Specific Jobs Difficult to Track on Stimulus Site

Tracking the federal economic stimulus package is more difficult than it sounds -- even on the government's slick website, Recovery.gov.

Point and click on the site, and the data keeps coming, by map, by graph, even by Congressional district. Greene County government has received about $757,000 according to the site. But it's difficult, however, to pinpoint the exact programs being funded and the jobs tied to them.

And some data is just incorrect. For instance, the site claims Missouri's 14th Congressional District has had five jobs saved or created. But there's no such thing as the 14th Congressional District.

Even government officials say the site is difficult to navigate. But the site does claim that to date, more than 15,000 jobs have been saved or created in Missouri due to the stimulus, including more than 300 in the 7th Congressional District.

WATCH THE KY3 NEWS @ 10 REPORT HERE

PLUS: BOTH GOP CANDIDATES FOR AUDITOR WEIGH IN

Biden Told Nixon: "If It Fails, I'm Dead"

Vice President Joe Biden reportedly told Governor Jay Nixon on a conference call Thursday that if the economic stimulus package fails, "I'm dead."

POLITICO picked up the pool report that details the back and forth between Biden and the Governors: "Nixon closed by telling VPOTUS 'I cannot tell you how much we appreciate your…interest.' "'Pure self interest, Jay,' VPOTUS responded. 'If it fails, I’m dead,'" reads the pool.

Biden only took 4 questions from Governors, one of them being Nixon:

"Nixon's question was a bit garbled to your pooler, but he seemed to be asking for time to fact-check data submitted before it’s posted publicly. Since it’s the first reporting period, "a little flexibility there…the chance to make sure we get those accurate would be appreciated."

VPOTUS told him that the ARRA board is independent, staffed with inspectors general, and "I cannot order it to do anything." He told Nixon that reporting requirements are similar to those required of corporations or other entities "you basically have until the 30th [of Sept.] to do what corporations and other[s]…do."

Highway Patrol Gets $3.4 M in Stimulus

$3.4 million dollars in federal economic stimulus money is coming to the Missouri Highway Patrol to fight crime in rural areas.

The funds will support more than a dozen investigators dedicated to working cases in rural areas. The money will also pay for purchase of equipment and supplies.

Governor Jay Nixon says the added personnel will be able to help focus on cattle rustling and other farm-related crime.

More HERE

Springfield Wins $1.4 Million in Stimulus Money

President Obama's administration announced Tuesday that the city of Springfield will receive $1.4 million dollars of economic stimulus money to build a new maintenance facility.

"Rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure is a key part of that prescription for strength. It creates jobs today and builds a better, more sustainable economy moving forward," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

The White House release said the city would use the funds for "the design and construction of a maintenance facility."

According to the White House, since it was signed into law, the stimulus has provided $6.7 billion dollars for transit improvements throughout the nation. A total of $48 billion dollars has been designated for transportation projects and about $26.5 billion has been obligated, according to the White House.

"These funds are creating jobs now while investing in the future of our transit systems," said Administrator Peter Rogoff of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). "The public's demand for transit service continues to grow, and these dollars will help meet that need."

For more on the stimulus money Springfield is receiving, click HERE.

Tracking The Stimulus: Smart Grids Will Still Cost Ratepayers

Springfield City Utilities is applying for more than $11 million dollars in federal stimulus money to put towards a $48 million dollar project to overhaul its meter system.

But even if it gets the stimulus money it's asking for, rate payers would see their bills go up to help pay what the stimulus doesn't cover.

WATCH THE KY3 NEWS @ 10 REPORT HERE

What some call "a smart grid" -- Others see as a luxury item that's too costly:

"My personal opinion, we ought to pass on it at this point," said Springfield City councilman Doug Burlison.

"It's never easy to go out and ask for a surcharge or rate increase at anytime," said City Utilities' Joel Alexander. "We need to look see if we can take advantage of federal stimulus dollars."

Cyber Crime Grants Will Aid Police, Stimulate Elsewhere

A windfall of stimulus dollars is coming to Missouri law enforcement to keep up with criminals, but the real economic impact from the dollars may be felt elsewhere.

WATCH THE KY3 NEWS @ 10 REPORT HERE

In the first wave of $25 million dollars in Edward Byrne Justice grants, about $1.5 million is going to cities, counties and drug task forces to fight cyber crime.

"Without this particular grant, we would not be able to carry on this initiative," said Major Kevin Routh of the Springfield police department, which is using the money to apply for new computer equipment and officer training.

