000 who heard him give his acceptance speech at the convention in August.

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Missouri County Posts Meth Lab Locations Online: Good Idea?

CitizenSugar — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:45:51 -0700

If you're looking to move, chances are you suss out a neighborhood first: schools, crime rates, sex offenders nearby, and the like. If you live in Jefferson County, MO, you can add another criteria to your info gathering: whether a meth lab is located nearby.

Not limited to hardcore crack houses, the sheriff's department is listing places where it's seized any materials tied to meth production that indicate a past presence of a secret drug lab in the past two years. Real estate agents are thrilled by the new development though schools and house size still top the list of important area details. With the release of the info however, nearby homeowners might worry that the released info could wreak havoc on their own home's value.

The sheriff says, "We keep raising the bar on awareness. You either do something about it, or you stick your head in the sand." Jefferson County has one of the worst meth problems in the United States. The state of Missouri recorded 770 meth-lab incidents in the first six months of this year.

Is their criteria too broad? Should a house be listed as a meth lab just for having evidence gathered? Is privacy at stake or is this progressive crime fighting?

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Bye Bye Budweiser! American King of Beers Now Belgian

LibertySugar — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:00:21 -0700

Belgium's government collapsed today, but at least they can drink away their sorrows. An American treasure - Budweiser beer - is now Belgian. Perhaps baseball or apple pie will leave us next. For $52 billion Belgian company InBev purchased Anheuser-Busch, pledging to keep the North American headquarters in St. Louis, while cutting $1.5 billion in costs.

The King's defection hits no place harder than its birthplace St. Louis, MO. Anheuser-Busch's reign in the Midwest city dates back to a brewery founded in 1852. If you're keeping track, InBev's first brewery was founded in 1366.

For more on Anheiser-Busch's American legacy, and what my grandparents in St. Louis have to say about this "rotten deal" read more.

Anheuser-Busch may not have survived this millennium, but it did survive US prohibition by introducing ice cream, root beer, and chocolate-flavor drinks, as well as dealcholized Bud in the 1920s. When prohibition ended, the now infamous A-B Clydesdale horses delivered a case of beer to Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the White House.

My Nana and Papa, born and raised in St. Louis, are mourning the end of their hometown icon. Nana remembers the days before air conditioning when you could smell the hops in your home on hot summer days. And Papa will miss checking the newspaper daily to see how the A-B stock is doing.

Are you sad to see the King of beers be bought by a European company, or do you prefer imported beer anyway? So Belgium, this Bud's for you.

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Vigilante Drug Arrests Clean Up MO Town - Under Fake Badge

CitizenSugar — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 07:56:56 -0700

It was a small town overrun by meth, until a new sheriff came to town - a federal agent who immediately started ransacking houses, cuffing people and naming names. It seemed like the town of Gerald, MO, known as "a meth capital of the United States" was getting a big makeover of the law and order variety. Except for one tiny problem: the "law" part of that equation wasn't exactly legal.

Known by the locals as "Sergeant Bill," the new officer assured residents that no search warrants were needed because he worked for the Feds. After the local weekly paper made a couple of inquiries into the matter, the reign of justice by Sergeant Bill, crumbled. The Sergeant wasn't any kind of federal agent - Bill, it seems, is actually Bill A. Jakob, an unemployed trucking company owner from a few towns over. To see the rest of Sergeant Bill's story, read more.

The tour of duty of faux-agent Bill has left the town of Gerald in an uproar. Three of the five police officers have been fired, and the mayor is facing impeachment - not to mention multimillion-dollar civil rights lawsuits pending. Bill is likely facing charges of impersonating a law enforcement officer, and questions abound as to why someone would take on the job of cleaning up a town for free?

Sergeant Bill's lawyer says that the events tumbled out of some "errors in judgement, but that the results weren't necessarily bad: “It was an innocent evolution, where he helped with one minor thing, then one more on top of that, and all of the sudden, everyone thought he was a federal agent. I’m not saying this was legal or lawful. But look, they were very, very effective while he was present. I don’t think Gerald is having the drug problem they were having. I’ve heard from some residents who were thrilled that he was there.”

The residents who weren't so thrilled include one local man who was handcuffed in his front yard, and has yet to be charged with any crime - though his reputation has already been found guilty.

What would drive a man to try to clean up a town's drug problem - sans badge or paycheck? Is vigilante justice always bad?

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Will There Be a Madame Vice President Not Named Hillary?

LibertySugar — Fri, 30 May 2008 10:00:00 -0700

Three women, none named Hillary Clinton, are on Politico's short list of potential Barack Obama running mates. They include: Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano and Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill.

They all bring red state credentials, have avoided focusing on gender during their campaigns, and are not considered polarizing figures by Republicans in their home states.

For some background info on each potential running mate, read more.

From the article:

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius: Sebelius, who won the governorship two times with a Republican runningmate, knows how to win over Republicans. She also has some serious swing state cred - her father was a two-term governor in Ohio.
Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano: Napolitano is an extremely politically savvy former federal prosecutor. She has managed to address controversial issues like immigration, while protecting her popularity.
Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill: McCaskill probably is a long shot, considering she is a Senator like Obama, but she has proven her ability to appeal to rural Missourian voters. Her populist flavor may help Obama appeal to voters that were inclined to vote for Clinton.

As obnoxious as it is, I'm not convinced the Democrats are willing to place their bets on a "two firsts" ticket. But, maybe Barack will appeal to Hillary's base by tapping a well qualified and otherwise strategically useful woman for the VP spot. Should these demographics be considered at all when choosing a Vice Presidential candidate?

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Car Salesman Offers Gas or Gun With Purchase. Your Choice?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 21 May 2008 15:45:53 -0700

With all the news of car trade-ins, it was really only a matter of time before dealerships got creative with promotions. One in Missouri is drawing customers with a choice of a free gift - $250 bucks in fuel for your new ride, or a free semiautomatic handgun. The dealer who dreamed up the incentive says it's really about protecting yourself in tough economic times. "It's a choice - protection or gas. We got high gas prices, theft, carjackings, innocent people getting hurt." So which option is winning?

"Right now we're running 80 percent toward the gun," said the salesman behind the promotion. (I wonder if the lady in this pic chose the piece over the pump too?) Apparently the firepower isn't a novelty for his customers. "I get in a vehicle to bid a trade, there are guns in the seats, guns in the back windows. Everybody has a gun - there's no backlash."

One customer said, "Love guns, we all need to have guns. Guns or gas or fuel, I'll take the gun anytime." The dealership makes it all legal by handing out a certificate for the gun - the customer has to pass the background check on his own. The local police chief is OK with the promotion - just as long as the weapons aren't handed out at the dealership.

Is this harebrained or brilliant? Is there a problem with making a semiautomatic gun a gift-with-purchase? Which would you pick?

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Ad-Rageous: San Francisco Values a No-No in Republican Race

CitizenSugar — Tue, 20 May 2008 14:30:10 -0700

The Republican Party loves values, unless they're of the "wearing-Spandex-ritzy-party" variety. I did not know "San Francisco Values" meant "neon dance party." I'm clearly out of the loop. Check out this dance, dance revolutionary ad from Missouri Republican Sam Graves.

OK, I get conservative social ideas, and I even jive with making sure voters know who's raising funds for whom, but y'all? I'm not entirely sure who would "approve this message." It's like a karaoke video with a much smaller budget. (Though I dig the middle dancer's cowboy hat!)