Aug 16

It’s Not Worth It: Drive Now, Text Later

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August 16, 2013

by Mike Ferguson

(St. Charles, MO) – We’ve all done it, even though we know we shouldn’t. We may even feel bad about it after we do it but, for too many Missourians, that doesn’t stop us from doing it again.

Texting while behind the wheel.

As technology allows us to connect with each other faster, clearer and in more ways, the problem of distracted driving grows. Today’s leading technology companies are among those sounding the alarm and asking all of us to put the mobile device down when the vehicle is in “drive”.

AT&T Missouri’s Debra Hollingsworth says over 100,000 accidents in the US every year now involve distracted driving, often because of someone using a mobile device to text, email or go online.MWSnap099

We often hear statistics like that and assume it’s teenagers and college-aged drivers doing it. They are, but not as much as adults in the workforce. On “Missouri Viewpoints”, Hollingsworth sites a recent survey AT&T uses to study the trend to explain.

“Commuters are 50% more likely to text while driving than teens. Teens, only 43% say they text while driving, so it’s a big issue for every age.”

Missouri State Highway Patrol Sergeant says that matches up with what he and his fellow troopers see on the roadways every day.

“It’s just a losing proposition. I don’t care who you are, it’s impossible to text and drive safely. You just can’t do it.”

While the problem is growing, making the roads less safe for all of us, there is an easy solution and it doesn’t involve the latest technology. In fact, it doesn’t involve any technology. Hollingsworth points out other results of the distracted driving survey that show good old fashioned human communication is often the answer when it comes to stopping distracted driving.MWSnap100

Ninety-percent of those who responded to the survey say they won’t text while driving when someone in the car with them simply asked them not to.

The survey also shows that teenagers who are specifically instructed by their parents to not text while behind the wheel are less likely to do it.

While Missouri law allows those 22 and older to text and drive legally, Nothum says the telltale signs of a distracted driver will get the attention of officers on patrol.

“We’re out looking for the person who is actually texting and driving and driving in a manner that’s going to create an issue for other people.”

Those indicators include unneeded slowing down and speeding up, drifting outside your lane and sudden stops when you get too close to the vehicle in front of you. They are similar to the indicators of someone who is driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

AT&T is among the companies pushing for everyone to take a pledge against distracted driving. You can take that pledge and get more information about the dangers at the “It Can Wait” website (www.ItCanWait.com) and a major educational push on the issue is planned for September 19th across the state.

One aide being offered is a free app for mobile devices called Drive Mode. That detects when your phone is moving at least 25 miles per hour and blocks incoming alerts. It can be programmed to send a response to a text message, email and/or phone call saying you are driving at the moment and will respond to the message later.

While new technology is being developed to help the simplest solution is having the willpower to ignore that mobile device instead of ignoring the roads and other drivers, even for a few seconds.

On the web:

AT&T : www.ATT.com

“It Can Wait” campaign: www.ItCanWait.com

Missouri State Highway Patrol: http://www.mshp.dps.missouri.gov/MSHPWeb/Root/index.html

* AT&T Missouri is a sponsor of “Missouri Viewpoints”

Permanent link to this article: http://americanviewpoints.tv/its-not-worth-it-drive-now-text-later/

Aug 09

Paying for Renewable Energy in Missouri

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August 9, 2013

By Mike Ferguson

(St. Charles, MO) – Missouri voters approved it in 2008 and, now, there’s some pushback on the cost of implementing what was known at “Proposition C.”

Kansas City Power and Light is asking state regulators for permission to limit the amount of rebates they spend when customers install solar panels on their homes or businesses. Customers of Kansas City Power and Light as well as Ameren Missouri are eligible for the program. That’s about half the population of the state, according to renewable energy advocates.

As part of the law created by Prop C, property owners can install the solar power on their buildings and then get a rebate for much of that cost. In other words, if you’re in KCP&L’s or Ameren’s service area, the power company is required to pay for part of your solar system. It’s part of the “Renewable Energy Standard” aspect of the law that requires an increasing reliance on renewable energy.

