GOP PRIORITIES

On the first of February, the Republican caucus in the Missouri House of Representatives unveiled a legislative agenda containing a number of worthy proposals. Featuring their own "three Rs," House minority leader Mark Richardson of Poplar Bluff says, "Our legislative platform answers the call of Missourians who want responsibility, restored families and reformed government." Key components address welfare reform, making prison inmates work, limiting the House speaker to two terms, an up-or-down vote by lawmakers on the school standards provided in the Outstanding Schools Act and eliminating the sales tax on food.

The last of these is dealt with in more detail below. As for the others, thoughtful Missourians will find much to like. Of school reform, Richardson says, "There is a serious concern about the direction education reform is moving in this state." That is an understatement. The so-called academic performance standards recently adopted by the state school board have been the subject of frequent comment in this space throughout their tortured history. The flawed drafting process has produced a flawed set of standards that are neither "academic" nor "standards" worthy of the terms.

Worse, the law mandates the elimination of the Missouri Mastery and Achievement Test, which is the last objective test given on a statewide basis to Missouri students and hence our last link with the accountability Missourians have been demanding for years now from our schools. The open debate that would proceed such a floor vote in both houses of the General Assembly would be an enormously healthy exercise, not just for lawmakers but for the news media and for the public as well.

As for corrections, the House Republicans want chain gangs and mandatory work or work/study requirements. Work requirements were always an integral part of corrections throughout the 19th century, and it is hard to imagine why they shouldn't be today. Gov. Mel Carnahan's director of corrections, Dora Schriro, says the administration already has such requirements in place. If so, this is good, but the public perception, at least, is much closer to lots of TV and weight lifting for inmates. Full-blow investigation of current policy would be a welcome development.

On welfare reform, House Republicans propose a two-year limitation on benefits and that all able-bodied welfare recipients should go either to school or work. Once again, these proposals will strike a responsive chord with hardworking taxpayers who long ago tired of subsidizing idleness, illegitimacy and all their related pathologies.

Shut out of all but one statewide office, consigned for 40-plus years to minority legislative status, Republicans have a hard time getting heard in state government. The House GOP platform is a strong start and a good contribution to the debate this year.