"Profiles in Cowardice" newsletter by Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal

Newsletter
April 25, 2013

Friends & Neighbors,

If you would like to learn more about the issues addressed in this newsletter or would like to discuss any matter involving state government, please contact my Capitol office.

Thank you,

Maria Chappelle-Nadal
14th District

If John F. Kennedy was writing a book about members of the U.S. Senate today, I am pretty sure it would be titled “Profiles in Cowardice” rather than “Profiles in Courage.” When Kennedy wrote his profile of his political heroes, about such men as Daniel Webster and Missouri’s Thomas Hart Benton, he was writing about politicians who risked everything to stand on principle and do the right thing.

Those days are long gone.

Last week the U.S. Senate failed to meet the newly imposed 60-vote threshold to overcome a filibuster of a modest gun control bill. Despite the fact 54 senators voted for bipartisan legislation to expand background checks to unregulated gun shows and Internet sales, the measure was defeated for failing to win a 60-vote majority. Forty-six senators had the temerity to vote against this modest bill while the families of the Newtown, Conn. shooting victims watched in the upper galleries. Polls show that 90 percent of Americans support universal background checks on firearms sales, but the National Rifle Association threatened to use the vote against wavering senators. Scare tactics by a fringe organization that represents gun manufacturers – not gun owners – carried the day. It was one of the most shameful things I have witnessed as an American.

How many more Newtown massacres will have to occur before members of Congress grow a spine and support reasonable gun control legislation that an overwhelming majority of Americans say they support? How many more Columbines will our nation have to endure before lawmakers tell the NRA to take a hike?

My frustration with the inability of Congress to respond to the wishes of an overwhelming majority of Americans turned to anger when a few GOP U.S. senators suggested Congress delay work on the bipartisan immigration bill because of the Boston Marathon bombing. Senators who used this tragedy to try to stall work on the immigration bill were likely to vote against any form of immigration reform anyway, but to use the victims of the bombing for political gain represents a new low in American politics. Although the FBI is investigating all aspects of the bombing, investigators say the perpetrators were not terrorists who snuck across the border and planted the bombs. They were two boys who emigrated from Chechnya and grew up in America. The older brother only recently became radicalized in the belief that Islam was under attack and somehow convinced his younger brother to help him carry out the attack. None of this has anything to do with immigration reform. 

We are witnessing a similar failure of legislators to heed the wishes of the majority in the Missouri House and Senate this year. Despite the fact the polls show the vast majority of Missourians support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, majority party leaders in the House and Senate refuse to do what is right for the people they represent. The Missouri Chamber of Commerce, the Missouri Hospital Association, business groups across the state, clergy and many others have urged the General Assembly to pass Medicaid expansion. Those pleas have been ignored. An estimated 2,000 people took time out their busy lives last week to travel to Jefferson City to advocate for Medicaid expansion. In yet another “Profile in Cowardice,” the House adjourned before the Medicaid rally and turned the lights out in chamber so representatives would not have to face their constituents. 

This week, the Missouri Senate had one last opportunity to do the right thing and approve an amendment to a budget bill that included the expansion of Medicaid, but all majority party members voted against the proposal. One GOP senator said he even relished the chance to vote against Medicaid expansion. I am sure the working poor who live in his district appreciate his indifference to their plight. 

Despite my frustration with both Congress and the Missouri General Assembly, I will continue to fight for the poor, for senior citizens, for immigrants and for all who just want a fair shake out of life but who do not have the means to hire teams of lobbyists to advocate for them. It is important to realize that major issues such as gun control or immigration reform or Medicaid expansion take time to work through the political system. If we do not give up, if we continue to make our voices heard in the halls of Washington, D.C., and Jefferson City, we will eventually prevail and do the right thing for the people we represent.

As Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”

 Community News -

City of Florissant Free Electronics Recycling Event (April 27) - http://www.midwrc.net/electronics-recycling-events/city-of-florissant-free-electronics-recycling-event.html

"U City in Bloom" Annual & Perennial Plant Sale (April 27, 28) - http://www.ucityinbloom.org/plant_sale.php

Tickets Now Available for the 2nd Annual "A Taste of U. City" - .pdf (May 9) - http://www.senate.mo.gov/media/13info/Chappelle-Nadal/columns/images/Taste%20of%20U2013%208.5x11%20flier%20with%20kids%20pricing.pdf

2013 Women of Courage Awards Deadline (May 13) - http://www.nwpc.org/home

"Ferguson Twilight 5K/10K & Fun Run" - Register Here (May 18) - https://register.bazumedia.com/reg/form?eventID=1318

Sen. Chappelle-Nadal's 2013 Online Legislative Survey - http://www.senate.mo.gov/D14Q13/ZipValidator.aspx

 Maria In The News -

Loving the Greatest Generation (Florissant Patch) - http://florissant.patch.com/blog_posts/loving-the-greatest-generation-se...

Citizen Comments -

"A well-written article on the greatest American generation. After reading that, I know that it came from your heart. God Bless!" – Bob

"Dear Maria, you are amazing! Watching you with the Girls Inc. girls brought back so many fond memories for me – but you were so much better than I! The girls love you and were bubbling with enthusiasm. Thank you so very much for being so special." – Betty

"Dear Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal, thank you for attending Catholic Charities Annual Legislative Breakfast. We understand how full your schedule is, and we appreciate you taking the time to meet with our administrators, agency directors and staff, and board members to learn more about our programs and the needs of the over 155,000 people we serve each year. We hope that the breakfast was a chance for you to build relationships with your constituents." – Pat

"Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to speak at the Women Lawyers’ Association’s annual Legislative Luncheon. This event would not have been possible without your support! Thank you for your dedication to public service. You help give women a voice in the Missouri Legislature!" – WLA Legislative Committee Co-Chairs

"Maria, I am a part of the " Greatest Generation," albeit at the end, 1940 and appreciate your kindness. I don't know about all of us but many of us are still trying to make this world better. It seems, though, when fighting for EDUCATING our youngsters, much of what we have learned through years of segregation, discarded books, separate but UNEQUAL, unequal funding, and on and on. Many, like me, see the future as bleak if all of our children don't get GOOD educations, but when we speak up, too often, we are pooh-poohed as though lessons learned are of no consequence. There are many reasons for our lackluster status against the rest of the industrialized nations, Educationally. Your tack offers hope because much of what many of us have learned along the way can be beneficial. greatest" – Holston

 Weekend Review -

 April 19 - April 22, 2013

I want to thank everyone who participated in my "Earth Day Forum" held at the Clayton High School on Saturday. The event was well attended and received good feedback from participants and guests. I would like to send special thanks to our panelists and volunteers who made the event possible, and to Clayton High School for allowing us to use the Stuber Gym. Presentations at the event were given by Heather Navarro, Missouri Coalition for the Environment; Tracy Haag, Department of Natural Resources; Tracy Boaz, Department of Conservation; March Lopata, PE, Microgrid Energy & Microgrid Solar; and Rep. Mary Nichols, D-Maryland Heights.

After the event on Saturday, I spent the rest of the weekend working in my garden. It is one of the activities that I enjoy the most because it is relaxing and fun.

Deuce of the Week - 

My newest friend from the "Greatest Generation."
We spent over an hour this week talking about gardening.