The Saint Louis University College Democrats are proud to endorse the following candidates and positions that will appear on the ballot for SLU Students voting in the November 2nd General Election. Endorsements decisions are made by the SLU College Democrats Executive Board, and may not reflect the views of all members, or of the University as a whole. Endorsements are made only in contested races. For a sample ballot, including language of Constitutional Amendments and Propositions, visit the Saint Louis Board of Election Commissioners
Candidate Endorsements:
For United States Senate: Robin Carnahan
The choice is clear in this year’s Senate race. Robin Carnahan has been a tireless advocate for our generation, and her opponent, Roy Blunt, is simply out of touch.
Robin Carnahan has a strong record of fighting financial abuse in her time as Secretary of State – returning billions of dollars to would be victims of fraud. She also established Missouri’s first statewide voter registration system and has worked to end systemic voter disenfranchisement. By spearheading an effort to make more documents and information available online, she has demonstrated a commitment to transparency and accountability that is refreshing in this day and age. It is no surprise that she was re-elected in 2006 with more votes than any candidate in Missouri’s history.
While Robin has been working for us in Missouri, Roy Blunt has spent more than a decade in Washington, serving the needs of special interests and accumulating hundreds of thousands of dollars from lobbyists. His close connection to notorious lobbyist and convicted felon Jack Abramoff is just the tip of Blunt’s iceberg of corruption. In 2002, he inserted a provision into the Homeland Security bill benefiting Phillip Morris while dating the company’s lobbyist. [1] As one of the top ten all-time recipients of money from BP, Roy Blunt has consistently voted for the interests of big oil, rubber-stamping the deregulation that lead to the disastrous Gulf oil spill. [2] These are just a few examples of Blunt prioritizing special interests over the interests of Missourians.
Robin Carnahan has offered a reasonable approach to the challenges facing our country. She supports common sense regulations to reign in the abuses of Wall Street, pragmatic reform to provide better health care for Missourians, and real solutions to the threat of climate change and dependence on foreign oil. Robin makes tackling problems like the deficit a personal mission, refusing to participate in the practice of earmarking.
Roy Blunt, on the other hand, helped design a 700 billion dollar bailout for his friends on Wall Street, but opposed regulation that would prevent big banks from engaging in the abuses that created the need for a bailout in the first place. [3] He opposes health care reform, and wants to repeal provisions that prevent health insurance companies from denying people coverage because of pre-existing conditions, allow young people to stay on their parents’ insurance plan until the age of 26, and eliminate caps on lifetime benefits. [4] He denies the overwhelming scientific consensus that humans are causing global warming, and refuses to offer any solution to the threat of climate change. [5]
Our generation does not want another Bush era, lobbyist funded, corrupt politician. We want pragmatic leadership from someone willing to offer real solutions. We want a senator who will create job opportunities for college graduates, not a politician that supports bailouts for CEOs. We want a senator who understands the urgency of addressing climate change, not a politician that ignores the threat it posses to our generation’s future. We want a senator who is committed to transparency and accountability, not a politician in the pocket of lobbyists and special interests. We want Robin Carnahan, and we are proud to endorse her for the United States Senate.
For State Auditor: Susan Montee
The race for Missouri’s State Auditor comes down to a question of qualification, and only one candidate has the knowledge and experience for the job: Susan Montee.
Susan Montee was first elected to the position of State Auditor in 2006. She is a certified public accountant with 25 years of accounting and auditing experience. In the last four years, she has saved taxpayers millions of dollars by uncovering fraud and abuse with several successful audits. She has also turned a critical eye towards her own office, streamlining it and making it one of the most efficient in Missouri.
Susan’s opponent, while experienced as a federal prosecutor and as a special ambassador to Afghanistan, doesn’t have much experience that is relevant to the job for which he is running. This is not surprising, seeing as the State Auditor race was his fallback plan when Roy Blunt beat him to the race for Senate. [1] We need a State Auditor who is committed to the job, and has the knowledge and experience to do it well. We proudly endorse Susan Montee.
For U.S. Representative Dist. 1: Lacy Clay
Representative Clay holds several prominent positions in the U.S. House of Representatives, including the chairmanship of the Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives. His work on the Census this year focused on counting traditionally under-counted minorities, ensuring that our country’s promise of equality will be carried out with fair representation. Rep. Clay has also been a strong and consistent voice for civil rights legislation during both his 17 years in the Missouri Legislature and his 4 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. He will continue to be a resilient voice for progressive values when re-elected, and we happily give him our support.
