The Missouri Volunteer Movement Handbook 2015

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction ...... iv

A Critical Note ...... v

PART ONE – The Case for the Volunteer Movement

Chapter Section Topic Page 1 -- What is the Volunteer Movement?...... 1 2 -- Why Missouri Needs the Volunteer Movement...... 2 -- A The Moral Cost of Involuntary Taxes...... 3 -- B The Economic Drainpipe...... 5 -- -- Chart of Missouri Government Finances...... 7 -- C Breaking the Political Monopoly...... 8 -- -- Chart of Missouri Voter Participation...... 10 -- D Making Elections Matter...... 11 -- E Secrets, Lies & Bureaucrats...... 13 -- F Buried in Plain Sight...... 15 -- G The Rising Kleptocracy...... 17 -- H The Public School Racket...... 19 -- -- Chart of Public School Growth in Missouri...... 22 -- -- Chart of Social Problems in Missouri...... 23 -- -- Chart of Academics in Missouri...... 24 -- I Fighting the Master State...... 25 3 -- The Goals of the Volunteer Movement...... 27 -- A Voluntary Taxes...... 28 -- B Election Reform...... 29 -- C Transparency...... 30 -- D Personal Liberty...... 31 4 -- Can a Volunteer Government Work?...... 32 -- A Answering the Three Big Worries...... 33 -- B The Pros & Cons...... 36 -- C Examples of Success, Past and Present...... 38 5 -- Bibliography...... 40 -- A Footnote Sources...... 40 -- B Chart Sources & Data...... 62

i

PART TWO – The Case for the Volunteer Party

Chapter Section Topic Page 1 -- Why a Political Party?...... 72 2 -- Political Strategy...... 73 -- A Reasons for a Statewide Focus...... 74 -- B Informing the Public...... 75 -- C The Volunteer Party Calendar for 2015-2016...... 76 3 -- Information for Volunteer Candidates...... 77 -- A Where to Start...... 78 -- B Organizing Your District...... 80 -- C Missouri Election Laws...... 83 4 -- How to Organize a Volunteer Group...... 85 -- A Guidelines & Tips...... 86 -- B Activities...... 88 -- C Support Contacts & Websites...... 90

APPENDICES

Appendix Topic Page A The Volunteer Party Platform...... 92 B Government Budgets...... 97 C Witness Accounts of the 2012 St. Charles Caucus...... 98 D Federal & Global Programs in Missouri...... 101 E Missouri’s Pension Plan Management...... 103 F Anatomy of a TIF...... 105 G Alternative Voting Methods & Systems...... 107 H Political District Maps...... 110

Acknowledgements...... 114

For LIBERTY, Gift of the Creator:

May it forever Grace our Councils and Bless our Labors.

iii

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for expressing interest in the Volunteer Movement. As a group of individuals dedicated to principled reform, we have researched diligently to provide citizens with the means to inform themselves about the political, social and economic problems within Missouri. Hopefully, this handbook will answer some of your questions. Part One of this handbook explains what the Volunteer Movement is all about. It briefly outlines the Volunteer organization and purpose. It also offers some useful statistics that reflect the waste and corruption of our state government. Part Two is a resource for individuals who are ready to lead the charge for political change. This chapter discusses the Volunteer Party’s current strategy and how you can help. It also contains details on Missouri election law, requirements for political office, district maps and key election dates. This handbook is designed with the old phrase in mind, “information is ammunition”. Informed arguments and strategies will often carry the day. Information also provides confidence and clarity, two essential qualities for leaders. However, if some of the contents of this handbook become too tedious, feel free to skim to the important parts. Much of the material inside is intended as a resource or reference. Once again, let me state my gratitude for the time you have taken to explore the possibility of a better future for Missouri.

Sincerely,

Jon Schuessler Bill DeLong Amanda Stegeman Volunteer co-founders December 2014

Note to the Reader: For the sake of fairness and credibility, the information presented in this Handbook comes from government sources whenever possible. All research and source materials for Part One are listed on page 40, Chapter 5, titled “Footnote Sources”. If there are any suggestions, corrections or questions concerning these sources or any calculations, please do not hesitate to contact us, via email or post.

A CRITICAL NOTE “If we sit back and let the “No Child Left Behind” mentality take over public high schools, school improvement will be defined as constant improvement on standardized tests with no real regard to the child… None of us became teachers out of a burning desire to raise students’ test scores. However, I worry most about crushing the spirit of great teachers… Teaching is not that much fun anymore. If teachers become disengaged and discouraged… everyone suffers.” - Carol M. Santa, “A Vision for Adolescent Literacy: Ours or Theirs?”, March 2006

Throughout this handbook, you will read many passages that are critical of certain professionals – school superintendents, lawyers, politicians, policemen and civil servants, to name a few. The reader should note, however, that these criticisms are directed at the profession. They are not meant to disparage those who do their best to serve the public. As an example, consider our public school teachers. There is perhaps no profession more susceptible to a politician’s pen than teaching. In the current atmosphere of so-called “accountability”, a public school teacher is faced with many conflicting demands, but few opportunities for self- fulfillment. As a result, many teachers are induced to simply “put in their time” toward retirement, rather than trying to make a difference in their students’ lives. This tragedy highlights the crucial distinction between a vocation and a profession. As a vocation, teaching is a noble pursuit aimed at inspiring personal growth and learning. As a profession, however, teaching has become a nasty business, more concerned with shaping children to fit a bureaucratic system rather than serving the best interests of the students. So, should we conclude that public school teachers are bad people? No. We should conclude that many people who might normally be good teachers have succumbed to political pressure, and become something less. In other words, when we speak darkly of a public school, we protest not against its teachers, but against a corrupt system which has stolen the dignity of their calling. We know that the honest politician or the hardworking bureaucrat are not myths, any more than the caring teacher or the self-motivated student. However, these extraordinary individuals exist in spite of the system, not because of it. By exposing the withering effects of corporate interests and professional guilds upon public policy, the Volunteer Movement can hopefully inspire reforms which allow vocations – and the passions of the people who pursue them – to flourish once again.

v

PART ONE

The Case for the Volunteer Movement

We have to light the lamps

that shed the light on corruption,

injustice, ineptitude,

and the abuse of power.

When we do,

you will see the villains scurry

for the darkness

-- Frank Serpico, paraphrased

Part One – The Case for the Volunteer Movement Chapter One

CHAPTER 1: What is the Volunteer Movement?

“Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree resign his conscience to the legislation? Why has every man a conscience then? I feel that we should be men first, and subjects afterward. It is not so desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, as for the right.” - Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience, 1849

In 1983, when the Homeschool Movement began, there was no such thing as legal homeschooling. By 1990, however, all 50 states had adopted homeschool laws. What made this change even more extraordinary was that it had been accomplished by local families working together, not by any national party or special interest. Truly, the Homeschool Movement was a movement of the people, a grassroots coalition of very different groups who shared a common dream. The Volunteer Movement is laid upon a similar foundation. It is not a club. It is not a business or fundraising device. It is certainly not a political party.1 The Volunteer Movement is, quite simply, anyone who believes in the empowerment and freedom of the individual to directly participate in their own governance, and is willing to work toward that end. The working parents who make the time to attend school board meetings and voice their concerns are Volunteers. The voters who write to their state representatives about local issues are Volunteers. The reporters and researchers who investigate political “facts” for their accuracy are Volunteers. Even though none of these people may know each other, they are all part of the same cause, because they embody the idea that free individuals should be able to take part – or choose not to take part – in the designs of their community. No other affiliation or belief matters. A registered Democrat or Republican can be a Volunteer. The Christian as well as the Muslim can be a Volunteer. People of all groups, races, creeds and lifestyles can be Volunteers together, because the goal is moral and political freedom for all. And if not that, then what, one might ask, lies at the heart of what it means to be an American?

1 Although a Volunteer Party may be formed as early as 2016, it would be nothing more than a legal convenience which would be disbanded, by its own charter, on or before January 2027. For more details on the Volunteer Party, see Part Two, or read the Volunteer Party Platform in Appendix A.

1

Part One – The Case for the Volunteer Movement Chapter Two

CHAPTER 2: Why Missouri Needs the Volunteer Movement “Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes… But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce [the people] under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.” - Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration of Independence, July 4th, 1776 There are three compelling reasons why Missourians need to change their system of governance. The first reason is economic. Our state government is heavily in debt1 yet it continues to award large sums of money to special interests.2 Funds that actually do get spent upon public services are often used wastefully.3 Missouri’s economic growth is ranked nearly dead last (48th) yet its taxes are at or above the national average.4 In short, our state government has proven itself to be the fiscal equivalent of cancer. The second reason for political change is a long-standing pattern of corruption that has bred incompetence and oppression. Election officials ignore discrepancies that make fraud possible.5 Police powers are abused to protect financial and political interests while the agendas of the national parties take precedence over the well-being of local communities.6 These and other criminal practices take place in the face of school failures,7 low voter turnouts,8 and prisons that jail more people per capita than nearly any other government on earth.9 The final reason to help the Volunteer Movement is simply because we need hope. This isn’t meant as political rhetoric, but rather quite literally – many Missourians are completely disinterested in participating in their governance because they feel that the system is hopelessly corrupt. They have little faith in their future, in their leaders or even in each other. Our government relies upon this attitude of bitter resignation in order to do as it pleases.

For some, however, the price of apathy has become too high to bear.

1 Missouri’s state and local debts totaled 25% of its Gross State Product in 2010, and continue to rise. 2 In the last decade, corporations took $5.2 billion in subsidies, and credits of $400+ million/year. 3 See Sections B and E of this chapter or Appendix B for details on state and local budgets. 4 Combined sales tax ranks 14th highest nationally, property tax 25th and income tax 18th-31st. 5 According to Reynolds County records, over 100% of its residents are registered to vote. 6 See Sections A, C, D & G of this chapter, and Appendices C & D for more information. 7 For details on accreditation loss and corruption in schools, see Sections G and H of this chapter. 8 In the 2012 and 2014 elections, the turnout of registered voters was 65.7% and 35.2%, respectively. 9 In 2013, Missouri ranked 15th worldwide behind 3 countries, 1 UK territory, 1 US territory and 9 states.

2

Chapter Two – Why Missouri Needs the Volunteer Movement Section 2-A

The Moral Cost of Involuntary Taxes “Who among us has any conception of the dimensions of shame that will befall us and our children when one day the veil has fallen from our eyes and the most horrible crimes – crimes that infinitely outdistance every human measure – reach the light of day?” - From the 1st leaflet of the White Rose, a German anti-Nazi society, 1943 Our taxes paid for “Ferguson”.1 Whatever a person might feel about the incidents – and the media circus that exploited them – the taxpayers who assembled to protest government actions were unwittingly protesting against themselves. With their own property, labor and purchases, they funded the presence of the police and military. With their apathy, they crafted a situation that later horrified them. Missourians fare no better if they believe that state executions are immoral.2 Every step of putting a convict to death – from sentencing to lethal injection – is paid for with their taxes. As for those who believe that the use of eminent domain is little better than theft, the irony is that property taxes pay for it.3 In other words, residents who are forced to sell their homes to the government are paid back with their own money. Similar taxing scenarios are repeated for both sides of many issues, including pollution, abortion, public education and religious expression, to name a few. In one tax year, for instance, environmentalists might be forced to hand their

1 The term ‘Ferguson’ here refers to the August 9th, 2014 robbery that resulted in the police shooting of Michael Brown, and the protests, riots, and police and legal action that followed. 2 Missouri tied Texas as the leading executioner of convicts, with 10 executions in 2014. 3 For details about TIFs and corporate welfare see Section B of this chapter or Appendix E.

3

The Moral Cost of Involuntary Taxes state taxes over to corporate polluters,4 while in other years industrial advocates may be forced to pay for the excesses of eco-business.5 There are also many lesser-known ventures that citizens might find distasteful, such as experimentation on stolen or abused animals.6 Whether taxes are fueling dubious corporations, however, or some other possibly detestable group, the basic story remains: without the public’s money, these activities would be lessened or stopped altogether, and other activities, such as charities, could benefit.

We are moral creatures. We possess the faculties to judge good and evil on our own. Yet the state presumes to judge such matters on behalf of everyone. By forcing citizens to pay taxes to a general fund, the state involves us all in its schemes. It makes every person responsible, but strips the individual of any authority – save a feeble vote7 – to back out of what he or she believes to be wrong. Nor does voting remedy the problem, because popularity cannot tell a person what is right. Each of us must judge for ourselves. Indeed, moral principles do not survive the will of the majority. If a person is to hold true to his principles, he must not be forced – by the state or the majority – to participate in the designs of others. This, therefore, is the true cost of involuntary taxes: that every April, our moral ground is taken out from under us. That we become accountable, if only by our inaction, for the misdeeds committed in our name.

And then, of course, there are the economic costs.

4 In 1996, St. Louis asked three companies to clean up the Carondelet Coke site that they had contaminated with arsenic, cyanide and carcinogens. Laclede Gas and SGL Group spent only $471,250 each to assess the site (the 3rd corporation spent nothing). Yet as part of the cleanup deal, Laclede Gas gained $950,000 in state tax breaks and sold 12 acres next to the site for $765,000. In 2010, the state chose to clean the site itself with $12.3 million in public taxes. 5 In 2014, the State Auditor reported that Missouri had grossly overpaid cleanup companies with its $168 million in expenditures from 2003-13. Environmental Ops, Inc. had been granted a total monopoly on state cleanup jobs, despite bid-rigging and failures to meet target goals. 6 Public universities use tax money to conduct medical testing upon animals. Mizzou’s veterinary staff ignored record violations and allegations about their dog provider, C.C. Baird, who was convicted of stealing pets and abusing hundreds of dogs by a federal court in 2005. 7 See Sections C and D of this chapter for information about the limitations and vulnerabilities of Missouri’s system of plurality voting.

4

Chapter Two – Why Missouri Needs the Volunteer Movement Section 2-B

The Economic Drainpipe “[Great Men] were first made great for the sake of the public, and afterwards at its expense… The appetites therefore of men, especially Great Men, are carefully to be observed and stayed, or else they will never stay themselves.” - English reformers John Trenchard & Thomas Gordon, Cato’s Letters, circa 1720 Slowly but surely, Missouri is going bankrupt. Its doom may be approaching more slowly than some of its neighbors- Illinois in particular- but it is headed for bankruptcy nonetheless. The government’s unfounded hopes for the stock market,1 coupled with broken promises,2 have created a crushing shortfall in Missouri’s pension system, estimated conservatively at $11 billion.3 Despite nearly flat growth in its economy and population, the state continues to borrow more every year.4 Public debt, with interest, has grown to nearly $5 billion. When added to the pension liabilities mentioned above, the state’s unpaid obligations total at least $16 billion.5 This is double the state’s entire general revenue for the year; or put another way, an average of $2,750 of debt for every man, woman and child in Missouri (the estimated population is 6 million). The situation is made even worse by the unfortunate way that the government spends its money. Since the passage of the “economic incentive” laws of the 1990s, almost one-third of Missouri’s land has been declared “economically blighted” by local governments. This allows city councils to entice corporate franchises to build in their area by giving them money from state and local taxes, as well as free use of eminent domain.6 Studies, such as the East-West Gateway study, concluded that these handouts actually hurt local growth. But this has not deterred the state’s politicians from their policy, as evidenced by a recent study that picked Missouri as one of the “top 9 kings of corporate welfare”.7

1 The state’s main pension plans assume long-term annual returns of 7% to 8.25%, but the teacher pensions’ (PSRS/PEERS) average annual return over the last ten years has been 4.5%. State employee pensions (MOSERS), have required taxpayer bailouts to remain well-funded. 2 In 2014, the State Auditor reported that local and state contributions to 89 pension plans were 6% less than promised, and that overall the plans were $16 billion short of their obligations. 3 An $11 billion debt requires a strong market and low pay raises. For details, see Appendix E. 4 Since 2000, Missouri’s GDP has risen by 0.8% per year and its population by 0.28%. State revenue in 2014 (the latest year for known figures) was slightly lower than in 2008. Yet in 2015, the state borrowed $211 million, increasing its principal bond debt of $3.77 billion by 5.6%. 5 State-supported entities (universities, loan agencies, regulatory bodies, sports arenas) hold additional bond debts of $29 billion in principal. State taxes pay part of this debt, directly and indirectly. 6 See Appendix F for more information about TIFs, EEZs and TDDs. 7 From a study by George Mason University. The state government and Kansas City recently gave $1.2 billion in tax credits to Cerner Corp. to build a new headquarters. In 2013, the state and St. Louis offered a $3.5 billion bid to Boeing to be the site for its new airline assembly plant.

5 The Economic Drainpipe

Finally, there is the ever-present burden of government waste. The list is endless, from resort lodging and golf carts to porkbarrel contracts and takeout service. Literally tens of thousands of purchases every year are made purely as perks for officials, totaling many millions of public dollars.8 Yet as a reward for their voluptuary spending, hundreds of elected and non-elected officials earn an individual income of over $100,000 per year while the average Missouri household earns only $47,202.9

It is only fitting, then, that we should turn our attention to the political regime that has led our state to the brink of paupery.

8 For a more detailed list of expenditures, see Appendix B or visit the Missouri Accountability Portal at http://mapyourtaxes.mo.gov/MAP/Portal 9 At least 574 state officials earned over $100,000 in 2012, including the Governor ($133,821), the Governor’s Chief of Staff ($125,000), the Attorney General ($116,437), and the Commissioner of Elementary & Secondary Education ($185,400). State legislators earn about $36,000 for five months of session – a pay rate of $86,200 per year – plus $104 per day for “food and lodging”, plus 37 cents per mile driven, plus $700 per month for “business expenses”. Lt. Governor Kinder recently asked for these same legislative perks because his $86,000 per year salary had left him “impoverished”. State officials also receive generous health insurance (annual premiums as low as $10). By contrast, the average pay for state workers (e.g., prison guards, policemen) is $27,100 per year.

6

Chapter Two Chart of Missouri Government Finances Section 2-B

Missouri Government Expenditures, Debts and Personal Taxes, from 1880 to Present

$9,000 Average $8,500 Combined Expenditure of $8,000 Local and State Government, per $7,500 Person, in Constant 2015 $7,000 Dollars $6,500

$6,000 Average $5,500 Combined Debt of Local and State $5,000 Government, per $4,500 Person, in Constant 2015

$4,000 Dollars

adjusted 2015 Dollars 2015 adjusted - $3,500

$3,000

Inflation Average $2,500 Combined $2,000 Property, Sales and Non-Federal $1,500 Income Tax Collection, per $1,000 Person, in Constant 2015 $500 Dollars $- 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 Year of Census Data

Compiled from the U. S. Census Bureau’s Statistical Abstract of the United States for the years 1912, 1915, 1924, 1930, 1931, 1934, 1939, 1940, 1942, 1944-5, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1970, 1972, 1980, 1984, 1987, 1990, 1992, 1994, and 2012; from the Census’ Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances for 1994-5, 1999-2000 and 2007-08; and from the Census of Governments for 2012.

Over the last thirty years, state, county and city expenses have greatly exceeded the wealth of the taxpayers. Non-federal government spending more than doubled after 1980. Debts rose even faster, more than tripling in that time. Meanwhile, personal tax collections increased by less than half of their 1980 total. In fact, total tax collections from the state population actually decreased in recent years, even though the tax rates did not.

7 Chapter Two – Why Missouri Needs the Volunteer Movement Section 2-C

Breaking the Political Monopoly

“There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties… This, in my humble apprehension, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution.” - founding father John Adams, in a letter to Jonathan Jackson, October 2nd, 1780

Two-party rule has deep roots in Missouri politics. In fact, it is hard to discuss candidates without mentioning whether they are Democrats or Republicans. Not surprisingly, there are many laws that regulate and protect this two-party supremacy. One example is the group of redistricting laws. Every ten years, all of the elected districts in Missouri have their borders re-drawn. But only the parties with the most and second-most votes for governor in the last election get to participate.1 All independents and other parties are shut out, which allows the two parties in power (i.e., Republicans and Democrats) to shape the political map of Missouri in their favor.2 The result of this legal favoritism is a shared monopoly of political power. In the 2014 general election, under one-tenth (9.5%) of the available Assembly seats were contested by a third-party candidate.3 Thus, even if third parties had swept the elections with all of their candidates, the Democrats and Republicans would still control over 90% of the legislature. The shared monopoly becomes even worse when the internal practices of the Republican and Democratic Parties are brought to light. Central committees wield tremendous power to restrict the field of candidates, often whittling it down to a single favorite.4 Nor are party bureaucrats above the abuse of their power when it suits them, as certain Republican caucuses vividly demonstrated during the 2012 presidential race in Missouri.5

1 Missouri Constitution, Article III, Section 2 (passed in 1966, amended in 1982) 2 This process is called “gerrymandering” and has been openly practiced for decades, despite a state constitutional requirement to make districts as “compact as possible” (Art. III, Sec. 2). Most of Missouri’s districts possess a jagged set of borders for this reason (see Appendix H). 3 In the House, 7 Constitution Party candidates and 9 Libertarian Party candidates ran for office. In the Senate, only 1 Libertarian ran, for a total of 17 candidates out of 180 available offices. 4 In the 2014 elections, 118 of the 155 Republican legislative primaries (76%) and 100 of the 118 Democratic legislative primaries (83%) had only a single candidate to “choose” from. 5 Various irregular procedures took place, including screening, a ban on public recordings and scare tactics. This happened to a degree at the Jefferson County caucus and particularly at the St. Charles caucus, which also involved the illegal use of local police to close the meeting and arrest a rival committee chair candidate. For first-hand accounts, see Appendix C. 8

Breaking the Political Monopoly

It is the lack of outside competition, however, that makes the monopoly of power complete. In nearly half of Missouri’s districts, either the Republican or Democratic Party simply refuse to put a candidate on the ballot.6 Thus, our supposedly “two-party system” has degenerated instead into a network of one- party dominions. The blow dealt to democracy cannot be overstated. In the 2014 elections, over one-third of the General Assembly candidates ran unopposed in both the primary and general election.7 In other words, one out of every three “representatives” of the people are in office without being elected, because the voters never had more than one choice on the ballot!

