urbanSTL

Here is my take...

I think we all need to take a deep breath. Everyone has been working very hard for this for several years. This poor decision coming out of Jeff City is NOT going to kill this deal. Negotiations will continue to move forward without the aerotropolis bill passing.

Remember, the Chinese are going to start out small with just a few planes a month. Companies won't need these incentives until well down the road. Let's wait and see what happens on May 23rd when the delegates come in town.

moorlander wrote:Here is my take...

I think we all need to take a deep breath. Everyone has been working very hard for this for several years. This poor decision coming out of Jeff City is NOT going to kill this deal. Negotiations will continue to move forward without the aerotropolis bill passing.

Remember, the Chinese are going to start out small with just a few planes a month. Companies won't need these incentives until well down the road. Let's wait and see what happens on May 23rd when the delegates come in town.

Are you not concerned, though, about the implications or perceived implications by the Chinese about how Missouri/St. Louis "gets things done" (or doesn't/can't get things done) in a quick, efficient, logical manner? If I were them, I'd likely consider the fact that future needs of the hub may not be met... especially if there is an ulterior political agenda.

There is certainly reason for concern. I'm curious to hear what the Count has to say.

The sad fact is the people get the government they deserve. The conservative, slack-jawed Missouri electorate sent these idiots to Jeff City to run the state. Presumably the legislature reflects the will of the Bible-thumping, backwoods, provincial Republicans so common in Missouri. That's why this bill failed, and that's why this whole area is dying. It simply cannot compete with other cities and states populated by more forward-thinking people. If Missouri is too stupid to help itself, it can't be helped.

^ I don't think political association nor religion played any part of this.

justinuiuc wrote:The sad fact is the people get the government they deserve. The conservative, slack-jawed Missouri electorate sent these idiots to Jeff City to run the state. Presumably the legislature reflects the will of the Bible-thumping, backwoods, provincial Republicans so common in Missouri. That's why this bill failed, and that's why this whole area is dying. It simply cannot compete with other cities and states populated by more forward-thinking people. If Missouri is too stupid to help itself, it can't be helped.

Have to agree with Moorlander,

Missouri state politics are doing poorly with economic development across the board, including both sides, and even worse at making meaningful investments (think that outdated old science lab in UMSL). This time it was squarely on state representatives who could have put in meaningful tax credit reform to emphasize job creation that export credit offers instead of being a tax rebate system in a lot of ways. Nor can I reconcile the fact that people think that having the cheapest state cig tax, cheap state gas tax and not collecting online sales tax is doing the state, its people and certainly its businesses favors.

That being said, a large, vocal and well spoken campaign can make an extremely good case on why a special session would be beneficial. Just the same way people were convinced to vote in favor of Prop A to keep Metro from collapsing.

justinuiuc wrote:The sad fact is the people get the government they deserve. The conservative, slack-jawed Missouri electorate sent these idiots to Jeff City to run the state. Presumably the legislature reflects the will of the Bible-thumping, backwoods, provincial Republicans so common in Missouri. That's why this bill failed, and that's why this whole area is dying. It simply cannot compete with other cities and states populated by more forward-thinking people. If Missouri is too stupid to help itself, it can't be helped.

Yeah, what Moorlander said. Aerotropolis had strong Republican support, like most recent economic development bills have. Not sure what religion had to do with it, either, unless you're thinking of the amount of time wasted debating anti-Sharia legislation and whatnot.

But the urban/rural split in the legislature definitely seems to hinder us on this stuff. The problem is the economy of metro St. Louis (and KC) is fundamentally different than it is in your average rural county. The tools needed to grow it are different, too. If you see your competition as low-cost corners of Arkansas and Oklahoma, you do one thing. If you're watching Chicago and Atlanta, you do something else. And the way the Legislature's designed, the outstate guys can block what they don't believe in (or don't think they can sell to their voters).

