Prop C pits feds versus state: Measure on August 3 ballot aimed at preventing federal government from requiring insurance purchase

After nearly one year of heated debate, negotiations, and public demonstrations, both in support of and against health care reform, President Obama accomplished one of his top domestic policy goals by signing the “Affordable Care Act” into law on March 23. Opponents of the legislation quickly began to take their fight to the states by way of the court system and state legislatures.

In Missouri, this resulted in Proposition C, also known as the “Health Care Freedom Amendment”, which will be on the Aug. 3 primary election ballot. The measure is intended to block the federal government from requiring people to buy health insurance and bans punishment for those without health insurance.

Even before the final federal bill was decided on and passed, the debate was already brewing here in Missouri on whether or not individual states should have the right to refuse complying with the new provisions if the federal legislation were to pass. State Sen. Jane Cunningham (R-St. Louis County) introduced the “Health Care Freedom Act” prior to the 2010 legislative session when she filed Senate Joint Resolution 25 on Dec. 1, 2009. Six months later, on May 11, after many long and wide ranging debates, the Missouri House followed the Senate by voting to pass the resolution and requiring by law that it be placed on the August state-wide ballot.

The intricacies of the federal health care debate were voiced from supporters and critics of the President’s proposal over the months leading up to its final passage and many of the same arguments were made during the debate held in Jefferson City.

“The bloated ‘Obamacare’ legislation was so lengthy; no one read and understood all the provisions of the act, nor its consequences,” Platte County Republican Committee Chairman James Rooney said.

“The purpose and intent of the federal plan is to assure health care coverage for all citizens,” Platte County Democratic Committee Chairman Chair Pauli Kendrick said. “It is time to put the plan to work.”

With a number of issues already facing Missouri outside of the federal government’s health care legislation, some questioned whether the time spent on debating the issue was worth taking away from issues more state-related, such as the massive cuts needed to balance the budget, job creation, and tax credit reform. But few are against the idea of allowing Missourians the opportunity to voice their position on the issue in the form of a vote.

“The majority party’s constituents, along with a lot of mine, were contacting us often so we took up a lot of these issues relating to the federal government,” District 32 State Rep. Jason Grill, a Democrat, said. “Although I support many of these resolutions and the right for the people to vote on them, I think we could have spent more time focusing on problems here in Missouri on the state level.”

Some of the key issues being voiced by proponents of the proposition include states’ rights to reject federal legislation, the complicated nature of the lengthy bill, and the process the Democrats took in order to get the votes required to get final passage.

“Missourians have an opportunity to send a message that bad legislation at the federal level will not be tolerated,” Rooney said. “Voting YES on Missouri’s Proposition C also sends a symbolic message of support to those interested in repealing ‘Obamacare’ to eliminate these sweetheart deals and sending healthcare reform back through the legislative process to get it right.”

Opponents of the measure see it as mostly symbolic, intended to send a political message against the President’s agenda and believe the measure has little likelihood of holding up in court in the long-term.

“Wellness for all Missouri citizens is the ultimate objective and is possible when all citizens purchase medical insurance,” Kendrick said. “A NO vote is a vote against paying for the high costs of emergency visits and medical bills for those who choose not to or are unable to purchase their own insurance.”

With Proposition C on the ballot in August, primary elections usually see lower voter turnout. With a small amount of Democratic primary contests and several key competitive Republican primaries this year, it is likely there will be higher turnout of Republican voters, who would more than likely support Proposition C. Nonetheless, both local party chairs encouraged all people to vote on August 3rd.

Trojan football coach gets national nod

Although it seems like summer is only half over, for local high school football coaches it is winding down as most teams are already in the middle of or preparing for one of their team camps held prior to the start of the official first day of practice in early August. A busy time of the year for head coaches as they consider what approach is needed to fulfill their teams’ highest potential and put plans in motion to achieve it.

It’s a particular busy time for Park Hill’s Greg Reynolds. In addition to the annual preparations he’s making for the Trojan football season, he was recently selected to attend this week’s National Football League Youth Summit in Canton, Ohio. As the delegate from Missouri, he’ll join 50 other coaches from every state along with Washington D.C. in a three day conference where coaches will not only hear from speakers from a wide-range of backgrounds and discuss the top issues affecting the game, but also be recognized for their contribution to the sport.

Reynolds was recommended through a member of the Kansas City Chiefs organization because of his active involvement in the Greater Kansas City Football Coaches Association as a board member. The strong coaching resume he’s compiled in his ten years at Park Hill where his teams have gone 89-29 almost made him a strong candidate for the selection.

“It’s a great opportunity to talk with and listen to what other coaches from around the country do,” Reynolds said. “And it’s not about X’s and O’s, it’s about learning from others what works in terms of working with kids and what’s been proven to be successful.”

This is nothing new to Reynolds as he’s had a long-held interest in reading about and watching people try different things to achieve their success whether it is learning from other coaches or looking to styles used by leaders in the business world. The curiosity of finding that one thing people do right and applying it to what you do can make a big difference he believes.

