Kansas City Argues Amendment 4 Against Impending 'Defund' Smackdown

More than anything, let's be practical . . .

As we reported previously . . .

POLLING REVEALS AMENDMENT 4 LEADING BY MORE THAN 40 POINTS!!!

It looks like it's going to be one of the most important and definitive  "defund the police" smackdown in national history. 

In fact the voter backlash is so obvious that detractors of Amendment 4 are already running for cover.

Consider . . .

- Following a lawsuit defeat . . . Mayor Q & Council plead with everyone and anyone to stop calling their police funding cat & mouse games "defunding" and claim their slush fund merely wanted more "community" control despite any semblance of a public vote or glimpse at their budget. 

- The claim that Amendment 4 is "taxation without representation" targeting Kansas City is also debatable. Even some of our blog denizens jump on this stretch of the imagination. Fact is . . . Missouri approves big money for KCMO every year . . . That's why we have an army of suit lobbyists. Missouri puts money into KC coffers, KCMO voters are Missouri taxpayers . . . A statewide vote for a fairly boring issue like police funding isn't oppression, it's Democracy. Still, this tactic imagines that KC didn't answer all these questions years ago . . . What's worse is that advocates of council control won't answer questions about protection from corruption that the current system has helped to thwart. Last point: STL earned so-called "local control" recently and by all accounts they deeply regret it as their homicide rate has skyrocketed even higher since that point. 

To be fair . . . Here's a glimpse at the other side of the argument as the election nears . . .

"Kansas City’s councilmembers seem split on this issue. Third District Councilmember Melissa Robinson commented that Amendment 4 adds up to overreach at the state level, and the intention isn’t to defund police.

“I want residents to be able to have a voice in how their tax dollars are being spent. Unfortunately, Amendment 4 takes away that voice. It takes away that power from local residents,” Councilmember Robinson said."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Proponents pushing for votes on KCPD budget amendment

RIVERSIDE, Mo. - Kansas City's police union endorsed Missouri State Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer for re-election on Thursday morning. KCFOP leaders cited Luetkemeyer's support of police funding, leading them to endorse him in advance of the Nov. 8 election. However, one Kansas City Councilmember accuses Luetkemeyer of pushing misinformation.