There is just one problem. Area hospital leaders argue that the overnight surgery center (the potential site for Regeneration Orthopedics) is a hospital under Missouri law and should follow specific licensing, staffing, and safety standards.

This is a complicated issue and I am not an expert. Like most people, I tend to believe that the area’s leading hospitals are genuinely concerned about patients. But making an overnight surgery center, with approximately a half dozen overnight patients, follow the same regulations as BJC HealthCare, SSM Health Care, Mercy, and St. Luke’s is about business, not patients.

I understand that hospitals face complicated regulations, moreso than many other industries, but we must remember that hospitals are businesses. And as businesses, it is in their best interests to limit the entry of other firms into their field. So, when a business claims a new or emerging competitor has an unfair advantage, we must question their allegations and motives. I recognize that Regeneration Orthopedics is in a unique situation, but just because it provides similar procedures as hospitals does not mean it is a hospital.

What is next? Are we going to make test preparation or tutoring centers follow the same regulations as public schools or universities? I mean, they also “skim off” paying individuals and “leave the poor” ones. Like most licensing debates, the Chesterfield “hospital” debate is best left to the free market to decide instead of the government.

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Last Tuesday, the St. Louis Post Dispatch reported that the Rockwood School District (of which I am a graduate) received an A+ rating for “transparency” among the 10 largest school districts in Missouri. According to the Sunshine Review, a non-profit group that concentrates on state and local government accountability, Rockwood’s website met all of their criteria and provides information regarding taxes, budgets, meetings, elected officials, administrative officials, contracts, audits, public records, academics, and background checks.

Some may see Rockwood’s website as a model for school districts to follow, but taking a closer look at the site, it is not perfect. For example, if you want to review the superintendent’s or other personnel contracts, benefits, pensions, or records of communication (like e-mails between the superintendent, the president of the teachers’ union, school board members, and the board secretary), you will not find it on Rockwood’s website. Instead, you have to make a specific request for public records, and depending on the information, it could cost you more than $18,005.

Is this worthy of an A+?

No, and taxpayers deserve more. Former Show-Me Institute Policy Analyst Audrey Spalding is exactly right, “It Is Time To Increase Public School Transparency.” We have the technology to share information online. Now it is time for school districts to step up and provide us with detailed information on how they spend our money.

The post Grading Public School Transparency: Does Rockwood Deserve An A+? appeared first on Show-Me Institute.

Items exempted from the sales tax include school supplies under $50, clothes less than$100, software under $350, and computers and devices less than $3,500. There is no limit to the amount of items that can be purchased, but each item must be under the price threshold. For instance, if one purchases five shirts that are each under $100, then the discount is available for all five shirts.

This appears to be a win-win situation for everyone. Parents, students, and teachers can save money on most things that they need for the school year. And local businesses will experience an increase in sales as shoppers come over from Illinois, which is not participating in a sales tax holiday.

But as prior posts have pointed out, the sales tax holiday is far from perfect. First, it does not necessarily lead to more consumption because consumers often postpone certain purchases until the tax holiday weekend.  Second, some governments, including the state, lose out on millions in revenue because people wait to purchase certain items on the tax holiday.  Third, it puts some vendors within certain municipalities at a disadvantage because their cities opt out of the tax holiday, which means they still have to collect the local sales tax. Savvy consumers will shop at stores in municipalities where there is both a state and local sales tax exemption.

But do not feel bad.  Go out and buy what you need. It is your money and you have the right to take advantage of the sales tax weekend.  It would be great if the tax holiday led to more spending, but in tough economic times like these, I would rather see people keep more of their money than have the state waste it on some ridiculous economic development project. Just make sure you make the most out of this weekend by avoiding the cities, counties, and special districts that have opted out of the sales tax weekend.

The post Making The Most Of The Weekend appeared first on Show-Me Institute.

However, Ameren Missouri officials may have found a solution to the dilemma: the U.S. Department of Energy’s competitive federal cost-share investment funds. Ameren Missouri and Westinghouse Electric Company recently announced that they are seeking competitive federal cost-share investment funds from the Department of Energy, which would be used to manufacture Small Modular Nuclear Reactors. If Ameren receives the funds, Ameren would then expand the nuclear power plant in Callaway County without the need for reforms to Missouri’s CWIP law. This would help Missouri generate more alternative energy without unnecessary mandates. Making this deal even sweeter is the potential for the partnership between Ameren Missouri and Westinghouse Electric Company to create thousands of jobs for the engineering, manufacturing, and operation of the Small Modular Nuclear Reactors. Finally, because portions of the electricity produced in Missouri will be shared around the nation via the electric grid, some level of federal investment is legitimate here. It makes sense that Missouri customers will not pay every penny for something that benefits more than just Missouri.

This is an exciting project that has potentially great benefits for Missourians.

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