Kansas City Star. November 9, 2022.
Editorial: The split elections in Missouri and Kansas show one way voters are united: They want a compromise
Republicans edged closer to taking control of the U.S. House on Wednesday morning as party control of the Senate remained undecided. It may take a few days before the full result is known.
Much to the nation’s relief, however, the predicted “red wave” of landslide Republican victories turned out to be more of a ripple than a tsunami. Our government remains divided, as voters remain deeply divided.
Kansas — which shocked the nation by championing abortion rights in August — has once once more shown the limits of GOP ambition. Democratic Governor Laura Kelly appeared to defeat Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, the Republican, in unofficial statements. The race officially remains too close to announce, with Kelly telling supporters it’s too early to celebrate.
There is more. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids easily beat Republican Amanda Adkins in the race for the 3rd District. These results were no accident.
The Kansans seemed tired of the cultural shenanigans of candidates like Schmidt. He offered no vision for the state. Kansas voters seem more interested in problem solvers than conservative TV stars.
We hope that message will be clear at Topeka next year. Republican lawmakers gerrymanded Davids’ seat and still lost. They foolishly forced a primary vote on abortion rights, prompting thousands of young voters to register and vote.
Unfortunately, Kris Kobach narrowly won the race for Attorney General. It will cause endless harm. Meanwhile, all six Kansas Supreme Court justices facing stay votes won. This is good news for Kansas.
Yes, incumbent Senator Jerry Moran, a Republican, easily won re-election. We supported his candidacy because we believed that sensible voices in Congress should be encouraged. We now expect him to honor that commitment.
In Missouri, Senator-elect Eric Schmitt seems unapproachable by any appeal to logic or patriotism.
Schmitt’s win was no surprise. His candidacy was a deep disappointment as it further divided the state. Schmitt has largely ignored Kansas City and St. Louis, a practice we hope he won’t continue in Washington.
Missourians have endorsed recreational marijuana. They also took the frustrating step of allowing the state legislature to set minimum funding for the Kansas City Police Department. This is deeply regrettable colonialism, and it should be challenged in court.
Kansas City overwhelmingly approved borrowing for the housing trust fund, Bartle Hall and parks operations. It was the right thing to do.
The national picture remains murky. Voters appear to have approved of a mixed government, likely a stalemate, and continued partisan shooting that sadly defines much of our national politics.
With a Democrat Joe Biden in the White House and Republicans potentially leading the House, the prospects for meaningful progress on issues like energy costs, inflation and aid to Ukraine are dim. . Instead, the nation is considering two years of subpoenas and investigations.
We can be wrong. We hope we are wrong. It is now up to the Republican Party to prove it to us, by diverting the most strident voices to focus on the real concerns.
Plans to hold the debt ceiling hostage to extremists must be rejected. We should now expect a Republican House majority to deliver real details on a plan to shrink the nation’s inflation-ridden economy. We should see these plans in early 2023, with a price drop target within the year. Otherwise, the Republicans will have failed.
Congress should not reduce inflation by eliminating jobs. The classic remedy for inflation is higher unemployment. This is unacceptable.
Let’s be clear: Democrats aren’t blameless for the inflationary economy that has led to heartbreaking defeats at the ballot box. Yes, it is important to focus on climate change, women’s bodily autonomy, student debt and other issues. When moms and dads struggle to get groceries or pay rent, it’s hard for them to hear a reasonable debate regarding those concerns.
Democrats have acted for a year as if gasoline and expensive eggs were just a minor issue. Some prices have fallen – gasoline in Kansas City has been closer to $3 a gallon for months – and it’s also true that inflation is a global phenomenon linked to the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, which is not unique to the United States. But Democrats have yet to treat rising prices as seriously as they should have. We urge them to work with Republicans on a sensible plan to deal with high prices, especially on food and fuel.
We think voters want progress and compromise. Now that the campaign ads have thankfully left the screen, we implore bona fide office holders to work harder to fix the issues, instead of gathering fodder for the next campaign.
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St. Joseph News-Press. 11 novembre 2022.
Editorial: A Tale of Two Cannabis States
Missouri and Maryland passed marijuana legalization in Tuesday’s election, joining more than 20 other states that allow recreational cannabis.
Both states will allow adults age 21 or older to purchase and use marijuana, but the two measures contain significant differences.
Maryland allows possession of 1.5 ounces of marijuana, but Missouri will allow double that amount to 3 ounces. More marijuana means more opportunities to divert it to underage users.
Maryland allows two plants for “home cultivation,” compared to Missouri, which will allow six flowering plants, six non-flowering plants, and six clone plants at home. Again, more likely to divert and resell in other states or to younger users.
Recreational marijuana will be taxed at 6% in Missouri, which seems like a lot until you realize it’s 15% in Colorado, regarding 16% in Illinois, 37% in Washington, and up to 38% when all taxes and fees are added together. in fiscally happy California.
Get this: Maryland will allow its legislature to decide taxation and other cannabis regulations following voter approval on Tuesday.
It would be naïve to believe that the legalization of marijuana would not come as the public became more tolerant and questioned the fairness of a hard line on cannabis enforcement. But the way Maryland has handled it, with that state’s legislature taking an active part in putting an initiative on the ballot and then regulating and taxing it in the end, allows for an end result that is more in the public interest than what Missouri has today. .
This is because the Missouri Legislature abdicated its responsibility on this issue, resulting in a Constitutional Amendment that was developed and funded by the marijuana industry, for the marijuana industry. Because it’s a constitutional amendment, it can’t be changed easily if issues arise with how the sudden plunge into legalization affects everything from drug treatment courts to use in public spaces.
It’s kind of like letting Anheuser-Busch write your drink-driving laws. Missouri may not regret legalization, but there will be some doubts going it this way.
FIN
The Associated Press
