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.