Foley took the keys to my Team Tony bandwagon away from me. I’m just another lonely voter without a bandwagon now. Kind of like pre-Trump Republicans. I’ll try to write some Truman Luetkemeyer friendly columns to get myself a seat on the bandwagon. My driving the bandwagon days are probably over.
My column last week tried to sneak a little State Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer criticism on tax freeze legislation and Foley sniffed it out like a bloodhound. I didn’t even mention Team Tony, who shepherded into law the enabling legislation that allows counties to make this move. I suspect Foley is driving the Team Tony bus to the Supreme Court interviews and that’s why he edged me out of the driver’s seat permanently. Politics is not for the weak mind or heart.
Honestly, it was well played, and I deserve my punishment and he deserves to drive. Safe travels.
The concept of giving a tax break to seniors is fine with me, but I think manipulating the tax assessment process as part of that is the problem. Missouri assessors are wildly off value on thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of properties throughout the state and there is a state law that should force taxing entities to lower their assessments in step with the raising of property values, but the system is just slow and broken. Kind of reminds me of me.
I will remind you that Foley was involved in a fender bender recently that totaled out his family truckster, probably not a good sign for the Team Tony bus with Foley driving. I’m quite sure he’s a good driver, but the streets of Jefferson City are very narrow, if you know what I mean.
I’m not the only guy in the state that thinks freezing senior assessments is a bad idea. David Stokes of the anti-tax group Show Me Institute has said this about the new law, “This bill is every bit as much of a tax increase on non-senior citizens as it is tax relief for some senior citizens,” Stokes said. “Giving one sector of the population — senior citizens (and the wealthiest sector at that) — a special tax deal is a terrible idea.”
I don’t know David, but he ain’t getting a seat on Team Tony bus either.
This is going to be my worst take in a few years. I am enjoying the Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift storyline of this year’s NFL. We’ve got pop music, football, real estate, private planes, international travel all wrapped up into one nice storyline.
I have not followed anything like this since my high school summer days. My step grandmother lived in a little trailer on the edge of town and my stepfather and brother both worked for the city public works. At noon each day, she’d serve up a hot meal for them and in the summers, I’d avail myself of anything free food related. Those guys would pile in the door, remove their boots and turn on All My Children and we’d watch it religiously during lunch. It’s almost comical now if not for seeing the similarities between that and the current NFL storyline.
I’m no conspiracist, but if Tad Martin or Phoebe Wallingford shows up at a future Chiefs game, I might move that direction.
(Guy Speckman can be found watching All My Children reruns)
