Ballot, Flood Ins, Cardinals

04 Oct Ballot, Flood Ins, Cardinals

Welcome to the Newsletter

Rana Law Group Newsletter

In this issue:

• Back by Popular Demand: The Non-Partisan Review of MO Ballot
• Is My Home Covered By Flood Insurance?
• Just for Fun: Cardinals Don’t Make the Playoffs

Back by Popular Demand:
The Non-Partisan Review of MO Ballot

This November, there will be multiple statewide measures on the ballot for voters. There is considerable information out there, most of which is either partisan or biased. In this post, I strive to present just the facts with no opinion or bias (until the end, after all, I am a lawyer so it is tough for me not to interject my opinion, but I promise to keep it non-partisan). If you want to do some of your own research, Ballotpedia provides a summary of everything that will appear on your ballot based on your home address. Since I am not covering specific candidates, the link may be a good resource for you if you are still undecided on politicians. I saved the three marijuana items on the ballot for last since they are somewhat more involved. Without further ado, we will start with:

Amendment 1: Lobbying, Campaign Finance and Redistricting Initiative – This addresses the issue of gerrymandering districts and would create a position in the government for a demographer that would draw the districts based on population. It also limits campaign contributions and gifts from lobbyists and prevents state legislators or their employees from serving as paid lobbyists for a certain period of time.

For the Amendment: Clean Missouri, which is bi-partisan, wants state government to be open and accountable to the people. Proponents say this would lead to politicians that are less beholden to corporate interests, would lead to better representation for the people and could possibly lead to more centrist candidates. This amendment is supported by politicians on both sides of the aisle, 14 organizations, 3 unions and former election officials.

Against: Missourians First – I will be honest, I tried to find some sort of coherent argument as to why they are opposing it, but none made sense. They claim it will create gerrymandering, which seems untrue. I think the lack of support (only a few people in politics support this position) indicates the argument may be flimsy.

My thoughts: I would imagine if you are currently a politician with aspirations of becoming a lobbyist, you may not like this amendment too much as it restricts your earning capacity for a few years after office. Also, gerrymandering is cheating. Both sides do it when they are in power, but it does not change that it is wrong. What is significant is that support for this amendment is bi-partisan. There are democrats and republicans and multiple groups in favor.

The remainder of this post is available online at my website.

Is My Home Covered by Flood Insurance?

The short answer is probably not. This year has been a bad year for flooding. North Carolina recently had Hurricane Florence wreak devastation and now Arizona is fighting Tropical Storm Rosa. Unfortunately, many homeowners do not know their homeowner’s insurance policy probably does not cover flooding. A 2016 poll conducted by the Insurance Information Institute found only 12% of American homeowners have flood insurance in their policies. The Midwest was lower than the national average at 8%. Compounding the crisis, many of those affected will drastically overestimate the governmental aid they will receive.

Unfortunately, in Missouri and Illinois, we are no strangers to flooding, which is especially true if your home is in a FEMA designated flood zone. FEMA produced an excellent video explaining how government-backed flood insurance works. These policies cost around $600 per year for low risk homes and several thousand for homes closer to areas that experience periodic flooding.

The worst feeling in the world would be to lose all your possessions and your home to flooding and then finding out that your homeowners insurance does not cover your losses. If you find out your home may be at risk for flooding, I urge you to consider purchasing flood insurance.

Just for Fun: Cardinals Don’t Make the Playoffs

Many of you know I am a HUGE Cardinals fan. Unfortunately, the Cardinals dug themselves into a hole throughout the season, then got hot and then faded down the stretch. No October baseball in St. Louis this year.

Below are two photos from this year at a Royals & Cardinals game. It was my first time going onto the field to watch batting practice. Mike Moustakas, then of the Royals and now of the Brewers, even threw a ball over to my wife, who was completely indifferent. This is also the reason I have all my Cardinals memorabilia at the office instead of at home.

I also had the opportunity to sneak onto Fredbird’s car for a photo opp. Fredbird has good taste!

Hopefully the Cardinals make some moves this off-season and we can go back to postseason baseball in St. Louis.

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