ASUM Questionnaire

I haven't recieved much feedback on these questionnaires but the results of ASUM are in and I was graded at a B while Eric Burlison was given a C. I am somewhat surprised because my answer to their first question is potentially contriversial. 

The Associated Students of the University of Missouri (ASUM) is a student lobbying organization funded and operated by students.  ASUM, founded in 1975 represents the interests of the 74,000+ University of Missouri students in the governmental process. The State Legislative Team is currently doing assessments of every legislative candidate running in the November 6th, 2012 Election The goal of the spreadsheet is to aid students in their decision on which candidates to support. The grades are only given based on the candidates’ opinions and actions on higher education related issues. ASUM is a non-partisan organization and no grades are given based on partisanship.

1. University of Missouri Funding: Legislators are asked to pass a budget yearly even with a difficult fiscal climate. Legislators are often forced to make budget cuts, including cuts to higher education. The University of Missouri has been facing enrollment increases at 35% since 2000 with operating budgets below fiscal year 2001. With budget shortfalls the students have to pick up the tab making higher education even more difficult for many to achieve. ASUM supports fully funding the University of Missouri based on the appropriation request from the University of Missouri Budget Office.

I have a degree in Illustration (two actually) but I would support cutting funding for art and literature programs from the state budget and redirect that funding towards things like engineering.
Obviously I don’t hate the arts. But I know if you stop funding the arts, they are not going anywhere. People are always going to create and seek out art. Having an art degree is rarely going to help you find a job (and it only marginally can improve your skills in an era where you can watch videos of your favorite artists teaching their techniques).
Still cutting the arts seems harsh right? (yes I talk that way) Not if you also consider the fact that having more engineers will create more demand for artists. Engineers make things, artists make them pretty. That’s how it works.
Chuck Palahnuik once jokingly said that Journalism Degrees should come with welding certification because when he was a welder they all had Journalism Degrees. Artists should use public funds to get a trade to fall back on the first time instead of getting an Arts Degree and then going back to school again to get something useful.
Art School was a very fulfilling time of my life, which I really enjoyed, but a decade later I am still paying the loans back with little return on my investment (and I paid much more than the minimum until I started having kids).
Our State Assembly has been cutting programs for people who actually need them (like programs for the blind). I’m sure that there are ways to raise enough revenue to keep all these programs but I am a pragmatist and realize that the Republican majority are not going to budge unless we have something to give up as well.
If anyone is to suffer in this economy it should be artist because at least we can turn suffering into something.

2. Student Curator: The University of Missouri Board of Curators consists of 9 curators including an at-large curator. University students do not have a voice because only one student representative communicates their viewpoint in meetings, and that student does not have a vote. ASUM feels that students should be given a true voice on the Board of Curators because they are paying for the majority of the UM system’s budget and students from out of state have no representation. True representation cannot be achieved until a student has full voting rights. The Associated Students of the University of Missouri works to replace the at-large curator with a true student curator voicing the perspective of the student.

Absolutely. I don’t understand why there is really any resistance to students having a say. It sounds like a vote of no confidence in the student body.

3. Landlord/Tenant: Many University of Missouri students are tenants, and ASUM seeks to encourage respectful relationships between the landlord and tenant. ASUM has taken a stand on students being taken advantage of by landlords who wrongfully withhold their security deposits. The last couple of years, ASUM has supported legislation that requires landlords with 20 units of more to put security deposits in a separate account from their own, co-mingling of personal funds and security deposits would be avoided.
I support that. Landlords are taking that money with the pretense of using it to cover damages from the tenant, not an extra couple hundred bucks for the they-why-not of it. A separate account makes it less tempting to spend that money and makes them more accountable.


4. STEM: STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics initiatives. STEM goals include increasing enrollment in STEM related education programs and increasing the quality of that education. ASUM supports legislation that aids these students in gaining internships and a separate STEM fund that is available for after school programs, scholarships, and teacher education. STEM requires special attention because taxpayer investment technology and STEM education has indirectly produced more than half of the nation’s economic growth, 91% of U.S. STEM jobs will require some college or better by 2018.

Because of our high standard of living America needs to be an innovator society because manufacturing is going to be cheaper overseas. Mass production cannot be done here the way it once was. Most products made in America will be custom, digital, or high end products.
Missouri has to get ahead of the curve because we are competing with every other state that also comes to this realization and legislates towards the reality of global markets.