"Are we in a position where down the road the rules may change and they may change for any reason, and the rules may be changed by anybody? And the city attorney's answer was yes," said Springfield City Councilman Nick Ibarra, a skeptic of embracing federal stimulus money to sustain local programs.

"If we're buying computers that were produced in Taiwan, it doesn't simulate the Springfield economy. If we're buying software that was produced in California, it doesn't stimulate the Springfield economy," noted Missouri State University professor of economics Tom Wyrich.

MORE KY3 TRACKING THE STIMULUS STORIES:

• Most Stockton Lake funds won't be spent for years
• Wage issue forces weatherization wait
• Springfield police shut out of stimulus funds
• Nixon seeks $142 M in stimulus for rural broadband

Inspector General Questions Missouri Airport Stimulus Project

TRACKING THE $TIMULU$

A $2 million dollar economic stimulus project at an airport in Warrensburg is being questioned in a report issued by the inspector general of the federal Transportation Department.

The inspector general found that the money awarded to the Warrensburg-Skyhaven airport for a new apron was among a list of projects of questionable merit.

It's just one of about 50 approved projects listed by the government watchdog that did not meet the grant criteria or had a previous history of mismanaging federal grants.

"First, FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) selected more than 50 projects falling below its NPR threshold of 62, raising concerns about whether the agency’s process resulted in funding the highest priority ARRA (American Recovery & Reinvestment Act) projects," wrote Inspector General Calvin Scovel in report. "Moreover, based on our preliminary review of FAA project justifications and other information, we identified six low scoring projects for which the economic merit—a key ARRA requirement—may be questionable," Scovel went on.

The Warrensburg-Skyhaven airport was listed as one of four airports that do not provide commercial passenger service, have limited flight operations, and received NPR scores ranging from 43 to 50.

Scovel said that the FAA cited three main reasons why low scoring projects were selected for stimulus grants: (1) projects were ready to go, (2) projects could be completed within the 2-year ARRA timeframe, and (3) projects would help ensure widespread geographic distribution of funds.

The third, however, is not requirement by law.

You can read the entire DOT IG report HERE.

Tracking The Stimulus: Wage Issue Forces Weatherization Wait

WATCH THE KY3 NEWS @ 10 REPORT HERE

The largest community action organization in the area says some stimulus weatherization work has been slow to get started due to a delayed decision about what laborers should be paid for the work.

Missouri is getting $128 million in economic stimulus dollars to weatherize 21,000 homes of low-income and senior residents. To date, $1.6 million dollars has trickled out to the community agencies tasked with completing the projects.

In Willard, workers from the Ozarks Area Community Action Corporation (OACAC) are checking where air is seeping through the windows and doors of Geneva Noll's 37-year-old home. A senior surviving on social security, Noll is one of the first beneficiaries of the massive weatherization project.

"Anything to help my utilities, I'm eager to do because I about bought them out of duct tape," Noll jokes, adding that her energy bill shot up $100 dollars last month.

OACAC is expected to weatherize 1,265 homes in a 10-county Ozarks region over the next three years, courtesy of stimulus money.

But it's also been wrestling with a government bureaucracy that they say has been slow to deal with details needed to ramp up.

"We hear all the talk about money being made available. For various reasons, it's been slow to get out," said OACAC executive director Carl Rosenkranz.

"It's been a bit frustrating. We've learned about this money a long time ago and it's been hurry up and wait," said weatherization director Todd Steinmann.

OACAC has received $428,000 so far. That's about 10 percent of the total stimulus dollars the agency will receive over three years.

"This is the most money weatherization has ever seen," notes Steinmann.

They have used it to purchase new office space, seven new vehicles and add 15 new employees for the work ahead.

But Rosenkranz said that federal and state officials have been too slow to determine which wage rates need to be paid to those doing the work. State prevailing wage rates are generally higher. Federal prevailing wage rates are lower.

For instance, the state hourly rate for a bricklayer is $32.10, according to the Missouri Division of Labor Standards. The federal rate is $11.92.

"We've hired contractors, we can't start them until the issue is resolved, because we don't know what the prevailing wage should be for contractors," Rosenkranz explained.

Last week, a few days after a KY3 inquiry, OACAC finally got its answer in a Department of Natural Resources memo.

"Mark Templeton, Director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, just informed our office that Missouri will be using the federal Davis-Bacon Wage Rates rather than Missouri's State Prevailing Wage Rates," wrote Marcy Oerly of DNR's Energy Center in a memo to weatherization directors around the state.

