MISSOURI LEGISLATURE, AND KNOWING WHEN TO SAY NO

It's not whether you win or lose, but how you delay the game.

It can be persuasively argued there is as much political art in rejecting bad legislation as there is in enacting good laws. This year's First Regular 87th General Assembly seemed to recognize this fact, and whether their skills were accidental or purposeful, Missourians should give a collective sigh of relief for those bills the 1993 Legislature never got around to approving.

Having already commented on the passage of measures we believe will contribute to the growth and progress of our state, let's turn to those that, if enacted, would have had a negative effect on Missouri.

Heading the list of special interest bills the state has no business approving was a proposal to increase the state sales tax to provide operating funds for still another strictly local project in St. Louis known as Metrolink. This $350 million monstrosity of civic boondoggles, funded entirely by federal money, would siphon the state treasury for years and years, and Missourians have no obligation to finance a rapid transit system that will carry passengers from East St. Louis to Lambert Field by way of a deserted cemetery.

There is no justification even for federal expenditures of such a project, and since Jefferson City has already assumed one-half of the cost of a gigantic athletic arena in St. Louis, there is no valid argument we can think of to throw additional millions into still another doomed civic project. St. Louisans have thus far invested not a penny in the construction of Metrolink, which is about the same contribution the city made for the Gateway Arch, and now there is no money to operate the little trains that won't carry enough passengers to pay the fuel bill. If the civic leaders of St. Louis are so anxious to have a transit system from East St. Louis to Lambert, let them provide the funds to run it. Senators and congressmen from the state have already provided the millions required to build the track and purchase the rolling stock.

The so-called "Yellow Pages" bill, sponsored by Southwestern Bell Telephone Co., is another proposal that deserved the death it was accorded in this year's session. A measure that prohibits the Missouri Public Service Commission from exercising its constitutional responsibility to control utility costs doesn't deserve consideration at the very start. This bill, seeking to remove the estimated $40 million profit the phone company makes annually from its Yellow Pages, could sooner or later bring higher utility rates to powerless consumers, despite the assurances of a firm that earlier decided to move its headquarters from our state to Texas.

If this bill has any merit, we feel certain the Texas regulatory agencies will show their appreciation to the utility for its move to their state. There was no valid reason for Missouri to become the first state in the country to remove a segment of a phone company's profit-making operations from the regulatory process. Southwestern Bell is already guaranteed a large profit through PSC oversight, so what logical reason exists for the state to exempt the company from profit oversight from any of its normal operations? We can think of none and neither could a majority of lawmakers in this year's session.

A poorly conceived measure that would permit certain citizens to carry concealed weapons makes no sense at a time this and every other state is reeling from spiraling homicide rates. This bill was rejected in both the 1992 and 1993 sessions, and for very valid reasons: existing prohibitions against concealed weapons provide one way of getting armed criminals off the streets and behind prison bars. Diluting existing statutes would provide one more avenue of escape for criminals who already flaunt the law and often escape prison through technicalities. Increasing the number of handguns, especially those that can be concealed, makes no sense at all at a time citizens risk their lives every time they leave home.

Still another measure that would only detract from the state's quality of life was a proposal to add video lottery games to the vast array of gambling devices already available in this state. By adding still one more enticement for citizens to waste money better used for food, housing and medical requirements makes state government almost as irresponsible as compulsive gamblers. There appears to be no end to the desire to turn Missouri into another Las Vegas, but the time has come to begin limiting socially destructive gambling devices.

Missourians appreciate the ability of lawmakers to say No as well as Yes. We should all pray they will also have the courage to say Never in future sessions.