Wednesday, March 20, 2013
What the….?
“Envy/Loudon - Political pundit and Tea Party activist Gina Loudon trades lives with a mom in a polyamorous relationship, on "Wife Swap," THURSDAY, MARCH 28 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on ABC. And in a first for the series, one of the families breaks the rules and refuses to reunite at the round table to discuss their experiences, leaving only one family to discuss things among themselves….
“Gina Loudon is a staunch Tea Party activist and conservative political pundit who lives in San Diego, California with her husband, former Missouri State Senator John Loudon, and their five children -- Lyda (17), Lilly (13), Jack (10), Beau (6) and their adopted son Samuel (6), who has Down syndrome. Religion and politics are topics of constant discussion in the Loudon home, with John leading daily Bible study for his wife and children.
“In Charleston, New York, Angela Envy lives with her husband of eight years, Chris, along with Angela's daughter Brooklyn (12) and their three children -- Maverick (7), Lyric (5) and Kingston (1-½ ). Angela and Chris also share a live-in girlfriend, Ashley, who has become part of the family. Chris is a semi-professional wrestler in his spare time and works at a local warehouse to support his family.
“When Gina first arrives in Charleston, she meets Ashley and learns that she'll be living with a polyamorous couple. With her conservative views and strong religious convictions, Gina finds the relationship ‘wrong’ and is very uncomfortable with the situation. Tensions rise between Gina and Chris after he and Ashley take Gina out one night for drinks at a local bar. With the alcohol flowing, Gina begins to let her guard down and starts sharing her true feelings about the relationship between Chris, Angela and Ashley, as well as her stance on myriad controversial topics. The evening peaks Chris' interest to look into Gina's background - and what he finds prompts Chris to confront her, sparking an even larger confrontation.
“Meanwhile, Angela meets her new family, but immediately feels judged by John when she reveals her relationship with Ashley to the family. As someone who does not discuss politics or religion at all, Angela finds the family's strong conservative views upsetting. When it's time for the rules to change, Angela decides to turn the tables by creating a political and religious free zone, but John breaks Angela's rule and continues to share his disdain for her personal life, bringing Angela to tears.”
See promo here. I have nothing to else to add…
After that, everything else is “bits.”
Bits
Beacon reports that Rex Sinquefield’s MO Club for Growth is hoping to expand its fundraising base beyond the big guy. Read it here.
Missouri unemployment rate “ticked” up to 6.7% in February from 6.6%. See it here.
John Wiemann filed a campaign committee for House 103 (Funderburk termed). See it here. See LinkedIn Profile here.
Governor Jay Nixon announced agreements with trade organizations in the Republic of China (AKA Taiwan) to sell $700 million in Missouri goods to Taiwanese consumers over the next four years.
The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $2.2 million National Emergency Grant for “training and re-employment services to assist nearly 400 workers throughout Missouri affected by the closure of Hostess Brands Inc. Most of the workers were employed at 39 work sites throughout Missouri; however, the grant also will serve Missouri residents employed at three locations in Kansas and one in Oklahoma. It may also assist workers leased to Hostess by other companies… National Emergency Grants are part of the secretary of labor’s discretionary fund
and are awarded based on a state’s ability to meet specific guidelines.”
Would a drug prescription monitoring program alleviate physician liability? Read it here.
In Politico, Tony Earley, CEO of PG&E, writes of the necessary infrastructure upgrades and job creation potential. Read it here. Pull Quote: “One leading study estimates the power industry alone needs to make as much as $2 trillion in basic system investments over the next couple of decades. By any measure, that’s a sobering figure. Fortunately though, it also comes with some good news. These investments can put tens of thousands of Americans back to work. One analysis estimates that modernizing and upgrading the electric transmission system alone could create an additional 150,000 to 200,000 jobs every year over the next two decades.”
The Barnes Plan of Arkansas. It too would attempt to re-work the Affordable Care Act into something more market-based. And it’s winning over conservatives. Read it here.
Lawyers Wanted! Department of Social Services’ seeks managing attorney. Department of Transportation seeks attorneys. Missouri Labor and Industrial Relations needs counsel. Monsanto seeks regulatory counsel.
In Missouri Times interview, Speaker Tim Jones throws cold water on one-cent sales tax – in its current form. See it here.
The Supreme Court struck down the 2011 MOSIRA legislation. So add that to the economic development agenda this year.
Pro-life advocate Fred Sauer pens an open letter to Pro Tem Tom Dempsey scolding him for his recent trip to Israel. It starts, “Welcome back from your junket…” and then asks, “Did you go to Israel to find how you can spend Missouri taxpayer dollars on Israel’s scientists?” you get the drift. Read it here.
And Sen. Jason Holsman’s birthday is coming up Monday. What’s his birthday present?.. A press conference will be held that day announcing a partnership between BrightFarms and the Kansas City Port Authority. They will unveil plans for a 100,000 square foot greenhouse farm. The farm will be built at the Berkley Riverfront Development, located along the Missouri River, and will grow up to 1 million pounds of local produce per year, including tomatoes, lettuces, and herbs.
Lobbyist Registrations
From the Pelopidas website:
Kimmie DuPrey added Fidelity Capital Markets.
$5K+ Contributions
Missourians for Koster - $25,000 from Capital Health Management Inc.
Congratulations
To Cara Hoover on the birth of Burkley Ann Hoover. She was born at 11:07pm Monday night, weighing 7lbs 2 oz and measuring 19.5 inches long.
MOScout News
Grades tomorrow…