Yet a two-party rule is only half of the problem. In order to break the political monopoly not just once, but for good, we should also examine the voting system which helped to create the problem.

6 In the 2014 November general election 85 out of the 180 Assembly seats (47%) were unopposed by the other major party. 7 Of the 85 Assembly seats that were unopposed, 64 of them (35% of the 180 available) were also unopposed in their 2014 August primary.

9

Chapter Two Chart of Missouri Government Finances Section 2-B

Missouri Statewide Voter Participation, per Voting-Age Population, 1884 to 2014 100% 95% 90% 85% 80% Participation of Voting-Age 75% Missourians in 70% Presidential Elections 65%

60% Age PopulationAge

- 55% 50% 45% 40% 35%

30% Participation of Voting-Age

Votes Votes Cast per Voting 25% Missourians in 20% Mid-Term Elections 15% 10% 5% 0%

Election Year Compiled from the U.S. Census’ Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970, Part II; from the Statistical Abstract of the United States for the years 1940, 1942, 1944-5, 1950, 1955, 1960, 1964, 1970, 1976, 1980, 1989, 1990, 1994, 2000, 2007, 2010 and 2012; from the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives; from electionsinfo.com and ourcampaigns.com; from the decennial Census of 1890 and 1900; and from the election results for 2010, 2012 and 2014 as reported by the Missouri Secretary of State.

Now, more than ever, citizens are turning away from the political process. Since its peak 120 years ago, Missouri voting has made a rocky decline of almost one-third during presidential elections. As for “mid-term” elections (non-presidential), participation has plummeted below half of its 1906 rate, and recently reached the historic low of 30% in 2014. In the last election, the overwhelming majority “voted” not to vote. Does this mean that state and federal representatives can take the majority’s silence for granted? Are Missourians failing their voting system, or is their voting system failing them?

7 Chapter Two – Why Missouri Needs the Volunteer Movement Section 2-D

Making Elections Matter “Just hold your nose and vote.” - Dr. Basyir Rodney, Missouri political scientist, 2010, quoting a political adage The traditional method of voting in Missouri, called “plurality voting”, has not served its public well. Plurality voting, while simple, is poorly suited to a government elected by the people, because it severely limits the ways in which voters can express their wishes. It limits them so much, in fact, that voters frequently engage in negative strategies such as voting for the “lesser of two evils”.1 These charades would be unnecessary if a ballot allowed voters to communicate whether they actively opposed or endorsed each candidate, for instance, or if they had an order of preference.2 Unfortunately, plurality voting in Missouri has created a system riddled with frustration, apathy and corruption. During the last “off-year” election in 2014, turnout reached a low of 35% of registered voters (or 30% of total voting-age population). Occasional charges of election fraud3 and criminally poor recordkeeping cast further doubt upon a system that is clearly failing.4 If ever there was a time to consider changing the way we vote, it is now. Fortunately, there are many examples of functioning republics that use different methods of voting. This includes five states5 and nearly every other Western democracy besides the United Kingdom. Not only do these governments show that alternative voting methods can work, they also provide insight into how we can craft a better method of voting for ourselves.6

1 Voting for the “lesser of two evils” describes a fear-based strategy in which votes are cast for a candidate that the majority dislikes in order to defeat a candidate that they hate even more. Third-party candidates are avoided by voters, because they are afraid that the votes will be “wasted” on a loser and allow the most hated candidate to win. 2 Both of these types of questions routinely appear in school course evaluations, job performance reviews and private surveys with little or no confusion for those filling them out. 3 In 2006, four people were convicted of filing numerous false voter registrations in Kansas City. In 2008, eight people pled guilty to similar voter fraud in St. Louis. In 2013, a couple pled guilty to voter fraud in the Kansas City Democratic primary for the 19th House District which allowed their nephew, J. J. Rizzo, to win (he won by 1 vote). The couple was fined $250 and barred from voting. Rep. Rizzo was re-elected as the unopposed incumbent in 2012 and again in 2014. 4 Missouri was sued by the federal government in 2004 for violating federal election standards. This involved thousands of deceased or non-resident voters listed as eligible in county records. The records have improved, but 15 Missouri counties still had over 100% of their residents registered to vote in 2010, and currently the state has 90%+voter registration. 5 Washington, California and Louisiana all hold “top-two” or “jungle” primaries. Georgia requires runoff elections between the top two vote-getters if no candidate receives a majority (more than 50%). Nebraska uses a top-two primary system for its legislature and special elections. 6 For a look at the pros and cons of alternative voting methods and systems, see Appendix G. 11

Making Elections Matter

Any effort toward reform, however, should also be aimed at the way that our ballots are cast and counted. Many voters who died or moved away are kept on the rolls of eligible voters for years, sometimes decades. St. Louis County, the most populous county in Missouri, has an unbelievable 98.2% of its voting-age residents supposedly registered to vote. Even more incredible is Reynolds County, which has over 100% of its voter population registered. Add to these bloated totals a slew of electronic voting machines and optical ballot scanners at or past their expected life cycle,7 and it becomes painfully apparent that Missouri’s voting system is extremely vulnerable to fraud.

The poor safeguards surrounding our election process can be partly blamed on the state’s obedience to federal demands.8 Mostly, however, the problems are home-grown. They are the product of secrecy and incompetence on the part of state and local bureaucrats, who will be the focus of the next section.

7 Many Missouri counties bought electronic voting equipment with federal money in 2001 as part of a one-time grant through the Help America Vote Act. Now, over a decade later, the equipment is failing but there are no federal funds available to buy replacements. In addition, most of the manufacturers who produced the equipment no longer exist, making maintenance difficult. Yet the equipment remains in use. 8 The Help America Vote Act requires states to keep “inactive voters” (a voter with an unknown mailing address) on the voter rolls for 2 years. It also subsidized the purchase of electronic voting machines. Missouri eagerly participated in both provisions of the act.

12

Chapter Two – Why Missouri Needs the Volunteer Movement Section 2-E

Secrets, Lies & Bureaucracy “It is error alone that needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself.” - founding father Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia, 1782 Generally speaking, the political administrator is a creature of bad habits. When nobody is paying attention, he is inclined to be lazy; when challenged, he postures with arrogance; and when questioned, he becomes evasive. Considering the central role that administrators play in sharing information with the public, these behaviors are extremely troubling. The administrator, for instance, will always hide his agency’s spending. One need look no further than the local school budget to see this vice in action. Published budgets abound with vaguely-named expenses like “Board of Education Services”, or misleading dollar amounts such as $0 for “Security Services”.1 State budgets are no better, hiding credit card transactions,2 shoving “micro-expenses” into massive, anonymous piles, and assigning unhelpful descriptions to contracts.3 The administrator will never admit a mistake. Take for example the Puppies for Parole program. When prison workers discovered that inmates were abusing dogs, the incidents were immediately covered up.4 No official record exists of the abuse. The program continues as before, touted by Director Lombardi as having “a remarkable effect.” Consider also Missouri’s highway department (MoDot), which was sued multiple times for age discrimination in 2014. It lost millions defending and hiding an unwise policy.5 Similar tactics take place at the local level.6 Schools, for instance, often hinder requests for information when it suits them.7

1 Four school budgets printed in Jefferson County newspapers listed $47,000 - $364,000 for “Board of Education Services”, and $0 - $6,000 for “Security Services” for 2013-14. 2 The amount of $194,836 is listed in the FY ‘15 budget as “Credit Card Payments”, under the strange category of “Professional Services”. 3 17 separate groups of purchases labeled “Procurement Card Payment” add up to nearly $45 million in expenses. No further details are given about what was charged to these “P-cards”, which are essentially black box expense accounts. See Appendix B. 4 At the Potosi state prison, the mascot dog of the program, Buster, was routinely body-slammed by an inmate, which broke several ribs among other injuries. At the Bonne Terre state prison, an inmate charged others food in exchange for which they molested the dog under his care. 5 MoDot’s policy, called “The Bolder 5-Year Direction”, demoted or fired veteran and female workers in favor of younger male workers with spotty records. MoDot paid $3 million for legal defense, but later ended up paying settlements totaling over $1 million. Most legislators remain ignorant of the issue. 6 For 2013-14, the State Auditor found that 15% of local bodies illegally hold secret meetings. 7 In Sikeston, parents became concerned that field tests administered by the public school were being conducted on their children solely as business research for Common Core testing companies. The administration rebuffed all questions without credible explanation, and a mother’s written request for known information about a Board vote was denied.

13

Secrets, Lies & Bureaucracy

The administrator will always manipulate facts to promote his agency and secure its funding. Local officials, for example, purposely misrepresent bond issues to voters, resulting in extra property taxes.8 At the state level, the education department (DESE) spin-doctors costs9 in order to make schools appear “successful”. The illusion of success is fostered in many other areas as well, including employment,10 crime,11 and prisoner rehabilitation.12 Administrators must also fabricate fear, however, to show how desperately their services are needed. The Department of Transportation, for example, tried in 2014 to levy a sales tax with scare tactics. MoDot proclaimed that without the tax, it would be unable to do basic highway maintenance and that Missouri’s highways were “crumbling”, despite evidence to the contrary.13 As long as bureaucracies are allowed to keep as private the actions of public agencies, our government will never be properly held accountable. Administrators will continue to claim that their agencies are frugal, infallible, necessary and successful, when in fact they are none of these things. The survival of our republic depends upon an informed and vigilant citizenry. Therefore we should demand that every step of governance – from spending, to execution, to results – be fully and accurately disclosed to the public.

Bureaucrats, however, are not the only ones guilty of shrouding their deeds in deception.

8 Voters are often told that a bond issue, if passed, “will not increase taxes.” This is nearly a lie. It gives the impression that a bond issue has no cost for the voters, when in fact the voters pay for everything, with interest. A bond issue means taking out a large loan. This debt is paid off with a temporary “debt service” property tax, which is added to the normal tax. Before the debt is paid off, new bond issues – and more debt – are usually proposed that will renew the tax. Thus, local bodies such as schools can slyly claim that a bond issue is not a “tax increase” but rather a “tax renewal”. Architectural and construction firms help school districts organize and campaign for a bond issue, presumably in exchange for a share of the new contracts. 9 DESE (Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) ignores “capital outlays” (repair/construction) and debt payments when calculating the cost of public education per pupil. 10 The state’s definition of the total “labor force” – those people “actively” seeking work – shrank in recent years as the population increased. This caused the “unemployment rate” to fall rapidly, despite the fact that employment remained flat, i.e., even though the number of people with a job hadn’t changed, “unemployment” went down. 11 The Missouri Highway Patrol uses the FBI’s definition to calculate its crime rate. This rate uses only 8 types of crime. All others are ignored, including many felonies that carry a prison term – such as fraud, embezzlement, manslaughter, drug and weapon violations – as well as any misdemeanors. 12 Convicts who commit crime only factor into recidivism rates if they return within 5 years of release. 13 Two recent studies reported that Missouri’s highway system is the 7th-8th best in the nation, and MoDot itself reported that 88%-94% of its roads were in “good” or “excellent” condition. St. Louis and Kansas City have more highway miles per capita than nearly any other city in the US.

14

Chapter Two – Why Missouri Needs the Volunteer Movement Section 2-F

Buried in Plain Sight “It will be of little avail to the people… if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood.” - founding father James Madison, Federalist Paper #62, February 22nd, 1788 Like all politicians, the Missouri legislator knows the value of legal jargon. Legal jargon can easily frighten away the casual reader. Legal jargon can allow committees to attach amendments which their peers will not take the time to read. It can win the rubber stamp. It can mask empty promises. It can cloak civil abuses. In short, legal jargon can bury the truth in plain sight- which is exactly how some legislators have used it. One of the worst aspects of legal jargon is the sheer number of words that it allows legislators to produce. If brevity is the soul of wit, then our laws are written by the truly witless. It would take a person more than four times as long, for example, to memorize the body of state law than it would take to memorize the entire Bible, from cover to cover.1 This does not even count the other city, county and federal codes that a citizen must know. With such an insensible bulk of law, it is little wonder if people cannot determine whether they are breaking the rules – or more importantly, if their government is breaking the rules.2

1 The Missouri Revised Statutes (RSMo) have 467 chapters. Each chapter has about 65 “sections” (laws). Roughly, this comes to 31,000 total sections. The Bible has about 31,000 verses. Each verse has about 25 words. A Missouri section has on average 100+ words. This means that the state laws have at least 300% more words (and less wisdom) than the Bible. 2 The “Sunshine Laws” (RSMo Chapter 610) are an example of this problem. If more people knew the Sunshine Laws, many of the transparency problems pointed out in Section E might be solved. Unfortunately, these are hidden among 466 other chapters under the title “Governmental Bodies and Records”. They are also more than 30 pages long and difficult to read.

15

Buried in Plain Sight

Matters are made worse by the awkward legal style of Missouri statutes. An entire industry exists to publish books and computer applications to help interpret the laws’ complex language.3 Some of this complexity comes from the use of technical terms. Mostly, however, it stems from run-on sentences which would not be acceptable in the third grade. In Chapter 115 (Conduct of Elections), there were 182 words in a single sentence.4 Who could hope to understand such a sentence upon the first reading? And what sort of legislature would approve it? The answer is a legislature dominated by lobbyists. Lobbyists need legal mumbo-jumbo to hide the special interests that they represent from both public scrutiny5 and the attention of other legislators.6 In fact, legal jargon is a key part of the time-honored tradition of attaching “riders” to “omnibus” bills,7 where controversial amendments which would never pass on their own merit are allowed to become law.

Missouri laws are not written for the common man. They are designed for a legal audience. In this way, understanding of the law is kept out of the hands of the people, and restricted to a small guild of professional attorneys employed by the powerful and privileged. So long as our laws remain the special purview of lawyers, there will never be justice. Lawyers have a noble purpose as advocates for justice; instead they have become gatekeepers. Until this changes, the common people will be treated like sheep, at the mercy of the legal shear, waiting to be fleeced at their masters’ pleasure.

3 These products, such as Latham & Watkins’ Book of Jargon or the Missouri Employee Legal Handbook, are marketed to business owners who are unable to keep up with state regulations. 4 The first sentence of RSMo ¶ 115.639.1. Commas, semicolons and conjunctions are the usual culprits used by the law to create sentences over 100 words. 5 Veteran reporter Phil Brooks pointed out how a 250-page bill like the China-hub/tax-break/tax-credit- elimination bill becomes impossible to describe to the public because of its many twists and turns. Another bill introduced in 2014, SB 114, also avoided mainstream media by redefining a technical legal term regarding franchise law in order to try to create a statewide liquor monopoly for Major Brands. 6 In 1985, last-minute changes, loaded with legal language, caused legislators and the Governor to unknowingly pass a bill that legalized rape (the bill writers made a mistake). Luckily, the courts struck down the bill. In 2007, a bill for licensing kickboxing and private detectives was passed by the House without their knowledge of an amendment which would also have legalized midwifery. 7 In 2007, the controversial midwifery amendment was again attached to a different bill involving health insurance, which was later signed into law. In 2012, Governor Nixon vetoed a 38,000+ word bill which he called “a sanctuary for orphaned ideas in search of safe transport to becoming a law.”

16

Chapter Two – Why Missouri Needs the Volunteer Movement Section 2-G

The Rising Kleptocracy “The fact is… government, like a highwayman, says to a man: Your money, or your life.” - Lysander Spooner, American abolitionist and legal theorist, 1870 As a force in politics, greed has no equal. Nothing is spared in its pursuit. People, property, justice, integrity- all are forfeit when a government turns pirate and shows no fear of reprisal. Unfortunately, there is mounting evidence that just such a government is taking root in Missouri. The most noticeable effect of having thieves in power is the erosion of our legal system. Police officers are often placed under enormous pressure to generate revenue for their city.1 Encouraged by their superiors, some become agents of harassment, levying unnecessary fines in order to hustle money from the public.2 Corrupt judges and lawyers complement the legal racket by offering clients lighter punishments in exchange for even more money.3 Those who can’t afford an attorney often end up as fugitives or in jail, sometimes for very minor offenses.4 In this climate, it is hardly surprising that officers have been appropriating material evidence and private property for their personal use.5

1 In 2014, the mayor of Edmundson told police that “the tickets that you write… will directly affect pay adjustments at budget time.” That month, they wrote twice as many tickets as normal. 2 In 2013, the cities of St. Ann, Bel-Ridge, Beverly Hills, Berkley and Pine Lawn, among others, issued more fines than they had population. Fines included not subscribing to a city’s only garbage collection service, red-light camera tickets mailed without an accompanying photo, and occupancy permit violations that made no attempt to distinguish between residents and visitors. In 1999, a city engineer witnessed Bel-Ridge police using a manual override on a flashing yellow light to switch it to red while cars were passing through, and then ticketing the “offenders”. 3 As of 2014, four lawyers- Paul D’Agrosa, Ronald Brockmeyer, Keith Cheung and Donnell Smith- held positions as prosecuting attorneys for 10 different cities, as well as being judges for 7 other cities, plus holding 5 other publicly paid city positions, in addition to keeping private practices as defense attorneys. Brockmeyer, acting as a defense attorney, made a deal in 2014 to have a hit-and-run amended to “illegal parking” in exchange for having his client pay $250. 4 The city of Cool Valley has 5 times as many outstanding arrest warrants as it does population; the cities of Ferguson and Berkley have twice as many arrest warrants as population; Pine Lawn has 7.3 outstanding arrest warrants per resident; and Country Club Hills has an astonishing 26 outstanding arrest warrants per resident. A group of St. Louis defense lawyers have estimated that no more than 25% of those named in the warrants can afford an attorney. 5 In 2011, four National Guardsmen were disciplined for looting a Joplin Wal-Mart in the aftermath of a tornado. During the 2006 World Series in St. Louis, police officers took scalped tickets from the evidence room and used them with family and friends. At least 20 officers were disciplined. In 2008, the St. Louis police chief was criticized for his daughter’s purchase of four impounded cars at a 75% discount, as well as the free loan of impounded cars to other officers.

17

The Rising Kleptocracy

This atmosphere of larceny, however, extends far beyond the realm of law enforcement. Instances of favoritism, fraud and embezzlement occur at all levels,6 including universities,7 city halls,8 and county government.9 Even simple requests for public documents are sometimes been met with extortive demands for thousands of dollars.10 The worst predators, however, are the agencies that prey upon children. Entire school districts, for instance, are so mired in corruption that their leaders manage to steal millions in secret, sometimes for over a decade.11 Nevertheless, this pales in comparison to the “lawful” actions that schools take on behalf of commercial enterprises, acts which not only steal parents’ money, but also their children’s time, their potential and sometimes, their very identity.

6 In 2014, State Auditor Schweich said that government fraud was on the rise. His office uncovered 32 cases over the last three years, totaling $2.3 million. 7 This year, at the Bloch School of Management- part of the University of Missouri Kansas City- Prof. Michael Song resigned after being caught feeding false data to the Princeton Review in order to get a worldwide #1 ranking. During his four-year tenure, he earned $1.6 million. 8 The city of Pine Lawn let its employee health & dental insurance lapse, but charged its employees for five months afterward without telling them that their insurance had expired. 9 From 1992 to 2011, the tax collector for Schuyler County, Kathy Sue Roberts, embezzled $568,000. In Buchanan County, county official Bonnie Sue Lawson stole $118,000 from disabled clients’ Social Security accounts during the years 2003 to 2006. 10 Some counties attempted to charge over $10,000 for providing public documents in 2013. Ferguson clerks have recently charged over $135 per hour for providing public emails. 11 At least four public school districts in the last decade have lost millions to corruption: (1) Superintendent Fred Czerwonka (a.k.a., “The Candy Man”), of St. Joseph schools, and Board member Dan Colgan are being investigated by the FBI for corrupt hiring practices and illegally paying out $25-40 million to administrators over more than a 14-year period. (2) The Fox school district recently paid over $3.6 million to get rid of its administrators, after an unknown amount of money disappeared that contributed to a $7 million budget shortfall. Superintendent Dianne Critchlow received $430,000 to leave, even though she charged meals, golf trips, and traffic tickets to the school’s credit card, was likely involved in destroying public documents, and was directly implicated in a libel suit for posting lies involving sex acts about three parents who were critical of her. At the end of her 9-year tenure, her salary was $260,598 per year. (3) The Rockwood district has awarded the management of all of its bond issue contracts since 1991 to Glenn Construction Co., even though it wasn’t the lowest bidder and public documents about the bidding process were illegally destroyed. Board President Smith worked for Glenn Construction, which has been paid over $15.6 million for its work. (4) In 2007, Superintendent Henry Williams of Riverview Gardens was convicted of stealing over $100,000 from his district to fund his life insurance plan, as well as allowing school staff to take luxurious trips which drained millions from the district’s cash reserve. Also in 2007, Carolyn Yelton, the elderly bookkeeper at Wellsville’s only public school, admitted to stealing $200,000 over four years to spend in casinos.