KCP&L says the cost is going up every year and wants to limit the amount it has to pay in rebates. In 2010, the company paid out around $350,000 in rebates. By 2012 that number was up to $12 million and the rebate cost for this year is on track to hit $51 million, according to KCP&L. The utility wants to cap the annual total cost for them at $21 million.

Renew Missouri, an environmental advocacy group that pushed for Prop C, is challenging that request.

MWSnap008P.J. Wilson is the group’s Director and says $51 million obviously sounds like a lot of money but don’t feel too bad for the power company when you put that figure in context. On a new “Missouri Viewpoints”, he says “Compared to the cost of a new coal power plant [$51 Million], it’s not [a lot of money]. The newest coal power plant that Kansas City Power and Light has was budgeted at around a billion dollars and actually one and a half billion dollars. So, when you compare that, it makes $50 million look like chump change to be paying for solar programs.”

An estimated one-percent of KCP&L customers are using the solar energy rebate program. Wilson points out that one-percent, though, is paying out of pocket to cover part of what are basically mini power plants.

The state’s Public Service Commission is still taking comments on the request.

Wilson says he worries that Ameren will follow suit and try to limit the rebate program if KCP&L gains the approval to cap the program in their area. “That’s not fair to customers that want to put up solar. It’s not fair to the solar installers themselves. And, really, fundamentally it doesn’t make much sense because what the utilities are saying is they want to take the cost that they are investing in these rebates that result in solar power systems that are online for ten, twenty, thirty years plus and they want to charge their customers immediately for them.

“They want to charge in 2013 for every dollar that they spend in 2013. Well, they don’t do that when they build a coal power plant. That would be unheard of.”

Wilson maintains that encouraging solar power in homes and businesses is not just a way for the state to reach renewable energy generation goals, but it’s a way to take pressure off the grid when power is in peak demand.

Between the rebates and tax incentives, much of the cost of installing a solar system can be covered. Missouri Solar Applications Vice President Mike Odneal explains. “Currently, the incentives that we have for certain areas from the investor-owned utilities will typically cover 40-percent of the cost of the system. And then the federal tax credit typically covers about thirty-percent of that cost.

MWSnap009“So, the out-of-pocket cost up front is about thirty-percent of the system.”

While that helps, there’s still a significant up front cost, as normal solar power systems cost $30,000 to $50,000 before the rebates and tax incentives. That makes the cost to you after the incentives, typically, between $9,000 and $15,000.

Odneal says solar power companies will work with your current power provider to calculate how much power you need to generate. From there, a system can be designed with the specifics of your power usage in mind.

At the site level, several factors impact the overall cost of the system. That includes the available space on your roof and even the amount of shade affecting the building.

The bottom line is that installing a solar system on your property can, and likely will, eliminate your electric bill for decades but there is a significant upfront cost. What state regulators must now determine is how much help you can access for that cost.

On the web:

Renew Missouri: www.RenewMO.org

Missouri Solar Applications: www.MOSolarApps.com

Kansas City Power & Light: www.KCPL.com

Missouri Public Service Commission: www.PSC.mo.gov

Permanent link to this article: http://americanviewpoints.tv/paying-for-renewable-energy-in-missouri/

Aug 07

Missouri Viewpoints Featured on GTN TV in St. Louis

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August 7, 2013

“Missouri Viewpoints” Featured on Gateway Television News in St. Louis

(Black Jack, MO) – The media we use every day is changing and the next generation of reporters, anchors, writers, producers and technical specialists needs to be ready.

That’s one of the aspects of media in Missouri (and the US) that gets covered in a new interview on the award-winning Gateway Television News, which is based in the Black Jack, Missouri City Hall and serves the entire St. Louis area.

News Director Randy Gardner interviews “Missouri Viewpoints” Executive Producer and Host Mike Ferguson for the special, which is now airing on GTN.

GTN produces a tremendous amount of local programming, with new content being offered regularly. Check the website below to find the channel it’s on in your area, or you can access the programs online.