"Most importantly, please start using the (stimulus) funding immediately and begin weatherizing homes!," Oerly went on in the memo that Rosenkranz said he received Thursday, August 6th.

Ky3 News inquired about the weatherization wage issue on Wednesday, August 5th.

Oerly also said a new federal "weatherization worker" wage rate would be released on August 14th.

A decision had been made, but Rosenkranz said it was delayed, calling the wait "extremely frustrating."

"A lot of these things occurred without due consideration to what rules and regulations would need to be put in place to run the programs," Rosenkranz said.

"I know February 17th was the day the bill was signed, but here it is the end of July, and we're still not totally there to the point where we're going to be fully active and weatherizing as many homes as we can in the time period," Rosenkranz said.

When asked why it took so long for the state to determine a wage rate, a spokesman for Gov. Jay Nixon's office said the state was "waiting for federal guidance."

This wage ruling will now allow OACAC to get more workers into the homes of people like Geneva Noll, who is a beneficiary and skeptic of the stimulus at the same time.

"It's better than some of those airports they built," she said, with a laugh.

"Hopefully, very soon we'll have everything laid out and we can get more homes weatherized," Steinmann said.

To watch our first Tracking the Stimulus report on funds at Stockton Lake, click HERE.

Tracking the Stimulus: Weatherization Money

WAITING FOR WEATHERIZATION

Missouri will receive $128 million dollars over the next three years from the federal economic stimulus package to weatherize nearly 21,000 homes. So far, about $1.6 million has been sent to community agencies tasked with the work. But before groups are able to help cut energy costs, they've had to snap through some red tape.

Our Tracking the Stimulus Series continues . . .

Tonight on KY3 News @ 10

*WATCH PROMO ABOVE*

ALSO: Watch our first report on money dedicated to Lake Stockton HERE.

Tracking the Stimulus At Lake Stockton

Lake Stockton is receiving nearly $40 million dollars in economic stimulus money, but the bulk of the funding won't be spent until months and even years down the road.

WATCH THE KY3 NEWS @ 10 REPORT HERE

"The largest part of the money, it will take a year and a half to two years before you see it having an impact here locally," said Tom Long of the Army Corps of Engineers.

"By the time that money gets spent, we probably won't need it. If we do need it, we're in real trouble," said Drury University professor of economics Bill Rohlf.

*WATCH PROMO ABOVE*

Send your ideas/suggestions/comments on stimulus stories to dcatanese@ky3.com.

Springfield Police Shut Out of Stimulus Money

STIMULUS SETBACK

EMERSON: "SO EGREGIOUS"

The federal government released nearly $20 million dollars in economic stimulus money Tuesday for Missouri to hire new police. But the third largest city -- and most other rural areas -- got completely shut out.

Back in April, the Springfield police department applied for $4 million dollars in grants. On Tuesday, they got the bad news.

Of the $19.7 million dollars coming to the Show-Me State, Springfield is getting nothing.
"We got shut out," said city manager Greg Burris. "We applied for 25 officers and we were notified today we got zero."

More than 7,000 law enforcement agencies from around the country applied for about $1 billion available dollars. In Missouri, a total of 242 jurisdictions applied, but just 14 received funds. And most of them are clustered near the two largest cities. It adds up to 115 new officers for the St. Louis and Kansas City metropolitan areas, and just 3 new officers for the rest of the state. "It's hard to tell whether it's fair because the Department of Justice didn't give you much detail in the formula that's used to rank the cities," said Burris.

Last month, St. Louis Police Chief Dan Isom said a drop in the department's budget meant 105 officer positions wouldn't be funded. But with this money, the department should be nearly full staffed. Meanwhile, Springfield is down about 50 officers from full capacity.

WATCH THE KY3 NEWS @ 10 REPORT HERE

READ THE BREAKDOWN OF ALL THE FUNDING & THE FORMULA HERE

***

REP. JO ANN EMERSON BLASTS "BIASED" FORMULA:

"This is our tax money in rural America too, and we are being shorted on COPS law enforcement big time," Emerson said. "Our congressional districts all serve roughly the same number of constituents, and we all have acute needs for more officers and funding. For the rural part of our state to get three new officers out of 118 in Missouri is so egregious, I can't believe someone would do this on purpose."

"Frankly, this is a great example of why I voted against the stimulus in the first place. You vest all of this spending authority with bureaucrats, you rush the bill through Congress, and you end up with extreme imbalances between urban and rural parts of the country. The bill was reckless and hasty, and the implementation of the stimulus COPS grants shows the same shortcomings," Emerson continued.