18

Chapter Two – Why Missouri Needs the Volunteer Movement Section 2-H

The Public School Racket “This is the first time, the very first time I can remember, where everyone agrees upon a plan. Our big corporations agree, our governors agree and the leaders of our educational system all agree, these standards are the best for all concerned – I can’t understand why you don’t welcome them.” - “Doug”, a representative of Missouri’s education department (DESE), after a presentation to parents about Common Core at Lindbergh School on May 3rd, 2013 For most Missourians, political life begins at the tender age of five. Every weekday morning, little children become temporary wards of the state. They are shuttled to schools specially prepared to instruct them according to the latest government standards. For the next 13 years, these students experience mass- education. It consumes one-fifth of their waking lives, at a total public expense of $143,000 per student,1 to confer a diploma worth about $8,400 in annual salary.2 Many of them gain very little from their schooling. One in seven (14%) don’t graduate on time; one in four (28%) can’t read a map; one in three (35%) can’t write a cohesive paragraph; and one in two (49%) are unable to use fractions or solve ordinary problems with functional math.3 All, however, are methodically tested, tracked, classified, ranked and labeled.4 Some are even fingerprinted.5 Students may or may not learn much from school, but their schools certainly learn a great deal about them. What most parents don’t realize is that thanks to recent changes in federal privacy laws, their children’s information will be freely shared with corporations.6 This includes parental income, medical records, fingerprints, DNA, social security

1 In 2015, yearly school expenditure divided by total enrollment was $11,000+ per student. 2 The US Census Bureau reported that the average annual income of a person with a high school diploma in 2009 was $26,776, compared to $18,432 for a person without one, equaling an $8,344 difference. The income of a person with a degree ranges from $31,000 to $62,000, but this requires additional expense, years of study, and risk – about half of all Missouri college students do not earn a degree. 3 From the Missouri State Assessment of Adult Literacy conducted in 2003-2004. This study was funded by the state and its statistics are quoted on the state government’s (DESE) website. 4 As part of a 2009 federal grant, linked to Common Core, DESE modified its Missouri Student Information System (MOSIS) to collect more personal student data (400+ fields) and make it accessible to school officials across the state, as well as to other state and federal agencies. 5 Some districts (e.g., Union, Clinton County, Clever, Bolivar, Branson, Clarkton, N. St. Francois and Santa Fe) are fingerprinting children and scanning them during lunch to reduce the time spent standing in line. Many parents were not asked for consent; consent was assumed even if parents were not made aware of the practice. 6 In 2008, and then later in 2011, the US Dept. of Education made changes to the school privacy act known as FERPA. These changes allow all school personnel and any 3rd-party vendor which “acts in an educational capacity” access to personal student information without parental or student permission.

19 The Public School Racket numbers and any other data a school may acquire. Corporate “nonprofits” and state and federal agencies take this information and store it in central databases with modest security, making them prime targets for identity theft.7 The true danger to students, however, lies in the loss of their personal – rather than legal – identity. Despite a century of relentless reform, schools remain largely committed to their original purpose of promoting conformity.8 Recent waves of federal “initiatives” – such as the No Child Left Behind Act9 and its much-hated cousin, Common Core10 – simply expand upon this policy through standardized testing. Public education has long been hailed as the institution which would make our society “great”. Dazzled by this prophecy of paradise, Missourians have spent an ever-escalating sum of money on schools.11 Instead of alleviating our social problems, however, the 150-year era of public education in Missouri has witnessed a steady increase in crime, poverty, suicide and insanity,12 and a marked decrease in community and political involvement.13 While public schools may or may not be to blame for this, they have certainly not been the cure.

7 In 2013, the National Governor’s Association, et. al., created a $100-million school database funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Carnegie Corp. of New York and Amplify Education. The database is run by inBloom, Inc. It has millions of student records, but its policy states that it “cannot guarantee the security of the information stored... or that the information will not be intercepted...” 8 Early advocate Horace Mann (1839) believed that schools should create a culture that “...shall lead to a subjection or conformity of all our appetites, propensities and sentiments to the will of Heaven.” Commissioner William Harris (1906) wrote “Ninety-nine [students] out of a hundred are autonoma... This is not an accident but the result of substantial education, which, scientifically defined, is the subsumption of the individual...” Reformer John Dewey (1916) argued that one of the main purposes of school was to create a common set of ideas in everyone by “purifying and idealizing existing social customs.” 9 The stated goal of NCLB (the No Child Left Behind Act), enacted in 2002, was for every single student to be “proficient” on state tests by the year 2014. By definition, this was impossible unless: (1) Techniques were developed to implant knowledge regardless of ability or interest. (2) State standards were lowered to match to the lowest-scoring students. (3) The tests were manipulated to produce false results (i.e., cheating). Not surprisingly, the first possibility didn’t occur, while the last two did. In 2006, with the focus on the “low-achieving” students, Missouri cut all funding for gifted education. “In the era of NCLB,” noted one columnist, “schools are judged by how many children are meeting standards, not by how well they are raising the bar for each child.” 10 Common Core is a federal mandate for data-collection standards lobbied for, and written by, the technology and test-making industry. It will intensify and expand NCLB testing. The state and local school boards began implementing Common Core five years ago without consulting students, parents or teachers. During the 2014 legislative session, however, due to public outcry, Missouri voted to replace Common Core, although much of its infrastructure remains in place. 11 Accounting for inflation, spending per student has doubled every 20-30 years since 1870. 12 See page 20 for data from 1850 onward, when state taxes were first devoted to public schools. 13 Missouri’s voter turnout has fallen over 25 points (88% to 60%) since 1896. In Missouri, less than a third of its citizens volunteer for community projects or commonly discuss politics. 20

The Public School Racket In the face of such evidence, parents have good reason to suspect that public school may not be best for every child. Even by the state’s own standards, many schools are failing.14 Yet parents who decline to send their children to public school are forced to pay for the service anyway. This extra financial burden is unfair, especially since many school districts are wasteful with their resources.15 When a group demands money for a service that it doesn’t really provide and that people don’t want, it’s called a racket. When a government does the same thing, however, it’s called taxes. Parents are required to pay for the “service” of public school, even though schools are failing to educate by nearly any form of reckoning – including by the government’s own rather low expectations. We must break this cycle of extortion. We can no longer allow our government to impose upon families who do not wish to be a part of the latest school experiment, as designed by corporate think-tanks.16 Nor should we allow our government to look upon schoolchildren as “human capital”, to treat them as objects of study or pawns in a political chess game.17 Already, untold damage has been done by fifteen years of teaching to the test.18 The sobering reality is that the intellectual vitality of our youth is bleeding away more quickly than in any previous generation. It is being sacrificed on the unholy altar of mediocrity, drained of all curiosity and self-expression by a cult of bureaucratic vampires. It’s time to say “no” to this misguided system, to fight back, and to prove that there are still spirits who refuse to be subdued and minds who refuse to be regulated. It’s time to show those who are battling tyranny that they are not alone.

14 The Normandy, Riverview Gardens, Ferguson-Florissant, Kansas City Public, and St. Louis Public school districts have in recent years either lost or come close to losing their accreditation. 15 The near-bankrupt Normandy district paid $130,000 to lobbyists in 2013. In August 2015, the Francis Howell district, which had recently increased its spending beyond its revenues, spent $260,000 to put a failed tax levy on the ballot, when it could have spent only $500 in April. Audits also showed: (1) The Hickman Mills district’s inventory and finance records are poor; 60 iPads were lost and cash payments made that were unknown to members of the school board. (2) KC Public Schools are paying millions each year for poorly tracked expenses: $2 million to maintain 38 closed schools, and $4 million on incentives going to unknown recipients. (3) St. Louis Public Schools promote pupils who can’t read at their grade level. Officials say fixing the problem is too costly – despite costs per pupil 50% above the state average. 16 Pearson, a British test-making corporation that earns $9 billion per year selling tests to states, contributed heavily to writing Common Core standards. Technology providers – including the Gates’ foundation and the tech consortium SITIA – also contributed significantly. 17 Political speeches refer to teachers as the building blocks of a “human capital pipeline” that must “track children from preschool to high school and from high school to college and college to career.” Toward that end, school officials were bribed to allow free corporate “field tests” on kids. 18 The current Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, testified before Congress that NCLB caused teaching to the test and did harm to the disadvantaged – but that new policies will fix it.

21

Chapter Two Chart of Public School Growth in Missouri Section 2-H Growth of the Common Public School System in Missouri, from 1870 to Present

30 29 28 27 26 Average Length of a 25 School Year in Weeks 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 Average Number of 16 School Employees per 15 100 Enrolled Students 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 Average School 7 Expenditure per 6 Enrolled Student, in 5 1000's of Constant 4 2015 Dollars 3 2 School Weeks, 2015 Dollars (1000s) or Employees (per 100) (per Employees or (1000s) Dollars 2015 Weeks, School 1 0 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 Year of U.S. Census Data Collection

Compiled from the U. S. Census Bureau’s Statistical Abstract of the United States for the years 1880, 1885, 1891, 1905, 1911, 1920, 1930, 1940, 1951, 1956, 1960, 1970, 1971, 1980, 1984, 1990, 1992, 1994, and 2012; from the Census’ Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances for 1994-5, 1999-2000 and 2007-08; and from Public Education Finances: 2013.

Are students today getting an education twice as good as an education in the 1980s? And was public education of the ’80s twice as good as the 1950s or ’60s? They’re important questions, because our society is doubling what it pays for education – adjusted for inflation and enrollment – every 20 to 30 years. School employees are increasing at a similar pace. And although it doesn’t show on the graph, school years are still lengthening, because “summer school” is no longer for failing students, but rather for any student who wants credits for required classes. With this unchecked growth in time, expense and labor, what are we gaining? Is our school system elevating the poor, empowering young minds or instilling a sense of civic duty? Is it enriching our culture, or granting promises of success or a happy life?

22

Chapter Two Chart of Social Problems in Missouri Section 2-H Social Problems in Missouri : Suicide, Mental Illness, Crime & Poverty, from 1860 to Present

21 20 Suicides per 19 100,000 people 18 17 16 15 Commitments 14 for Mental 13 Illness per 12 1,000 People 11 10 9 Imprisonments 8 by Court 7 Sentence per 1,000 People 6 5 4 Poor Receiving 3 Public Aid per

2 100 People Missouri Residents Affected per Total Population Total per Affected Residents Missouri 1 0 1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 Year of U.S. Census Data Collection

Compiled from the U. S. Census Bureau’s Statistical Abstract of the United States, for the years 1914, 1915, 1930, 1939, 1940, 1942, 1944-45, 1950, 1953, 1956, 1957, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982-3, 1984, 1990, 1992, 2000, 2010 and 2012; from the Census’ Mortality of the United States of 1870, Vital and Social Statistics of 1890, Mortality Statistics for the years 1915, 1920, 1931and 1932, and Vital Statistics of the United States for the years 1943, 1950, 1959, 1970, 1980, 1990, 1994, 2001 and 2013;from the Census publication Historical Statistics; from the Census-funded studies by the Bureau of Justice Statistics Prison Admissions and Releases, 1981 and Prisoners in 1996, Prisoners in 2008 and Prisoners in 2013; from the Missouri Department of Mental Health’s publications Status Report on Missouri’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Problems for the years 2011 and 2013 and Census figures quoted for 1860 and 1870 in Zach Montgomery’s Poison Drops in the Federal Senate (extrapolated to include non-native, non- white population) . Results shown before 1910 (except suicides) are inflated from actual figures in order to be consistent with later, more detailed Census reports.

As the graph above shows, suicide rates in Missouri are 6 times higher than they were 150 years ago. During each year, 7 times more Missourians are serving a prison sentence compared to those in 1870. Over 35 times more Missourians are treated at some point for serious mental illness each year than were treated in 1870. And over 110 times more Missouri residents receive public aid than did in 1870. Should our school leaders be concerned about “global competition”, when many students are graduating without the means for living a happy, meaningful life? Is it the goal of education to generate national wealth, and score bragging rights over other countries?

23

Chapter Two Chart of Academics in Missouri Section 2-H

Academic Test Scores in Missouri from 4th grade to Graduation, 1992 to 2014

250 225 Composite 4th-grade average NAEP Math 200 & Reading score 175 150 125 Composite % of 8th- graders with Basic 100 NAEP Math or Basic

percentage 75 NAEP Reading Skills 50 25 Average Composite ACT score 0

NAEP or ACT average composite score or score composite average ACT or NAEP 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 Year of Testing Compiled from American College Test Incorporated (ACT, Inc.) Press Releases for the years 1994, 1998, 2004, 2008; the ACT Profile Report-Missouri for 2014; and from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores reported in the NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Digest of Education Statistics for the years 1995, 2011 and 2014. “But, the closer we have gotten to 2014, the more NCLB has changed from an instrument of reform into a barrier to reform. And, the kids who have lost the most from that change are those... with disabilities, low-income and minority students, and English learners. Because, in practice, NCLB unintentionally encouraged States to lower their standards... It mandated one-size-fits-all interventions... [and] forced teachers to teach to the test.” - U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, in testimony before a Senate Committee hearing on the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), February 7th, 2013 (see source for footnote 18 on page 21) After more than ten years of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act – a plan which was supposed to provide 100% proficiency in math and reading by 2014 – Missouri’s school scores are virtually unchanged. Even the U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, testified that NCLB was a failure that caused more harm than good. Yet in that same testimony, Secretary Duncan stated that NCLB was a good idea, and that it could be fixed. At no time did Secretary Duncan apologize on behalf of the federal government for forcing an educational plan on Missouri which cost billions of extra dollars, but only helped corporate test makers. He has not apologized to Missourians who paid their taxes to hurt kids’ potential, or to the entire generation of schoolchildren who grew up with a poorer education. Instead, Secretary Duncan and Missouri’s Commissioner of Education have proposed to increase NCLB spending and intensify its data-collection efforts using the “better” Common Core standards. Our politicians clearly have a detached attitude toward Missouri’s kids as “products” of the school system. If the products are disappointing, they do not question their right to meddle; they merely try to tweak the process. They are, after all, the appointed experts of the State.

24 Chapter Two – Why Missouri Needs the Volunteer Movement Section 2-I

Fighting the Master State “These are the times that try men’s souls… Tyranny, like Hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” - American revolutionary Thomas Paine, The Crisis, 1776 Missouri is home to a people in crisis. Our leaders publicly pretend to preserve the forms of a free society, while in truth they quietly destroy its substance. The danger is real – it is documented in countless incidents – yet we seem helpless. Without a doubt, this is cause for alarm; but it is not also cause for despair. On the contrary, by identifying the source of our current darkness, we have already taken a significant step toward the light. Knowing the enemy is half of any battle. Once we have been alerted to an abuse of power – either at the local,1 state,2 or federal3 level – we can find ways to stop it. A solution, however, is not quite enough. When we know of a problem – and have an idea how to fix it – we must act. The decision to act is critical; even if the effort might fail, this is a battle that must be joined. Many ordinary citizens have already taken up the fight. Some do so as a matter of personal interest,4 others fight for the sake of the public at large.5 Most,

1 In 1998, St. Louis City used eminent domain with $1.1 billion of public money upon the city of Bridgeton to tear down the homes of 6,000 people, in order to build a third airstrip for Lambert International Airport. The airstrip is unpopular with pilots and services less than 5% of the airport’s flights. In 2008, a dentist was targeted by the city of Arnold for eminent domain because his house – well-kept and up to code – did not fit with the city’s “decor”. The Missouri Supreme Court ruled that the seizure was legal, and the house was given to a retail outlet. 2 Governor Nixon seized $1.7 million from other departments for use by his own office, including $600,000 for travel, usually in state-owned luxury aircraft, as reported by the State Auditor in 2011. 3 In 2014 the Governor’s office attempted to enact a federal initiative, known as the “Real ID Act”, in contradiction to Missouri law. Driver’s license bureaus were instructed to illegally copy birth certificates and SS cards, and to file these documents with the state. The General Assembly brought the governor’s staff under investigation, after which the practice was suspended. 4 Several recent incidents have involved individual legal action against government abuse: 1) Raja Naeem, a privately-employed St. Louis cab driver sued the city in 2014 for fining him over his religious attire. Kansas City and St. Louis require a strict dress code for cab drivers – even though they aren’t city employees. This causes crippling fines for some drivers, including those who wear religious dress (e.g., crucifixes, kufis), caps or pins. 2) In 2013, Michael Elli was charged with a felony – obstructing justice – when he flashed his lights to oncoming traffic to warn them about a speed trap. He has since sued the city. 3) Steven Pogue was fined by Ballwin police in 2011 for giving the finger to a fellow motorist who had run a red light and blocked the intersection. Pogue was pulled over and ticketed, while the other car was not. After a legal battle, Ballwin repealed the ordinance. 5 A group of St. Louis defense lawyers, called Arch City Defenders, work to defend people who can’t afford legal counsel in matters where a public attorney often isn’t provided, such as traffic courts. 25

Fighting the Master State it seems, act out of principle, especially employees who risk the reprisal of their superiors to expose reckless government policies.6

It is true that thus far this chapter has painted a grim picture of our future; but all is not lost. Something can be done. If we forgo the simplicity of letting politicians manage our affairs without our involvement; if we follow our conscience rather than our fears, and allow others the same privilege; if we take personal responsibility for our political future; then the Mastery of the State over its victims is surely doomed. This is a stern duty to bear, but if we discharge it fairly, its fruits will be enjoyed by our children and generations to come. If we neglect it, the shame is ours alone. It is a charge we cannot refute and still bear allegiance to the truth, or to liberty. Nor can we delay for a convenient moment. The storms of history do not wait upon the whims of men. They gather at their own pace and strike without pity. Now is the time to act, while the dark clouds are first moving upon the horizon – to brace ourselves and make ready, in the hope that we may see the light again.

6 The federal Missouri Information and Analysis Center (MIAC), a creation of the Department of Homeland Security, gathers data on citizens and informs law enforcement of “threats”. Two highway patrol officers, risking censure, leaked a secret MIAC report distributed to police. The report labeled supporters of Ron Paul or third parties, “constitutionalists”, people who opposed abortion, opposed federal taxes, supported gold-backed currency or spoke favorably of the right to bear arms, and military veterans as potential terrorists, despite having no evidence to back its claims. After initially defending the report, the government withdrew it from circulation.

26

Part One – The Case for the Volunteer Movement Chapter Three

CHAPTER 3: The Goals of the Volunteer Movement “…that government [is] the strongest, of which every man feels himself a part.” - founding father Thomas Jefferson, to Edward Taffin, 1807

As the previous section has demonstrated, Missouri’s government is deeply flawed. These flaws have had consequences that have gone far beyond mere inconvenience. People have been stripped of their homes, their votes and their liberty. They have been made to feel helpless, their principles held hostage by a system that is corrupt, reckless, deceitful and incompetent.

This deplorable situation demands a response.

The Volunteer Movement is a call for action. It exists not only to oppose tainted politics, but also to restore political autonomy to the individual. Too often, government ignores or actively opposes private initiative.1 Hopefully, by empowering individuals to actively engage in their own governance, the Volunteer Movement can rekindle a spirit of community and civic awareness that will make Missouri a better place to live. The Volunteer Movement’s goals are meant to respect a citizen’s desire to be self-governing whenever possible. This includes defending a person’s natural rights to life, liberty, and opportunity, and allowing free access to the political process. Roughly speaking, the goals of the Volunteer Movement are associated with four basic liberties. These liberties are: 1) Freedom of association (voluntary taxes) 2) Freedom of political expression (election reform) 3) Freedom of information (transparency) 4) Freedom of person (personal liberty) The rest of this section will be devoted to exploring each of these freedoms in more detail.

1 During the 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012 election cycles, a group called Missouri Citizens For Property Rights circulated petitions to put a proposal before Missouri voters that wished to forbid the use of eminent domain on behalf of commercial enterprise (public improvement would be the only valid use of eminent domain in this case). They were opposed by the Missouri Municipal League, a lobbyist group funded with dues from various city and town governments. The League sued to tie up the 2010 petition in court on a technicality – a petition which had nearly gotten enough signatures on its first real try in 2008. In 2010-11, Secretary Carnahan intentionally altered the petition’s language to cause it to again get tied up in court. As of this writing, the League (city governments) and the state have managed to keep the Missouri public from being able to vote upon the measure, a measure which was brought forth by individuals on their own initiative and with privately-raised funds.

27 Chapter Three – The Goals of the Volunteer Movement Section 3-A

Voluntary Taxes “I have never declined paying the highway tax, because I am as desirous of being a good neighbor as I am of being a bad subject.” - Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience, 1849

What is a voluntary tax? It is the choice whether or not to pay the government, and if one does pay, the choice of where that money will go. No longer would there be any general taxes upon the public. Instead of income tax forms, the government would provide a list of its current programs and their purposes. Each citizen would then be able to choose which programs to support and how much to pay to them, and be taxed accordingly. The actual method of taxation could take a variety of forms, some of them similar to current taxes. For example, an individual could elect to pay a fixed amount for a certain number of years. This would likely work well for certain public services, such as an ambulance or fire district. A person could make a conditional pledge to pay a tax only under certain circumstances, or when a certain situation arises. This sort of tax could allow “kickstarter” projects which require large starting capital, or address any unexpected needs such as disaster relief. As a special case, citizens could pledge to pay extra taxes as incentives when a program accomplishes a promised goal, much in the same way an employer might award a bonus to a hard worker. Voluntary taxes are an essential part of allowing people to enjoy the freedom of association. Every time we must pay a tax without our personal consent, we are being forced to associate with everything it funds. This association may include acts which violate our religion, our conscience, or both. It is the Volunteer Movement’s primary goal to take back our freedom of association with the following measures: 1) No tax is levied without a specific, publicly outlined purpose. 2) All taxes are entered into voluntarily, on an individual basis. 3) Specifically, state personal income taxes are abolished, and general (non- use) sales and property taxes rescinded. Federal personal income taxes are resisted with all legal remedies available.

28

Chapter Three – The Goals of the Volunteer Movement Section 3-B

Election Reform “Do not forget that every people deserves the regime it is willing to endure.” - From a protest pamphlet by siblings Hans and Sophie Scholl, student leaders who were guillotined for treason by the Nazi government on February 22nd, 1943

Missouri politicians are most commonly elected by a majority of the votes cast. Yet these votes represent only a small fraction of the electorate. How can this be? Because, quite simply, most people don’t vote. And who can blame them? Voters are forced to visit the polls on a work day, sometimes waiting in long lines, only to be handed a ballot that gives them very few options- if any. Completed ballots are then fed into old scanners and easily-hacked computers, a fact which is justifiably suspicious considering that large numbers of non-residents and the dead are still registered to vote.1 In the end, no matter what happens, elections will be won by members of the Republican or Democratic Party, parties that are notoriously riddled with corruption.2 This is not an elective system worthy of a free people. In light of these injuries to the voting public, the Volunteer Movement proposes the following reforms: 1) Election days should be declared holidays. After all, isn’t honoring our right to vote at least as important as celebrating past presidents, the cause of labor, or the start of the new year? 2) Ballots need to allow voters to express their true wishes using a different voting system. Plurality voting is best suited to determining an electorate’s basic approval for a simple yes-or-no proposal. It is a terrible system, however, for selecting representatives, based upon a variety of factors, from a field of individual candidates. 3) Political parties – of any kind – should not be allowed, or used, to restrict the elective process in any way.