On the web:

Gateway Television News – http://www.gtntv.com/

Permanent link to this article: http://americanviewpoints.tv/missouri-viewpoints-featured-on-gtn-tv-in-st-louis/

Aug 02

Protecting Missouri’s Children At Home, At School and Online

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August 2, 2013

By Mike Ferguson

(St. Charles, MO) – Back to school time means hectic schedules, anxiety over new classes and reconnecting with old friends.

It can also mean new threats from family friends, neighbors or complete strangers who want to abuse them. While we often think of a child abuser as the creepy-looking guy in the trench coat on shows like “Law and Order” or “Criminal Minds”, it could be the person who babysits them now.

MWSnap096Ellen Teller is the Executive Director of The Child Center and says predators usually work to win the trust of their victims and the victim’s family.

“Sexual abuse does not really happen with strangers. Ninety-five percent of the time, or more, the perpetrator, the offender in a sexual abuse case is someone that is known by the child and known very well.”

Teller says one in six boys and one in four girls in the United States becomes a victim of sexual abuse before the age of eighteen.

While parents generally cannot stop predators from trying to lure children into being abused, they can help prevent the abuse through the parental relationship. Teller says having open communication and trust with your child stronger than what anyone can establish is the key to preventing sexual abuse.

That means your child must know it’s safe to talk to you when they feel uncomfortable around someone, even a relative or family friend.

“I wish we could teach children that an offender has a certain look, but they don’t. They look very much like you and I and in order to be successful at what they do, they can’t be scary to the children.”

She adds that protecting kids also means listening to your inner voice when a person makes you uncomfortable. To Teller that “gut instinct” is worth following when it comes anyone who wants to be close to your children.

Teller recommends calling law enforcement when you suspect a problem. That’s not only to get the investigation and prosecution started but to access specialists who know how to work with traumatized children. Groups like hers also offer counseling for children who have been victimized.

That concept of earning trust with a young victim isn’t unique to those who live in the neighborhood. FBI Agent Martin Culbreth says predators take that approach with technology.

MWSnap097While they stay out of the line of sight physically, sexual predators are often keeping up with modern technology while parents often don’t. Too often, that allows long-term conversations to develop between children and the predator that go undetected.

When that happens, the predator can establish you child’s trust in him and shake their trust in you.

“[Sexual predators] are looking for the exact same things they would look for in a physical world. They’re looking for the child that’s a loner or a child that’s reaching out somewhere else, and they are going to prey on that vulnerability that’s out there.”

That is not done overnight. It’s done over time with conversations that begin innocently and gradually become sexually leading or explicit. Culbreth says the predator moves the child to the next level of a sexual relationship once he establishes a new level of trust with them. For example, what could be a request for a picture of the child while fully clothed could lead to a request for a picture in a swim suit.

From there, it’s not as much of a stretch to ask for a topless or nude photo without scaring the young victim, at least not as much if that relationship has been developed.

While the same advice on building a strong relationship with your child applies in these cases, Culbreth says parents need to do their own homework. In other words, learn the technology that your children use on their phone, in their room and at school.

“Everything you can do at your desktop can be done in a mobile environment.”

That’s why the FBI has launched an online guide for children about cyber threats. It’s called “Safe Online Surfing” and is designed for kids between the third and eighth grades. Agent Culbreth says the game is also suitable for use by school teachers and others who lead groups of young people.

While some experts point out that most sexual abuse is committed by those close to the child and his or her family, the problem of strangers using technology to lure children into abuse is still a threat to all young people.

“If the FBI, right now, were to turn all of our agent resources – 14,000 agents – towards online predators and sex offenders, we literally could make arrests 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

Agent Culbreth says new technology creates more opportunities for predators and his advice is to make sure, just like in your physical neighborhood, you are always near your child. That probably means learning to navigate the digital world along with both your child and the bad guys.

“Don’t be afraid of technology. Embrace it because your child has embraced it.”

