The Sporting Life: Political ads, election day leaves voter with hangover

Brent Lawrence is copy editor and columnist for the Springfield Business Journal.

Thank goodness the election is over.

The political ads overflowing with half-truths, outright lies and worthless political clichs left me with a hangover of New Year's Day proportions.

And those recorded political telephone calls put me over the edge. If George Bush would personally call me, I'd be happy to talk with him. Heck, anybody with either party could call me to solicit my vote and I'd be happy to discuss politics with them.

Just don't insult my intelligence with some prerecorded mumbo-jumbo. It puts politics on the same level as those telemarketers that call and say "Please hold for an important offer from "

Hopefully the Republicans will use their control of the House, Senate and presidency to put forward a moderate plan for America and help us all move forward, instead of a right-wing package that will drive away independent voters.

There was no mandate in this election, as many races were decided by razor-thin margins. Use your power wisely, Republicans.

Above all else in this election, I am glad the cigarette tax failed. I don't smoke (OK, I have a Cuban cigar once a year when I get together with my life-long friends), but this tax was unpalatable for several reasons.

If I truly believed that the government wanted to use the tax dollars for smoker education and treatment of smoking-related diseases, I would have voted for it. But this was just another source of income for a cash-strapped state. And what happened to the settlement with the big tobacco companies? Where did that money go? Not to where it should have gone.

Many of us remember the ruse used to get the lottery approved. It was said that the profits would be used to fund education. The state did as promised and funneled the money into education. But also reduced the original education funding so that it ended up as a break-even proposition.

The cigarette tax failed for the same reason the highway funding proposition in August failed: The voters don't trust the government to spend the money as promised.

Plus, tobacco is a legal substance. As long as it remains a legal product (the government even subsidizes its growth), there shouldn't be an exorbitant "sin" tax with the purpose of taxing it out of existence.

I almost abstained from voting in the Jean Carnahan-Jim Talent race. I opted to vote because not voting is like a vote for the least-qualified candidate, but it was painful.

Why would both parties put poor candidates up for the biggest race on the ballot? I would have supported any reasonable candidate from either party.

Note to Democrats: Just because Jean Carnahan was married to a career politician, it doesn't make her qualified to be one. If a doctor dies, does her husband automatically become qualified to fill in at the next operation? I don't think so.

I hated to see Craig Hosmer lose. Talking with Republicans and Democrats alike, there is a general consensus that Hosmer is a good, trustworthy candidate.

What happened to Jim Kreider? I thought he was a virtual lock for election to the state Senate. He didn't even carry Christian County.

Wal-Mart debate

There has been a lot of debate about the new Wal-Mart Supercenter in Ozark.

I'm not anti-Wal-Mart by any means, but I believe in a level playing field. Ozark shouldn't bend over backwards just to bring in the super-sized version of the retailer that is already established in the community. There should be no tax abatements or special deals that aren't offered to the existing merchants in Ozark.

When Ozark, or any other market, reaches the critical mass necessary to support a mega retailer, then the retailer will jump through hoops to locate there.

Consider the explosion of growth in 1993 when Circuit City, Kohl's, Chili's and Office Max started popping up in south Springfield. Springfield's Metropolitan Statistical Area hit a magic number and business couldn't get here fast enough.

If there's money to be made in Ozark with a Wal-Mart Supercenter, then the company will make the move without any incentives from the city.

That's when it will be better for the city, its businesses and residents.