| Today's Feature
Council Has Short Agenda.
The City Council has no old
business scheduled on tonight’s agenda of
the regular meeting at 7:30 in City Hall.
A recommendation concerning
budget adjustments for the funding of the
proposed renovation of Memorial Hall is expected
from the Budget/Ways and Means Committee. The
four member Public Services Committee, which
oversees the operation of the Hall, has
recommended that $140,000 budgeted for street
improvements be reappropriated to the Hall
project.
The $1.2 million renovation
would include remodeling of the second floor
American Legion facilities, remodeling of the
rest rooms, installation of an elevator, heat and
air conditioning improvements, and $240,000 of
improvements to the basement. This would include
an improved kitchen facility. A new roof and
window replacement are in the proposal but the
auditorium would not be included.
Half of the cost for the
project has been approved as a 50/50 matching
grant from the Missouri Veterans Commission.
Of the six Council members
present at the Public Services Committee meeting
last week, Bill Putnam was the only voice of
concern over allocating $600,000 of this
year’s budget for the project. He question
the logic of putting such a large percentage of
the City’s resources into one project.
Requests for $100,000 grants
from the Steadley Foundation and the Boylan Trust
were not approved according to City Administrator
Tom Short. A $30,000 grant to the American Legion
from the Boylan trust has been included in the
City’s portion of the matching funds.
Commentary
Martin
"Bubs" Hohulin
State Representative, District 126
Sometimes the things we get
involved in as legislators can border on the
absurd and unbelievable. It was brought to my
attention last week that the television station
that is owned and run by the University of
Missouri, KOMU, has acted in an unbelievable
fashion.
In the aftermath of the
terrorist attacks, there has been a huge
outpouring of patriotism and support in many
ways. One of the ways has been the wearing of
red, white and blue ribbons on the lapel. In a
memo that I found hard to believe, the station
manager of KOMU has forbidden the wearing of red,
white, and blue ribbons by station anchors and
reporters. The reason given for this directive
was that the wearing of the ribbons might offend
some viewers and somehow compromise the integrity
and objectivity of the news department of the
station.
Needless to say, I was
appalled, but also willing to give the manager
the benefit of the doubt. I really wondered if
there was another side to the story. I emailed
the station manager to ask if what I had heard
was true. I received an email back stating that
it was and that that he had no intention of
reversing the directive. He asked that I respect
his passion on the issue.
The fact of the matter is that
if this were a privately owned station, what they
did would be up to them. They could do whatever
they wanted and let the viewers and advertisers
decide if they wanted to continue to support the
station. That is the case here and then some. The
station is owned and run by the University of
Missouri. The University of Missouri is owned and
supported by you, the taxpayers of Missouri. Not
only do they have to answer to viewers and
advertisers, but they have to answer to the
taxpayers of Missouri as well.
In this day and age, if a
reporter or anchor wants to wear a red, white,
and blue ribbon, I say more power to them. I am
tired of being told I have to worry about who I
might offend with believing what is right. What
about us being offended by those that mock and
fight our way of life? For too long the
mainstream public has been told that we are the
problem. We have been told that we can’t
wave the flag or the Bible. We have been told we
must give every dime we make to support those
that won’t work. And now we are being told
we can’t take the risk of offending someone
by wearing a small symbol of this great country.
I don’t want my tax dollars going to teach
that kind of philosophy.
As usual, I can be reached at
House Post Office, State Capitol, Jefferson City,
MO 65101, or 1-800-878-7126, or
mhohulin@services.state.mo.us for your questions,
comments, or advice, especially on this one.
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