Pay attention to Jeff City

The Missouri Conservation Tax is one example of how hunters and voters cannot be apathetic when it comes to watching our politicians and lobby groups.

Some politicians say the Missouri Department of Conservation should be held accountable. Those politicians and a certain lobby group are absolutely correct. If they both would take time and do research about the department, they would find that the Missouri Department of Conservation is consider the model conservation program for the nation.

Instead of trying to dismantle No.1 system in the nation, some politicians might consider trying to fight to make sure it does not change.

A yearlong study by Field & Stream, one of the top outdoor magazine's in the country, confirms what conservation groups have claimed for a decade: American fish and wildlife management, once the envy of the world for its accomplishments, is going broke.

A review of state game agencies shows nearly two-thirds are either in financial crisis or fast approaching it. Staggered by dwindling budgets but faced with increasing responsibilities, many agencies are caught between a rock and a hard place -- or what is better know as politicians and lobby groups. As a result, they have been reducing staffs and streamlining wildlife management programs.

The Missouri Conservation Tax is a 1977 measure that dedicated 1/8th of 1 percent of a sales tax to the Missouri Department of Conservation, making this the first state to tap all of its citizens for the cost of managing fish and wildlife. It already has been voted on. But some politicians and lobbyists keep trying to take the tax away from the department. Call it money envy or success envy. Either way it is just wrong to fix something that is not broken.