While the NFL will have speakers in the likes of All-Pro’s Merril Hodge, Darrin Smith, and Mike Haynes along with others speaking on a variety of important youth issues, Reynolds says there are three which he sees as priorities from the rest including proper practice scheduling during hot August days, the handling of concussions, and the role high school coaches play in the ever-changing college recruiting process.

Even with all of the activities planned for the delegation during the short three day conference; it’ll be hard not to become a simple fan engulfed in the history of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They’ll get the chance to tour the museum and be a part of the atmosphere of Hall of Fame Weekend which is just two weeks away. Reynolds said that is one of the things he’s looking forward to the most.

Showing up isn't good enough

Woody Allen once said that 80 percent of life is showing up. While Allen was a part of some good movies, it’s hard to imagine his famous quote to be truly applicable, especially in regards to the poor economic situation we find ourselves.

“Jobs, jobs, jobs” is the message we hear both locally and nationally as the way to economic recovery. With the latest national unemployment rate at 9.5% and an irregular pattern of people entering and exiting the workplace, it’s hard to say when the key statistic will show satisfactory signs of improvement. This comes at a difficult time because as easy as it is to say there need to be more jobs, we’re also going through a transition requiring a change of focus. In the future, successful results will rely not on how hard we work, but how smart we work and the ideas we can generate.

Companies are continually trying to produce products and provide their services as efficiently as possible while maintain a certain level of quality. It’s nothing new; you can look at most manufactured goods over the past century to see the gradual decline of manpower needed to produce it. Advances in technology make it a fact of life. Why have three employees when one can do the job just as good or even the possibility of none with the assistance of a computer?

Most people would agree these are good things and a sign of our advancement as a productive society. Good for capitalism as it increases margins and leads to growth, bad for the old standard of job creation in the manufacturing sector. Lower employee needs in old industries is creating the demand for new industries to be created.

We were always told when we were growing up if we worked hard and put in the hours we’d be rewarded. Although certain aspects will always ring true in terms of work ethic and attitude, it’s being efficient with our time and effective with our decisions that will really make the difference individually and as an overall economy. The creativity and flexibility to think of new and better ways to do things allows for the creation of manufacturing jobs to produce new technologies. It will also provide new jobs for the expanding service industry because no matter how advanced our technology is there are some areas where good employees are not replaceable.

It’s hard to know where the majority of jobs will come from once the economy is back to full-strength, but it’s safe to say many of them will be created through the creation of new businesses and different production lines. The entrepreneurial spirit that is so unique about America will be what eventually puts the unemployed back to work. Traditional employment centers have adjusted to lay-offs they were forced to make, but they can begin to employ again, not into the same jobs as before, but in new ones they create through launching new business lines and products as an expansion of their companies and even into new industries all together. The opening of small businesses will serve job creation in much the same way.

In the end, the politicians and pundits can argue all they want about what tax breaks, incentives, or stimulus will spur these actions to take place, but the true difference will come from the ideas companies, both big and small, generate along with individual entrepreneurs that will lead to real job creation.

While there is still the need to show up, leaving the rest up to a small 20% just won’t be good enough anymore.

High Stakes: Trio of Park Hill grads turning heads in pro poker world

It’s hard to find a lot of connections between the bright lights of the Las Vegas strip and Platte County, but three Park Hill graduates have been cashing in, literally, on a game that started in high school as a simple gathering of friends. Grant Hinkle (29), Blair Hinkle (24), and Blake Cahail (23) have all garnered national attention over recent years for their performances in the World Series of Poker (WSOP).

Poker may be an unfamiliar game to many and the WSOP can be complicating to outsiders. If you’ve ever seen it on television, it’s likely you are watching the Main Event, which acts as the culmination and championship of a WSOP season which spans from May to July each year. A prestigious and coveted gold bracelet, valued as high as $25,000, is awarded to the winner of the over 50 individual events each year.

In 2008, Grant won a WSOP bracelet for outlasting 3,928 competitors in one of the longest preliminary events ever, taking home $831, 462 in first-place money. Just two weeks later, younger brother Blair, won his own bracelet with a first-place payout of $507,613. The win made Grant and Blair the only two brothers to win WSOP bracelets in the same year.

“At the time I couldn't really believe it. It was pretty unbelievable that both Grant and I would win bracelets in a lifetime, let alone in the same year. I was so happy when I saw the cards run out that I probably jumped twice as high as I ever had in my life,” Blair said.

Just two weeks ago, Cahail attempted to join his friends by also winning a bracelet in the 31st event of the WSOP. The tournament was HORSE, which involves five different kinds of games of which eight hands are played allowing each player to hold a different position before changing the game.

“It’s pretty unique because a lot of the tournaments are just one game and players usually specialize in one game,” Cahail said. “You have to know how to play five different games well enough so you don’t loss all your chips in one game, and that’s the best way to have a chance to win a bracelet.”

