Bob Onder's Anti-Choice Legislation

Hi Everybody!

I don't usually post about a woman's right to choose because it is not an issue in which people are typically open to changing their minds. I suppose this includes me -- I am the first to admit that I am not willing to compromise a woman's right to choose in any way, to any degree.

I am willing, though, to talk about ways to reduce and even eliminate the need for an abortion. In my experience and from everything I've learned about the issue over the last 19 years -- the best way to reduce abortions is through birth control and comprehensive, age-appropriate sex education. These are the keys to reducing and eventually eliminating abortion.

Today, though, I got into the issue, and also violated my rule against blogging (on sites other than my own) at the same time (which I try not to do because so many in the blogging community are completely unreasonable and the majority insist on hiding themselves in anonymity).

Anyway, I got mad about the latest attempt by the anti-choice movement to encumber the process of getting an abortion, and posted on the Columbia Tribune's blog. Basically, I just said that I oppose Rep. Bob Onder's proposal to modify Missouri's "informed consent" law, but didn't give my reasons.

In the spirit of making myself more clear, here are my thoughts:

• In theory, it probably it sounds pretty good to make "coercing a woman to have an abortion" illegal. That sounds like a good thing, right? Of course it does, on the surface. But the fact is that most of the issues addressed by this legislation (coercion by stalking, assault, kidnapping, etc.) are already illegal. The real reason for passing this part of this largely redundant legislation is to provide one more tool to threaten physicians, other health care providers, educators and others who women might consult when making these decisions.
• Even more importantly, I oppose this legislation because it addresses much more than the coercion issue. Beyond using the boogeyman of coercion to frighten people, it proposes a variety of measures designed to make women change their minds (looking at pictures of unborn fetuses, offering anesthesia for the fetus, etc.).

Setting aside the question of constitutionality, Hank Waters is right in the most important ways (see his article at http://www.showmenews.com/2008/Apr/20080421Comm002.asp). This legislation is one more effort, in a long line of efforts, to undermine women's ability to choose abortion.

I'm ready to talk about reducing and eliminating abortion through education and birth control. To that extent, I'm excited about working with both Republicans and my fellow Democrats who are committed to this same end. And we will find wasy to compromise from time to time if we are willing to have reasonable discussion. But I will not support legislation designed to intimidate women, health care providers and others. And I will steadfastly and respectfully disagree with anyone who does, regardless of party.

- sean

Sean Spence

Candidate, Missouri's 25th House District

www.SpenceCampaign.com

seanspence@earthlink.net

573-823-1308 (mobile)

100 Days Remaining

Hi Everybody!

It is hard to believe that I've been campaigning for four months. On one hand, it feels like there's no way it could be that long; on the other, it feels as though I've been campaigning for this seat my entire life.

Forgive me for being just a little sentimental today. Every part of running this campaign really is an honor (well, maybe I could have done without some of the nasty blog postings...).

It is amazing to meet my neighbors across Columbia and talk with them about important issues. This happens every day, often on people's front door steps. Let me assure you, if you are standing at someone's front door and they are in the mood to talk, there is absolutely nothing they won't say. I've had people tell me about their health problems; about lost jobs; one woman told me about her daughter dying after losing her Medicaid coverage; and another told me about lead poisoning her entire family is suffering and her resulting concerns about environmental safety regulations.

Mostly, though, I've heard reasons for optimism -- stories about hopes and joys and all of the things that make Missouri great.

Just 100 days remain in the primary campaign. I can't wait to see what they have in store.

- sean

Sean Spence
Candidate, Missouri's 25th House District
www.SpenceCampaign.com
seanspence@earthlink.net
573-823-1308 (mobile)

Director of Sustainability

Hi Everybody!

Here is a press release I sent last week about creating a Missouri Director of Sustainability.

To me, this is an example of the kind of legislation that both parties should be able to support. The key is to create a position whose job is to save the state money by being smarter about the way we use our resource. Doesn't that just make sense? Universities and companies are saving billions (I thought it was hundreds of millions, but have been informed that it is much more) by doing exactly this. Shouldn't Missouri have the same opportunity?

My proposal is for a cabinet-level position -- someone who can really have the ear of the governor and with enough weight to interest the press corps.

