May

10

KC lets STL take us to the cleaners

May 10, 2009 | 6 Comments

KMBC-TV 9’s Michael Mahoney  examines how St. Louis ends up with millions in emergency state aid for transit and Kansas City gets nothing – and how it’s yet another example of KC being out-hustled in Jeff City.  The bottom line is that the entire St. Louis region is much better at presenting a united front in Jeff City and pursuing a common set of goals – city, suburb, Democrat, Republican, politicians, and business people all united to get the city more than it’s fair share of state resources.

Here on the state’s left coast, we have divisions across party lines, between city and suburb, and even amongst the suburbs. And then a business community with half its membership in another and that is more interested in rebuilding Greensburg, KS than in building relationships with our state capital. We’re so busy fighting each other for scraps that we don’t work together to get a bigger piece of the pie for everyone.

So until we get our act together we will continue to get less than our fair share for transit, highways, schools, health care, etc.

Categories: Missouri, Politics


Comments

6 Comments so far

  1. Doug on May 10, 2009 12:44 pm

    so sad but true. thanks for posting.

  2. TGEmpress on May 10, 2009 6:42 pm

    Having grown up in KC and now living in “the lou” as they like to call it. I get to watch this with a bit of bi-coastal interest.

    St. Louis has a city/county split which all but cripples us and is actually the reason we had to ask the state for money (since the county voted down additional money for Metro, ). Anywho, this acutally, might be the one instance where the two pulled together. They (primarily the county) realized that they had prevented all of there workers from being able to get to work on time with that vote.

    I think the real difference comes down to which suburb is located across the state line. Here, the money and power is not across the state line. Sadly, for Kansas City, there is an arguable powerbase across the state line. So instead of going to the same state government for a solution, you have two cities going to two different governments that have different priorities.

    But don’t get me started on the ways they screw KC, on a regular basis and don’t care – that’s a whole nother story – KC might as well be Branson to them.

  3. Tony on May 11, 2009 2:54 am

    You know what would be great? A strong leader who could stand up to his wife and a bit of criticism.

    City that works, anyone?

  4. ballz on May 11, 2009 7:03 am

    stl also is proud of provel which negates everything they do right.

  5. Tim on May 13, 2009 9:48 pm

    It’s that stupid state line that keeps holding us back. Personally, I think we should change the name from Kansas City to something else. Break all ties with that hideous place known as Kansas; a place that is so bleak and devoid of culture it was conspicuosly the only portion shot in black & white in that famous movie with Dorothy and the dog.

  6. Ryan on May 14, 2009 7:47 am

    Tim, I absolutely agree. This city was named so before there was a state of Kansas and therein lies the problem. I do have to admit that it is somewhat better than “Raytown” and for the truly addicted to white trashiness, “RayMORE”…but to be associated with that parking lot in KS is horrid…

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

Speak your mind