The story of how Senator Schatz got the highest tax in Missouri history passed is a disgusting tale of the abuse of political power.
He created a ridiculous rebate plan in order to avoid The Hancock Amendment which has been in place since 1980. The Hancock Amendment requires all tax increases, especially significant ones, to be put on a ballot for Missourians to decide upon.
SB 262, Schatz's bill, includes the highest tax increase in history yet they avoided the ballot by requiring citizens to keep all their gas receipts and apply for a yearly rebate. Seriously?? And these are the same legislators who are saying voter ID is too much for someone to acquire, but they expect every gas buying citizen to figure out a new rebate plan run by the Mo Department of Revenue. What a joke!
So, in 2021, after a year of hell because of Covid and government restrictions, the Senate quit working before they could pass HB 1358 which would have protected EVERY Missourian from Covid exposure liability and ensured healthy people weren't quarantined but they sure did make sure that gas tax got through!
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW
Even though legislature passed the gas tax bill and we expect Governor Parson to sign it, THE PEOPLE can essentially take over at this point and force the tax to be placed on the ballot for a vote of the people.
It's a process, but what we need right now is for every Missourian against this tax to submit a comment to the Secretary of State about a referendum that's been filed. Tell them just what you think about it. We need MASSES of people to comment and we only have until next Friday, May 28th.
If you need help knowing what to say, please join our FB group where you can get all the details and personal help you need.
Please share this information with every Missourian you know who opposes this tax and the unscrupulous shenanigans of Senator Dave Schatz!!
RESOURCES:
As of February 14th, Valentine's Day, SB 51 is scheduled to arrive on the MO Senate floor Monday, February 15th, for a final reading and pass.
It is imperative, TODAY, to CALL and email these Republican Senators who are on the fence and/or who are saying they will vote to pass without any further revisions.
I'm also listing here several resources for you to read and listen to so you can do your own research and decide for yourself how you feel about this piece of legislation that I believe will harm EVERY Missourian. Here's a short list of WHY I feel that way.
- Individuals, small businesses and churches CAN be sued by the government or other entities for "reckless" behavior or "willful/intentional misconduct" in relation to Covid 19. This includes "Covid 19 exposure action" which includes EXPOSURE to, FEAR of or POTENTIAL exposure to the Covid 19 virus or any future virus that would have mutated from it. What is reckless?? Choosing not to wear a mask? Choosing to allow your congregation to choose if they want to wear one? Having a service indoors? With how many people? Opening your business so you can financially survive? Allowing customers in your door when they aren't masked? How about if they aren't vaccinated?
- The definition of "personal injury" in this bill includes "mental suffering, emotional distress or similar injuries suffered by an individual in connection with a physical injury"
- Hospitals, nursing homes, big pharma, big business are all FREE of liability. Think about that... your grandma in the nursing home, your loved one sick, vulnerable and ALONE in the hospital, someone who can't work or make their wages because of a faulty positive test result (which account for about 30% of them).. no one responsible for these things will be able to be held liable! There will be no opportunity for you to seek JUSTICE if you need it. So, we are punishing the majority because of a few bad apples who file frivolous suits.
- This bill covers local health mandates that are in effect now and any that would be effect in the future which are coming from the more local health organizations, which are not elected officials. It would be difficult to hold those responsible who could be misusing that authority.
Here are some resources to help you decide for yourself, include the full text of the perfected bill which will be voted on tomorrow.
PERFECTED SB 51 - It's only 12 pages. It's not hard to read or understand. You can do it!
Why Can the State Sue Us? - An article with a few questions and talking points and line by line references to the bill.
Attack on Churches - See what the Missouri Baptist Association has to say about SB 51.
Return to Sender - A short video clip from one Missouri mom about why she wants SB 51 rejected.
The Beginning - SB 51 came from SB 1, which was pulled earlier in the special session.
My personal opinion is that there are great hospitals, doctors, nurses, nursing homes and front line workers who ARE doing ALL they can to protect and serve. There are also not-so-great, greedy and selfish ones. We NEED to be able to seek justice when the bad ones mismanage, mishandle, or neglect our most vulnerable populations!
Think about Gov Cuomo and the New York nursing home CRISIS that HE created by intentionally LYING! Who is going to be held responsible for thousands of people dying!? They KNEW what they were doing. There WERE options, including a Navy ship located very nearby... but they chose to LIE and thousands DIED. I don't know about you, but that's not ok with me ANY time!
In Missouri, please follow these simple instructions to LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!
1. CALL YOUR SENATOR! Use this Finder Tool for contact info. Use the talking points above if you need to. Most likely, you'll get an answering machine. Tell them you oppose SB 51, tell them why and that you'll be paying attention to the voting records.
2. SPREAD THE WORD. Check out this list of Senators and the counties they represent. If you know someone who lives in those counties that loves FREEDOM, small businesses and churches - send them the link to this blog article! We need the Republicans to vote NO.