It sucks, and I don't know what you do about it (secession?). To me it's a big part of the problem with state-level economic development programs in a global economy where regions are what matters and states are relics of the 19th century. You think some Chinese airline executive gives a crap what someone from Cape Girardeau thinks when they're trying to cut a deal with St. Louis? But that guy from Cape can sure mess up the deal.

justinuiuc wrote:The sad fact is the people get the government they deserve. The conservative, slack-jawed Missouri electorate sent these idiots to Jeff City to run the state. Presumably the legislature reflects the will of the Bible-thumping, backwoods, provincial Republicans so common in Missouri. That's why this bill failed, and that's why this whole area is dying. It simply cannot compete with other cities and states populated by more forward-thinking people. If Missouri is too stupid to help itself, it can't be helped.

By other cities & states, do you mean heart of the Confederacy Atlanta? Bible-thumping, slack-jawed Florida? Home-state of the Bush's Texas? Xenophobic Arizona? Or super-broke California??? It's tough to tell, because you didn't use examples, just general, idealistic descriptors. Everyone has their priorities different. I'd bet there are people in Orlando right now complaining about everything wrong at Florida/Central Florida & naming all the correct things we in the Midwest/St. Louis are doing correctly.

So, let me get this straight: the overwhelmingly Republican Missouri legislature fails to pass a bill critical to this region's economic future, and yet you all are saying that this bill's failure had nothing to do with politics? Nothing to do with the quality of legislators or the intelligence of the electorate that chose them? If it's not the stupidity of legislators and the voters who elected them, what else explains it?

justinuiuc wrote:So, let me get this straight: the overwhelmingly Republican Missouri legislature fails to pass a bill critical to this region's economic future, and yet you all are saying that this bill's failure had nothing to do with politics? Nothing to do with the quality of legislators or the intelligence of the electorate that chose them? If it's not the stupidity of legislators and the voters who elected them, what else explains it?

Let me revisit a snippet:

Aerotropolis had strong Republican support, like most recent economic development bills have....But the urban/rural split in the legislature definitely seems to hinder us on this stuff

No one said it didn't have to do with politics. They are saying it didn't have AS MUCH to do with right/left as you made out in your original post. We all truly understand your frustration as we feel it too, but it's not quite as black and white as you're making it.

As mentioned in other comments, I think we really need to pressure Nixon and the legislature to call a special session. Although Nixon said that he is reluctant to convene a special session because he thinks that the bill lacks broad support (the whole “consensus” bs), the fact that both houses passed very similar bills undermines this contention. In reality, I think he might just fear confronting an antagonistic legislature. Moreover, I think that the consensus he mentions basically exists, which means that conditions are ripe for a special session. We just need to hold his feet to the fire.
I think the best way that we as a community could effectively advocate for a special session would be through a mass email campaign. To begin with, I urge everyone reading this post to write a succinct and direct email to the individuals mentioned below. Additionally, I think it would be a good idea for us to collaborate in creating a generic petition that we could circulate through email and social media websites. The more emails these people receive imploring them to act, the more likely it is that they will convene a special session. If we could get dozens of people to send distinctive emails and hundreds of people (or thousands) to send a generic petition demanding action, I think we could help generate enough momentum to get this back on track.

I think we should target the following people:

Jason Crowell jcrowell@ohkylaw.com;
As many knowledgeable people seem to blame this guy for much of the opposition to the bill, I think we should express our well-founded frustration with his obstructionist stance. However, we should remain civil in doing so; vitriol and ad hominem attacks will get us nowhere. In fact, such an approach might make him more entrenched in his opposition.
I think we should remind him of the beneficial impact the bill would have for the entire region and let him know that he might want to reconsider any state-wide political ambitions he may have if the bill doesn’t pass in special session. Although this might sound overly confrontational, we could express such sentiments in a civil manner by pointing out that he truly is sabotaging his (likely) political aspirations by inhibiting the development of the regional economy.
If anyone knows the names of other politicians who sought to destroy this bill, we should send them the same email.

Jay Nixon http://governor.mo.gov/contact/ (anyone know of a more direct way of reaching him?):
Rather than genuinely doubting the existence of a consensus, it looks like he is just overly concerned with avoiding confrontation. As we really just need to hold Nixon’s feet to the fire, I think it would be more appropriate to vent your frustration at him. Although I would suggest doing so in a relatively respectful manner, I think it’s less important to treat him with kid gloves. He’s already on board with the bill, and I would guess that he is probably a bit more mature and thick-skinned than most state senators.
I think it’s fair to bluntly tell him that we resent the fact that he called a special session last year for a far less important bill that benefited KC, a city that generates half the economic output of St. Louis. We should also let him know that he is really alienating his base by refusing to call for a special session.