Done even sort of right, this is the sort of proposal that will be worth far more to the state than what it might cost us (Duke University, for example, saves millions with a $30,000+ position).

Have a great Thursday!

- sean



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 2008
CONTACT: SEAN SPENCE
573-823-1308; seanspence@earthlink.net


EARTH DAY -- SPENCE PROPOSES MISSOURI DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY

“In the name of saving money and saving our planet, Missouri should create a cabinet-level Director of Sustainability,” Spence said. “My favorite example of success in this area is MU, which saves over $2.2 million annually through energy conservation alone.”

(Columbia, MO) Today Sean Spence, Democratic candidate for Missouri’s 25th legislative district, proposed the creation of a cabinet-level Director of Sustainability, reporting directly to the governor. This position would be tasked with identifying “green” measures that would save the state money and contribute to environmental preservation.

Spence said that universities across the country are creating positions of this kind and should set an example for states. He pointed to the University of Missouri as paving the way for statewide programs.

He said the following quote from a 2004 article about MU’s cost-saving programs should be an inspiration to Missouri:

"Turning off a typical computer every night and weekend saves $60 annually, amounting to thousands when applied to the many computers used across campus," says Paul Hoemann, MU’s director of Energy Management. "Efforts like this don't cost anything."

“MU saves over $2.2 million every year because of the steps it has taken to conserve energy,” Spence said. “This doesn’t even address such areas as paper management, transportation, waste management and purchasing.”

Spence said that merging environmentally friendly policies with cost-savings is also taking hold in corporate America. “Companies ranging from Coca-Cola to Walt Disney are saving millions of dollars every year through their green efforts,” Spence said. “Shouldn’t Missouri have at least one high-level person who focuses exclusively on doing the same?”

Spence, a 1993 graduate of the University of Missouri, runs a public relations and political consulting practice in Columbia. A part-time state employee, Spence is an advisor to State Auditor Susan Montee.

####

My letter to the editor -- Columbia Daily Tribune

Okay, in terms of blogging, this is cheating a little bit, because I've already written about my prescription drug plan. But here is the letter I wrote to the Columbia Daily Tribune about it. Enjoy!

- sean



Missouri should negotiate better prescription deals
Published Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Editor, the Tribune:

Hundreds of thousands of Missourians are being crushed under the weight of uncontrolled prescription costs. Other states are finding market-driven solutions to this problem. It is time for Missouri to help our residents save money on their prescriptions.

One solution does not have to include lots of money. All we must do is look to Maine - as well as California and Hawaii, which followed Maine’s lead - and leverage the buying power of Missouri’s Medicaid program to negotiate better prescription drug prices.

Doesn’t that make sense? Isn’t negotiating better prices always a good idea? It almost seems un-American to suggest otherwise.

Missouri could negotiate better prescription drug prices. Maine does it every day. It tells drug companies, "Cut your profit margins on Drug X, or we won’t put it on Medicaid’s preferred drug list, which means fewer people will buy it and you will make less money."

The result is that hundreds of prescription drugs are discounted by an average of 25 percent for brand-name drugs and an average of 50 percent for generics.

In the "Maine Rx Plus" program, residents who make as much as 350 percent of the federal poverty level and don’t have prescription drug coverage qualify for the program. More than 100,000 Maine residents enjoy the program’s benefits.

The program has proved itself since 2004, when the U.S. Supreme Court declared it constitutional.

Doesn’t Missouri deserve a program that will cut drug prices without a massive outlay of taxpayers’ money? Don’t we need to do something?

Sean Spence
Candidate, Missouri's 25th House District
www.SpenceCampaign.com
seanspence@earthlink.net
573-823-1308 (mobile)
10 S. Ninth St.

Article about my student support

Hi Everybody!

Here's a link to a story in The Maneater (MU's student newspaper) about my recent endorsement by several student leaders from the district's three campuses (Columbia College, MU and Stephens).

http://www.themaneater.com/stories/2008/4/1/students-support-spence/

I'm pretty excited about the story. Too many candidates and elected officials talk a lot about supporting our schools and forget about the students. The other day, there was actually a comment on a blog post, saying, "Seeking endorsements from students who don't even come from Columbia and probably won't even be here in the future seems irrelevent."