On the web:

The Child Center – http://www.thechildcenter.com/

FBI’s “Safe Online Surfing” Guide and Game: https://sos.fbi.gov/

Permanent link to this article: http://americanviewpoints.tv/protecting-missouris-children-at-home-at-school-and-online/

Jul 26

Minorities in Missouri: Politics, Culture and the Impact of Government

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July 26, 2013

by Mike Ferguson

(St. Charles, MO) – Can you tell if someone is a Republican or a Democrat, a liberal or conservative or a supporter of any specific policy based on the color of their skin?

Not if they are white. Why, then, do many people still assume that black Missourians are Democrats simply because of the color of their skin?

Statistics show that an overwhelming percentage of black Missourians do, in fact, support Democrats at the polls but that should not be the basis of any assumptions according to Christopher Arps. He’s a co-founder of Move On Up, which is a networking and advocacy group for black conservatives.

MWSnap095Move On Up started in Missouri and now has members in 43 states.

On “Missouri Viewpoints”, Arps takes issue with the racial stereotypes often involved with politics.

“It’s, honestly, kind of insulting because it’s basically saying that you don’t have your own mind and you’re supposed to automatically agree or think like the group. I’m insulted, frankly, when people automatically assume I’m a liberal.

“There’s nothing wrong with being a liberal. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that but that’s just not my political philosophy.”

With the social, political and racial tensions still high after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in connection with the death of Travon Martin in Florida, racial conflicts are back on the minds of many Americans. Multiple rallies to protest the Zimmerman verdict were held in Missouri.

While national media coverage lists, among others, Rev. Al Sharpton as “civil rights leaders”, Arps isn’t sold on the leadership of Sharpton and other liberal activists. In fact, he questions both their impact and their motives.

“Prejudice is still in this country but it’s not what it used to be and we’ve come a long way. I think that a lot of the civil rights organizations [have] become an industry…a lot of people have achieved their fame and their power from keeping the races agitated.

“I think that we’ve got to get away from that and come together as a people.”

While President Obama visited the Show Me State this week to put more national attention on the economy and education, the unemployment rate for young black people remains far above the national average.

To many, that’s a failure of government and it’s the impact of systemic racism. To Arps, it’s a failure of the individual and a failure in culture.

“It’s not going to take a social scientist to realize that if you drop out of high school and you’re walking around with your pants around your ankles…you’re not going to be an attractive candidate for a job.

“I think, in a sense, we can use some type of partnership with the government. Maybe some type of job training program or something but it, ultimately, comes down to you.”

That focus on the individual and away from government-based solutions is what Arps hopes more Missourians of color will consider. That’s a theme more common among conservatives than among liberals and it also puts him at odds with most political leadership in predominantly African-American areas.

Still, Arps wants to work with those who hold to different politics and philosophies. He says Move On Up and challenging racial assumptions is part of a bigger picture. That bigger picture is one of using discussion with opposing viewpoints to sort out the best ideas to fix problems that result in minority poverty, health problems and crime.

“We need to realize that even though we may come at this from different political perspectives, we’re all trying to achieve the same goal.”

That goal includes turning urban core school districts around as schools in both Kansas City and St. Louis deal with the loss of accreditation. Arps points out that failing schools increase the likelihood of students not having the knowledge and skills needed to be job-ready as adults.

That impacts the entire state.

 

On the web:

Move On Up: www.Move-On-Up.org

* Note: We at “Missouri Viewpoints” are committed to getting multiple viewpoints on controversial issues. We take pride in presenting different and often competing perspectives as part of our mission to improve the dialogue on important issues in our state. We work hard to accomplish this goal.

State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, the Chair of Missouri’s Legislative Black Caucus, was scheduled to be on this program to present the view from a more liberal perspective. After accepting the invitation to be on the program, her office re-confirmed her scheduled appearance shortly before the interview.

We were notified minutes before the recording began that the Senator decided not to go through with the scheduled appearance. While I regret that we did not have a liberal viewpoint on these issues as planned to offer alongside the conservative one, I decided to produce the program anyway.

