THE MISSOURI MANEUVER--CAUSATION OR COINCIDENCE?

In Tuesday's FromBob titled:

EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY!

   

I said, "While there is much to report on re the MISSOURI MANEUVER, the Board of Ed., The Every Child Act and Jon Fernandez' apparent "epiphany," I must put off discussion of those important matters." I'll post Jon Fernandez' apparent "epiphany" NLT Monday. But now back to the MISSOURI MANEUVER. 

"MISSOURI MANEUVER" first popped up in my testimony on Bill 247, the Priorities in Government Act bill on March 7 Excerpts:

“Chairman Mike San Nicolas and Honorable Members of the Committee on General Government Operations, etc. Today I testify in favor of this bill but am not asking that Bill 247-34 pass!

Instead, I asked that the provisions of 247 be included in Bill 248 and said:

“Testimony on Bills 248 and 5S will explicate upon the parliamentary acrobatics necessary to make a tax increase barely palatable even to cynics like me. Let’s call it the Missouri Maneuver. [Preview: Standing Rules §§  4.02 & 6.01]” 

"It’s a little cryptic but knowing that the motto of the state of Missouri is SHOW ME! helps. I told senators this morning that people want to see real improvement in our government before a tax increase is acceptable. In other words  SHOW ME!"

Still a little cryptic but driving home the point that if they want to raise any tax they must SHOW ME by going for government reform and cost reduction.

On March 8 I testified on bills 248&249 Excerpts:

I. POLICY

1)    Your performing the Missouri Maneuver[i] is absolutely essential if you are to gain my support for this or ANY OTHER tax increase. Unless you take steps to fix the structural problems within GovGuam to bring about an effective, efficient government that provides basic services in accordance with the rule of law on at least a break-even basis, temporary fixes like a sales tax are abhorrent.

    

“Well, let’s get through this cash emergency then we’ll work on long term solutions,”

    

     won’t cut it any more. The long term and the short term must be dealt with apace, not seriatim.

2)    Tie this tax increase, as per infra, to the provisions of Bill 247 and you will have performed the Missouri Maneuver.[ii] As indicated in my March 7 testimony, parliamentary acrobatics and the use Standing Rule 4.02 can get you past the stricture of 6.01 (a) (1). Do it and I’ll nominate you all (y’all) for honorary citizens of Missouri.

3)    A bill with a close-at-hand sunset provision imposing a one percent sales tax that incorporates the provisions of Bill 247, passing muster with II, infra, would get  my support.

It took awhile but the 15 did indeed perform the MISSOURI MANEUVER. They passed a much-amended Bill 248 which included the government reorganization provisions of bill 247 and a 1% tax increase with a sunset on September 30. Causation or coincidence? Or maybe the breach of trust of acting governor Ray Tenorio and the "Won Pat Ten" when they skipped all the formalities and gave themselves whopping retroactive raises in one day has caused people to pay more attention to their government and vice versa.

Whatever. But I've still got a couple things on my "to do list:"

1. Petition the governor of the Show Me state for authority to bestow honorary Missouri citizenship on the 15 MANEUVERERS."

2  To keep stumping for an effective, efficient government that provides basic services in accordance with the rule of law on at least a break-even basis.

Bob

[i]See the final paragraph of the testimony submitted yesterday on Bill 247-34 which is incorporated by reference.

[ii] The motto of the State of Missouri is “SHOW ME!”