1 See Chapter 2, Section D, page 9. 2 See Chapter 2, Section C, page 7.

29

Chapter Three – The Goals of the Volunteer Movement Section 3-C

Transparency “We must not let go for all the flea-biting of the present afflictions… having bought Truth dear we must not sell it cheap, not the least grain of it for the whole world…” - Political and religious exile Roger Williams, co-founder of the Rhode Island colony, from his book The Bloody Tenet of Persecution, 1644

A great deal of government activity happens in secret.1 Anything that isn’t secret is often disguised in legal jargon that is very difficult to understand.2 The laws and regulations of Missouri have become so complex, in fact, that nobody knows them all. This bureaucratic maze of gibberish is a direct threat to both our liberty, and to the cause of justice. The Volunteer Movement seeks to remove as much as possible all obstacles to public information, in order to make both the government and its citizens more responsible for their actions. Its goals are fourfold: 1) All public agencies will be required to keep accurate accounts of their budget, and make them available to the public both online and in print. Failure to do so will incur severe penalties (currently, there are only weak punishments for agencies that don’t report their spending). 2) Credit cards will not be allowed in government, since the public, not the agency, would be liable for the debt. All purchases with debit cards or “P-cards” must be shown in an itemized list in the agency’s budget. A clear reason must be provided for every budget purchase. Simply put, there must be no excuse for keeping the public in the dark as to how and why their money is being spent. 3) Legislators will be forbidden to cram multiple laws (“riders”) into a single bill. This way, the public should have a better understanding of how an upcoming bill might affect them – and exactly how their elected representative voted on the issue. 4) Laws will be required to be written in natural English- no sentences over 50 words, no more than one semicolon per sentence, etc. The overall number of laws will be significantly reduced so that reasonably motivated citizens can become familiar with all of them, without the need to attend a special school… 31,000 statutes is simply way too many.

1 See Chapter 2, Section E, page 11. 2 See Chapter 2, Section F, page 13.

30

Chapter Three – The Goals of the Volunteer Movement Section 3-D

Personal Liberty “The only title in our democracy superior to that of President is the title of citizen.” - Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, 1937

We need to trust each other. Without individual trust, a community has no chance; and without communities, people cannot govern themselves in peace. Society can then only be found in a shared terror of the law, a universal jealousy of one’s neighbors, and a mutual need for authority and regulation. Such a society – a society that values government more than people – has no room for the American spirit. When a politician promises a measure which threatens an unpopular minority in order to benefit the majority, we must reject it; for what is violated for a part, is violated for all. The most essential element of liberty that must be protected is the right to say “No,” – without fear of harm – no matter the opposition in wealth, station, or numbers. Liberty cannot exist among a people who do not respect dissent. When a culture finds disagreement, or difference, to be offensive for its own sake, there tyranny and violence flourish. Fear of the unknown, the desire for protection, and the need for control, have seduced many into supporting laws which eliminate opportunity and freedom for everyone, so that no Bad Thing might happen to anyone. Protection and freedom are exclusive to one another. Although our desire for protection may be strong, is it worth sacrificing our freedom? We should not live in fear of the world. Better to live with freedom and the risk it brings, than to seek to tame it with our own version of civilized brutality. In this belief – that all people deserve trust, respect, and the presumption of good will toward each other – the Volunteer Movement supports the following measures: 1) Privacy is actively defended and respected by our government. Missouri’s legislators have talked tough on defending privacy, but have done little to back it up with actions. 2) Property cannot be seized by the government for private use. It is blatantly corrupt to use the public trust and funds to seize property from a community and give it to favored enterprises. 3) Laws are designed only to stop people from doing active harm to one another; any law which forces participation, narrows individual options or otherwise restricts choice is to be amended or repealed. In particular, parents who do not participate in public school (e.g., select private schools or homeschool), are not penalized with public school taxes.

31

Part One – The Case for the Volunteer Movement Chapter Four

CHAPTER 4: Can a Volunteer Government Work? “We are a people capable of self-government, and worthy of it.” - founding father Thomas Jefferson, to Isaac Weaver, Jr., 1807

There is no doubt that the ideas of the Volunteer Movement will require sweeping change. As with any change, there is also risk. The greater the change, the greater the risk. Thus, some people might question whether a Volunteer system of government may do more harm than good. Compared to the current system, however, a Volunteer government could hardly do worse.1 It could, in fact, do much better. Besides promoting the cause of liberty, community-based associations are often innovative, responsive to local needs and easily held accountable to the public. Indeed, over the centuries, some voluntarily-funded programs have proved themselves every bit a match for their more centralized state counterparts.2 Nevertheless, many of the Volunteer proposals may seem dangerous, especially to those who have been cynically taught by the state to trust in rules – not people – and to support institutions instead of ideals.3 In particular, one might be skeptical of the idea of voluntary taxation. If, on the other hand, voluntary taxation is convincingly defended, it should ease concerns about the Volunteer Movement as a whole. This section, therefore, will focus exclusively upon the most dramatic proposal of the Volunteer Movement: that all taxes should be consensual. It will attempt to anticipate likely objections to voluntary taxes, to explore the possible benefits and drawbacks of such a system, and to draw upon current and historical examples of voluntary association for the common good.

1 See Chapter 2. 2 Local road-building corporations in the 1800s were funded mainly by a civic spirit for public improvement, as stock in these companies was famous for being practically worthless. They built turnpikes at a higher quality, at lower cost, and attracted a higher voluntary investment from the public (6.15% of GDP), than the money used to build the U.S. Interstate System with compulsory taxes (4.15% of GDP) in the 1950s. Even a direct comparison between 200 miles of the federally-funded National Road in the 1820s and the directly-competing Pittsburg Pike show that the federal government spent 3 times more per mile yet had much lower quality in construction – to the point that travelers shunned the National Road in favor of the Pike, even though the Pike was a toll road. 3 Some philosophers have long studied the negative historical impact of institutions when they grow too powerful – that the people under them erroneously confuse an institution with the value it supposedly produces (e.g., people think that bigger schools always create more learning; and that without schools, no learning can take place), people lose the capacity to solve their own problems, and they become increasingly like spoiled children - passive, petty and self-centered.

32 Chapter Four – Can a Volunteer Government Work? Section 4-A

Answering the Three Big Worries “I will tell you frankly that [seeing America] persuades me that a free government is superior to any other... Because everyone has a sense of his independent position and individual dignity... [it encourages] them to respect themselves and others... It is, I assure you, truly incredible to see how these people maintain order solely by virtue of the notion that the only safeguard against themselves lies within themselves.” - Alexis de Tocqueville, early political scientist, during his travels in America, in a letter to Louis de Kergorlay, June 29th, 1831 Chaos. This is probably the first thought that comes to mind when a person hears the word “voluntary” used with “taxes”. We have been taught, after all, that compulsory taxes are a necessary evil. If taxes were optional, nobody would pay them, and the government would collapse along with social order. Nothing, however, could be further from the truth. In the first case, voluntary taxes, as pointed out earlier,1 do not forbid the fees, licensure, and service taxes that make up a small but noticeable portion of the state budget. Specific, targeted charges are also allowed as long as a citizen has the option of declining the service. Voluntary taxes are solely meant to replace the currently unavoidable taxes that are levied for an unspecified purpose. Thus, the government would still have the means to collect revenue, independent of any voluntary pledges by individuals.2 In the second case, and more telling, we already know that a voluntary tax system can support a functioning government. Why? Because Missouri’s state government used the voluntary tax system for the first 100 years of its existence.3 Voluntary taxes supported many of the types of services that we have now under a compulsory system – services such as education, the legal system and mental health facilities – although with less funds. Which brings us to the third point: we cannot spend our way to good government. Without the will to serve the public interest, all money is wasted.4 Such goodwill disappears in a compulsory tax system. The wealth available to government – and the high-handed ways in which taxes are collected and spent –

1 See Chapter 3, Section A for a fuller description of voluntary taxes. 2 Fees and targeted taxes (e.g., alcohol, gas, cigarettes) comprised 10% of Missouri’s 2014 state revenue. 3 Missouri became a state in 1820, but state income taxes did not exist until a century later, in 1931; state sales taxes appeared in 1934. Local taxes began 20-40 years after their state counterparts. 4 Federal Judge Clark’s intervention in the Kansas City Public School district from 1985-1999 forced county residents, without a vote, to double their property taxes. KC schools spent more per pupil than any in the country. After more than $2 billion in expenditures over 15 years, the effort was declared a complete failure and the payments stopped. Shortly thereafter, the district lost accreditation.

33

Answering the Three Big Worries attracts greedy and unscrupulous men, while eroding civic virtue.5 Voluntary taxes, on the other hand, restore a sense of participation and dignity. Even if people do not get to decide whether or not they pay taxes, just the freedom to choose how their taxes are spent can foster public involvement.6 Furthermore, it should be pointed out that changes do not need to occur all at once. It makes sense to give advance warning so that people can adjust, and to enact changes gradually or in sections. This way, any chance of an “overnight collapse” will be avoided, and wasteful or unpopular programs can be weeded out without pulling up the roots of good governance along the way. Finally, as the previous chapter showed, Missouri’s current governments are growing at an unsustainable pace.7 Seventy-five years ago, 1 in 100 Missourians (1.15% of the total population) worked directly for government. Today, 1 in 16 (6.23%) work in government. In the next twenty years, that figure may be as high as 1 in 12.8 We must learn from the disastrous example of Greece, and consider a dramatic change of course.9 If we adopt a voluntary system, we could stop bloat, pay off our debts, and ease financial pressure on the working class. The alternative for our future is nearly unthinkable – punishing measures at all levels, of the kind that Greece has needed to pay off its massive debts.10 In other words, a voluntary tax system may well avoid economic chaos, not create it.

Freeloading. This is the second doubt that one may harbor about a voluntary government. Under a voluntary system, it is entirely possible for people to choose not to pay taxes; yet these people may still use public services. This could create a situation where possibly “selfish” people, who don’t pay taxes, can benefit at the expense of responsible citizens who do pay them. However, this concern is readily addressed with two simple arguments.

5 See Chapter 2 for examples of misuse of public funds and fraud. Sections 2-C, 2-D and 2-H catalog the slow but steady drop in voter participation, community service and political discussion in Missouri. 6 “Participatory budgeting”, first used in Brazil, has spread to 1,500 cities across the world. In America, 31,000 citizens in half of New York’s districts, 3 of San Francisco’s, 3 Chicago wards, the city of Vallejo and 12-25 yr.-olds in Boston decide how to spend over $32 million in city funds. One observer of Boston youth involved in the process described them as, “motivated, focused and serious.” In St. Louis, the 6th ward let its citizens vote on a limited set of choices for spending $100,000 of their local taxes. 7 For a visual summary of these findings, see the charts on pages 7 and 22. 8 Over the last 50 years, the number of state and local employees per capita in Missouri has doubled. 9 Greek debt is $330 billion, or 177% of its GDP; pensions alone consume 16% of its GDP. 10 To maintain its debt, Greece lost 25% of its employment and GDP since 2010. Under a 2015 bailout deal, its economy is under partial control of foreign banks, who have authority to sell off its infrastructure.

34

Answering the Three Big Worries

First, it is clear that our current tax system already has a great deal of “freeloading”. Large segments of the state’s population pay little or no taxes, either because they are unable or they are legally barred from doing so.11 This puts a significant tax burden on the working poor and middle class.12 The only difference, in fact, between the current system and a voluntary one, is whether the government or the individual citizenry decide who contributes and who benefits. Second, it is equally apparent that a democratic government is only possible if its people take an active interest in it. If Missourians are unwilling to sacrifice any personal effort for good government, then it is already doomed, with or without a voluntary system. If, however, people are engaged in their community, then “freeloading” should not be a problem; for when a person values a thing, they are willing to pay for it, to work for it and ultimately, to fight for it.

Corruption. The third big problem that a person might envision about a voluntary government is corruption. Any system which allows individual contributions is vulnerable to being unduly influenced by special interests and the wealthy. However, like “freeloading”, we already experience this problem with the current regime.13 Attempts to curb political contributions have largely ignored the root of the issue: namely, the character and conduct of politicians who accept bribes. Instead, they have focused on creating regulations that add to the power of state bureaucrats, but cause only a minor inconvenience to special interests.14 While a voluntary government cannot promise to address the causes of corruption, it can promise to localize the effects of corruption. By taking power away from central authority, and putting it into the hands of the people and communities, a volunteer system hinders privileged interests from affecting more than one local area at a time. If we take this into account, we can see that a volunteer government is certainly no worse than the one we currently have.

Yet, even so, a person might ask, what are the drawbacks? Every system has them. The next section will seek to answer this question. It will explore the costs of a voluntary tax system, and weigh them against the opportunities it offers.

11 Approximately 21% of Missouri’s people are unable to pay taxes (institutionalized or underage). 12 Out of a population of 6 million, just over 2.8 million (47%) filed income tax returns in 2014. The top fifth of Missouri’s wage-earners pay an average of 8.3% of their income on state & local taxes, while the bottom four-fifths pay more, an average of 9.3% of their income, mostly due to sales and property tax. 13 Over the last two years, lobbyists have spent $1.8 million and given out 19,000 gifts at the state capital. Missouri’s Attorney General, Chris Koster, has been singled out by the NY Times for corruption. 14 State comparisons and historical studies found no positive impact from political finance laws. Rep. Richardson said that campaign limits (repealed in 2008) didn’t stop bribery – it just became more secret.

35 Chapter Four – Can a Volunteer Government Work? Section 4-B

The Pros and Cons “If pro is the opposite of con, what is the opposite of Congress?” - Comedian Will Rogers, 1946 Every idea comes at a price. Politicians, naturally, are prone to promising everything under the sun, free of cost. This does not reflect reality, however. Personal freedom, for instance, is logically at odds with the idea of public safety. If people want police, with a strong authority, they are by definition giving up some of their own authority and freedom. In fact, the more control and assurance that we give our government to produce any desired outcome, the less freedom we enjoy. A political choice is a trade-off. Government is a balance between values that are, to some degree, mutually exclusive – efficiency, consensus, equality, trust, control, risk, power, freedom, unity, diversity, utility, potential, profit, sustainability, and so on. These cannot all coexist in a single system. The key is to identify which trade-offs are compatible with our happiness, and which are poison to our principles. It is a shabby bargain, indeed, if we gain convenience at the cost of our conscience.

The question, therefore, is what do we value the most, and what are we willing to sacrifice for it?

Nobody of good sense can dispute that a voluntary tax system requires sacrifice. Voluntary taxes place the burden of authority onto the shoulders of the people. In this state of freedom and responsibility, there are no easy answers.

Here are some of the major limitations of voluntary taxes:

1) Less security. Programs are more fragile, as they have no guaranteed, permanent standing in a voluntary system. People need to keep informed and adapt more readily to changes in the public sector. 2) Less control. Society is harder to engineer to suit an ideal or a program of reform. Efforts to combat negative qualities, such as racism, require broader support from the ground up. 3) Inconvenience. Citizens no longer have the option of letting government run automatically in the background without their input. A citizen’s attention is not only helpful, it is necessary – and along with it more work. 4) Lack of coordination. Without funding from the top, programs function more independently of each other. Concerted action takes place accidentally, or by the considerable efforts of political leaders.

36

The Pros and Cons

On the other hand, here are some of the main benefits:

1) Freedom. More than any other quality, freedom gives life to America. It is the single thread that unites all of us. To lose it, is to lose who we are, and why we bother to call ourselves a country. 2) Self-respect. People are valued, not as “human capital” or as useful parts in a political machine,1 but as contributing voices in a political discussion. Citizens become far more invested in their society, because they know that their efforts make a difference.2 3) Flexibility. Bureaucratic inertia, unrealistic plans and cumbersome rules are less tolerated, forcing government to adapt to the needs of its citizens, or lose funding. Local oversight and expertise encourage programs to respond more quickly and effectively to crises.3 4) Enhanced Income. Every adult enjoys a 6% to 10% raise, even when unemployed.4 Individuals decide if this income is needed for themselves and their family, or is best spent contributing to the public interest.

Although the above lists are not comprehensive, they do show the basic give-and-take between a voluntary tax system and the current compulsory one. Voluntary taxes allow more freedom, but rely upon the public’s ability to manage themselves; compulsory taxes give more security but undermine public esteem and participation. Or, to put it more simply, compulsory taxes ask us to believe in a managed process. Voluntary taxes ask us to believe in people. If we believe in ourselves, and in each other, then there is no question that a voluntary system is best. If we don’t trust our capabilities, if we believe that people are generally petty, inept and foolish – then a compulsory system headed by professional elites is likely best.

Before making any judgment, however, one should always consider past evidence. Have voluntary programs been tried before, and have they succeeded?

1 Starting in the 20th century, the language of governments has resembled that of corporations, in which people, referred to as “human capital” or “human resources” are by implication treated as commodities – which can be acquired, traded, improved or discarded as necessary. 2 Use participatory budgeting testimony in Chicago on gaining trust of previously cynical people. 3 Use participatory budgeting testimony in Chicago on local knowledge and expertise. 4 Use tax source as share of family income.

37

Chapter Four – Can a Volunteer Government Work? Section 4-C

Examples of Success, Past and Present “When a major crime attracts public attention, the residents of the place where the crime was committed come together, appoint a commission to find out who did it, and establish a fund to pay the expenses of the investigation. I have seen examples of this. What this shows is, first, that the investigative capacity of the police in America is limited and, second, that Americans know what associations can do for them... ” - Alexis de Tocqueville, from his travel notebook “B”, October 15th, 1831 From its beginning, Missouri has possessed a streak of activism.

38

Examples of Success, Past and Present

39

Part One – The Case for the Volunteer Movement Chapter Five

CHAPTER 5: Bibliography

“The candle, that is set up in us, shines bright enough for all our purposes... If we disbelieve everything, because we cannot certainly know all things; we shall do much what as wisely as he, who would not use his legs but sit still and perish, because he had no wings to fly.” – philosopher John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, 1689

Listed below are the sources for the previous chapters. Wherever feasible, official government statistics were presented. If a clear and complete government statistic has been neglected in favor of other avenues of information, please inform us at www.missourivolunteermovement.com so that we may correct it.

Footnote Sources

Chapter 2 Footnotes, “Why Missouri Needs the Volunteer Movement”, page 2 Date Footnote Accessed Link Source 1 8/26/15 https://www.stlouisfed.org/publicati Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, ons/regional-economist/october- “State and Local Debt: Growing 2012/state-and-local-debt-growing- Liabilities Jeopardize Fiscal Health”, liabilities-jeopardize-fiscal-health October 2012 by Lowell R. Ricketts and Christopher J. Walker 2 8/26/15 http://mercatus.org/publication/ranki Mercatus Center – George Mason ng-known-state-subsidies-private- University, “Ranking Known State businesses Subsidies to Private Businesses”, 10/15/14 by Veronique de Rugy 8/26/15 http://showmeinstitute.org/publicatio Show-Me Institute, “Riding to the ns/commentary/corporate- Hounds of Corporate Welfare”, welfare/1249-riding-to-the-hounds- 1/5/15 by Brenda Talent of-corporate-welfare 3 -- none see pages 5-6, 11-12 and 61-62 4 8/26/15 http://taxfoundation.org/article/state- The Tax Foundation, “State and Local and-local-sales-tax-rates-2014/ Sales Tax Rates in 2014”, 3/18/14 by Scott Drenkard 8/26/15 http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/10 The New York Times, “State-by-State /business/11leonhardt- Property-Tax Rates”, avgproptaxrates.html/ 4/10/07 by Moody’s Economy.com* 8/26/15 http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/rate/ind Federation of Tax Administrators, _inc.pdf “State Individual Income Taxes”, February 2015 by unknown author*

40

Bibliography Footnote Sources for Pages 2 and 3 Section 5-A

Chapter 2 Footnotes – Continued Footnote Accessed Link Source 5 8/26/15 http://www.r- R-Bloggers, “Missouri: Comparison of bloggers.com/missouri-comparison- Registered Voter Counts to Census of-registered-voter-counts-to- Voting Age Population”, census-voting-age-population/ 8/13/12 by Earl F. Glynn 6 -- none see pages 3-4, 7-8, 15-16 and 63-64 7 -- none see Volunteer Handbook pgs. 65-66 8 -- none see Volunteer Handbook pgs. 15-19 9 8/26/15 http://www.washingtontimes.com/ne The Washington Times, “Voter turnout ws/2014/nov/5/voter-turnout-in- in Missouri pegged at 35.23 percent”, missouri-pegged-at-3523-percent/ 11/5/14 by AP 8/26/15 http://ozarksfirst.com/election/misso Ozarks First, “Missouri Voter Turnout uri-voter-turnout-down-from-2008 Down from 2008” 12/5/12 by unknown author 10 8/26/15 http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/ U.S. Dept. of Justice, Bureau of Justice p13.pdf Statistics, “Prisoners in 2013”, 9/30/14 by Dr. E. Ann Carson* 8/26/15 http://www.statista.com/statistics/26 The Statistics Portal, “Countries with 2962/countries-with-the-most- the largest number of prisoners per prisoners-per-100-000-inhabitants/ 100K of the national population as of June 2014” June 2014 by unknown author* * Source data compiled by Jon Schuessler (co-author) to derive footnote statistics.

