Let the public pay for the monument

A group in Jefferson City has raised thousands of dollars for a monument honoring the Corps of Discovery expedition led by William Clark and Meriwether Lewis 200 years ago. But the monument, featuring five statues of the expedition's key figures, has hit a snag. The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission is hesitant to kick in another $800,000 for the project, because the Missouri Department of Transportation is fighting its own funding battles in an effort to keep the state's highways in decent shape.

Disappointed supporters of the monument are trying to drum up statewide support for the monument in hopes MoDOT will change its mind.

If, indeed, Missourians think the monument is a good idea -- and it certainly has a lot of appeal, given this state's primary role in the Lewis and Clark adventure -- why wouldn't they be willing to kick in the money instead of relying on tax dollars? Many monuments have been put up thanks to donations of a few dollars here and a few more there.