In my view, it would not be fair to Mr. Arps and the “Missouri Viewpoints” audience silence both perspectives because one decided not to participate.

Mike Ferguson  

Permanent link to this article: http://americanviewpoints.tv/minorities-in-missouri-politics-culture-and-the-impact-of-government/

Jul 19

Mental Health Care In Missouri

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July 19, 2013

by Mike Ferguson

(St. Charles, MO) – Two simple words can strike fear into people in a unique way. That fear can – and often does – stop people from asking the right questions, accepting the reality of situations and getting help that may be readily available to them or their loved ones.

Those two words are “Mental Illness”.

When symptoms like physical pain are noticed, many Missourians get right to the doctor. When mental struggles are in their life, many refuse to take that same approach. That could be from a lack of understanding about what’s happening and it could be from fear of being labeled “mentally ill” and the stigma that comes with it.

That’s a dangerous problem. The Crider Center’s President, Laura Heebner, says on “Missouri Viewpoints” that dealing with mental issues shouldn’t be different than dealing with other health concerns. She says it starts with a better understanding throughout society.

MWSnap092“In reality, a mental illness is a brain-related medical condition that typically impacts a person’s ability to think and feel and relate to others in a way that allows them to lead a full, productive life.”

While everyone gets the blues from time to time, Heebner says mental illness is when someone’s ability to function normally is diminished. Extended impact on functioning at work, at school, in daily tasks and in relationships with friends and family could be signs of mental illness.

Crider Center Vice President Katrina Harper points out that some studies indicate around a quarter of Americans deal with some form of mental illness at some point in their life. She says bipolar disorder and depression are the most common. Many of those affected do not seek help.

Some make matters worse by trying to cope through drug and alcohol abuse.

MWSnap093“So many times folks are so reluctant to come forward because there is stigma and we fight stigma on a daily basis.”

Harper adds that, in addition to overall stigma with friends and family, some Missourians who think they may have a mental health concern are afraid of consequences in the workplace. The fear of what loved ones think and the fear of consequences at work, Harper says, can lead to a greater sense of isolation.

Where should you go if you notice changes in your feelings or behavior that won’t go away and that worry you or those close to you? Heebner says you start the same place you’d start if any other part of you hurts.

“The first place to start is with your primary care physician…because it certainly could be another medical condition that’s causing this to happen.”

Both Heebner and Harper hope more Missourians will overcome a fear of talking to doctors about mental conditions and get help. That help could be in the form of counseling, medication or a combination of both.

Then again, just like with the discomfort you feel in your stomach or ankle, you may not need a prescription or therapeutic regimen at all. The key is to seek help when you have a concern.

MWSnap090Harper points out that early communication is key to getting a handle on mental health conditions. That means parents must work to keep open communication with their children throughout their lives. It also means using resources that are available such as school counselors when needed.

Much of mental health, according to Heebner and Harper, involves chemical balances and imbalances in the brain. That can be impacted by many things both in the body and from without.

Government, business and medicine are changing how they view mental health. A typical health insurance policy now covers mental health expenses to some degree and business regulations often treat mental illness similar to other ones when it comes to employee rights and privacy.

While there are still areas of public policy, health care and regulations related to mental health that must still be worked out in the state, the changes that have happened so far are bringing the needs into the mainstream discussion.

Heebner says there is another challenge when it comes to mental health care. It’s a challenge she worries could still limit mental health treatments even if all the other questions are answered at some point.

“There are not enough psychiatrists in this nation and Missouri certainly is suffering from that as well. So, even if you have insurance and you have resources and you call a psychiatrist, you’ll sometimes wait two months before you can get an appointment. Well, if someone’s in a psychiatric crisis, two months is a awful long time to get the help that you need.

“We really need to figure out a way, as a state, to incentivize our young people to go into that discipline when they want to become a doctor.”

 

On the web:

The Crider Health Center: www.CriderCenter.org

Missouri Department of Mental Health: http://dmh.mo.gov/

Permanent link to this article: http://americanviewpoints.tv/mental-health-care-in-missouri/

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