Supporters: Eric Schmitt ESchmitt@LathropGage.com; Michael Corcoran Michael.Corcoran@house.mo.gov; Caleb Jones Caleb.Jones@house.mo.gov
I think it is also important to write the bill’s key proponents. If you choose to do so, I think it’s best to just write one generic message saying that you are thankful for their efforts and admire their vision. Additionally, and more to the point, we should motivate them to pressure Nixon into calling a special session.

As these guys are busy people, and they will (hopefully) be receiving quite a few emails in the coming days, I think it is important to keep these emails short and on point.
Also, I’m sure that plenty of nextstl contributors know people who write for influential local publications. We should implore such people to use their positions of influence to advocate for a special session.
No less than the future of the regional economy depends on the outcome of this bill. Let’s get to work!

Colby wrote:As mentioned in other comments, I think we really need to pressure Nixon and the legislature to call a special session. Although Nixon said that he is reluctant to convene a special session because he thinks that the bill lacks broad support (the whole “consensus” bs), the fact that both houses passed very similar bills undermines this contention. In reality, I think he might just fear confronting an antagonistic legislature. Moreover, I think that the consensus he mentions basically exists, which means that conditions are ripe for a special session. We just need to hold his feet to the fire.
I think the best way that we as a community could effectively advocate for a special session would be through a mass email campaign. To begin with, I urge everyone reading this post to write a succinct and direct email to the individuals mentioned below. Additionally, I think it would be a good idea for us to collaborate in creating a generic petition that we could circulate through email and social media websites. The more emails these people receive imploring them to act, the more likely it is that they will convene a special session. If we could get dozens of people to send distinctive emails and hundreds of people (or thousands) to send a generic petition demanding action, I think we could help generate enough momentum to get this back on track.

I think we should target the following people:

Jason Crowell jcrowell@ohkylaw.com;
As many knowledgeable people seem to blame this guy for much of the opposition to the bill, I think we should express our well-founded frustration with his obstructionist stance. However, we should remain civil in doing so; vitriol and ad hominem attacks will get us nowhere. In fact, such an approach might make him more entrenched in his opposition.
I think we should remind him of the beneficial impact the bill would have for the entire region and let him know that he might want to reconsider any state-wide political ambitions he may have if the bill doesn’t pass in special session. Although this might sound overly confrontational, we could express such sentiments in a civil manner by pointing out that he truly is sabotaging his (likely) political aspirations by inhibiting the development of the regional economy.
If anyone knows the names of other politicians who sought to destroy this bill, we should send them the same email.

Jay Nixon http://governor.mo.gov/contact/ (anyone know of a more direct way of reaching him?):
Rather than genuinely doubting the existence of a consensus, it looks like he is just overly concerned with avoiding confrontation. As we really just need to hold Nixon’s feet to the fire, I think it would be more appropriate to vent your frustration at him. Although I would suggest doing so in a relatively respectful manner, I think it’s less important to treat him with kid gloves. He’s already on board with the bill, and I would guess that he is probably a bit more mature and thick-skinned than most state senators.
I think it’s fair to bluntly tell him that we resent the fact that he called a special session last year for a far less important bill that benefited KC, a city that generates half the economic output of St. Louis. We should also let him know that he is really alienating his base by refusing to call for a special session.

Supporters: Eric Schmitt ESchmitt@LathropGage.com; Michael Corcoran Michael.Corcoran@house.mo.gov; Caleb Jones Caleb.Jones@house.mo.gov
I think it is also important to write the bill’s key proponents. If you choose to do so, I think it’s best to just write one generic message saying that you are thankful for their efforts and admire their vision. Additionally, and more to the point, we should motivate them to pressure Nixon into calling a special session.

As these guys are busy people, and they will (hopefully) be receiving quite a few emails in the coming days, I think it is important to keep these emails short and on point.
Also, I’m sure that plenty of nextstl contributors know people who write for influential local publications. We should implore such people to use their positions of influence to advocate for a special session.
No less than the future of the regional economy depends on the outcome of this bill. Let’s get to work!