Section 2-A Footnotes, “The Moral Cost of Involuntary Taxes”, pages 3-4 Date Footnote Accessed Link Source 1 8/26/15 http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/loc News Channel 5, “Riot and Looting in al/2014/08/10/rioting-breaks-out-in- Wake of Teen’s Death”, ferguson/13880305/ aired 8/10/14 2 8/26/15 http://www.kansascity.com/news/go Kansas City Star, “As U.S. executions vernment- decline, Missouri bucks the trend”, politics/article5023527.html 12/27/14 by Tony Rizzo 3 -- none see pages 5-6 and 67-68 4 8/26/15 http://www.semissourian.com/story/ Southeast Missourian, “Mo. agency 1957133.html/ faces audit over cleanup oversight” 4/8/13 by AP 8/26/15 http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Taxpayers metro/taxpers-foot-bill-for-cleanup- foot bill for cleanup of polluted site in of-polluted-site-in- south St. Louis”, south/article_954af589-af4d-5b73- 7/22/12 by Jeremy Kohler abef-539801ea87d7.html/ and Tim Logan

41

Bibliography Footnote Sources for Pages 3-5 Section 5-A

Section 2-A Footnotes – Continued Footnote Accessed Link Source 5 8/26/15 http://auditor.mo.gov/Repository/Pre State Auditor, Report 2014-023, ss/2014023457179.pdf “Brownfield Remediation Tax Credit Program”, April 2014 by Thomas Schweich 6 8/26/15 http://www.semissourian.com/story/ Southeast Missourian, “Group pushes 1149691.html/ for law to end shady dog deals”, 4/23/06 by Mark Bliss 8/26/15 http://www.theatlantic.com/magazin The Atlantic, “From the leash to the e/archive/2000/07/from-the-leash-to- laboratory”, the-laboratory/378269/ 7/1/2000 by Judith Reitman 7 -- none see Volunteer Handbook pgs. 7-10

Section 2-B Footnotes, “The Economic Drainpipe”, pages 5-6 Date Footnote Accessed Link Source 1 8/26/15 http://www.psrs- Public School & Public Education peers.org/Investments/2014- Employee Retirement Systems of CAFR/2014-Summary-Report.pdf Missouri, “PSRS/PEERS 2014 Summary Report to Members”, 2014 by unknown author* 8/26/15 http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Missouri govt-and-politics/missouri- taxpayers to pay more for state taxpayers-to-pay-more-for-state- employee pensions”, employee- 9/21/12 by Virginia Young pensions/article_24196dde-4535- 5537-9ceb-60d0559a5ac8.html 2 8/26/15 http://www.foxbusiness.com/market Fox Business, “Audit: Missouri public- s/2014/09/30/audit-missouri-public- employee pension plans more employee-pension-plans-more- financially sound than national norms”, financially-sound-than/ 9/30/14 by AP 8/26/15 http://www.auditor.mo.gov/repositor State Auditor, Report No.2014-092, y/press/2014092829132.pdf “Statewide Survey of Public Employee Retirement Systems in Missouri”, September 2014 by Thomas Schweich 3 -- none see Volunteer Handbook pgs. 67-68 4 8/26/15 http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/stat U.S. Census Bureau, “Missouri es/29000.html QuickFacts”, 4/22/15 by unknown author* 8/26/15 http://www.missourieconomy.org/in Missouri Economic Research and dicators/gsp/index.stm/ Information Center (Dept. of Economic Development), “Gross Domestic Product Data Series 2013 Estimates”*

42 Bibliography Footnote Sources for Pages 5 and 6 Section 5-A

Section 2-B Footnotes – Continued Footnote Accessed Link Source 4 8/26/15 https://oa.mo.gov/sites/default/files/ Office of Administration, “Monthly 2009-06%20(FY%202009).xls General Revenue Report Month Ended June 30, 2009”, 7/1/09 by Lynn Dean* 8/26/15 https://oa.mo.gov/sites/default/files/ Office of Administration, ”Monthly 2014- General Revenue Report Month Ended 06%20%28June%20FY14%29.xlsx June 30, 2014”, 7/1/14 by Brittany Kueckelhan* 8/26/15 https://oa.mo.gov/commissioners- Missouri Office of Administration, office/news/state-missouri-issues- “State of Missouri issues $92 million in 92-million-bonds-fulton-state- bonds for Fulton State Hospital”, hospital 11/19/14 by unknown author* 8/26/15 https://archive.org/details/2014MOS Missouri Office of Administration, pgs. tateDebt 1-2, “State of Missouri Summary of State Indebtedness as of July 1, 2014”, 7/1/14 by unknown author* 5 8/26/15 http://www.moga.mo.gov/oversight/ Committee on Legislative Research, over20151/PDFs/2014%20Bond%2 Oversight Division, “Report of Certain 0Report%20Final%20Draft.pdf Debt of the State of Missouri and Certain Non-State Debt 2014”, December 2014 by Kyle Bosh, et. al. 6 -- none see Volunteer Handbook pgs. 69-71 7 8/26/15 http://showmeinstitute.org/publicatio Show-Me Institute, “Riding to the ns/commentary/corporate- Hounds of Corporate Welfare”, welfare/1249-riding-to-the-hounds- 1/5/15 by Brenda Talent of-corporate-welfare 8/26/15 http://www.stltoday.com/business/lo St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Analysis: cal/analysis-boeing-bid-could- Boeing bid could impact Mo. impact-mo- regardless”, regardless/article_858990d6-25a4- 12/15/13 by David A. Lieb (AP) 5e18-957f-685c7f5874b3.html/ 8 -- none author 9 -- none see Volunteer Handbook pgs. 61-62 10 8/26/15 http://watchdog.org/69654/living- Missouri Watchdog, “Living large on large-on-taxpayer-dime-hundreds- the taxpayer dime: Hundreds of Mo of-mo-government-employees- gov’t employees make at least $100K”, make-at-least-100k/ 2/15/13 by Johnny Kampis 8/26/15 http://watchdog.org/72832/mos- Missouri Watchdog, “Missouri lawmakers-enjoy-nice-pay-and- lawmakers among best paid part-time perks-similar-to-peers-in-other- officials in the nation”, states/ 3/5/13 by Johnny Kampis

43

Bibliography Footnote Sources for Pages 6, 8 & 9 Section 5-A

Section 2-B Footnotes – Continued Footnote Accessed Link Source 10 8/26/15 http://www.news- Springfield News-Leader, “Missouri leader.com/story/news/politics/2015/ Lieutenant Governor Kinder Wants to 02/19/missouri-lt-gov-kinder-wants- Receive Daily Allowance”, to-receive-daily- 2/19/15 by AP allowance/23666745/ * Source data compiled by Jon Schuessler (co-author) to derive footnote statistics.

Section 2-C Footnotes, “Breaking the Political Monopoly”, pages 8-9 Date Footnote Accessed Link Source 1 8/26/15 http://www.moga.mo.gov/mostatutes Missouri Legislature, Missouri /moconstn.html Constitution, 8/28/14 2 -- none see Volunteer Handbook pgs. 74-79 3 8/26/15 http://enrarchives.sos.mo.gov/enrnet/ Secretary of State, “State of Missouri – Default.aspx General Election – November 4, 2014”, 12/3/14 by Jason Kander* 4 8/26/15 http://enrarchives.sos.mo.gov/enrnet/ Secretary of State, “State of Missouri – default.aspx?eid=750002907 Primary Election – August 5, 2014”, 8/25/14 by Jason Kander* 5 -- none see Volunteer Handbook pgs. 63-64 6 8/26/15 http://enrarchives.sos.mo.gov/enrnet/ Secretary of State, “State of Missouri – Default.aspx General Election – November 4, 2014”, 12/3/14 by Jason Kander* 8/26/15 http://enrarchives.sos.mo.gov/enrnet/ Secretary of State, “State of Missouri – default.aspx?eid=750002497 General Election – November 6, 2012”, 12/5/14 by Jason Kander* 7 8/26/15 http://enrarchives.sos.mo.gov/enrnet/ Secretary of State, “State of Missouri – Default.aspx General Election – November 4, 2014”, 12/3/14 by Jason Kander* 8/26/15 http://enrarchives.sos.mo.gov/enrnet/ Secretary of State, “State of Missouri – default.aspx?eid=750002497 General Election – November 6, 2012”, 12/5/14 by Jason Kander* 8/26/15 http://enrarchives.sos.mo.gov/enrnet/ Secretary of State, “State of Missouri – default.aspx?eid=750002907 Primary Election – August 5, 2014”, 8/25/14 by Jason Kander* 8/26/15 http://enrarchives.sos.mo.gov/enrnet/ Secretary of State, “State of Missouri – default.aspx?eid=750002497 Primary Election – August 7, 2012”, 8/27/14 by Jason Kander* * Source data compiled by Jon Schuessler (co-author) to derive footnote statistics.

44

Bibliography Footnote Sources for Page 11 Section 5-A

Section 2-D Footnotes, “Making Elections Matter”, pages 11-12 Date Footnote Accessed Link Source 1 --- -- Personal interviews & observations

2 -- -- Personal observations & reference materials 3 8/26/15 http://m.columbiatribune.com/news/ Columbia Daily Tribune, “Ex-ACORN ex-acorn-workers-plead-guilty-to- workers plead guilty to fraud”, fraud/article_7706f884-ac02-54f8- 4/6/08 by AP a1a7-e9b009eb8155.html 8/26/15 http://www.kmbc.com/ACORN- KMBC-TV, Kansas City, “ACORN Workers-Indicted-For-Alleged- Workers Indicted For Alleged Voter Voter-Fraud/12353984 Fraud”, aired 11/1/08 8/26/15 http://www.pitch.com/FastPitch/arch The Pitch, “J.J. Rizzo’s aunt and uncle ives/2013/06/28/jj-rizzos-aunt-and- plead guilty to voter fraud charges”, uncle-plead-guilty-to-voter-fraud- 6/28/13 by Ben Palosaari charges see note see the previous section (2-C), See the primary & general election footnote 7 for links to four sources results in section 2-C, footnote 7 for on the 2012 & 2014 elections data on Rep. Rizzo’s re-elections 4 8/26/15 https://casetext.com/case/us-v-state- U.S. District Court, Western Division 35 Missouri, Case No. 05-4391-CV-C- NKL, “The United States of America vs. The State of Missouri [and] Robin Carnahan, Missouri Secretary of State”, 4/13/7 by Judge Nanette Laughrey 8/26/15 http://watchdog.org/25408/missouri- Missouri Watchdog, “Fifteen Missouri fifteen-missouri-counties-have- counties have more voters than census more-voters-than-census-population/ population”, 10/26/10 by Earl Glynn 8/26/15 http://www.r- R-Bloggers, “Missouri: Comparison of bloggers.com/missouri-comparison- Registered Voter Counts to Census of-registered-voter-counts-to- Voting Age Population”, census-voting-age-population/ 8/13/12 by Earl Glynn (Franklin Center) 5 8/26/15 http://www.ncsl.org/research/electio National Conference of State ns-and-campaigns/primary- Legislatures, “State Primary Election types.aspx Types”, 6/24/14 by unknown author 8/26/15 http://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/2 2010 Georgia Code, ¶21-2-501, 010/title-21/chapter-2/article-12/21- “Number of votes required for election” 2-501 2010 by Georgia legislators and staff 6 -- none see Volunteer Handbook pgs. 72-73

Section 2-D Footnotes - Continued

45 Bibliography Footnote Sources for Pages 12 and 13 Section 5-A

Footnote Accessed Link Source 7 8/26/15 http://www.kansascity.com/news/go The Kansas City Star, “With no money vernment- to replace them, can we count on old politics/article4200576.html voting machines?”, 11/29/14 by Dave Helling 8 8/26/15 http://www.larouchepub.com/pr/200 Executive Intelligence Review, 4/040505missouri_testim.html testimony to the Elections Committee, “Against Electronic Vote Fraud: Return to Paper Ballot, Missouri Told”, 5/6/04 by Edward W. Spannaus 9 8/26/15 https://editions.lib.umn.edu/electiona Humphrey School of Public Affairs, cademy/2012/03/15/monopoly-or- Election Academy, “Monopoly or broken-market-eith/ Broken Market? Either Way, St. Charles, MO Can’t Buy New Voting Machines”, 3/15/12 by Doug Chapin

Section 2-E Footnotes, “Secrets, Lies & Bureaucracy”, pages 13-14 Date Footnote Accessed Link Source 1 -- none Jefferson County Leader, Classifieds, pg. 67, “Grandview R-II School District Statement of Revenues, Expenditures and Changes in Fund Balances Modified Cash Basis – Government Funds For the Year Ended June 30, 2014”, 10/23/14 by Schowalter & Jabouri, P.C. -- none As above, “Festus R-VI School District Statement of Revenues... [as above] ...For the Year Ended June 30, 2014”, 10/23/14 by Daniel Jones & Associates -- none Jefferson County Leader, Classifieds, “Reorganized School District R-VII of Jefferson County, Missouri Statement of Revenues... [as above] ...For the Year Ended June 30, 2014”, 11/23/14 by Daniel Jones & Associates -- none As above, “DeSoto School District #73 Statement of Revenue... [as above] ...For the Year Ended June 30, 2014”, 11/20/14 by Daniel Jones & Associates 2 8/26/15 http://mapyourtaxes.mo.gov/MAP/E Missouri Accountability Portal, xpenditures/Categories/Details.aspx? “Expenditures”, cat=400&year=2015 5/14/15 by Office of Administration

Section 2-E Footnotes – Continued

46

Bibliography Footnote Sources for Pages 13 and 14 Section 5-A

Footnote Accessed Link Source 3** 8/26/15 http://mapyourtaxes.mo.gov/MAP/E Missouri Accountability Portal, xpenditures/Vendors/VendorSearch “Expenditures”, Results.aspx?ven=procurement+card 5/14/15 by Office of Administration +payment&search=0&year=2015&r ow=51946 4 -- none A State prison guard of over 10 years of service; name will remain anonymous. 5 8/26/15 http://www.pitch.com/kansascity/mi The Pitch, “Former employees say ssouri-department-of-transportation- Missouri Department of Transportation modot-amendment-7-kevin-keith- leaders preyed on older workers”, discrimination/Content?oid=498549 11/11/14 by Steve Vockrodt 4 6 8/26/15 http://www.auditor.mo.gov/repositor State Auditor, Report 2014-097, y/press/2014097995769.pdf “Summary of State and Local Audit Findings – Sunshine Law”, October 2014 by Thomas Schweich 7 8/26/15 http://missourieducationwatchdog.co Missouri Education Watchdog, “Are m/are-bond-issues-being-voted-on- Bond Issues Being Voted on in Your in-your-school-district-read-whats- School District? Read What’s happening-to-parents-who-ask- Happening to Parents Who Ask questions-in-sikeston/ Questions in Sikeston”, 3/19/14 by Gretchen Logue 8 8/26/15 http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/loc KSDK-TV News, “School district asks al/2015/01/28/ferguson-florissant- for no tax increase bond issue”, proposition-i-piper/22471201/ 1/28/15 by Brandie Piper ** 8/26/15 http://armericansforprosperity.org/m Americans For Prosperity – Missouri, issouri/arent-you-taxed-enough/ 2014 Municipal Tax Projects Initiative, 2/27/14 by Patrick Werner* 9 8/26/15 http://mcds.dese.mo.gov/quickfacts/ Missouri Department of Elementary and School%20Finance%20Data%20and Secondary Education, “School Finance %20Reports/Financial%20Definitio – Financial Definitions”, ns.pdf 11/1/11 by unknown author 10 8/26/15 http://dmh.mo.gov/ada/rpts/docs/stat Dept. of Mental Health, pg. E-1, “Status us2014/missouri.pdf Report on Missouri’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Problems”, 2014 by Randall C. Smith, et. al.* 11 8/26/15 http://www.mshp.dps.missouri.gov/ Missouri State Highway Patrol, MSHPWeb/SAC/crime_data_960gri Statistical Analysis Center, “Crime d.html Data”, date and author unknown 12 8/26/15 http://www.mosac.mo.gov/file.jsp?i Dept. of Corrections, pg.65-66, “A d=50753 Profile of the Institutional and Supervised Offender Population on June 30, 2013” 1/14/14 by George A. Lombardi

47 Bibliography Footnote Sources for Pages 14 and 15 Section 5-A

Section 2-E Footnotes – Continued Footnote Accessed Link Source 13 8/26/15 http://www.showmedaily.org/2014/0 The Show-Me Institute, “Are Missouri’s 7/missouris-highways-bridges- Highways and Bridges Crumbling?”, crumbling.html/ 7/17/14 by Joseph E. Miller 8/26/15 http://reason.org/files/20th_annual_h Reason Foundation, “20th Annual ighway_report.pdf Report on the Performance of State Highway Systems (1984-2009/10)”, July 2013 by Dr. David Hartgen, et. al. 8/26/15 http://www.uschamberfoundation.or U.S. Chamber of Commerce g/enterprisingstates/ Foundation, “Missouri’s Road Quality”, 2014 by unknown author 8/26/15 http://streetsblog.net/2012/04/20/citi Streetsblog Network, “Cities With the es-with-the-most-highway-miles-a- Most Highway Miles: a ‘Who’s Who’ of whos-who-of-decay/ Decay”, 4/20/12 by Angie Schmitt 8/26/15 http://www.modot.org/about/general Dept. of Transportation, pgs. 138, 141- _info/documents/FY13CAFRFINAL 143, “Comprehensive Annual Financial PUBLISHED.pdf Report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013”, 9/27/13 by Roberta Broeker & Brenda Morris * Source data compiled by Jon Schuessler (co-author) to derive footnote statistics

Section 2-F Footnotes, “Buried in Plain Sight”, pages 15-16 Date Footnote Accessed Link Source 1 8/26/15 http://www.moga.mo.gov/mostatutes Missouri General Assembly, “Missouri /statutesAna.html Revised Statutes”, 8/28/14 by legislators & staff 8/26/15 http://www.biblestudy101.org/Lists/ Bible Study 101, “Statistics About the statisticsHB.html Bible”, by W. P. Tisdale 8/26/15 http://www.deafmissions.com/tally/b Deaf Missions, using The Bible (ASL kchptrvrs.html translation), “How Many Chapter and Verses Are There in the Bible?”, 2003 by Matt Keller 2 8/26/15 http://www.moga.mo.gov/mostatutes Missouri General Assembly, RSMo, /stathtml/61000000101.html Chapter 610, “Governmental Bodies and Records”, 8/28/14 by legislators & staff

48

Bibliography Footnote Sources for Page 16 Section 5-A

Section 2-F Footnotes – Continued Footnote Accessed Link Source 3 8/26/15 http://legalemployeehandbook.com/ Legal Employee Handbook... At Your missouri-employee-handbook Fingertip®, “Attorney Drafted Legal Employee Handbook – Missouri”, by Fingertip Enterprises, LLC 8/26/15 http://www.lw.com/bookofjargon- Latham & Watkins, LLP, “Book of apps Jargon® & Apps”, ©2015 4 8/26/15 http://www.moga.mo.gov/mostatutes Missouri General Assembly, RSMo, /stathtml/11500006391.HTML Chapter 115, Section 639.1, “Three hours off work to vote – interference by employer a class four offense”, 8/28/14 by legislators & staff 5 8/26/15 http://www.mdn.org/mpacol/COL00 Missouri Digital News, “Capitol 8.HTM Perspectives: Omnibus Bills”, 9/23/11 by Phil Brooks 8/26/15 http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/ St. Louis Business Journal, “Liquor blog/2013/05/liquor-franchise-bill- franchise bill approved by Missouri approved-by.html House”, 5/8/13 by E. B. Solomont 6 8/26/15 http://articles.chicagotribune.com/19 Chicago Tribune, “Oops! Missouri 85-09- Goofs, Repeals Rape Law”, 11/news/8503010686_1_repeals- 9/11/85 by United Press International crime-bill-house-speaker-bob-griffin 8/26/15 http://www.mdn.org/2007/STORIES Missouri Digital News, “Midwivery /MIDWIFE.HTM outline amendment added to kick boxing bill”, 5/5/07 by Sarah D. Wire 7 8/26/15 http://www.columbiamissourian.co Columbia Missourian, “Midwives law m/a/95952/midwives-law-barred- barred: violates Missouri Constitution, violates-missouri-constitution- physician groups say”, physician-groups- 3/7/2007 by David A. Lieb say/article_1d15247f-7517-5039- a7e0-9b3e59585888.html 8/26/15 http://lakeexpo.com/news/top_storie St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Political Fix: s/political-fix-nixon-vetoes-state- Nixon vetoes state and local omnibus and-local-omnibus- bill”, bill/article_8fbb546e-bb5d-11e1- 6/20/12 by Elizabeth Crisp 8677-0019bb2963f4.html

49

Bibliography Footnote Sources for Pages 17 and 18 Section 5-A

Section 2-G Footnotes, “The Rising Kleptocracy”, pages 17-18 Date Footnote Accessed Link Source 1 8/26/15 http://www.stltoday.com/news/opini St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Messenger: on/columns/tony- Welfare of the people should drive court messenger/messenger-welfare-of- reform”, the-people-should-drive-court- 1/23/15 by Tony Messenger reform/article_e278e88a-51cb-5e31- 842a-d77de0acfe41.html 2 8/26/15 http://www.washingtonpost.com/ne The Washington Post, “How ws/the-watch/wp/2014/09/03/how- municipalities in St. Louis County, Mo., st-louis-county-missouri-profits- profit from poverty”, from-poverty 9/3/14 by Radley Balko 3 8/26/15 http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “A web of crime-and-courts/a-web-of-lawyers- lawyers play different roles in different play-different-roles-in-different- courts”, courts/article_b61728d1-09b0-567f- 3/28/15 by Jennifer Mann, et. al. 9ff4-919cf4e34649.html 4 8/26/15 http://www.washingtonpost.com/ne The Washington Post, “How ws/the-watch/wp/2014/09/03/how- municipalities in St. Louis County, Mo., st-louis-county-missouri-profits- profit from poverty”, from-poverty 9/3/14 by Radley Balko 5 8/26/15 http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Missouri metro/missouri-national-guard- National Guard soldiers took items from soldiers-took-items-from-joplin- Joplin wreckage”, wreckage/article_6bb55f45-ed3e- 5/31/12 by Matthew Hathaway 532f-8d37-77d6a14394a3.html 8/26/15 http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “St. Louis crime-and-courts/st-louis-officers- officers, ACLU, clash in court over aclu-clash-in-court-over-world- World Series ticket scandal records”, series/article_4e3dc68f-70cc-524a- 4/10/14 by Jennifer Mann 9d1f-d7f4df258d0d.html 8/26/15 http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/ The Newspaper.com, “Missouri: Police 24/2476.asp Caught Driving Impounded Cars”, 7/20/08 by unknown author 6 8/26/15 http://ksmu.org/post/auditor-tom- KSMU, Ozarks Public Radio, “Auditor schweich-public-corruption- Tom Schweich on Public Corruption, governor-s-withholdings-and- Governor’s Withholdings and upcoming-pension-audit Upcoming Pension Audit”, 9/27/14 by Scott Harvey 7 8/26/15 http://poetsandquants.com/2015/02/1 Poets and Quants, “Bloch School Prof 4/400k-bloch-school-prof-resigns- Resigns Amid Scandal”, amid-rankings-scandal/ 2/14/15 by Ethan Baron 8 8/26/15 http://www.riverfronttimes.com/stlo Riverfront Times, “The Little City That uis/the-little-city-that- Couldn’t”, couldnt/Content?oid=2455246 7/5/06 by Malcolm Gray

