—random observations not worth the effort to type hundreds and hundreds of words. Several dozen, though.
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We have made a slight correction in our earlier entry (September 27) about this being a historic election to reflect that both candidates for governor are divorced, rather than just one as we originally noted, making this election even more noteworthy as the first that matches two divorced candidates for the office (although one has remarried)
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The Tax Foundation says Missouri has the nation’s 15th most favorable business tax climate. The only one of our surrounding states with a better ranking is Tennessee. Kansas ranks 22, Illinois 23, Nebraska 25, Oklahoma 31, Kentucky 34, Arkansas 38, Iowa 40.
We’ve been listening to candidates critical of Missouri’s slow economic growth (Business Insider said earlier this year we had the tenth worst economy in the country and the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics said we were the 14th worst state for economic growth.) and promise that they would generate more jobs if we could just cut taxes on business even more.
Hmmmm. How could our economy be doing so poorly after legislative policy-makers have made this state so business-tax friendly?
They might maintain, as some have maintained, that the silver bullet is Right-to-Work. The Business Insider rankings list non-RTW states with the first and third best economies (DC is in between). Eight of the top 15 states are non-RTW (including DC), and 15 of the top 24 are non-RTW states. And it says nine of the bottom eleven states ARE Right-to-work.
Rankings, of course, are what you make of them.
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A lot of critical words have been written about Donald Trump and his apparent avoidance of taxes and his proclamation that failing to pay taxes makes him smart. Is it not fair to recognize he was only taking advantages of tax law provisions that allowed him to escape taxes. He is hardly the first businessman or woman to have accountants smart enough to do that. It is politically profitable to jump all over Trump and what many perceive as his arrogance on the subject. Unfortunately it does not appear to be politically profitable for those in Washington and in our state capitols to change them. Hillary Clinton says she will do it, though.
We will wait for the second debate to see if Trump will close his own loopholes to show his solidity with the common people or if Mrs. Clinton will explain how she’ll do it without the blessing of Congress.
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As long as we’re watching the Official Political Bizarre Meter needle move into uncharted territory, we note the legislative session is now just three months away. We have seen some pretty bizarre circumstances in four decades-plus of watching our lawmakers but having one House member serving with another member who, she says, raped her would move the needle pretty close to the peg.
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If voters approve the campaign contribution limit proposal on the ballot in November, there is likely to be a legal challenge. Regardless of the outcome of the lawsuit, the approval by voters should send a message to a legislature that has made special efforts to avoid the issue. We will learn how deaf the General Assembly can be to such a message if it passes and the court challenge is successful.
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The state Supreme Court has ruled that a company that sells frozen meals to airlines is not entitled to a refund of sales taxes it paid under protest. The ruling certainly raised our eyebrows.
We had no idea until now that those pretzels had been frozen.
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A lot more work is going to get down around the house by Missouri baseball fans this October because both of our teams failed to make the playoffs. But the darkness of the baseball parks in St. Louis and Kansas City serves to remind us that baseball is a human endeavor. Players age. Muscles pull. Bones break. Tendons tear.
Major League Baseball is divided into seasons to remind us that disappointment is temporary and hope is eternal.
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Speaking of Chicago where “hope” is pronounced “Cubs”: We had a reason to look up the 1966 White Sox records the other day. The leading pitcher that year is still part of the game although not in person. Tommy John is 73 now. He won 124 games before the surgery; 164 after it in a 26-year career. Wonder if some statistician has added up the Won-Loss records after all the TJ surgeries done through the years.
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We were listening to the radio the other night and heard an announcer promoting an upcoming European cruise on the Dunooby River.
A couple of seconds later when it sank in, your observant listener about drove off the road.
Dunooby, spelled D-a-n-u-b-e.
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But let us not be too critical of the young announcer. Remember that we live in a state that has towns like Versails and New MADrud.