Thank you for reporting so diligently on the environmental impact of corporate farms.
As a life-long resident of Southwest Missouri it angers me that the corporate farm lobby has won over so many of our representatives in Jefferson City.
It angers me more that these bills that favor confined animal feeding operations are being passed straight down the Republican party lines.
Legislation abolishing existing county laws (Senate Bill 364 sponsored by Chris Koster of Independence) regulating CAFOs and replacing them with a statewide standard is prompting a showdown between the bill’s sponsor and a rural Democratic state senator. State Sen. Wes Shoemyer, D-Clarence, said recently he would “probably” filibuster state Sen. Chris Koster’s bill that replaces county ordinances with a statewide standard. The legislation passed out of committee last week by a 6-2 margin. Every Republican — along with state Sen. Frank Barnitz, D-Lake Spring — voted to pass the bill. Shoemyer and Senate Minority Leader Maida Coleman, D-St. Louis, voted against it.
“It’s not about” concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs. “That bill’s about fundamental belief of whether you believe government is best for the people that you serve or that you would take over and rule from above,” Shoemyer said last week.
In his State of the State speech, Governor Blunt urged the legislature to pass SB 364, deceivingly spun as the “Missouri Farm and Food Preservation Act,” which in reality would end local governments’ authority to protect the health and well-being of citizens.
Brad Hoover
Joplin
Opinion
Voices: Corporate farms
- Opinion
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Our View: Victims should come first
Millions of dollars in donations have poured in from around the world since the May 22, 2011, tornado. Those donations represent money from lemonade stands, charity auctions, corporate gifts and celebrity checks, just to name a few. In fact, one year later donations continue to come to Joplin.
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Beth Meeker, guest columnist: Same-sex marriage battle a quest for equal rights
I would like to take a moment to reply to guest columnist Anson Burlingame’s, “The Marriage Debate” (Globe, May 13).
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Sunday Forum: 2012 graduation speakers key on tornado, mall school and president’s visit
Editor’s note: In addition to speeches by President Barack Obama and Gov. Jay Nixon, Joplin High School’s top students addressed graduates, faculty, parents and other guests packed into the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center on the Missouri Southern State University campus. Following are the text of those speeches.
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Geoff Caldwell, guest columnist: Pack mentality takes truth as a casualty
President Obama’s Joplin graduation speech Monday showed that while there’s the political “right,” there’s also a very active “rabid” political right.
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Your View: ‘Study’ can mean anything
A few evenings ago, I watched a television program on the science of marriage.
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Our View: Support for museum
How can you tell the story of Joplin without the accounts of its mining history?
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Our View: Finding middle ground
The G-8 summit held last week in Camp David ended as expected.
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Anson Burlingame, guest columnist: Class of 2012 upholds character, hope
My oldest granddaughter was part of the class of 2012 from Joplin High School, and I attended the ceremony on Monday night.
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Scott Charton, guest columnist: 'Deadline in Disaster' film a story about storytellers
Local newspapers are at their best when they help their communities confront, understand, endure and overcome shared challenges.
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Our View: Make voting easiser
This year’s ballot will not include a proposed constitutional amendment that photo identification be required at the polls in Missouri. Good.
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