Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was in town yesterday to discuss the new Missouri initiative of his Center for Health Transformation, his DC-based think tank.
The focus of the luncheon at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel was how the state fits into the Center’s vision of a “21st Century Intelligent Health System that saves lives and saves money.”
Julie Eckstein, a former director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, is leading Gingrich’s Missouri effort, which will have an office at Westport Plaza.
Appearing on a local news show this morning, Mayor Francis Slay said that the U.S. Conference of Mayors had recently voted, in a blind taste test, the City of St. Louis as one of the five finalists for the “Best Tasting City Water in America.”
Slay said the vote was based on three factors: clarity, aroma and taste.
From a starting group of 93, the other finalist cities are Anaheim, CA; Colorado Springs, CO; Long Beach, CA; and Toledo, OH.
The five finalist cities will be advancing to compete at the 75th Annual Meeting of The U.S. Conference of Mayors in Los Angeles (June 22-26) for the title of “Best Tasting City Water in America.” Hundreds of mayors from around the nation will then be the blind taste test judges. The winning city will receive a cash award of $15,000 and bragging rights.
Washington University in St. Louis is planning to host a day-long public forum on Medicaid, called “Medicaid Financing: Challenges for Missouri and the Nation,” on June 8th, 2007. Planned topics of discussion include healthcare accessability, cost, quality, and scope of coverage.
Among the speakers will be former US Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson.
Thompson, a candidate for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, has recently called for federal reform of the Medicaid system as part of his campaign. His talk is entitled “Medicaid in the United States.”
Sponsors for the event include the Missouri Foundation for Health, Government and Public Policy in Arts & Sciences, the Center for Health Policy in the School of Medicine, the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
Though the forum is open to the public, registration is required to attend. The event runs from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Undeterred by record high gas prices, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is taking a road trip this weekend.
Following the national outrage over the conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, the Missouri Senator is taking a few days to visit some sick veterans and check on their state of health care.
McCaskill plans to take her RV on a four-day, 14-stop tour with stops in Fort Leonard Wood, Springfield, Joplin and Nevada on May 29; Kansas City, St. Joseph, Cameron and Kirksville on May 30; Hannibal, Mexico and Columbia on May 31; and St. Louis, Poplar Bluff and Cape Girardeau on June 1.
No word yet on where she’ll stop for barbecue on this Memorial Day weekend.
Petitioners from the Gateway Green Alliance have acquired enough signatures to require an audit of the City of St. Louis.
Missouri law requires a number of signatures on such a petition equal 5% of the number of people that voted in the last gubernatorial election - in this case, 7,200 people would suffice. The Greens, however, have collected over 7,500 signatures, and will continue to collect signatures should the petition be challenged, as challenged petitions require more signatures.
The petitioning effort began back in 2006 when the city was unresponsive in answering the group’s questions concerning how money for lead poisoning prevention was being spent. The response came only after months of letter writing, and even then the city only supplied data for 28-35% of lead remediation money. For Greens, that is unacceptable.
The Green Alliance is joined in its efforts by the American Federation of Teachers Local 420, the Universal African Peoples Organization, and the Organization for Black Struggle.
After the “Missouri Health Improvement Act of 2007” passed the Missouri Senate last week, Democratic Senator Joan Bray (University City) called it “hugely bureaucratic,” saying it sends too much money to insurance companies and the bureaucracy of additional levels of people “just pushing papers around.”
But Governor Matt Blunt said the program, meant to replace Medicaid, is a positive step in the right direction of providing health care for more Missourians.
In an interview with PubDef.net last week, the governor said the program shifts the state’s focus to preventative healthcare.
Click here to read the St. Louis Oracle’s take on the Democrats that voted in favor of the bill.
Volunteers and supporters of the Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures will gather to watch election returns starting tomorrow night at 5:30 p.m. on the campus of Washington University at the Charles F. Knight Executive Education Center.
Over the next few days we’ll be discussing Constitutional Amendment 2, the Stem Cell Research Initiative. Believe us, we’re just as confused as you are. Feel free to leave your two cents.
Last week on the Charlie Brennan Show on KMOX, representatives from both sides of this debate made their cases. In the end it all came down to this question: Is Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer cloning?
The supporter of Amendment 2 said no. The opponent said yes.
Our research shows that they were both right.
The Association of American Medical Colleges, as well as dozens of other resources on the Web, defines Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer as “Therapeutic Cloning”. A definition on the website of Princeton University’s Department of Molecular Biology includes this warning: “Because SCNT involves cloning, there are many ethical concerns in using this technique in humans. For this reason, experiments of this nature have only been conducted in mice.”
Until now.
So the opponents are right, Amendment 2 does allow cloning. But the supporters are right too.
The language of Amendment 2 clearly states: “No person may clone or attempt to clone a human being”. It then goes on to provide this layman’s definition of cloning:
“Clone or attempt to clone a human being” means to implant in a uterus or attempt to implant in a uterus anything other than the product of fertilization of an egg of a human female by a sperm of a human male for the purpose of initiating a pregnancy that could result in the creation of a human fetus, or the birth of a human being.
While that is clearly not the medical definition of cloning, which does include SCNT, it probably meets the definition of cloning as most of the people who will be voting on this question think of it.
So what do you think? Does Amendment 2 allow cloning or not?
Over the next few days we’d like to start a dialogue on Constitutional Amendment 2, the Stem Cell Research Initiative. Feel free to comment.
Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly and St. Louis’ KFTK radio host Jamie Allman asked a good question recently: Why isn’t it reported more often that Jim and Virginia Stowers, the Kansas City couple who have spent $28 million of their own money to get Amendment 2 passed, also own BioMed Valley Discoveries, Inc., a for-profit company, which could stand to make “billions” from stem cell research?
Sounds like a fair question considering if Constitutional Amendment 2 passes there won’t be very many chances for anyone — including elected officials — to ever ask a question again, because the amendment’s language specifically states “no state or local governmental body or official shall eliminate, reduce, deny, or withhold any public funds” at any time from any firm or institution performing stem cell research.
It also says “all state and local laws, regulations, rules, charters, ordinances, and other governmental actions shall be construed in favor of the conduct of stem cell research and the provision of stem cell therapies” and no law or other governmental action shall “prevent, restrict, obstruct, or discourage any stem cell research or stem cell therapies and cures that are permitted by this section to be conducted or provided, or create disincentives for any person to engage in or otherwise associate with such research or therapies and cures.”
Is there any other kind of government expenditure that has such limits placed on it? Is this the best way to make laws — especially such a complicated one. Do legislators who support Amendment 2 even know that they are giving up their legislative power to amend this law 5, 10 or even 100 years in the future?
These are just honest questions, ones that we’re sure other undecided voters have too. Anyone have some answers out there?
Several Christian and conservative leaders will meet in St. Louis this weekend to hold a rally against Amendement 2, the Stem Cell ballot initiative.
Archbishop Raymond L. Burke, Alan Keyes, Rick Scarborough, and Star Parker will be among the featured speakers at Saturday’s “Christians Against Human Cloning” rally at St. Alphonsus “Rock” Church, 1118 N. Grand Blvd., in the center of St. Louis City.
Several pastors and church leaders from the area are expected to attend and will be asked to urge their flocks to vote against the controversial amendment.
Supporters of the bill point to language in the proposal which states “No person may clone or attempt to clone a human being.” But opponents say the full text of the amendment places a very narrow definition on what “cloning” actually is, thus leaving open the possibility for cloning as most know it.