CONGRESSMAN ROY BLUNT REACTS:

Blunt, who has his eye on votes in St. Louis and Kansas City for a 2010 Senate bid, was critical, but less harsh:

"One of my chief objections to the stimulus bill was the lack of public scrutiny into the way the $787 billion is spent. This round of COPS funding is no exception. I'm disappointed that Springfield and other communities were shut out and wish we had the ability to truly advocate for all of our communities in a transparent process," Blunt said in a statement provided to The Notebook.

SEN. CLAIRE MCCASKILL TOUTS COMPETITIVE MERIT OF GRANTS:

Meanwhile, Sen. McCaskill touted the $19.6 million dollars in grants in a press release, noting that this process better ensures "prompt distribution and better accountability."

"Funding to states and localities through the economic recovery package will be allocated through existing federal programs like these, rather than earmarks, in order to ensure prompt distribution and better accountability. Local projects receive funds from these grants by following the process set up by each program," McCaskill's office wrote in a release. "McCaskill believes that federal grants and loans are a positive alternative to earmarks, which in the past have frequently had too little accountability. Competitive merit and need based federal grants and low-interest government loans bring federal assistance to Missouri in an honest and fiscally responsible manner."

VIDEO: The Robin Carnahan Interview

ONE on ONE

In the first clip, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Robin Carnahan explains why she's open to a public option to help revamp the healthcare system.

KEY QUOTES:

"What I think this is really about is getting things done for folks and not staking out hard and fast partisan positions."

"We've got to create a system that creates pricing pressure and so I'm open for however we do that."

"There's already somebody standing between you and your doctor. It's called the insurance companies."

"Congressman Roy Blunt and I disagree about this. He seems satisfied with how things are working in healthcare. I don't."

In the second clip, Carnahan grapples with the issue of cost -- and is less specific about which taxpayers should bare the burden of paying for healthcare reform. She also attempts to clarify her position on the economic stimulus package.

KEY QUOTES:

"We've got to come up with money somewhere and what I'm against is having it be on middle class folks and small businesses."

"I'm not going to take a position on what that number is."

"When you walk up to me and give me some binary choice about something somebody else decided -- am I for it or against it -- I'd probably come up with a different plan."

To watch The Notebook's interview with Carnahan back in February on the economic stimulus package, click HERE.

Highway 60 Stimulus Saves More Jobs Than It Creates

MORE STABILIZING THAN STIMULATIVE

More than $8 million dollars in federal economic stimulus money is being poured into expanding Highway 60 this month, but the contractor says the money is doing more to help save jobs than create new ones.

Journagan Construction says about 40 workers are involved in the first stage of the widening project, which will create alternating passing lanes from Monett to Republic. But calculating the number of new or saved jobs on this single project could involve some fuzzy math.

WATCH THE KY3 NEWS @ 10 REPORT HERE

John View of Journagan Construction acknowledges he has trouble estimating how many actual new jobs this $8.6 million dollar construction project has created.

"That's difficult to say, in how many employees were brought back to work," View said. That's because this project has mostly allowed Journagan to recall workers it had already laid off. "In this particular case, it's not necessarily new jobs being created," View added.

STILL -- Worker Phillip Rousell of Ozark is thankful he's pouring the cement.

"Commercial work's been pretty near to nothing, so the state work has really kept us in our job," Rousell said, when asked about the impact this project has had on his employment.

The Obama White House has been careful to note that the intent of the stimulus is to "save and create" jobs. Last month, amid growing criticism, the White House pledged the stimulus package would save or create 600,000 jobs by early September.

McCaskill: No to 2nd Stimulus

Tells POLITICO it's "a non-starter"

Sen. McCaskill says there’s no way to go back to the well.

"If we are trying to move anything on health care and we’re trying to move anything on climate change, then putting another stimulus on top of that is a backbreaker," she told POLITICO. "It is a political backbreaker — for people from states like mine anyway."

But some Dems disagree.

Read the full piece HERE.

WH: Missouri Has Tapped 72% of Highway Stimulus

BIDEN: MO STIMULUS ON TRACK

The White House announced Thursday that Missouri has already put to work 72 percent of its stimulus dollars for highway projects.

That amounts to about $320 million dollars. Under the stimulus law, states are required to use 50 percent of their highway funds by June 29, 2009.

"By delivering on these projects ahead of schedule and under-budget, we have been able to do even more than we expected -- create more job opportunities more quickly," said Vice President Joe Biden in a statement.

