New Conservation Bill

[Smalliebigs]

Senator Cauthorn introduces that bill at every session. It never goes anywhere.

Gavin is correct, after contacting Rick Stream from the 94th district, whish is mine, he confirmed just what Gavin is saying. Apparently this turd sandwich intros this same bill every session and it never even gets scheduled to hit the floor for discussion much less a vote. Rick assured me it will never happen and not to worry about it. He is a member of my parish and a friend so I trust him when he tells me something. I wouldn't loose any sleep over this one. Represenative Cauthorn seems like a real POS!!!!! some of these elected politicians never cease to amaze me. $35,000 a year with benefits for a part time job....I think I know how we save Missouri some money

[Chief Grey Bear]

Since the tax funds the MDC entirely,

Not really. It makes only a portion. The Departments budget represents less than 1% of the entire states budget and no state general revenue is received. The three largest sources of revenue for the Department of

Conservation are the Conservation Sales Tax (59%), hunting and fishing permit sales

(21%), and Federal reimbursement (14%).

Or it will become a part of the state and will be funded out of the general sales tax revenue.

As it is written, the MDC can not ever recieve money from the General Fund.

MDC has taken a few lumps this year. Elk Restoration is proceeding against the will of many.

Actually the vast majority are in favor. There are a few noise makers though. Kinda tea bagger like.

Mountain Lions are a sore subject.

Only to those that can't understand and refuse to learn.

[skeeter]

Thank God for Missouri Term Limits. Now if we only had them at the Federal level too !!

[ozark trout fisher]

This bill is nothing more than further proof that some rural politicians would like to turn the entire state into a parking lot or a corn field, whichever would bring in more money to their district.

No surprise there.

I'm not very happy with the MDC right now with the way they refuse to prosecute those that shoot Mt. Lions for no reason, but then I'm also very pleased with the way they are reintroducing elk. I'm also smart enough to know this state wouldn't have any fish or game to speak of if it weren't for the MDC. I guess when it comes down to it you have to take the good with the bad, and the MDC does do a better job than most state conservation departments that I've encountered.

[Al Agnew]

There are usually a few, even on this board, with some kind of ax to grind with MDC who scream "accountability" as the reason for having the people vote on their funding source. But accountability works many ways. The reason the present day Conservation Department is organized as it is, is that a bunch of people got tired of it being micromanaged by the state legislature (as most state conservation departments still are, and you should listen to the complaints from sportsmen in those states when the legislature forces them to do something stupid just because a bunch of vocal idiots who care nothing about conservation don't like to be limited in how much they can abuse the resources.) So those people were successful in removing MDC from legislative control, with its own sources of funding (originally mainly license fees). The conservation sales tax, which other states have looked at enviously and some have now copied, was the natural extension of the original entent, to make MDC financially secure and independent of the politicians...except the occasional stupid governor's appointment of a bad egg as a commissioner, and this has happened pretty rarely and never resulted in serious damage, since no governor has been able to appoint a majority of commissioners. Point is, the predecessor of MDC WAS accountable to the legislature, and it was a vast improvement when it became independent. If the sales tax was voted on periodically, MDC would become accountable not to the people (sportsmen and other natural resource "users") who care about it, but also to entire populace of the state, many of whom don't care a whit about conservation and don't like paying any taxes at all if they can help it.

The way to make MDC accountable is not to threaten to whack their funding by 60% or so every few years, making it impossible for them to do any long range planning, but by interest groups joining together and complaining to the proper people when MDC does something they think is wrong. And the proper people are not so much the Director and other professional big wigs within MDC, but the commissioners, because that's what they are there for (and they DON'T like getting lots of complaints).

[Smalliebigs]

Not really. It makes only a portion. The Department's budget represents less than 1% of the entire state's budget and no state general revenue is received. The three largest sources of revenue for the Department of

Conservation are the Conservation Sales Tax (59%), hunting and fishing permit sales

(21%), and Federal reimbursement (14%).

As it is written, the MDC can not ever recieve money from the General Fund.

Actually the vast majority are in favor. There are a few noise makers though. Kinda tea bagger like.

Only to those that can't understand and refuse to learn.

That's Tea Party......hopefully you're not to intimate with the Tea Bag term???? I think it's funny how generally the left is okay with associating Tea Bagging with the Tea Party. If people on the right were to make a play on words about Democrats with such a vile, disgusting act such as that MSNBC, CNN and every other liberal news outlet would be crying bloody murder. Sorry Chief, polictical rant over..........I totally agree with you on this by the way other than the tea bagger term.

[Tim Smith]

With the decline of the current younger generations becoming involved in the outdoors, there may come a time where voters may not feel the need for what the MDC provides us.

Hunting and fishing have leveled out and declined but the interest in conservation is greater than it has ever been.

Cathorn is on the losing end of this from now until forever.

[Chief Grey Bear]

If people on the right were to make a play on words about Democrats with such a vile, disgusting act such as that MSNBC, CNN and every other liberal news outlet would be crying bloody murder. Sorry Chief, polictical rant over..........I totally agree with you on this by the way other than the tea bagger term.

Uhhh yeah. The right is as pure as the driven snow. I won't mention the radio talking heads of the right. But have you been paying attention to what is going on in Wisconsin??? Especially the republican senator calling the protesters SLOBS????

But other than that, thanks. Oh, and no need to apologize.

[ozark trout fisher]

Cathorn is on the losing end of this from now until forever.

I hope you're right, but I wouldn't count on it. Sure, the MDC is safe for the time being, but with the way things are going politically, anything could happen in the next couple years. Anything. As Chief said, look at Wisconsin. I wouldn't be shocked to see the same sort of things happening in this state before long.

What I'm saying is don't get too confident. I have a feeling we will eventually have to have a major fight to keep the MDC funded the way it needs to be. Look what is happening to the conservation department in New York and other such places.

I am no fan of much of the Republican establishment now as most on here already know, but this isn't a partisan issue. There are plenty on both sides that couldn't care less about conservation. Take David Patterson, the democratic governor of New York who drastically cut the DEC's (equivalent to the MDC)funds to the point where they really can't even operate any more.

I think I may have strayed over the political line a bit. But this is a political issue that greatly affects angling and all other outdoor sports.

[flytyer57]

But this is a political issue that greatly affects angling and all other outdoor sports.

It's not so much of a political issue as it only calls for the removal of people like this panty sucking Cathorn.