50 Bibliography Footnote Sources for Page 18 Section 5-A

Section 2-G Footnotes – Continued Footnote Accessed Link Source 9 8/26/15 https://www.fbi.gov/stlouis/press- FBI, St. Louis Division, “Former releases/2012/former-schuyler- Schuyler County Tax Collector county-tax-collector-sentenced-on- Sentenced on Federal Charges Related federal-charges-related-to-her- to Her Embezzlement of $568,000”, embezzlement-of-568-000 5/4/12 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office 8/26/15 https://www.fbi.gov/kansascity/press FBI, Kansas City Division, “Former -releases/2009/former-buchanan- Buchanan County Official Sentenced for county-official-sentenced-for- Stealing $119,000”, stealing-119-000 4/14/09 by U.S. Attorney’s Office 10 8/26/15 http://watchdog.org/74328/10000- Missouri Watchdog, “Investigating for-land-records-a-sign-of-not-very- government in Missouri? That’ll be open-mo-government/ $10,000, please”, 3/13/13 by Johnny Kampis 8/26/15 http://watchdog.org/174278/fee- Missouri Watchdog, “Ferguson officials ferguson-public-documents/ charge inflated fees for access to public documents”, 9/30/14 by Brad Matthews 11 8/26/15 http://eagnews.org/fbi-narrows- EAG News, “FBI narrows probe of probe-of-missouri-school- Missouri school superintendent dubbed superintendent-dubbed-the-candy- ‘The Candy Man’”, man/ 8/11/14 by Sam Zeff 8/26/15 http://kcur.org/post/missouri-state- KCUR, 89.3 FM, “Missouri State auditor-rates-st-joseph-school- Auditor Rates St. Joseph School District district-performance-poor Performance ‘Poor’”, 2/17/15 by Sam Zeff 8/26/15 http://www.auditor.mo.gov/Reposito Missouri State Auditor, Report 2015- ry/Press/2015006351484.pdf 006, “St. Joseph School District”, February 2015 by Thomas Schweich 8/26/15 http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Another education/another-scandal-hits-fox- scandal hits Fox School District”, school-district/article_634af605- 6/6/14 by Leah Thorsen 9853-5b82-89bc-39de04797e7a.html 8/26/15 http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Critchlow to education/critchlow-to-retire-as- retire as superintendent of Fox district”, superintendent-of-fox- 7/15/14 by Leah Thorsen district/article_7e400652-395a- 579e-bd75-cf5abe8779c0.html 8/26/15 http://missourieducationwatchdog.co Missouri Education Watchdog, m/lessons-from-fox-school-district- “Lessons from Fox School District in in-trust/ Trust”, 8/13/14 by Anne Gassel 8/26/15 http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/loc KSDK News Channel 5, “Money al/2014/11/18/money-demanded- demanded from former Fox from-former-fox- superintendent”, superintendent/19254847/ aired 11/18/14 by Elizabeth Matthews

51

Bibliography Footnote Sources for Pages 18 and 19 Section 5-A

Section 2-G Footnotes – Continued Footnote Accessed Link Source ** 6/22/15 http://www.myleaderpaper.com/eedit Jefferson County Leader, page 7, “Buh- ion/jefferson_county_leader/page/pa bye: Fox C-6 paying $3.6 million for ge_c5c4a167-c1ca-5a49-bc92- 128 employees to leave district”, 5e2bd815260c.html 6/18/15 by Kim Robertson 8/26/15 http://www.stltoday.com/new/local/e St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Rockwood ducation/rockwood-schools-have- schools have cozy ties with construction cozy-ties-with-construction- firm”, firm/article_0ec71637-867f-5225- 9/26/11 by Elizabethe Holland 9650-1f5b7629aab7.html 8/26/15 http://www.stltoday.com/new/local/e St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Ex-Riverview ducation/ex-riverview-gardens-boss- Gardens boss dies before paying dies-before-paying-penalty- penalty, liens”, liens/article_cdb083e2-7e32-553f- 5/15/12 by David Hunn 8398-701aaa84d576.html 8/26/15 http://www.showmegaming.com/sho Missouri Gaming Commission, Show wme_gaming/2009/07/embezzlemen Me Gaming, “Embezzlement”, t.html 6/18/15 by AP

Section 2-H Footnotes, “The Public School Racket”, pages 19-21 Date Footnote Accessed Link Source 1 8/26/15 http://www.house.mo.gov/billtrackin Department of Elementary and g/bills141/billpdf/truly/HB2002T.P Secondary Education, page 15, “Truly DF Agreed To And Finally Passed CCS For SCS For HCS House Bill No. 2002”, 2014 by Missouri legislators & staff* 8/26/15 http://mcds.dese.mo.gov/quickfacts/ Department of Elementary and District%20and%20School%20Infor Secondary Education, “District mation/2015%20District%20Enroll Enrollment PK-12 2015”, ment%20PK-12.xls 1/30/15 by unknown author* 8/26/15 http://www2.census.gov/govs/school U.S. Census Bureau, page 5, “Public /13f33pub.pdf Education Finances: 2013”, June 2015 by the Educational Finance Branch* 2 8/26/15 http://www.census.gov/prod/2012pu U.S. Census Bureau, page 13, bs/p20-566.pdf “Educational Attainment in the United States: 2009”, February 2012 by Camille L. Ryan and Julie Siebens* 8/26/15 http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Graduate education/graduate-from-college-in- from college in 4 years? Unlikely in years-unlikely-in-missouri- Missouri, Illinois”, illinois/article_03eec54f-76a7-5aef- 8/28/11 by Tim Barker a361-5182f1762a20.html

52 Bibliography Footnote Sources for Pages 19 and 20 Section 5-A

Section 2-H Footnotes – Continued Footnote Accessed Link Source 3 8/26/15 http://www.air.org/sites/default/files/ American Institutes for Research, downloads/report/SAAL_MO_web_ “Highlights From the 2003 Missouri 0.pdf State Assessment of Adult Literacy”, 2003 by Justin Baer & Christine Leow* 4 8/26/15 http://dese.mo.gov/data-system- Department of Elementary and management/core-datamosis Secondary Education, “Core Data/MOSIS”, date and author unknown 8/26/15 https://dese.mo.gov/sites/default/file Department of Elementary and s/MODataAccessandUsePolicy.pdf Secondary Education, pgs. 1, 5, 7-8, “Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Data Access and Management Policy”, June 2007 by unknown author 8/26/15 http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/r U.S. Department of Education, ecovery/factsheet/stabilization- Overview: principles – parts b and d, fund.html “State Fiscal Stabilization Fund”, 3/7/09 by unknown author 8/26/15 http://www.moagainstcommoncore.c Missouri Coalition Against Common om/data-collection Core, “Data Collection”, date and author unknown 5 8/26/15 http://www.emissourian.com/news/u The Missourian, “School District to Try nion_news/article_aa82c7fa-185e- Biometric Fingerprint Scanners in 5514-8cff-533b6033978a.html Cafeteria”, 6/20/12 by unknown 8/26/15 http://www.clever.k12.mo.us/news/F Clever R-V School District, “Food ood_Service_program_information Services Information”, date and author unknown 8/26/15 http://www.mobilitytechzone.com/n Mobility Tech Zone, “School demands ews/2008/06/08/3486667.htm one from the thumb”, 6/8/08 by Nancy Hull 8/26/15 http://bolivarmonews.com/home/ne BHFP Mobile, “New technology uses w-technology-uses-finger-to-id- finger to ID students”, students/article_5355c1b1-f035- 8/16/06 by Katie Duncan 54db-ae6a- 0938b37ce622.html?mode=jqm 8/26/15 http://missourieducationwatchdog.co Missouri Education Watchdog, “The m/the-danger-of-centralized-data- Danger of Centralized Data Bases and bases-and-use-of-biometric- Use of Biometric Identification”, identification/ 1/3/14 by Gretchen Logue 6 8/26/15 http://epic.org/apa/ferpa/ EPIC, “EPIC vs. The U.S. Department of Education”, date and author unknown 6,7 8/26/15 http://carolinajournal.com/exclusives Carolina Journal Online, “Parents /display_exclusive.html?id=10019 Chafe At National Student-Tracking Database”, 3/28/14 by Karen McMahan

53

Bibliography Footnote Sources for Page 20 Section 5-A

Section 2-H Footnotes – Continued Footnote Accessed Link Source 8 8/26/15 http://voicesofdemocracy.umd.edu/h Voices of Democracy, “The Necessity of orace-mann-the-necessity-of- Education in a Republican education-in-a-republican- Government”, government-speech-text/ Autumn 1839 speech by Horace Mann 8/26/15 http://archive.org/details/philosophy Internet Archive, “Philosophy of ofeduc00harruoft Education”, 1906 by William Torrey Harris 8/26/15 http://www.gutenberg.org/files/852/ Project Gutenberg EBook, “Democracy 852-h/852-h.htm and Education”, 1916 by John Dewey 9 8/26/15 www.isbe.net/nclb/htmls/highlights. Illinois State Board of Education, “No htm Child Left Behind (NCLB)”, 2002 by unknown author 8/26/15 http://missourieducationwatchdog.co Missouri Education Watchdog, “Day m/day-one-of-senate-hearing-on- One of Senate Hearing on ‘Fixing’ fixing-nclb/ NCLB”, 1/23/15 by Anne Gassel 8/26/15 http://ajc.com/news/news/cheating- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, our-children-suspicious-school-test- “Cheating our children: Suspicious sco-1/nQSTS/ school test scores across the nation”, 3/25/12 by John Perry, et. al. 8/26/15 http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/r St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Cuts in gifted elationships-and-special- education hurt kids’ potential”, occasions/parenting/aisha- 7/5/11 by Aisha Sultan sultan/cuts-in-gifted-education-hurt- kids-potential/article_e488425d- 1616-5790-b3a2-0e459aee4fdf.html 8/26/15 http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/n U.S. Department of Education, “No o-child-left-behind-early-lessons- Child Left Behind: Early Lessons from state-flexibility-waivers State Flexibility Waivers”, 2/ 7/13 testimony by Secretary Duncan 10 8/27/15 http://www.alternet.org/education/co Alternet, “8 Things You Should Know rporations-profit-standardized-tests About Corporations Like Pearson That Make Huge Profits from Standardized Tests”, 8/6/13 by Alyssa Figuera 8/27/15 http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “New test, education/new-test-technology- technology mark start of state exams”, mark-start-of-state- 3/30/15 by Jessica Bock exams/article_b82fbceb-bd3b-589c- 98e8-c88014a7c0b9.html 8/27/15 http://www.moagainstcommoncore.c Missouri Coalition Against Common om/ Core, “2015 Missouri Legislative Session Opens with Promise of Equal Opportunity”, 1/8/15 by Anne Gassel

54 Bibliography Footnote Sources for Pages 20 and 21 Section 5-A

Section 2-H Footnotes – Continued Footnote Accessed Link Source 10 8/27/15 http://news.heartland.org/newspaper Heartlander Magazine, “Missouri -article/2014/07/29/missouri- Governor Signs Bill to Repeal, Replace governor-signs-bill-repeal-replace- Common Core”, common-core 7/29/14 by Hailey Vrdolyak 11 -- see the charts on pages 22 and 23 see sources & data for charts, pg. 61-65 12 -- see the chart on page 7 see sources & data for charts, page 59 13 8/27/15 http://www2.census.gov/prod2/statc U.S. Census Bureau, “Statistical omp/documents/CT1970p2-12.pdf Abstract of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970, Part II”, September 1975 by William Lerner 8/27/15 http://www.ozarksfirst.com/election/ Ozarks First, “Missouri Voter Turnout missouri-voter-turnout-down-from- Down from 2008”, 2008 12/5/12 by unknown author 8/27/15 http://www.volunteeringinamerica.g Corporation for National & Community ov/MO Service, “Volunteering and Civic Engagement in Missouri”, 2013 by unknown author 14 8/27/15 http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Riverview education/riverview-gardens-taps- Gardens taps new superintendent”, new- 1/18/13 by Elisa Crouch superintendent/article_7e9f5625- e0c1-5532-8c47-59b81ed4d9a3.html 8/27/15 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/201 Huffington Post, “Kansas City Schools 1/09/21/kansas-city-schools-lose- Lose State Accreditation”, _n_973770.html 9/21/11 by Chris Blank 8/27/15 http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, ”New test, education/new-test-technology- technology mark start of state exams”, mark-start-of-state- 3/30/15 by Jessica Bock exams/article_b82fbceb-bd3b-589c- 98e8-c88014a7c0b9.html 14, 15 8/27/15 http://watchdog.org/171613/norman Missouri Watchdog, “Father fights for dy-school-district-father/ son’s education in troubled St. Louis- area schools”, 9/19/14 by Bre Payton 15 8/27/15 http://www.auditor.mo.gov/repositor Missouri State Auditor, report 2011-82, y/press/2013-085.pdf “Kansas City 33 School District”, October 2011 by Thomas Schweich 8/27/15 http://www.showmedaily.org/2013/0 Show-Me-Institute, Show-Me-Daily, 9/what-is-the-cost-of-not-educating- “What Is The Cost Of Not Educating students.html Students?”, 9/6/13 by James Shuls 8/27/15 http://www.auditor.mo.gov/repositor Missouri State Auditor, report 2013-85, y/press/2014012302267.pdf “St. Louis Public School District”, September 2013 by Thomas Schweich

55

Bibliography Footnote Sources for Page 21 Section 5-A

Section 2-H Footnotes – Continued Footnote Accessed Link Source 15 8/27/15 http://www.kmbc.com/news/audit- KMBC-TV News Channel 9, “Audit raises-serious-questions-about- raises serious questions about Hickman hickman-mills-school- Mills School District”, district/24804966 aired 2014 by Haley Harrison 8/27/15 http://www.auditor.mo.gov/Reposito Missouri State Auditor, “Hickman Mills ry/Press/201401232267.pdf C-1 School District”, March 2014 by Thomas Schweich 8/27/15 http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Francis govt-and-politics/mark- Howell district voters to decide Tuesday schlinkmann/francis-howell-district- on property tax hike”, voters-to-decide-tuesday-on- 7/31/15 by Mark Schlinkmann property-tax/article_ff72e51c-e08b- 5ca1-9fb5-9082d66d7a1e.html 16 8/27/15 http://www.washingtonpost.com/pol The Washington Post, “How Bill Gates itics/how-bill-gates-pulled-off-the- pulled off the swift Common Core swift-common-core- revolution”, revolution/2014/06/07/a830e32e- 6/7/14 by Lyndsey Layton ec34-11e3-9f5c- 9075d5508f0a_story.html 16,17 8/27/15 http://www.alternet.org/education/co Alternet, “8 Things You Should Know rporations-profit-standardized-tests About Corporations Like Pearson That Make Huge Profits from Standardized Tests”, 8/6/13 by Alyssa Figuera 17 8/27/15 http://getschooled.blog.ajc.com/2015 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Arne /04/16/arne-duncan-and-delta-air- Duncan and Delta Airlines leader call lines-leader-call-for-national-policy- for national policy to include to-include-preschool/ preschool”, 4/16/15 by Secretary Arne Duncan & CEO Roy Bostock 7/29/15 http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/i U.S. Department of Education, mproving-human-capital- “Improving Human Capital in a competitive-world-%E2%80%94- Competitive World – Education Reform education-reform-us in the U.S.”, 3/3/11 speech by Secretary Duncan 7/29/15 http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/ro U.S. Department of Education, “Robust bust-data-give-us-roadmap-reform Data Gives Us the Roadmap to Reform”, 6/8/09 speech by Secretary Duncan 18 5/19/15 http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/n U.S. Department of Education, “No o-child-left-behind-early-lessons- Child Left Behind: Early Lessons from state-flexibility-waivers State Flexibility Waivers”, 2/ 7/13 testimony by Secretary Duncan, to the U.S. Senate * Source data compiled by Jon Schuessler (co-author) to derive footnote statistics

56 Bibliography Footnote Sources for Pages 25 and 26 Section 5-A

Section 2-I Footnotes, “Fighting the Master State”, pages 25-26 Date Footnote Accessed Link Source 1 8/27/15 http://www.showmedaily.org/2011/0 The Show-Me-Institute, Show-Me 4/airport-expansion-failed-in- Daily, “Airport Expansion Failed in the the.html Past: Why Will This Time Be Any Different?”, 4/20/11 by Christine Harbin 2 8/27/15 http://watchdog.org/67422/plane- Missouri Watchdog, “’Plane Gate’ gate-blows-mo-governors- blows MO governor’s appointment sky appointment-sky-high/ high”, 1/24/13 by Johnny Kampis 3 8/27/15 http://themissouritimes.com/5627/ni The Missouri Times, “Nixon senior xon-senior-advisors-testify-about- advisors testify about the DOR before the-dor-before-privacy-protection- Privacy Protection Committee”, committee%E2%80%A8/ 7/23/13 by unknown author 8/27/15 http://www.newstribune.com/news/2 News Tribune.com, “Mo. official 013/jun/26/mo-official-testifies- testifies about Real ID compliance”, about-real-id-compliance/ 6/26/13 by AP 8/27/15 http://www.realnightmare.org/about/ ACLU, Real Nightmare, “Real Answers 2/ (FAQ on Real ID Act)”, date and author unknown 4 8/27/15 http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “McClellan: columns/bill-mcclellan/mcclellan- Dress code needs a cab ride out of dress-code-needs-a-cab-ride-out-of- town”, town/article_8ee917c7-a352-512d- 6/18/14 by Bill McClellan a680-7c5457cdb00a.html 8/27/15 http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Muslim cab crime-and-courts/muslim-cab-driver- driver says he was fired over religious says-he-was-fired-over-religious- dress; appeals to St. Louis judge”, dress/article_2b227b15-7250-5406- 6/9/14 by Jennifer Mann b569-bd9da6c44b9b.html 8/27/15 http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Middle finger columns/bill-mcclellan/middle- lands a motorist in court”, finger-lands-a-motorist-in- 6/26/11 by Bill McClellan court/article_5c342c36-9d2a-58d3- a0ca-0939505cf95a.html 8/27/15 http://news.yahoo.com/flashing-car- Yahoo News, “Is flashing your car’s headlights-protected-first- headlights protected by the First amendment-103216345.html Amendment?”, 7/15/13 by Amy E. Feldman 5 8/27/15 http://www.washingtonpost.com/ne The Washington Post, “How ws/the-watch/wp/2014/09/03/how- municipalities in St. Louis County, Mo., st-louis-county-missouri-profits- profit from poverty”, from-poverty 9/3/14 by Radley Balko 6 8/27/15 http://www.riverfronttimes.com/new The Riverfront Times, “State Officials sblog/2009/03/18/state-officials- Think Libertarians Want to Kill Police”, think-libertarians-want-to-kill-police 3/18/09 by Kristen Hinman

57

Bibliography Footnote Sources for Pages 26, 27, 32 & 33 Section 5-A

Section 2-I Footnotes – Continued Footnote Accessed Link Source 6 8/27/15 http://www.prisonplanet.com/missou Prison Planet.com, “Missouri Governor ri-governor-stands-behind-miac- Stands Behind MIAC Smear Report”, smear-report.html 3/20/09 by Paul Joseph Watson 8/27/15 http://www.infowars.com/secret- Infowars, “Secret State Police Report: state-police-report-ron-paul-bob- Ron Paul, Bob Barr, Chuck Baldwin, barr-chuck-baldwin-libertarians-are- Libertarians are Terrorists”, terrorists/ 3/11/09 by Kurt Nimmo

Chapter 3 Footnotes, “The Goals of the Volunteer Movement”, page 27 Date Footnote Accessed Link Source 1 8/27/15 http://www.mo-cpr.org/ Missouri Citizens for Property Rights, “Improper Use of the Courts Used to Squelch the People”, 2010 by Ron Calzone

Chapter 4 Footnotes, “Can a Volunteer Government Work?”, page 32 Date Footnote Accessed Link Source 1 -- none Part One, Chapter Two of this handbook 2 8/27/15 http://eh.net/encyclopedia/turnpikes- Santa Clara University and the and-toll-roads-in-nineteenth- University of California-Santa Barbara, century-america/ “Turnpikes and Toll Roads in Nineteenth-Century America”, by Daniel B. Klein and John Majewski 3 8/27/15 http://www.preservenet.com/theory/I ??, “Deschooling Society”, llich/Deschooling/intro.html 1970 by Ivan Illich

Section 4-A Footnotes, “Answering the Three Big Worries”, pages 33-35 Date Footnote Accessed Link Source 1 -- none See Volunteer Handbook page 28 2 8/27/15 http://oa.mo.gov/sites/default/files/2 Missouri Director of Revenue, 014- Administration Division, “Monthly 06%20%28June%20FY14%29.xlsx General Revenue Report Month Ended June 30, 2014”, 7/1/14 by Brittany Kueckelhan*