For Member of the Board of Education: Donna Jones and William Haas
Donna Jones has been actively involved as a parent in the community. We feel that it is very important, especially with the control held outside of Saint Louis, that the Board has a voice that represents the people who use the system.
William Haas is highly educated, and highly qualified for the position. He has spent many years working directly in the schools. When you combine all of his various knowledge and experience he is arguably the most qualified candidate in the race.
Constitutional Amendment Endorsements
Vote NO on Constitutional Amendment No. 1
To quote the Saint Louis Post-Dispatch, “Politics is the last thing Missouri needs from tax assessors.” [1] County assessors should be focused on doing their job fairly and objectively, which they cannot do if they are distracted by politics.
More importantly, this is not an issue that requires a Constitutional Amendment. If voters feel that they should be able to elect their county assessor, they can do so locally, just as Saint Louis County did in August. Unfortunately, this is one of several Amendments and Propositions on this year’s ballot in which statewide voters will control local issues – vote NO.
Vote NO on Constitutional Amendment No. 2
While we support the intentions behind this Amendment, this is the wrong way to go about them. Constitutions should be streamlined frameworks for government, not vehicles for arbitrarily rewarding particular groups of people with tax exemptions. While we believe that the service performed by Missouri’s former POW’s is admirable and heroic, there are better ways to go about recognizing their service. For one, their service was not to Missouri, but to the federal government, and we support federal legislation to improve the treatment of those who have given so much for our country. Furthermore, it seems unfair to arbitrarily enshrine POWs in our state’s constitution. What about families of fallen soldiers, or Congressional Medal of Honor recipients? We should make efforts to honor all of our veterans, but we should do it responsibly and fairly. Constitutional Amendment No. 2 does not pass this test – vote NO.
Vote NO on Constitutional Amendment No. 3
This is yet another local issue that is being subjected to a statewide vote. If there is concern about this particular tax, it should be voted on locally (if one is ever actually proposed). This will allow voters to consider the issue in the context of reality rather than this hypothetical. Do not bind the hands of local governments and voters with this unnecessary Amendment – vote NO.
Proposition Endorsements
Vote NO on Proposition A
Proposition A is nothing but a personal vendetta by a very wealthy individual to eliminate municipal earnings taxes in Missouri. Rex Sinquefield has spent over $10,000,000 on Proposition A, and has conducted a slimy campaign portraying the Proposition as an effort to “Let Voters Decide.” [1] We say this is slimy because it will have the exact opposite effect. It will prevent any municipality in Missouri that does not currently have an earnings tax from creating one, even if local voters ask for it.
For municipalities that do have earnings taxes, such as Saint Louis and Kansas City, Proposition A will require a vote every 5 years on whether to retain the tax. If at any point, voters choose not to retain the tax, it will be phased out over 10 years, and voters will not be able to reinstate it. About 140 million dollars, or 30%, of Saint Louis’s revenue comes from its earnings tax. If Proposition A passes, that revenue will be in limbo every five years. City officials, unable to rely on this revenue, will be crippled in their budgeting decisions. The city’s bond rating would plummet. Should the earnings tax be voted down, Saint Louis would be forced to make drastic cuts in public service, education, and infrastructure. To find an alternative revenue source, the city may be forced to impose a massive sales tax.
It is a sad reflection of our political process when one multimillionaire with a nefarious agenda is on the verge of bringing one of America’s greatest cities to its knees. Don’t let it happen – vote NO.
Vote YES on Proposition B
Missouri is the puppy mill capital of the country. Proposition B creates common sense regulations that will bring an end to the rampant abuse of puppies across the state. This is an easy one – Vote YES.
Vote YES on Proposition F
The current maximum fine in the city charter is not an effective deterrent, and an increase will help city officials to stop violations like illegal dumping. This is an important tool that city officials need to improve our city – vote YES.
Vote YES on Preferential Proposition L
This year’s ballot has a significant theme of local control, and this is one of the biggest questions. Missouri legislators that the residents of Saint Louis never elected should not have control over one of our most important municipal services. This is not a binding proposition, but we should send a strong message to the Missouri Legislature that Saint Louis wants local control.
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