I think we will need some solid research supporting our stance, if we expect anything to really happen as a result of emailing.

[/quote] I think we will need some solid research supporting our stance, if we expect anything to really happen as a result of emailing.[/quote]I think we will need some solid research supporting our stance, if we expect anything to really happen as a result of emailing.[/quote]

That's fair. However, I think we need to move quickly on this.

Would an email posted on here & sent by lots of people be more effective than having people send individual messages? (Would more people sending the exact same message be more effective than less people sending personalized messages?)

I don't think either is mutually exclusive, and I think we should try to do both. I mean, I'm motivated to spend 10-15 minutes writing these people, and I'm sure many on this message board feel the same way. However, although my friends might think that the China hub sounds like a good idea, I doubt many of them would take more than a minute out of their day to petition our legislators to call for a special session. As such, I think pursuing both approaches would be most effective

I agree. I think we as a community need to contact the right people in Jeff City to help influence a special session. We need to determine the appropriate people to contact and come up with a form letter that can be personalized.

As someone who normally attributes everything that goes wrong in the world to conservatives, I emailed both my state representative and senator regarding this topic. While I rent in Lafayette Square, I'm still registered at my parent's house in South County, where both the representative and senator are Republicans. I haven't heard anything from the senator, but Rep. Marsha Haefner (R) responded to me over the weekend and said she voted for this, suggesting it was the Senate that failed to get the job done. Here is her response:

"Thank you for your email. I voted in favor of this bill because I believe it would be a great economic benefit not only to St. Louis, but to the whole state. I was disappointed when the bill didn't make it out of the Senate."

I’m glad others are receptive to the idea of petitioning our elected representatives on a massive scale. Although it’s discouraging to read a seemingly dismissive response to a thoughtful email regarding something that concerns you greatly, we shouldn’t lose hope. This is just the beginning, and I wouldn’t expect one or two emails to have any kind of meaningful impact. However, each email matters, and if we can get enough people to voice their frustration, particularly if they do so by sending individually crafted, distinctive messages, we might reach some sort of critical mass of momentum.
Gone Corporate, I think it would definitely help to get some unions or other powerful political entities on our side. We need all the heavy hitters we can get. If you know how to effectively appeal to such organizations, you would be doing a huge favor for the region. I also like your idea of targeting certain key politicians.
I’m a bit busy at this particular moment, but I'd love to contribute to drafting a generic petition that we could circulate via email and social media. I know it seems simple to write a short message, but this petition would have to appeal to people across the political spectrum and state our point as succinctly as possible. I think we could best accomplish this through concerted effort involving constructive criticism.

timeforguinness wrote:Good ole Missourah, they're probably worried about urban population increases that would give us Carnahan's seat back.

I'm not sure a seat was the politicians' biggest motivator.

This deal was killed because of politics, but it does sound like it had some bipartisan support. Some legislators decided to play politics with it. Hopefully those people will not be employed soon.

Hopefully it will be worked out. It certainly is frustrating that some politicians put their own desires ahead of what is good for the state. This bill needs to pass. This is a bad time to expect it to pass, though, as governments all around are fighting over what tax credits to keep and which to cut.

As someone else said, I don't see what religion has to do with any of this. It was much more about politics. Probably some Republicans did support it, though. Actually, the problem was probably less about people not supporting it and more about it being a bargaining chip for other legislation.

It is interesting that people say "Missourah" in reference to rural Missouri. I live in rural Southeast Missouri and everybody I know says Missouree. My understanding is that most people around the Springfield area say Missouree as well. Some people say Missourah, but not necessarily all over the rural areas of Missouri.

As far as the urban v. rural fight, obviously it's hard to find a compromise.

I've had a few days to pick my lower jaw off the ground. At first I was shocked, but now I've come back to reality. I don't expect Nixon to call for a special session so this China Hub, this Big Idea, is going to have to make it on its own merits. (What a concept!)

And if this Big Idea is so novel, so unique and makes so much sense, my feeling now is that it will succeed. May 23rd is a huge day.