58 Bibliography Footnote Sources for Pages 33& 34 Section 5-A

Section 4-A Footnotes – Continued Footnote Accessed Link Source 2 8/27/15 http://dor.mo.gov/pdf/financialstatre Missouri Department of Revenue, page port14.pdf 17, “Financial and Statistical Report – Fiscal Year Ended June 30th, 2014”, date unknown by Nancy Holtschneider and Courtney Shiverdecker* 3 8/27/15 http://www.kansascity.com/news/loc The Kansas City Star, “Missouri income al/article332471/Missouri-income- tax policy dates to Depression”, tax-policy-dates-to-Depression.html 11/24/13 by David A. Lieb 8/27/15 http://cber.bus.utk.edu/staff/mnmeco University of Tennessee, “History and n338/foxipt.pdf Economic Impact”, 3/13/02 by William F. Fox 8/27/15 http://www.mc4be.com/STL_Earnin Missouri Council for a Better Economy, gs_Tax_Report.pdf “Earnings Tax Study – City of St. Louis”, 3/1/11 by the PFM Group 8/27/15 https://www.brentwoodmo.org/Docu St. Louis County Municipal League, “A mentCenter/Home/View/976 Chronological History of Local Sales Tax in St. Louis County”, 11/9/11 by Tim Fischesser 4 8/27/15 http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa- Cato Institute, “Money and School 298.html Performance: Lessons from the Kansas City Desegregation Experiment”, 3/16/98 by Paul Ciotti 5 -- none See Volunteer Handbook pgs. 2-26 6 8/27/15 http://www.participatorybudgeting.o Participatory Budgeting Project, rg/about-participatory- “Examples of PB”, budgeting/examples-of- 2015 by unknown author* participatory-budgeting/ 8/27/15 https://www.opendemocracy.net/tran Transformation, “You can add us to sformation/peter-levine/you-can- equations but they never make us equal: add-us-to-equations-but-they-never- participatory budgeting in Boston”, make-us-equal-participatory-b 4/8/14 by Peter Levine 7 -- none see Volunteer Handbook pages 7 & 22 8 6/15/15 http://www.census.gov/prod/www/st U.S. Census Bureau, “Statistical atistical-abstract.html Abstract of the United States”, for various years from 1900-2014* 9 8/27/15 http://abcnews.go.com/Business/reas ABC News, “Some of the Reasons ons-greece-economic- Greece Got Into Its Economic Crisis”, crisis/story?id=32130617 2015 by Susanna Kim 8/27/15 http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/17 The New York Times, “Germany’s /world/europe/eurozone-greece-debt- Tone Grows Sharper in Greek Debt germany.html?_r=0 Crisis”, 7/16/15 by Melissa Eddy 10 8/27/15 http://www.bbc.com/news/business- BBC News, “Greece debt crisis: What’s 33505555 the deal?”, 7/13/15 by Robert Plummer

59

Bibliography Footnote Sources for Pages 34-37 Section 5-A

Section 4-A Footnotes – Continued

Footnote Accessed Link Source 8/27/15 http://www.ibtimes.com/greek-debt- International Business Times, “Greek crisis-how-did-greece-get-here- Debt Crisis: How Did Greece Get Here where-it-going-1992390 And Where Is It Going?”, 7/1/15 by Owen Davis 11 (source on # of people not paying taxes) 12 8/27/15 http://dor.mo.gov/pdf/financialstatre Missouri Department of Revenue, page port14.pdf 17, “Financial and Statistical Report – Fiscal Year Ended June 30th, 2014”, date unknown by Nancy Holtschneider and Courtney Shiverdecker* 8/27/15 http://www.itep.org/whopays/states/ The Institute on Taxation and Economic missouri.php Policy, “Missouri State & Local Taxes in 2015”, date and author unknown* 13 8/27/15 http://www.lobbyingmissouri.org/ St. Louis Public Radio, “Lobbying Missouri”, 2/3/15 by Danny Debelius, et. al. 13, 14 8/27/15 http://democracychronicles.com/mis The Washington Times, “Ethics on souri-political-corruption/ Missouri lawmakers’ 2015 agenda”, 1/4/15 by Summer Ballentine 14 8/27/15 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24 The New York Times, “Does Corporate /weekinreview/24kirkpatrick.html?_r Money Lead to Political Corruption?”, =0 1/23/10 by David D. Kirkpatrick * Source data compiled by Jon Schuessler (co-author) to derive footnote statistics

Section 4-B Footnotes, “The Pros & Cons”, pages 36-37 Date Footnote Accessed Link Source 1 7/29/15 http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/i U.S. Department of Education, mproving-human-capital- “Improving Human Capital in a competitive-world-%E2%80%94- Competitive World – Education Reform education-reform-us in the U.S.”, 3/3/11 speech by Secretary Duncan 2 3/17/15 http://www.participatorybudgeting.o Participatory Budgeting Project, rg/stories/owen-brugh/ Interview with Owen Brugh, December 2013 3 3/17/15 http://www.participatorybudgeting.o Participatory Budgeting Project, rg/stories/owen-brugh/ Interview with Owen Brugh, December 2013 4 8/27/15 http://www.itep.org/whopays/states/ The Institute on Taxation and Economic missouri.php Policy, “Missouri State & Local Taxes in 2015”, date and author unknown

60

Bibliography Footnote Sources for Pages 38 & 39 Section 5-A

Section 4-C Footnotes, “Examples of Success, Past and Present”, pages 38-39 Date Footnote Accessed Link Source 1 2 3 4

61 Bibliography Chart Sources for page 7 Section 5-A

Chart Sources Section 2-B Chart Sources, “Chart of Missouri Government Finances, from 1870 to present”, page 7 Date Accessed Link Source 6/15/15 http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistic U.S. Census Bureau, “Statistical Abstract of al-abstract.html the United States”, for various years from 1870-2014 6/15/15 http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculato U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “CPI Inflation r.htm Calculator”, for various years from 1870-2014 7/20/15 http://www2.census.gov/govs/school/13f33 U.S. Census Bureau, page 5, “Public pub.pdf Education Finances: 2013”, June 2015 by the Educational Finance Branch 7/20/15 http://www.census.gov/govs/local/historica U.S. Census Bureau, “Annual Survey of State l_data_1995.html (for other years, and Local Government Finances”, substitute ‘2000’ or ‘2010’ for ‘1995’) 1995, 2000, & 2010

Data Table 1: Non-federal Government Debt per Capita Year of Missouri Statewide CPI-based Total government debt at Total debt Census Data Population Inflation ratio to state & local level* per capita 2015 dollars (2015 $s)* 1880 2,168,380 22.18 $ 60,240,000 $ 616 1890 2,679,185 25.29 $ 51,468,000 $ 486 1902 3,142,000 26.38 $ 50,447,000 $ 424 1912 3,315,000 24 $ 64,622,000 $ 468 1922 3,449,000 12.57 $ 118,276,000 $ 431 1932 3,660,000 17.35 $ 336,124,000 $1,593 1937 3,740,000 17.03 $ 373,624,000 $1,701 1942 3,818,000 15.48 $ 302,914,000 $1,228 1957 4,210,000 8.54 $ 707,000,000 $1,434 1960 4,319,813 8.03 $ 858,000,000 $1,595 1970 4,677,229 6.13 $ 2,269,000,000 $2,974 1981 4,937,000 2.75 $ 4,555,000,000 $2,537 1984 4,997,000 2.35 $ 6,295,000,000 $2,960 1990 5,117,073 1.82 ** ** 1995 5,356,000 1.56 $13,225,000,000 $3,852 2000 5,595,211 1.38 $19,285,862,000 $4,757 2005 5,793,000 1.22 $31,332,000,000 $6,598 2008 5,986,000 1.14 $41,300,000,000 $7,865 2012 6,007,000 1.04 $46,287,614,000 $8,014 * Debt includes both long-term debts (e.g., pension liabilities) and short-term debts (e.g., bond payments), minus liquid assets (stock holdings, cash accounts, etc.) ** No reliable data was found

62

Bibliography Chart Sources – page 7 Section 5-B

Data Table 2: Non-federal Government Revenues & Expenditures per Capita Year of State & local property, Total property, sales Total government Total Census Data sales & income tax & income tax per expenditures expenditures per collections capita (2015 $s)* (state & local) capita (2015 $s)* 1880 $ 11,832,000 $ 121 ** ** 1890 $ 16,447,000 $ 155 ** ** 1902 $ 21,735,000 $ 182 $ 40,912,178 $ 343 1912 $ 35,491,000 $ 257 ** ** 1922 $ 91,445,000 $ 333 ** ** 1932 $ 106,653,000 $ 506 $ 213,279,000 $ 1,011 1937 $ 122,028,000 $ 556 ** ** 1942 $ 206,966,000 $ 839 $ 246,261,000 $ 998 1957 ** ** $ 834,000,000 $ 1,692 1960 $ 450,045,000 $ 861 $ 1,005,000,000 $ 1,868 1970 $ 1,115,280,000 $ 1,462 $ 2,579,000,000 $ 3,380 1981 ** ** $ 6,950,000,000 $ 3,871 1984 ** ** $ 8,122,000,000 $ 3,820 1990 $ 7,299,000,000 $ 2,596 ** ** 1995 $ 8,973,965,000 $ 2,614 $20,127,159,000 $ 5,862 2000 $11,362,202,000 $ 2,802 $27,953,327,000 $ 6,894 2005 $13,873,458,000 $ 2,922 $37,186,119,000 $ 7,831 2008 $15,915,401,000 $ 3,031 $44,750,733,000 $ 8,523 2012 $16,434,188,000 $ 2,845 $50,762,612,000 $ 8,789 * Refer to the previous table, Table 1, for inflation ratios and population figures ** No reliable data was found

63

Bibliography Chart Sources – page 12 Section 5-B

Section 2-E Chart Sources, “Chart of Missouri Voter Participation, from 1870 to present”, page 12 Date Accessed Link Source 6/15/15 http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistic U.S. Census Bureau, “Statistical Abstract of al-abstract.html the United States”, for various years from 1870-2014 6/15/15 http://www2.census.gov/prod2/statcomp/d U.S. Census Bureau, “Historical Statistics of ocuments/CT1970p2-12.pdf the United States: Colonial Times to 1970, Part II”, September 1975 by William Lerner, et. al. 8/27/15 http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electio U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the nInfo Clerk, “Statistics of the Congressional Election”, for various years from 1920-1936 8/27/15 http://s1.sos.mo.gov/CMSImages/Election Secretary of State, “State of Missouri – ResultsStatistics/AllRacesGeneralNovemb General Election – November ”, er2010.pdf December 2010 by Jason Kander 8/27/15 http://enrarchives.sos.mo.gov/enrnet/defaul Secretary of State, “State of Missouri – t.aspx?eid=750002497 General Election – November 6, 2012”, 12/5/12 by Jason Kander 8/27/15 http://enrarchives.sos.mo.gov/enrnet/Defau Secretary of State, “State of Missouri – lt.aspx General Election – November 4, 2014”, 12/3/14 by Jason Kander

Data Table 3: Voter Participation from 1872-1930 Main Voting-Age Highest Vote Votes Mid-Term Voting-Age Highest Vote Votes Election Population Total for an Cast per Election Population Total for an Cast per Year (VAP)* Office VAP Year (VAP)* Office VAP 1872 ** ** 66.6% 1874 ** ** ** 1876 ** ** 76.6% 1878 ** ** ** 1880 541,207 ** 78.0% 1882 574,0001 311,278 54.2% 1884 607,0001 ** 77.0% 1886 640,0001 436,835 68.3% 1888 673,0001 ** 81.8% 1890 705,718 449,019 63.6% 1892 729,0001 541,583 74.3% 1894 752,0001 531,403 70.7% 1896 775,0001 673,906 87.0% 1898 799,0001 619,570 77.5% 1900 822,548 683,656 83.1% 1902 841,0001 631,144 75.0% 1904 860,0001 643,969 74.9% 1906 879,0001 601,059 68.4% 1908 898,0001 715,927 79.7% 1910 916,609 675,902 73.7% 1912 932,0002 699,210 75.0% 1914 948,0001 618,227 65.2% 1916 965,0002 786,793 81.5% 1918 981,0004 577,706 58.9% 1920 1,969,0893 1,332,800 67.7% 1922 2,020,0001 976,362 48.3% 1924 2,070,0001 1,307,985 63.2% 1926 2,120,0001 986,480 46.5% 1928 2,171,0001 1,500,721 69.1% 1930 2,221,259 947,063 42.6%

64 Bibliography Chart Sources – page 12 Section 5-B

Data Table 4: Voter Participation from 1932-2014 Main Voting-Age Highest Vote Votes Mid-Term Voting-Age Highest Vote Votes Election Population Total for an Cast per Election Population Total for an Cast per Year (VAP)* Office VAP Year (VAP)* Office VAP 1932 2,258,0001 1,609,894 71.3% 1934 2,294,0001 1,320,336 57.6% 1936 2,331,0001 1,828,635 78.4% 1938 2,367,0001 1,245,032 52.6% 1940 2,403,726 1,833,729 76.3% 1942 2,570,000 925,319 36.0% 1944 2,410,000 1,572,000 65.2% 1946 2,530,000 1,086,000 42.9% 1948 2,570,000 1,579,000 61.4% 1950 2,643,000 1,279,000 48.4% 1952 2,635,000 1,892,000 71.8% 1954 2,650,0001 1,185,000 44.7% 1956 2,664,000 1,833,000 68.8% 1958 2,665,0001 1,174,000 44.1% 1960 2,665,000 1,934,000 72.6% 1962 2,665,000 1,222,000 45.9% 1964 2,705,000 1,818,000 67.2% 1966 2,749,0001 1,045,000 38.0% 1968 2,792,000 1,810,000 64.8% 1970 2,913,000 1,284,000 44.1% 1972 3,228,0003 1,866,000 57.8% 1974 3,344,0002 1,224,000 36.6% 1976 3,386,000 1,954,000 57.7% 1978 3,498,000 1,546,000 44.2% 1980 3,578,000 2,100,000 58.7% 1982 3,635,000 1,528,000 42.0% 1984 3,708,000 2,123,000 57.3% 1986 3,766,000 1,430,000 38.0% 1988 3,821,000 2,085,000 54.6% 1990 3,836,0001 1,353,000 35.3% 1992 3,851,000 2,392,000 62.1% 1994 3,902,000 1,763,000 45.2% 1996 3,981,000 2,158,000 54.2% 1998 3,967,000 1,577,000 39.8% 2000 4,178,000 2,360,000 56.5% 2002 4,271,000 1,854,000 43.4% 2004 4,335,000 2,731,000 63.0% 2006 4,429,000 2,128,000 48.0% 2008 4,521,000 2,925,000 64.7% 2010 4,563,000 1,943,899 42.6% 2012 4,605,0004 2,757,000 59.9% 2014 4,647,0004 1,426,000 30.7% * Voting-age population includes all people of eligible age, even if they are not registered or are ineligible to vote (convicted felons, aliens, etc.) This is because the ineligible population is very small (about 1-2%) and using total VAP makes year-to-year comparisons more reliable from the reports available. Until 1920, only males could vote. Until 1972, only people of 21 years or older could vote. ** No reliable data was found 1 The VAP for this year was estimated on a linear scale between the two nearest reported figures. 2 The VAP for this year was derived from the vote count and the reported VAP turnout percentage. 3 Women were allowed to vote from 1920 onwards, which effectively doubled the VAP. People 18 years and older were allowed to vote from 1972 onwards, which increased the VAP by nearly 10%. 4 The VAP for this year was projected from the VAP growth of the previous four years.

65

Bibliography Chart Sources – page 22 Section 5-B

Section 2-H Chart Sources, “Growth of the Common Public School System in Missouri, from 1870 to Present”, page 22 Date Accessed Link Source 6/15/15 http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistic U.S. Census Bureau, “Statistical Abstract of al-abstract.html the United States”, for various years from 1870-2014 6/15/15 http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculato U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “CPI Inflation r.htm Calculator”, for various years from 1870-2014 7/20/15 http://www2.census.gov/govs/school/13f33 U.S. Census Bureau, page 5, “Public pub.pdf Education Finances: 2013”, June 2015 by the Educational Finance Branch 7/20/15 http://www.census.gov/govs/local/historica U.S. Census Bureau, “Annual Survey of State l_data_1995.html (for other years, and Local Government Finances”, substitute ‘2000’ or ‘2010’ for ‘1995’) 1995, 2000, & 2010

Data Table 5: Total Government Expense Per Student Year of Mo. School Mo. Federal, State & CPI-based Avg. School Expenditure … in Census Enrollment Local Government Inflation Ratio per Enrolled Student in $1,000s Data School Expenditure (2015 Dollars) 2015 Dollars 1872 389,956 $ 1,904,997 27.49 $ 134.29 $ 0.13 1879 450,000 $ 3,068,454 21.96 $ 149.74 $ 0.15 1882 511,329 $ 3,767,049 22.9 $ 168.71 $ 0.17 1883 527,452 $ 4,288,135 23.26 $ 189.10 $ 0.19 1899 668,018 $ 7,048,826 26.74 $ 282.16 $ 0.28 1900 719,817 $ 7,816,000 26.9 $ 292.09 $ 0.29 1910 707,031 $ 13,067,000 24.32 $ 449.47 $ 0.45 1920 672,483 $ 28,707,000 11.89 $ 507.56 $ 0.51 1928 679,597 $ 52,795,000 13.98 $ 1,086.05 $ 1.09 1938 705,612 $ 50,379,000 16.87 $ 1,204.48 $ 1.20 1956 743,000 $ 222,219,000 8.7 $ 2,602.03 $ 2.60 1968 1,003,000 $ 822,000,000 6.9 $ 5,654.84 $ 5.65 1975 965,000 $ 1,146,000,000 4.42 $ 5,249.04 $ 5.25 1978 900,000 $ 1,383,000,000 3.65 $ 5,608.83 $ 5.61 1989 811,000 $ 3,141,000,000 1.89 $ 7,319.96 $ 7.32 1995 878,000 $ 4,915,424,000 1.56 $ 8,733.56 $ 8.73 2000 914,000 $ 6,647,003,000 1.38 $ 10,035.96 $ 10.04 2008 900,000 $ 9,806,720,000 1.14 $ 12,421.85 $ 12.42 2013 877,934 $ 9,911,964,000 1.02 $ 11,515.90 $ 11.52

66 Bibliography Chart Sources – page 22 Section 5-B

Data Table 6: Staff Employees (FTE)* per Student and Average Days per School Year Year of # of School Full-Time Enrolled School FTEs* Year of Avg. # of … in Census Employees Equivalent* Student per 100 Census Days in a weeks Data (FTE) School Population Enrolled Data School Term Employees Students 1872 8,8621 8,8622 389,956 2.27 1879 100 14.3 1890 13,7851 13,7852 620,314 2.22 1883 113 16.1 1903 17,0361 17,0362 731,410 2.33 1890 128 18.3 1910 18,365 18,3652 707,031 2.60 1899 141 20.1 1920 21,126 21,1262 672,483 3.14 1903 148 21.1 1950 41,000 37,300 644,000 5.79 1910 155 22.1 1955 ** 44,413 713,0003 6.23 1920 165 23.6 1959 ** 45,026 813,0003 5.54 1968 177 25.3 1970 ** 75,367 1,077,000 7.00 1978 177 25.3 1982 ** 110,900 832,0003 13.33 2014 177 25.3 1990 ** 98,900 818,000 12.09 1992 ** 100,400 842,0003 11.92 1995 ** 114,866 878,000 13.08 2000 ** 123,022 914,000 13.46 2008 163,573 143,342 900,000 15.93 2013 168,094 141,422 877,934 16.11 * A Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) figure counts part-time employees as fractional full-time workers. ** No reliable data was found. 1 This is the number of teachers only; other staff were excluded in the report. 2 This FTE was estimated by directly substituting employee totals (to err on the side of over-estimation). 3 This is an estimated enrollment, based on the average of the previous and subsequent years.