Confronted with God

I thought this was worthy of repost here...



Q: If God were standing in front of you, what would you say or do?

A: rethink the atheism thing... then start hoping for some biblical superpowers. I'd even take walking on water as long as I can turn it off. It would suck not to be able to take a bath anymore.

That may be slightly snarky but that is about the extent of it. I put a lot of effort into doing as little harm to my fellow human beings as possible. If there sudden was a god I wouldn't be sweating it too much.

PR webcartoonist wins primary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Springfield MO- In last Tuesday's Democratic primary for the 133rd seat of the Missouri House of Representatives webcartoonist Nicholas Ivan Ladendorf defeated Richard Buchli, a teacher political science at a local college. Southwest Missouri is notoriously a conservative area but Ladendorf has been counting on his chosen media to bring in some of the 75% of the voters who normally don't bother with the polls."I've been going door to door during the drought talking to people and handing out my fliers." Ladendorf said referring to the post card sized comic of the candidate calling on the people to take responsibility for their government.

On the reverse side of the card is a series of policy statements accompanied by illustrations and asks voters to support the campaign if they agree. "Scott McCloud has said it's easier to read a comic than it is not to." Ladendorf Explains "The trick is to pull them in before they throw it away and forget about it."

Presentation alone isn't what makes Ladendorf pull in potential voters. Ladendorf puts gay rights, legalizing marijuana, and pit bull bans at the center of his campaign. Taking on these issues is a bold statement in such a historically Republican district, especially considering he willing to stand on these policies at the voters front porch (often spending 45 minutes or more discussing his views with a single voter).

More information about Ladendorf's policies can be found at http://www.electladendorf.us

This is the second time Ladendorf has run for political office, though he now describes his campaign for US House as 'mostly performance art' and 'an excuse to make comics about policy'. Those comics are still available to read at http://www.nilvsdcbs.com

He is also currently still updating is table top roleplaying game inspired series Crawlers http://crawlers.thecomicseries.com.

Primary Victory

It's time to dust off the blog again. I need to take it a lot less seriously. Use it more like a journal. And stop half writing articles then putting them to the side unfinished.

This'll mean more gaffes and such but I just need to start putting words on the page. Maybe I'll even implement a word limit. because part of the problem before was that every essay would grow and grow on me and halfway through would feel like something I wrote before. Then I'd spend twenty minutes seeing if that's the case and then I'd check my facebook- eventually I'd just loose interest.

The reason for all of this of course is that I won my primary victory against Richard Buchli. This means a lot of things but primarily that I have a lot of work to do. My new opponent had three times as many votes as Mr. Buchli and I combined.

This is in part because so many Democrats voted on the other ticket to influence the Senatorial race. One Dem told me he had to wash his hands afterward, but I guess he really didn't want Steelman in there.

But even if there were a couple thousand Dems out there that will be voting for me in November it is a slight blow to my ego because I was really hoping to get out the 75% of the voters who were not expected to vote . 

I suppose it is possible that majority of the regular Dem voters showed up for Buchli but pulling in a couple hundred new voters swayed things into my favor- but that is an unlikely scenario.

Even if that is the case I will need to get all the Dem voters and pull in an unusual amount of independents and non voters.

The plan hasn't really changed but now I can see how steep the challenge will be.

Still processing. More to come...

The Club For Growth Questionnaire

I had a call earlier today from The Club for Growth to remind me this was due today (it wasn't the deadline on the forms). I put a bunch of these aside for some reason when I got one from GovWatch. The name sounded like something to get behind but I found out that they are a lobbyist resource and it began to bother me that they pretty much only asked me what my hobbies are.
I don't want to make it any easier on special interests than I have to. It turns out that The Club For Growth has ties to GovWatch, but their questions seem like things people might want to know so I decided to fill it out anyway and for the challenge I went for the deadline (sent it in with only a minute to spare so keep that in mind)

1) Explain your approach to economic growth and development:

Economic growth comes from small to midsized businesses because they are best at finding niche markets and are adding to their workforce instead of trying to figure out how to reduce it. Larger companies generally do not have room to grow without breakthroughs in technology or changes in regulations.  My approach to make sure that these smaller companies have a fair shot. For example franchises shouldn't be allowed to write off their franchise fee as an expense as if they do not benefit from that corporations national advertising campaigns and other benefits.



