Rob SchaafMissouri state Rep. Rob Schaaf is quite the statesman. First, he says paying for health care for poor kids is akin to slavery. Then he doesn't really apologize -- only because he really loves his slavery metaphor. Now, Prime Buzz reports that Schaaf showed up on the House floor in a facemask because, you know, he doesn't want to catch swine flu. Rep. Jason Brown wasn't laughing and chastised Schaaf. Brown is from Platte County, site of the first probable case of swine flu in Missouri.
It's safe to say that one of the top three jaw-dropping moments from the 2009 session of the Missouri General Assembly was when St. Joseph Rep. Rob Schaaf compared health insurance for children to slavery in the 19th Century.
Now, you might think that Schaaf, a Republican, got caught up in the heat of the moment -- the debate about health care expansion certainly got heated. Perhaps, after the outrage from his Democratic colleagues, he felt some twinge of regret about the controversial sta
Rod JettonRod Jetton, one of the most powerful political figures in Missouri, is denying the allegations that he roughed up a woman during a sexual encounter in mid-November. He's now charged with second-degree felony assault. Jetton isn't talking. His attorney released a statement with the usual stuff, he's "not guilty" and "will vigorously defend this allegation in court" and he's not going to do it in the media.The complaint (read the full document here) alleges that Jetton, the former Mis
Representative Jerry NolteIn these first few weeks of the session, legislators in Jefferson City have been awfully distracted by Washington, D.C. This morning, Sen. Bill Stouffer, a Republican from Saline County (and candidate for Congress), held a press conference to rail against gays in the military. As early as December, two lawmakers from St. Louis introduced the so-called "Health Care Freedom Act" to exempt Missourians from the shackles of still-hypothetical federal health insurance re