67

Bibliography Chart Sources – page 23 Section 5-B

Section 2-H Chart Sources, “Social Problems in Missouri: Suicide, Mental Illness, Crime and Poverty, from 1870 to Present”, page 23 Date Accessed Link Source 6/15/15 http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statisti U.S. Census Bureau, “Statistical Abstract of cal-abstract.html the United States”, for various years from 1870-2014 6/15/15 http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculat U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “CPI or.htm Inflation Calculator”, for various years from 1870-2014 7/20/15

Data Table 7: Suicides Census Missouri Committed Suicides per 100,000 Year Population Suicide of Population 1860 1,182,012 29 2.45 1870 1,721,295 42 2.44 1890 2,679,185 204 7.61 1900 3,106,665 254 8.17 1915 3,349,000 675 20.15 1920 3,404,055 407 11.95 1931 3,645,000 683 18.73 1940 3,784,664 603 15.93 1950 3,954,653 475 12.01 1960 4,319,813 504 11.66 1970 4,677,229 524 11.20 1980 4,916,766 585 11.89 1990 5,117,073 717 14.01 1994 5,308,000 733 13.80 2001 5,635,000 727 12.90 2007 5,870,000 792 13.49 2013 6,044,000 960 15.88

68 Bibliography Chart Sources – page 23 Section 5-B

Data Table 8: Mental Health Census Missouri Entered or In Centers Mentally Ill per Year Population for Mental Illness 1,000 of Population 1870 1,721,295 628 0.36 1890 2,679,185 3,505 1.31 1903 3,162,000 7,399 2.34 1910 3,293,335 8,887 2.70 1923 3,471,000 9,986 2.88 1928 3,584,000 10,874 3.03 1938 3,753,000 16,319 4.35 1940 3,784,664 16,859 4.45 1942 3,818,000 16,646 4.36 1948 3,920,000 18,687 4.77 1958 4,246,000 15,115 3.56 1960 4,319,813 15,069 3.49 1968 4,606,000 19,767 4.29 1975 4,797,000 18,515 3.86 1980 4,916,766 18,622 3.79 2008 5,909,000 72,993 12.35 2010 5,988,927 73,731 12.31 2012 6,007,000 78,254 13.03 2013 6,044,000 77,539 12.83

69

Bibliography Chart Sources – page 23 Section 5-B

Data Table 9: Prisoners and Poverty Census Missouri Entered or In Prisoners per Received Public Public Aid Cases Year Population Prison Under 1,000 of Assistance for as a Percentage of Court Sentence Population Poverty Population 1860 1,182,012 367 0.31 1,150 0.10% 1870 1,721,295 1,978 1.15 2,444 0.14% 1890 2,679,185 3,513 1.31 3,519 0.13% 1903 3,162,000 ** ** 3,648 0.12% 1910 3,293,335 4,366 1.33 3,539 0.11% 1923 3,471,000 3,638 1.05 4,014 0.12% 1928 3,584,000 5,418 1.51 ** ** 1938 3,753,000 6,815 1.82 121,727 3.24% 1940 3,784,664 6,291 1.66 130,396 3.45% 1942 3,818,000 5,066 1.33 ** ** 1945 3,869,000 3,635 0.94 ** ** 1948 3,920,000 4,310 1.10 ** ** 1950 3,954,653 3,950 1.00 177,609 4.49% 1955 4,137,000 5,658 1.37 175,717 4.25% 1958 4,246,000 4,894 1.15 ** ** 1960 4,319,813 5,539 1.28 169,804 3.93% 1965 4,498,000 5,385 1.20 ** ** 1970 4,677,229 5,156 1.10 174,400 3.73% 1975 4,797,000 ** ** 299,000 6.23% 1981 4,937,000 9,369 1.90 ** ** 1980 4,916,766 ** ** 364,000 7.40% 1985 5,017,000 ** ** 337,000 6.72% 1988 5,077,000 ** ** 392,000 7.72% 1990 5,117,073 ** ** 441,000 8.62% 1993 5,260,000 ** ** 591,000 11.24% 1995 5,356,000 ** ** 576,000 10.75% 1999 5,547,000 ** ** 408,000 7.36% 2000 5,595,211 40,865 7.30 423,000 7.56% 2005 5,793,000 ** ** 766,000 13.22% 2008 5,909,000 49,039 8.30 889,000 15.04% 2010 5,988,927 ** ** 901,000 15.04% 2012 6,007,000 49,204 8.19 929,943 15.48% 2013 6,044,000 50,327 8.33 ** **

70 Bibliography Chart Sources – page 24 Section 5-B

Section 2-H Chart Sources, “Missouri Academic Scores from 4th grade to Graduation, 1992 to 2014”, page 24 Date Accessed Link Source 6/11/15 http://www.act.org/newsroom/data/1994/s ACT, Inc. (American College Test), “Press tates/html Release: ACT Average Composite Scores by (use this link for other years, but replace State...”, ‘1994’ with ‘1998’, ‘2000’, ‘2004’or 1994, 1998, 2000, 2004 & 2008 by unknown ‘2008’) author 6/11/15 http://www.act.org/newsroom/data/2014/p ACT, Inc., “ACT Profile Report – Missouri”, df/profile/Missouri/pdf 2014 by unknown author 7/13/15 https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest NCES (National Center for Educational Statistics), ”Digest of Education Statistics”, for various years from 1995 to 2014

Data Table 10: ACT and NAEP scores in Math and Reading Test Composite 4th-grade 4th-grade Composite % of 8th- % of 8th- Composite Year Average Average Average Average graders graders % of 8th- ACT score NAEP NAEP 4th-grade with Basic* with Basic* graders with Math Reading NAEP Math Skills Reading Basic* Skills Score Score Score Skills 1992 ** 221 220 220.5 ** ** ** 1994 21.2 2233 218 ** ** ** ** 1996 ** 225 216 220.5 64 ** ** 1998 21.5 2273 216 221.5 642 742 69 2000 ** 228 2183 223 67 772 72 2002 ** 2323 220 226 682 802 74 2003 ** 235 222 228.5 71 782 74.51 2004 21.5 ** ** ** ** ** ** 2005 ** 235 221 228 68 76 72 2007 ** 239 221 230 72 742 73 2008 21.6 ** ** ** ** ** ** 2009 ** 241 224 232.5 77 79 78 2011 21.6 240 220 230 73 79 76 2013 21.6 240 222 231 74 78 76 2014 21.8 ** ** ** ** ** ** * The NAEP standards define a “Basic” proficiency in a skill as “achieving partial mastery of the knowledge and skills that are fundamental for proficient work at the 8th grade level”. ** No data for this year 1 The NAEP standards of proficiency changed this year 2 This is an estimated percentage based upon the 8th-graders’ average NAEP score in reading 3 This is an estimated average score based upon the previous and subsequent years of data

71

PART TWO

The Case for the Volunteer Party

When my country,

into which I had just set my foot,

was set on fire about my ears,

it was time to stir.

It was time for every man to stir.

-- Thomas Paine, The Crisis, 1776

72

APPENDICES

Appendices Appendix A

Appendix A

The 2015 Volunteer Party Platform

Preamble We, as people of Missouri, have come together in common cause against a government that has betrayed us. It has sold us out to the national parties and allowed them to steal seats in our legislature without the need for a single vote. It has impoverished us with taxes, only to hand our earnings over to corrupt officials who swindle public funds for the sake of private interests. It has demoralized the citizenry, squandered our industry and silenced our voices.

Thus we have witnessed policemen turn into our oppressors rather than our protectors; we have seen our education fall short even as its administrators multiply; and we have watched our prisons overflow to the point that they are no longer safe. It is in this atmosphere of crisis, and in the spirit of liberty, that we question the current system of involuntary, general-purpose taxation.

How can a government expect its people to pay taxes for the ‘public good’, when it commits to a broad range of activities that could be morally objectionable? Should a person who is religiously opposed to the death penalty be forced to pay taxes which fund state executions? Should the devoted libertarian pay taxes to a state that uses ‘eminent domain’ to strip families of their homes? All men and women of principle – whether they are environmentalists, educators, social crusaders, business owners, labor advocates, humanists, spiritual believers or parents – will find it very difficult to pay taxes for the state’s general use without bearing the title of hypocrite.

Nor does any good that a tax may accomplish erase any of its evils. The security and comfort of thousands cannot atone for the suffering of even one innocent. We cannot – no, we MUST not – be part of a system that would punish a person who refuses to pay for acts that violate one’s principles.

We know that the current establishment has no answer to the culture of despair it has helped to create. The broken heart of this generation will not be mended with a policy adjustment. No slogan, no catchphrase, save the cry of FREEDOM, will bring ease to the troubled souls who labor to a master’s tune.

80

The 2015 Volunteer Party Platform Appendix A

Declaration of Principles and Resolutions

Therefore we, as citizens, set forth the following platform for the creation of the Volunteer Party of Missouri:

Voluntary Taxation The central concern of the Volunteer Party is, and shall always be, allowing citizens to contribute to the public welfare as they see fit. As long as government may feed itself with impunity upon the people’s labor, property and commerce, it will seek to be the master, not the servant.

1) The people should not be required to pay blindly, in good faith, to any agency that routinely engages in waste and deception.

We are RESOLVED, to protect both by statute and constitutional amendment, any citizen from taxation without his or her consent and pledge; and that no tax may receive pledges that exceed five years in length, which may be renewed upon expiration.

2) A tax for general revenue, without a predetermined purpose, is a shackle upon the conscience of the people and a temptation to unscrupulous men.

We are RESOLVED, that all taxes collected from the people by the state shall be required by law to be spent by a specific agency, in a prescribed manner, for a certain use, as stipulated publicly before the tax is levied.

3) Workers who surrender the fruits of their livelihoods under the threat of imprisonment and bankruptcy are toiling in bondage to the state.

We are RESOLVED, to abolish the compulsory state income tax and to resist the federal income tax, both by statute and constitutional amendment.

81

The 2015 Volunteer Party Platform Appendix A

Election Reform It is incredible that the entrenched political parties, the Democrats and Republicans, allowed nearly half (46%) of the state’s House candidates and over half (59%) of the state’s Senate candidates to run unopposed in the last November election. Nearly three-quarters (71%) of these unopposed candidates have also had no opponent in their party primaries, which means that the winners for 64 of the 180 seats (35%) were already decided before a single vote was even cast! This is not a functioning republic. It is taxation without representation.

1) Legitimate law-making and taxation will only occur when the General Assembly becomes a true representative council of the people, and not a hand-picked group of political party favorites.

We are RESOLVED, to support laws that will curb political party influence, and to repeal laws that have institutionalized parties and favored them over independents.

2) The current method of plurality voting asks for the minimum amount of information from voters when more could easily be obtained, and this results in negative voting strategies which undermine the democratic nature of elections.

We are RESOLVED, to support alternative voting systems that ask for more feedback, such as a voter’s ranking or preference for each candidate.

3) Missourians deserve better than a 3-hour span, not of their choice, to exercise their prerogative to vote, free of hardship.

We are RESOLVED, to create a holiday for each election, in which only necessary enterprises may remain open, and all needed employees shall not be required to work more than four hours, and any hours so worked shall receive extra compensation.

82 The 2015 Volunteer Party Platform Appendix A

Transparency We live in a dark time when most government information is some form of propaganda. Records are rarely clear, and they are never complete. Sometimes they are difficult to find at all. The public cannot responsibly pledge its taxes or elect its sponsors under such a cloud of confusion. It is not acceptable for an official to be able to hide hundred-dollar dinners under the bland name of “travel expenses”. Nor is it tolerable that the affairs of our legislature are hidden beneath a heap of words, and the average bill is roughly the length of a novel. A government that wishes to lead with the confidence of its people must be honest, articulate and precise.

1) Records of how taxes are spent – budgets and accounts – should be one of the most important records kept by a government agency, yet even public schools utilize budgets that are often hidden, vague and lacking in details.

We are RESOLVED, to demand that all public funds be accounted for in a standard format; that this format records the specific service or good purchased and how it was, or will be, used; and that these records shall be readily available both in physical and electronic format, and issued to a pledge-holder upon request.

2) Laws should be passed in the spirit of simplicity, as a form of good governance, and not for the purpose of trading political favors or deceiving the public.

We are RESOLVED, to restrict legislative action to passing statutes for a single purpose, without multiple laws, e.g., “riders”, passed in a single vote.

3) A citizen should be able to know all of the laws under which they are governed, which is currently impossible, even for citizens who are lawyers.

We are RESOLVED, to reduce Missouri’s statutes in both their length and their number, and to remove as much as possible all vague, redundant or contradictory language.

83

The 2015 Volunteer Party Platform Appendix A

Personal Freedom Our country is founded upon the principles of liberty. The most important of these is trusting in individuals to make their own choices, and to face the consequences for good or for ill. If we are not allowed by our government to make the “wrong” choice, we are not free; nor are we trusted. We are managed, like children. A people kept prisoner – no matter how pleasant the cage – are a frustrated, self-destructive people. We must, therefore, learn to trust in each other’s ability to choose, and demand that our government do the same.

1) Privacy is not a privilege granted by government; it is an individual right. State and local governments should not lay claim to personal information without consent of the individual; nor should they be able to demand it as a condition for receiving general services, especially in public education.

We are RESOLVED, that government tracking and monitoring of citizens is forbidden as a felony, and that schools do not ask children for private information without the consent of their parents.

2) Eminent domain, in many instances, has become legalized theft for the benefit of corporate franchises and government revenues. A state which uses its power to enrich itself or others upon the misfortune of its citizens, while claiming it is for the greater good, is both a thief and a hypocrite.

We are RESOLVED, to outlaw the government seizure of private property for the benefit of commerce, public enterprise, or any purpose other than the direct and immediate needs of public health and safety.

3) The purpose of law is to protect others, not to manage their choices. Whenever non-harmful actions are penalized or become crimes, freedom is imperiled.

We are RESOLVED, that no law shall punish or financially impugn a citizen for actions which cause no direct harm to the safety of another’s person or property, particularly with regard to the choice of parents in the education of their children.

84 Appendices Appendix C

APPENDIX C

Witness Accounts of the 2012 St. Charles County Caucus

During the 2012 campaign season, three major candidates – Ron Paul, Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney – were vying to become Missouri’s choice as a Presidential candidate for the national Republican Party. On March 17th, a Saturday, the St. Charles branch of the Republican Party convened. The meeting, called a “caucus”, was scheduled to elect delegates who would vote at the state’s party convention. The local party committee in St. Charles had made no secret of their support for Rick Santorum. The committee, however, did not have the authority to directly pick delegates who would support Santorum at the state convention. By the rules of a Republican caucus, the delegates must be selected by a vote of the members present. And lots of Republican voters were prepared to show up with a different candidate in mind. The St. Charles committee knew this, and prepared a surprise for Romney and Paul supporters. The caucus began with a “straw poll” before members could enter, which delayed the start of the meeting by over an hour. The poll was not part of the caucus rules (in fact there are very few rules in place until after the meeting starts). Its purpose was unclear, since the results were kept secret by the committee. The committee began the meeting by demanding that all recording devices be turned off. Two policemen were present to enforce the rule – which they did by confronting, and later arresting a man who openly refused to turn off his camera. The “no-camera” rule was against caucus procedure, and the crowd was agitated, but eventually they calmed down and the caucus got underway...

What actually occurred can best be verified by those present, because the committee did everything in its power to prevent the caucus from being recorded. Several hidden camera phones were used during and after the caucus, and the recordings were later posted on YouTube. The videos’ quality was far from ideal; they do corroborate, however, with witness accounts of the day.

90

Witness Accounts of the 2012 St. Charles County Caucus Appendix C

From the eyewitness testimony of Bryce Steinhoff, an organizer for the local supporters of Ron Paul who attended the St. Charles county caucus. The following testimony was presented under the title, “St. Charles Caucus HIJACKED – Bryce’s Report” on March 17th, 2012 on Facebook:

The St. Charles County Republican Central Committee hijacked the St. Charles County Caucus today! Due to long lines, the caucus didn’t convene until nearly 11 AM (it should have begun at 10 AM, but that wait was by far the most bearable of the day). Bryan Spencer, chairman of the caucus subcommittee of the St. Charles Central Committee, told me personally, very strongly, at the committee meeting on March 8th that he would work to challenge the St. Charles delegation on a technicality if any one group came in and “hijacked” the caucus by taking all the delegates or otherwise not allowing for a proportionate distribution. This narrow definition of “fair” as described by Spencer simply isn’t his definition to decide. It is the very purpose of the caucus for the body to decide what is fair – how delegates would be apportioned. It is clear that Spencer and the committee were fearful of a Paul or a Paul and Romney majority at the caucus – and so they hijacked it instead by ignoring all rules, the orders of the day, and general fairness in chairmanship. Bryan Spencer tried to enforce an arbitrary “house rule” ban on recording devices and eject a caucus body member who refused to stop recording. The caucus body of many hundreds erupted into howls of disapproval for what seemed like an eternity. Spencer dispatched on-site police officers to remove him or arrest him for trespassing... Spencer and temporary caucus chairman and Central Committee Chairman Eugene Dokes refused to continue the caucus until the recording devices were stopped and the crowd settled down. During this time I, along with many others, attempted to motion for the rule against recording devices to be lifted. No motions or points of order were recognized by either Dokes or Spencer. A large number of additional police officers and highway patrolmen entered the gymnasium during this time to help keep the peace. ...Once we quieted, Dokes carried on with facilitating the prayer and pledge which went off without incident. After this point, Dokes proceeded to entirely ignore the published MO GOP Caucus Agenda and appointed a parliamentarian, the credentials committee, and the rules committee. All three of these are very clearly supposed to be appointed by a newly elected Caucus Chairman. The crowd booed loudly at the gross misconduct by the chair and I, along with others, called for points of order and for the orders of the day. No motions were recognized from the floor. At this point, Dokes opened the floor for nominations for Caucus Chairman. The Central Committee shills nominated Matt Ehlen while the crowd nearly-unanimously chanted “Brent Stafford”. After not waiting for further nominations, Dokes called for a voice vote. There were no audible ayes and an uproar of no’s, but Dokes declared that the ayes had it and awarded the position of Caucus Chairman to Ehlen. Dokes refused to recognize many, many calls for a division of the vote, which would have required him to count the votes for the purpose of transparency and clarity. Matt Ehlen, illegally “elected” and de-facto appointed chair, then proceeded to demand order, which was rightly met with rejection from the body.

91

Witness Accounts of the 2012 St. Charles County Caucus Appendix C

Bryan Spencer and Matt Ehlen warned that the caucus would be disqualified and no delegates would be awarded if the ruckus continued, but united supporters from all campaigns continued to show extreme disgust with the actions of the Central Committee. A motion to adjourn (at least I think there was a motion; I didn’t hear it) was put forward by Spencer and his cronies. It should have required a 2/3 vote since there was still business to be conducted, but regardless Spencer put it up for a voice vote and declared the caucus adjourned. At this point Brent Stafford attempted to declare the chair vacant, as is proper parliamentary procedure when a chairman continually disrupts order and steps down. Stafford attempted to facilitate the election of a new chairman to preside over the caucus, but attempts were futile and Spencer and clan demanded that the body evacuate the gym or face arrest. We rallied as many of the caucus body as possible to hold a rump convention in the parking lot, where we planned to re-credential the body and hold the caucus fairly according to the agenda released by the MO GOP. We were greeted outside by a large police presence, including at least one helicopter. When word had gotten around and the body that remained congregated in the designated location for the rump convention, Brent Stafford stood on a chair and began instructing the new rump convention body how to turn in credential information. While this was happening, two police officers approached Brent and placed him under arrest for trespassing, a charge which was entirely unfounded. Police continued efforts to eject the body from the public school grounds and much of the body gathered at nearby Wapelhorst Park to talk, rehash, and rally behind our common goals – transparency and fairness in the process. The entire process uncovered great unity among many camps, particularly the Romney and Paul camps, much to my delight. During this process at least one other person, Kenny Suitter, was detained or arrested for refusing to turn off his recording device. Let me be clear: The St. Charles Republican Central Committee, led by Eugene Dokes and Bryan Spencer (and I suspect Cheryl Bates), broke a wide variety of rules, refused to follow the established parliamentary procedure, Robert’s Rules of Order, and hijacked the caucus... I beg and plead that the Missouri Republican Party reschedule the caucus and assign a specially-appointed committee not consisting of any Central Committee members... Please call the Missouri GOP (573-636-3146) and demand that our caucus be rescheduled. Additionally, call the St. Peters City Police (636-276-2222) and let them know your disgust with the unwarranted arrests performed during peaceful assembly on public property.

92

Witness Accounts of the 2012 St. Charles County Caucus Appendix C

From the eyewitness testimony of Dr. Daniel A. Domer, licensed veterinarian, who attended the St. Charles Caucus. The testimony was given via Email shortly after policemen dispersed the gathering:

As you may have heard, the Saint Charles county, Missouri GOP caucus was a disgrace. I was personally present and can vouch for the accuracy of what’s reported in the links I’m sharing below. Instead of repeating these descriptions of the events, legality, and rules of order, I’ll simply add my $0.02:

As a friend (and fellow caucus attendee) counted, the police number grew from merely two at the beginning of the proceedings, to 20 after the police radioed for backup. These were very physically intimidating men, including one very tall man wearing a brown uniform and helmet (motorcycle?). It’s funny what psychological impact this gives. It goes from a feeling of police being present as a form of protection and formality, to the sense that they are there to keep you in line as a bystander while the political process continues without your consent. The only description I can give is that it is the political equivalent of being overpowered, made helpless, and violated... It’s one thing to read a description or watch a video, and something completely different to be present, to witness and feel events unfolding. I’m glad I was there. And I saw that, yes, of course “it can happen here”.

It was disappointing to hear the Santorum supporters behind me speak of Paul people hijacking caucuses and wondering aloud whether or not Paul voters would support Obama if Paul weren’t the Republican nominee. It was tragic to see the acting caucus Chair completely ignore the crowd’s objections, nominations, and cries for basic parliamentary procedures. It was a bit of a shock to see the police presence grow in the auditorium. It was bewildering to hear the newly-appointed Chair say, “I will now entertain a motion to adjourn,” then adjourn, declare the caucus over, with zero delegates being awarded. It was disheartening to be ordered outside or risk being arrested for trespassing, even though the high school auditorium was rented for another hour or two. It was sad to move outside and pass a boy holding a sign reading “This is was a free country.” It was further bewildering to step outside and see the police helicopter flying above. It was again shocking to hear the loudspeaker behind the crowd outside, ordering everyone off the public school property. It was unfortunately not surprising that the police arrested Brent Stafford (easily considered the caucus body’s choice for chairman, as reported in the links) as he was trying to gather some order over the situation outside. I was beside him and saw it take place. Now was he really trespassing, or was he just an obvious target chosen to demoralize the remaining people?

A group of us met at a nearby park and developed a plan to address the events of the day, including getting the two arrested people out of jail and finding a way to send delegates from Saint Charles county, possibly by rescheduling the caucus. I don’t have much else to share...

93 Witness Accounts of the 2012 St. Charles County Caucus Appendix C

In the end, as you might have gathered from the preceding testimony, the party committee declared the caucus over without any votes awarded for state delegates, and then demanded that the members vacate the premises or face arrest. Brent Stafford, the man nominated to be caucus chairman by the Romney and Paul camps, was arrested for trying to follow parliamentary procedure (he had hired a professional parliamentarian to advise him) and re-establish the caucus. Twenty police officers and a helicopter were used to “walk” the crowd off the school grounds, and the caucus was officially over. The two men who were arrested, Mr. Stafford and Mr. Suitter, were later released, but the local party pursued the charges of trespassing against both men (Stafford’s case was eventually dismissed two years later). The St. Charles police department never gave a satisfactory account of its presence or its behavior at the caucus, where the officers unquestioningly obeyed the dictates of the local party committee. Media coverage largely quoted only the interviews with the party committee members, who, naturally, blamed the unusual outcome of the caucus on the crowd – particularly Ron Paul supporters. YouTube videos, however, and eyewitnesses told a different story, and eventually the bad internet publicity induced the national Republican Party leadership to personally oversee a re-scheduled caucus. The new St. Charles County Caucus followed parliamentary procedure and the party by- laws to the letter, and Brent Stafford was elected chairman. The meeting and the votes went on without incident, and St. Charles was able to send its delegates to the state convention.

By then, Rick Santorum had already withdrawn from contention for the Republican Presidential nomination.

94