The poster later came back to say that his/her words were being twisted. But you can read them for yourself and it seems pretty plain what was meant.

http://blogs.columbiatribune.com/politics/2008/03/spence_touts_backing_of_democr.html

That viewpoint doesn't make much sense to me. How can Columbia reap the rewards of the student population and not give their opinions equal weight? I can understand that people who are older or who have lived here longer offer a different perspective, but that doesn't make it better than what the students have to offer.

So, I say thank you to all of the students -- leaders and everyone else -- who has gotten behind my campaign. I appreciate you, and you can be sure your opinions and needs will always carry weight with me.

- sean

Sean Spence
Candidate, Missouri's 25th House District
www.SpenceCampaign.com
seanspence@earthlink.net
573-823-1308 (mobile)

Environmental Policy

Hi Everybody!

I don't have a particularly cohesive, well-constructed message today (if ever). Right now I'm talking a lot with folks about the environment, about sustainability, about reconciling the needs of our planet with the needs of business (gee, wonder who's going to win that arguement?!?).

Ben Datema, President of Sustain Mizzou, posted an interesting article, which he wrote, on his Facebook page about Natural Capitalism. Now that I think about it, rather than rambling on about my disorganized thoughts, I'm going to post his brief article below. Under that, I'm also going to paste links to two article that I find very interesting, related to the greening of business (you might need to hold your nose for the one about Wal-Mart -- it pains me to post anything remotely positive about them, but it is a valuable article).

Here's Ben's article:

Business and Environmental Sustainability, by Ben Datema, Sustain Mizzou

It's business versus environment, right? If The economy is growing, the environment must shrink, and vice-versa.

Not at all!

Business and environmental sustainability are both about efficiency--both businesses and the natural world have limited resources. In both cases, we must strive to get the biggest bang for our buck (or load of lumber, or chunk of aluminum, or any other resource). If we are to reduce our negative impact on the environment and increase or positive impact, we must do so by fostering businesses and people, as well as the natural capital that businesses, people, and every other living thing depend on. This is the concept of Natural Capitalism--humanity is not at odds with the enviornment, humanity is a part of it. Supporting the natural environment is the same thing as supporting ourselves.

I found the 4 points below on the Rocky Mountain Institute website (RMI is a world leader in environmental sustainability advocacy and consulting--RMI.org).

The Four Principles of Natural Capitalism.

1. Radically Increase the Productivity of Natural Resources.Through fundamental changes in both production design and technology, farsighted companies are developing ways to make natural resources — energy, minerals, water, forests — stretch five, ten, even 100 times further than they do today. The resulting savings in operational costs, capital investment, and time can help natural capitalists implement the other three principles.

2. Shift to Biologically Inspired Production Models and Materials.Natural capitalism seeks not merely to reduce waste but to eliminate the very concept of waste. In closed-loop production systems, modeled on nature's designs, every output either is returned harmlessly to the ecosystem as a nutrient, like compost, or becomes an input for another manufacturing process. Industrial processes that emulate the benign chemistry of nature reduce dependence on nonrenewable inputs, make possible often phenomenally more efficient production, and can result in elegantly simple products that rival anything man-made.

3. Move to a "Service-and-Flow" Business Model.The business model of traditional manufacturing rests on the sale of goods. In the new model, value is instead delivered as a continuous flow of services—such as providing illumination rather than selling light bulbs. This aligns the interests of providers and customers in ways that reward them for resource productivity.

4. Reinvest in Natural Capital.Capital begets more capital; a company that depletes its own capital is eroding the basis of its future prosperity. Pressures on business to restore, sustain, and expand natural capital are mounting as human needs expand, the costs of deteriorating ecosystems rise, and the environmental awareness of consumers increases. Fortunately, these pressures all create business opportunity.


That's the end of Ben's article. Below are the two links (again, please forgive the Wal-Mart article -- even the devil has lessons to teach).

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/118/working-with-the-enemy.html -- about Adam Wehrbach, once the youngest president of the Sierra Club, now working for Wal-Mart

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/120/motorhead-messiah.html -- Johnathan Goodwin can get 100 mpg out of a Lincoln Continental, cut emissions by 80%, and double the horsepower. Does the car business have the guts to follow him?

Sean Spence
Candidate, Missouri's 25th House District
www.SpenceCampaign.com
seanspence@earthlink.net
573-823-1308 (mobile)