"Every state not only met the 12o-day deadline, they beat it," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "This is a testament to the fact that we're putting money out there and quickly helping to get the economy back on track."

Missouri's largest stimulus project is the New Madrid-Pemiscot I-55, a 44-mile long pavement of north and southbound lanes.

Missouri's Using Stimulus Money to Pay Tax Rebates

CHECKS IN THE MAIL BY JUNE 8th

The state is using $250 million dollars in stimulus money to send tax refunds.

The Office of Administration announced its transferring that amount into the state's general revenue fund to make it happen. The move was necessary because income and sales tax revenues have fallen even further behind already negative projections. Some Missourians have been waiting since mid-March to receive their rebates. The infusion of stimulus cash should allow refund checks to be sent out by June 8th.

McCaskill: More Stimulus Money In The Mail

Seniors and some disabled veterans will soon see a check in the mail from the federal government as a result of the stimulus package, Sen. Claire McCaskill announced Monday.
***
The one-time $250 check is designed to help put some more money in the pockets of seniors during the economic downturn.

McCaskill's office says the following groups will receive the check:

• Retirees and disabled individuals receiving Social Security
• Disabled veterans receiving benefits from the VA
• Railroad retirement beneficiaries

Payments have begun and will continue throughout May. Seniors don't need to do anything; checks will be sent to them automatically.

$800 Million Dollar Bond Package Stalled

LOSING DAYLIGHT

A proposed $800 million dollar bond package for state construction projects is stalled in the Senate. Late Tuesday, Senators continued to filibuster the proposal. The Associated Press reports that critics stalled the legislation because they believe the state should not take on so much new debt in a recession.

If approved, the bond package, much of which focuses on college and university building, would most likely be placed on the November 2010 ballot for voter approval.

***

ALSO FROM THE WIRE: A Senate panel is proposing to use $50 million in federal stimulus funds to entice a pair of battery-makers to expand in Missouri. The Senate Appropriations Committee added the subsidies to a House bill that now is estimated to spend about $365 million from the stimulus package for projects around the state.

AND: Jason Noble of the K.C. Star writes up the Senate office costume party . . . and notes that the budget is due on the governor's desk in less than 72 hours.

Roy & Robin: Sifting Through The Early Attacks

WHO'S BLOWING MORE SMOKE?

Blunt on Energy; Carnahan on . . . Anything

A new television ad by the League of Conservation Voters includes a group of over-the-top claims against Congressman and U.S. Senate candidate Roy Blunt.

The ad is meant to attack Blunt's record on "clean energy," but the statements made in the 30-second spot are oversimplified and pretty "clean" of specifics. "Roy Blunt says no to clean energy," booms the voiceover. "No to millions of new jobs," it continues. It goes on to claim he also "voted to hold America back."

All the statements are obviously general enough to scare -- but don't offer any help to voters seeking specifics.

For those, you can turn to Congressman Blunt's opinion piece published in the Kansas City Star Monday that contended President Obama's cap and trade plan will cost taxpayers $3,000 more every year. That claim is also untrue, according to Politifact.com, a group that spends its time tracking the authenticity of statements by politicians.

"The Republicans contend Obama's cap-and-trade policy would impose a $3,128 tax per family. But it's not a tax and it wouldn't cost that much," Politifact writes. Critics call that number overblown, and some estimate the plan would cost around $79 more each year per family. Republicans cite a 2007 MIT study that attempted to figure out the cost. But the author of that study has said the $3,000 number has been greatly exaggerated. Yet it continues to be repeated.

Still, even some Democrats acknowledge that the costs of cap-and-trade would be passed on to consumers via higher gasoline and electric bills. In Wisconsin, the State Journal praised its two Senators for opposing an effort to ram cap-and-trade through without 60 votes.

"If designed well, cap-and-trade legislation could cap carbon emissions and require those companies that exceed the cap to buy or trade credits. It would use market-based principles rather than inflexible regulations," wrote the Journal in a recent editorial.

"But if designed poorly, Wisconsin and other states that rely heavily on coal for energy to power homes, businesses and manufacturing plants could be socked with fat bills that further stall the economy," the paper added.

Blunt's spokesman stood by the $3,000 charge in a statement responding to the television ad Monday afternoon. "This false attack ad for Robin Carnahan is an attempt by a liberal group to get a vote for adding $3,000 a year to family utility bills with a 'cap and trade' energy tax, while also enriching tax-subsidy recipients like Tom Carnahan's company," said spokesman Rich Chrismer.

