MO GOP Spend Big, Get Lobbyist Gifts While Cutting Medicaid

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According to the Missouri Office of Administration’s Division of Facilities Management, Design and Construction, Governor Blunt plans to spend about 1.8 million to renovate his mansion. How many houses could you buy with that? Recall recently how the Governor needed to kick the poor and disabled off of Medicaid in order to save money. Maybe Blunt hasn’t been asking himself, “What would Jesus do” lately.

Joplin MO Representative Steve Hunter recently accepted $971.35 in gifts from lobbyists in the month of May according to the Missouri Ethics Commission. As a result of the Medicaid cuts, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, a single parent with two children can not make more than $292 a month or she would lose her Medicaid health insurance.

Representative Hunter’s received “meals, food, and beverage” with Lobbyist Steve Jackson on May 4 2005 in the amount of $331.29. Now that is a hearty dinner! How much would you be willing to bet the single mother who will lose her Medicaid (for making less than Rep. Hunter ate in one day) will pay for her dinner? Enjoy it Representative Hunter, I don’t know if I could.

Written by Seth Jackson. Unpublished but submitted to the Joplin Globe this very night.

http://www.oa.mo.gov/fmdc/dc/mrupcomingprojects.pdf

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/2187F5D6B8E32644862570120013C827?OpenDocument

http://www.moethics.state.mo.us/Ethics/Lobbying/LegReports.aspx