2.) If elected, would you support efforts by our government to regulate personal behavior by raising taxes on items such as alcohol, tobacco, salt, soft drinks, saturated fat etc.? Explain:

No and I don't support the prohibition of Marijuana either. I may, however, support taxes that counter a burden on society such as the healthcare cost from cigarettes. Some might argue that soft drinks cause a similar burden, but that is scewed by the fact that corn is subsidized. So the difference is that there is a more common sense fix to that problem. Stop subsidizing corn. My approach to


3.) If elected, do you pledge to not raise taxes? Yes or No


Explain

No. I don't make pledges. Well I have pledged not to kiss babies while campaigning and not to take pledges but that was to make a point about how immature and disingenuous I feel pledges have become.


4.)Do you believe tax credits/incentives to businesses are the correct approach to job development and economic growth? Explain:

No. A much better way to stimulate an industry with public funds is to be a patron of their products. For example if the Obama industry really wanted to support the solar industry the should have ordered a bunch of solar panels for government buildings. That way if the company failed we would at least have lower overhead on government facilities. Subsidies is just putting money in the slot machine.


5.) A proposal that would eliminate the Missouri state income tax and replace it with a broad based sales tax may be on the ballot in 2012. Do you support this proposal? What are your thoughts regarding the pros and cons?

I really wanted to like this model of taxation because I believe in a simplified tax system. My concerns are that consumption based taxes will shift more of a burden on low and middle class (aka the people who HAVE to spend a higher portion of their income to survive) and that our most heavily populated areas in Missouri are on the state line. Higher priced goods in Missouri will only encourage businesses to pop up on the other side of the line.


6.)How would you address significant tort and regulatory reform during your tenure?

I will seek to find a way to preserve the ability to address legitimate grievances and decrease the use of the courts as a way to harrass or rob others. For example if a doctor cuts off the wrong leg, they should be held accountable. If the doctor had a choice between two equally valid methods of treatment and bet wrong (or just didn't succeeed) then the suit should be thrown out. The problem politically with tort and regulatory reform the unwillingness to talk about common sense solutions instead of choosing a side. These are not simple topics and can not be solved with sweeping statements.


7.) Do you support Missouri becoming a Right to Work state? Why or why not?

No. Unions give workers a means to negotiate the value of their labor. I have some philosophical grievences with unions (more so when it comes to private companies than public sector) but Right to Work isn't the solution.


8.)What unique qualifications or experience do you have that makes you a unique leader?

I started out as a cartoonist making fun of politicians. I decided to run because I saw that it wasn't good enough to have a truth teller on the outside. As a cartoonist I have insight, which a lot of people have, but I also have the ability to figure out how to put into words what people are feeling or have on the tip of their tongues.


9.) If elected, what are your top three legislative priorities?

Create oversite/appropriations for tax credit programs (because it should be relatively easy to pass), lower the importance of political affiliation for electability, and create protections for civil liberties


10.) Please provide any additional information below or enclosed (campaign literature, online contact information, etc.):

My campaign website is http://www.electladendorf.us (which also includes an old version of the site that takes on more issues and has a list of things I shouldn't admit to hating, like the show Big Bang Theory).

You might also want to check out my US policy page. I previously ran as a US House seat as a performance art piece and created a series of comics tackling policy http://www.nilvsdcbs.com

Show-Me Disability Votes Questionnaire

No matter how well informed you think you are, there are always more things to learn. This is why I continue to work on these questionnaires though it is unlikely I will get their endorsement (I'm passed the deadline on some and others don't want to invest in a campaign against a ~$70K opponent).

Background
What training, experience, and characteristics qualify, you for this position? 

I have this amazing ability to actually listen to information that contradicts my world view, use that information to inform, and even change how I view an issue. Politicians tend to speak in absolutes and I tend to see the world in shades of gray.
Being able to see the truth in what people you disagree with and the inaccuracies in the claims of your allies is a skill that needs to be introduced into our partisan political system.


Do you have any personal experience with a disability or an individual with a disability?