- Senator Koenig - 573-751-5568 (St Louis county)
- Senator Hoskins - 573-751-4302 (Caldwell, Carroll, Howard, Johnson, Lafayette, Livingston, Ray and Saline)
- Senator Onder - 573-751-1282 (St Charles county)
- Senator Eslinger - 573-751-1882 (Douglas, Howell, Oregon, Ozark, Ripley, Texas, Webster, & Wright)
- Senator Bernskoetter - 573-751-2076 (Cole, Gasconade, Maries, Miller, Moniteau, Morgan, & Osage)
- Senator Crawford - 573-751-8793 (Benton, Cedar, Dallas, Hickory, Laclede, Pettis, Polk & St Clair)
- Senator Burlison 573-751-1503 (Christian & Greene)
- Senator Riddle 573-751-2757 (Audrain, Callaway, Lincoln, Monroe, Montgomery and Warren)
- Senator Rehder - 573-751-2459 (Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Madison, Perry, Scott, Wayne)
- Senator Gannon - 573-751-4008 (Iron, Reynolds, St Francois, Ste Genevieve, Washington and Jefferson)
3. SPREAD THE WORD SOME MORE! Text them the link to this blog article.
- Pastors
- Business owners
- Conservatives who believe in JUSTICE & FREEDOM
- Those with friends and family in nursing homes.
- Elderly friends and family
- Those who have had negative experiences in hospitals since this crazy Covid situation has happened
- Anyone who has had a false Covid test result, adverse effect from the vaccine, or hasn't been able to get the treatment they wanted for Covid or who was refused treatment for something because of Covid.
4. If you're a mom who is frustrated with the state of our nation today and is ready to TAKE ACTION, join our FREE FB GROUP to be part of an amazing tribe of Mama Bears who are making a difference!
Thank you for stopping by!
I'll keep you posted on this bill and we'll be doing lots more education and taking more action here very soon.
Happy Valentine's Day, Patriots!
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This bill was introduced this past Tuesday, debated and amended Thursday/Friday and is headed back to the Senate floor for a vote on MONDAY, February 8! From there, it will head over to the House of Reps to be discussed and voted on.
If you are a Missourian who cares about small businesses, churches or individual freedoms it's time to TAKE ACTION... RIGHT NOW.
Even if you have never participated in government before, TODAY is a new beginning and it's time to JUST START.
SB 51 has been combined with SB 42 and our Missouri legislators are trying to push it through as an "emergency". Unfortunately, they've actually caused an emergency with this bill!
It is being marketed as torte reform that is supposed to stop frivolous or fraudulent lawsuits regarding epidemics or pandemics. That sounds great, right?? Who doesn't agree that ridiculous law suits need to stop?
The nutshell version of the problem is the language they are using and the fact that in order to stop these law suits, they are COMPLETELY releasing all hospitals, big pharma, manufactures, etc. of ALL responsibility while at the same time holding small businesses, individuals, organizations liable unless they comply with ALL mandates now and in the future.
So, you can't sue the hospital for your mom not being treated for a heart attack and dying because they've mismanaged the staff and you can't hold the big companies liable if you lose 3 months worth of business or income because of a faulty test result....
but YOU, your church, your small business, etc. CAN BE SUED for up to $50,000.00 per charge if you (or your employees or your customers) don't comply with ALL current AND FUTURE mandates from the local health department.
I don't know if you are familiar with small business operations, but most of our mom & pop shops cannot afford even one law suit like that. And, do you really expect them to turn away paying customers if the customer can't or chooses not to follow a mandate? There are A LOT of reasons why a person would choose not to comply. Is it the business owners responsibility that someone gets a virus!?
Today, it's contact tracing and masks. But this bill opens it up to ANYTHING mandated in the future. Think about that for a second. ANYTHING.
And who is deciding the mandate? The unelected officials. Who holds THEM accountable?
This bill would make you think there must be a whole list of lawsuits clogging up our system which are completely unfounded and causing problems, right? Wrong. There have been ZERO law suits filed for Covid-related liability. So what's the big hurry? Makes you wonder...
ACTION STEPS and more detailed information are below.
ACTION STEPS TO TAKE TODAY!
1. Identify your MO State Senator & Representatives. Use this link to enter your address and find who each of your MO legislators are.
2. ADD YOUR LEGISLATORS TO YOUR CONTACTS. Include their phone number and email so you can easily reach out to them today and in the future.
3. CALL AND EMAIL THEM TODAY! Go ahead and call your senator AND representative and let them know how you feel about this bill. Shoot them a quick email as well. You don't need to be intimidated or scared. They are real people just like you and the only important thing is that you express your thoughts and wishes about the vote.
4. SHARE SHARE SHARE! Please share this blog and info with your family and friends here in Missouri. We need to spread the word and make a difference with what's happening right here at home!
Contacting your legislator can really make a difference. Usually, they hear from no one. When they actually do hear from you, they might actually listen.
There's a lot to say about this and a lot to learn, but today just do what's important right now and that's taking care of this bill.
So get your Mama Bear attitude, check out the education above and then TAKE ACTION!
You're doing a GREAT JOB, Momma!!
I'll Keep You Posted,
Jodi Grace
The Right Side Mom