As noted above, that $3,000 figure is widely under fire.

But Chrismer has a stronger point when he questions Carnahan's position on cap and trade -- or a host of other current hot issues, for that matter.

"Roy and Robin Carnahan have very different positions on energy, and Robin Carnahan's refusal to answer the public's questions is the only thing preventing a series of joint media appearances this year for questions on vital national security issues such as energy," Chrismer said.

Last week, The Star reported that Carnahan dodged questions about legislation that could allow unionization without a secret ballot. "I don't know what the current form of that is," Carnahan said, before continuing to duck a series of questions, according to The Star's reporting.

Blunt has also been critical of Carnahan for her apparent support of the federal stimulus package. But in an interview with The Notebook in Hannibal, Carnahan never specifically said she would have voted for the package.

When asked for a clarification from the Carnahan campaign last week, spokesman Tony Wyche reaffirmed Carnahan's non-position. "She has said that with people hurting as much as they are that doing nothing, as some seem to be arguing was not an option. She also said that she was not there to review each and every item in the bill; that there were many items that deserved to be removed or at least should have received more scrutiny. She's also said that we need to make absolutely sure that anything we do in the name of economic stimulus is actually stimulative and creates jobs," Wyche said.

Not even Senators who have been in Congress for decades are able to read each and every item in a bill; and if Carnahan was there, it would be unlikely she would be able to either. She could make a statement, pledging to do just that. Then again, that would be taking a position.

The argument is that it's too early for specifics, that the public is drained. But the Secretary of State won't be able to get away with these open-ended answers as the calendar creeps closer to 2010.

But the early back-and-forth between Blunt and Carnahan might leave you wondering: What's worse: Exaggerating a claim to make a point or concealing a position to avoid one?

VIDEO: Full Coverage of Springfield's Tea Party

IMAGES FROM THE TEA PARTY
In 60 Seconds
Springfield, Mo.
4/15/09

More Video of my Q & A with Attendees . . . Courtesy of the hardest working photographer in all of television, Taka Yokoyama.

Plus: Raw Opinions on Roy Blunt, Kit Bond, Claire McCaskill and Sarah Steelman
(Click on the final TWO clips)

*WATCH IT ALL BELOW*
THIS IS CONSERVATIVE AMERICA

In the first clip, Mark Brown voices his opinion about why President Obama should be impeached for his economic policies. "He's not doing what he promised. He's a liar," said Brown. Brown dismissed a question about Bush-era spending, saying it's "nothing like it is now."

Angela Galiana attended the rally holding a picture of her three children and said she was worried the President would saddle them with overwhelming debt. She said the main reason she attended was tax policy. But even though Galiana would benefit from Obama's tax cut this year, she said his long-term policies impacting businesses would override any gain this year. "He's taking higher class citizens who are making over $250,000 . . . It's not fair," she said.

Janice Parker said she stood on Chestnut Expressway to show her displeasure with political profiling in the Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC) report. "All I know is, they were trying to profile, and I didn't care for it," Parker explained.

WATCH THE KY3 NEWS @ 6 COVERAGE HERE
***
COUNTERPOINT:
Drury University Professor of Economics Steve Mullins offered a counterpoint to the protests, noting that the current debt level as a percentage of the economy is lower now than it was during President Reagan's administration. "These people weren't protesting then. These people haven't been protesting for the past eight years, where we've spent more than $500 billion dollars a year more on wars, tax cuts and a Medicare prescription drug benefit."

Mullins said that while he believes some of the Tea Day party attendees have genuine concerns, many were there for purely partisan reasons. "Why just under the current administration does borrowing and budget deficits scare you so much," Mullins asked. "When you put these numbers in perspective, they're not as scary as some of the critics could make them out to be."
***

"We're Going on A Spending Frenzy"

Karen Richmond was one of the most articulate Tea Partiers we met -- and she's a conservative who feels abandoned by GOP leaders.

So I asked her what she thought about a variety of Missouri pols -- and their fiscal conservative credentials.

On Roy Blunt: "He's been there too long . . . I really liked Jim Talent."

Richmond just offered a hearty belly-laugh when we asked if one particular Missouri Republican was a true conservative.

To see who she laughed off, CLICK ABOVE.

"They're Not Listening To The People"

DON'T WANT PORK
"I'm against Republican representatives not listening to us."

Sandy Thompson is self-described independent who feels sold out.

"I think we need to clean out the Congress and we need to clean out the Senate," Thompson said.

*WATCH HER RATE MISSOURI POLS ABOVE*