What comes to mind is one my closest friends in high school and my aunt (who lived with us for a time) had very severe epilepsy. Neither of them could work because of their conditions. Later my friend had brain surgery and last I heard is completely cured.


Budget
How would you propose to balance the state budget while ensuring individuals with
disabilities have access to needed services and resources that help them remain as
independent as possible?
My strategy is to prioritize spending cuts based on those who need it first. I was appalled when I learned the current Legislature cut support for the blind in favor of college funding.
If I was in office at that time I would have pressured (shamed if possible) the other members to crack down on corporate welfare and unaccountable tax credit programs to balance the budget before cutting services to people who rely on it.

Voting
Missouri Disability Vote Project strives to ensure that every individual with a disability
who is eligible to vote is actually able to vote come Election Day. However, individuals
with disabilities face threats with regards to voting due to inaccessible polling places and
proposed voter photo identification requirements. What is your'stance on Voter Photo
Identification legislation?
I'm against Voter ID requirements and other voter suppression tactics.

 How will you help to ensure polling places are ADA accessible?
I'm somewhat ashamed to admit that I just assumed poling places are already accessible. I'd be willing to hear suggestions on how to make polling places more accessible. What popped into my head was trying to allow the option of going to another polling station that is more convenient but that could create more problems than it would solve.

Community Living
In what ways would you support community-based services for individuals with
disabilities as opposed to those options that segregate this population, such as nursing
homes and hab centers?
I wouldn't support any bills that would promote shifting towards segregating. My wife works for an ISL for low functioning people with autism and I would like to think it makes a difference in their life not being in a group home.

Transportation/Housing
In many areas across Missouri there are a lack of public para-transit transportation
resources as well as a lack of affordable housing for seniors and individuals with
disabilities. If elected, what would your position be on resolving these issues?
When I graduated college I sold my car so I could afford to live in Chicago. I used public transportation nearly every day. I am an advocate for public transit but I see it as more of a municipal issue and haven't considered what state level advocacy could be done.
For para-transit and housing, in the current political climate and budget, I would mostly serve a defensive role in keeping funding cuts away from vital services. By focusing attention on corporate abuse of tax credit programs and subsides to private companies, conservative members can still brag about being fiscally superior while avoiding public shaming of going after those who actually need the help.

Employment
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the rate of unemployment or
underemployment is much higher for individuals with disabilities than those without a
disability. What do you propose could help this disparity?
With such high unemployment any hesitation to hire a particular person becomes amplified. This causes an exponential growth in the disparity felt by minorities, women, and people with disabilities. The best way to combat this unfortunate trend is to help employers focus on the individuals merits instead (often baseless) worries by giving the disadvantaged tools to help them cover the gap.
For example, some internet providers are considering the possibility of limiting bandwidth. Because the internet was created with tax payer funds and is the greatest vehicle of free speech we have, I am not of the opinion that they should be able to do this (though there may be a technical reason for this I haven't considered).
Protecting bandwidth will also have the benefit of protecting telecommuting for those who find commuting difficult or require modified computers that may not be available at the office.

Missouri Catholic Conference Survey

This Survey only had the options of agree, disagree, and no position. This puts me in some tough positions but if elected I will usually have to vote things up or down so I have decided not to answer the way I want to on this blog.  

1. People should have the right to refuse to pay for abortions, abortion drugs and other items they morally object to in their health insurance plans.

No Position

2. Health care providers should have the right to refuse to participate in conduct that violates their moral and religious convictions, such as performing abortions or distributing abortion drugs.

Agree

3. Churches should be able to sponsor soup kitchens and food pantries for immigrants without the government requiring them to check the legal status of those who come for assistance.

Agree

4. Missouri should repeal the death penalty.

No Position

5. State funding should continue for the Alternatives to Abortion (ATA) program.

No Position

6. State funds should not subsidize research that destroys human life at the earliest stage of development, such as embryonic stem cell research.

No Position

7. Tax deductions or credits should be available to K-12 school parents – public, private and religious – for the expenses incurred in educating their children.

Disagree

8. The interest rate or fees on payday loans should be capped and other measures taken to protect borrowers from predatory lending.

Agree

9. State funds should continue to be available to provide in-home care to the indigent elderly.

No Position

10. Tax credits that promote charitable giving to food pantries, pregnancy resource centers and maternity homes should be enacted.

Agree