2008
Missouri LP
Candidates

Ferguson Offers Common Sense in Stadium Controversy

Candidate is available for media interviews to discuss the taxpayers’ perspective.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Belton) – Mike Ferguson, Libertarian nominee for Missouri Lieutenant Governor, weighed in on the renewed controversy surrounding recent efforts to force taxpayers to fund a new baseball stadium in St. Louis. The special interest plan, nicknamed ‘ballpork’ by opponents, failed after massive opposition from Missourians.

“The stadium deal controversy is a factor in this race for a very good reason: it shows how badly our state government’s priorities are out of order,” said Ferguson.

Recent media coverage of political ads, aired jointly by Bekki Cook and Robin Carnahan against Peter Kinder and Catherine Hanaway, are helping keep the issue alive in this year’s elections. Abolishing corporate welfare is prominently featured in Mike Ferguson’s campaign platform, Solutions for Missouri, which can be found at his campaign website: MikeforMissouri.com

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay calls the ad, and other opposition, St. Louis bashing. * According to Ferguson, opposing the huge corporate welfare deal is only bashing misuse of taxpayers’ money.

“I am not opposed to building a new stadium in St. Louis. I am strongly opposed to forcing taxpayers in St. Joseph, Springfield, Columbia, Sedalia, Kirksville, Warrensburg, Rolla and everywhere else in Missouri to pay for it.

“The St. Louis Cardinals are owned by billionaires who live in Ohio, if they want a new stadium, great, but they should pay for it themselves. Over the past four years, Missouri has lost tens of thousands of jobs under the leadership of Bob Holden and Peter Kinder. The very idea of placing the financial burden of building a new ballpark on working families, especially when our economy has not yet recovered, is appalling.

Despite major job losses in the state, Senator Kinder has increased fiscal year 2005 spending by hundreds of millions of dollars. Governor Holden wanted a 5.6% increase in spending. Senator Kinder pushed through a budget increasing spending in FY ’05 by 5.8%.

“It’s obvious Senator Kinder has lost touch with realities Missourians face every day. His campaign slogan is ‘Every Dollar Counts,’ but taxpayers are counting far too many dollars to keep up with his Holden-like liberal spending. Missouri needs less government spending, not more. Missouri’s working families need a lighter tax burden and that cannot be done with increased spending.”

Ferguson says while Kinder has increased spending, Bekki Cook has called for higher taxes. He notes Cook plans to bring back the huge sales tax hike rejected by voters in 2002, ** leaving Mike Ferguson the only fiscally responsible candidate for Lieutenant Governor.

* Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 10/18/04

** Source: Bekki Cook’s Campaign Essay/Press Release, “Unanswered Questions.” http://www.bekkicook.com/02_12_04_News.htm

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NOTE: Mike Ferguson is available for media interviews.

Contact:

Mike Ferguson, (816) 668-9495 or mike@mikeformissouri.com

Campaign Website: http://www.mikeformissouri.com

Website Resources:

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