Unfortunately, after making it to the final table of the tournament, Cahail was knocked out early earning him a seventh place finish, good for a pay-out of just under $28,000. Although short of his goal, it was his highest finish in a WSOP event up to this point and with the main event coming up July 5-7, Cahail hopes to have a few more opportunities before the end of the season.

Starting with recreational games in high school, Blair and Blake became roommates in college while attending the University of Missouri. There they began playing online poker and seeing quite a bit of success. It was enough success to build reputations around the country. They eventually found themselves being sponsored by different individuals for Las Vegas tournaments where their buy-ins were paid for in exchange for a share of their winnings.

“We were having pretty decent success on the online tournaments, so people knew who we were,” Cahail said. “I’ve gotten to know a lot of people I play with online because you meet them at these events after playing against them for so long online.”

By being involved in the game long enough, they’ve been able to see some of the growth it has experienced in the last decade and had interesting opinions on where poker will go from here.

“When (Chris) Moneymaker won the main event in 2003, it showed that an amateur could do it and it really took off from there. Over the last couple years growth has been kind of flat due to the economy, but I think it will start growing again once things improve,” Cahail said.

“It continued to grow until a few years ago when the economy dropped a little along with the ‘ban’ of online poker by the UIGEA bill,” Blair added.

With the high earnings they’ve accumulated in recent years, it was asked what the future held and how long they anticipated being professional poker players. The tremendous amount of success was enough to lure both Blake and Blair away from MU before graduating and it’s something they’ve both considered going back to finish.

“I hope the future holds a few deep runs in big tournaments, and maybe another bracelet or two. Within the next year or two I want to finish my degree and move back to Kansas City. I will still play poker but just not as much during the year,” Blair said. “One thing I can't see myself doing is skipping the WSOP so I am trying to figure out a job that would allow for it.”

“I dropped out of school when I turned 21 to do this full-time. I’m going to go back to school in the fall because I want a little break from it. I’m definitely going to be doing the World Series in the summer for the next couple years. It’s definitely nice doing something you love,” Cahail said.

We need Statesmen, not Politicians

As we go into the Fourth of July weekend, people will spend their time in a variety of ways celebrating our nation’s birth. At some point, maybe while you stare up into an impressive display of fireworks, I hope you’ll reflect on America’s progress up to this point. Despite many of the challenges our country currently faces, our 234 year history has yielded some impressive results and the economic, scientific, social, and political milestones only brush the surface. As important it is to look back on past achievements, much is still unwritten. Making sure future generations can look at our progress with confidence that it contributed to the greatness of our nation should be our goal. It starts with leadership and Platte County can take the lead in looking to people who are more than politicians. We deserve statesmen.

Describing someone as a statesman is rare in our current political spectrum. It seems the term tends to be used for someone near the end of a long career in politics or even retired, earning them the title of ‘elder statesman’. But the idea of a statesman isn’t about the amount of time spent in elected office; it’s an attitude and approach to public service. Statesmen focuses on what is good for their constituents, not themselves; they use their power to get things done instead of to accumulate for their own sake; their promotion is a result of accomplishing their goals and isn’t simply the goal itself. Too often politicians manipulate us into believing every decision is a win-lose, good vs. evil option where instead they should be influencing the process to come to the closest possible win-win result.

We’ve seen glimpses of these qualities before and all too often it’s from the ‘elder statesmen’, who at the end of a career realize the best way to vindicate their time is to do something that doesn’t reward them with re-election or power, but something good for their constituencies. This isn’t always the case, but more and more our youngest, strongest and most visible leaders fail to see how to promote progress early in their careers. It’s partly because of a constant election cycle which requires politicians to spend their time convincing people of their accomplishments and winning over public opinion instead of actually working towards sustainable solutions. It can also be blamed on ego, these individuals were elected based on the idea they are ‘right’ about every issue while their opposing colleagues are ‘wrong’ and are constantly being reminded so by their political base. Compromise, the essence of a statesman, is ultimately seen as a weakness which makes us question whether a true one can emerge in such an environment.

The truth is, more often you’ll find the type of people that could help take great strides as representatives in our national, state, and local governments are actually using their efforts in other areas of our society like the boardrooms of successful corporations and thriving businesses. Compared to the stereotype of an average CEO, strong will and humility characterize many of these leaders which allow them to make competent decisions for their companies to move them forward. They’ve decided their contribution to society is best made through advancements in their services and products or the effect they can have philanthropically. This, instead of what they view as the distractions, obstacles, and criticisms associated with public office.

This weekend we will celebrate the birth of our nation and in the coming months we’ll once again begin to consider which leaders to elect to represent us. It is with hope that true statesmen do exist and will emerge in the name of public service. Without them, our country will continually be held back from meeting the challenges in front of us and fulfilling the idea of America’s potential.