Little bit of everything
Published 9:28 pm Thursday, October 15, 2026
Apropos of nothing, if you haven’t seen all four seasons “Ted Lasso,” run, don’t walk, to your television, plop down in your favorite chair, and binge away. This is a heartwarming story about a Kansas football coach who becomes a “football” coach in England. We learn about his friends, his team, his past, his love of Kansas City barbecue – everything about him, so that we feel as if Ted Lasso is one of our best friends.
The show was supposed to last for only three seasons, but the audience demanded more, and so we got a fourth, this season dealing with Ted’s coaching a women’s soccer – “football” – team. We laughed. We cried. We smiled. You will, too.
When we finished the series last night, I said, “I want more.” A girl can hope.
Warning: Language is beyond salty, but soon becomes background noise.
I feel the same way about “Theo of Golden,” my new favorite book. If you haven’t read this book, get thee to the library or Bazoo Books. You might as well start with Bazoo Books, because you’ll want to read “Theo” again and again. A sweet story, it focuses on, of course, Theo, but also on all the people he meets in Golden, Georgia, where he has come from New York to stay a while. Much of the story centers on a coffee shop that reminds me of Ozark Coffee downtown. In fact, when I go there now, I look around and hope to see what Theo saw in The Chalice. That’s all I’m going to say, other than “Read the book.” You’ll be happy you did.
Like Columbo, here’s “just one more thing,” and it deals with Amendment 7 on this year’s ballot. Amendment 7 is the vehicle that the legislature is using to try to make us vote for what we voted against in August. Still trying to make us vote against our interests and do away with the state income tax, Amendment 7 is the “Creation of Show-Me Prosperity Investment Fund for State Tax Reduction and Elimination Amendment.” The legislature would create and fund the “Prosperity Investment Fund,” and then the “state treasurer would invest the fund in exchange-traded funds tracking the S&P 500 or a successor index” (https://www.columbiamissourian.com/opinion/guest_commentaries/amendments-7-and-8-sound-good-until-you-read-the-fine-print/article_15911910-ec4c-45cc-aed3-2dc0798bac3f.html). Then the legislature would take money from the fund’s earnings, limited to 3%, and replace income and sales taxes, among others.
Well, first, the seed money the state is going to put into this “investment fund” is a puzzle to me, especially since the Missouri Board of Education refused to fund our schools at the required level because not enough money was available. In fact, schools were shortchanged by almost $300,000,000. You could read about the effect that cut has on the Sedalia School District on the front page of last Tuesday’s Democrat.
And then, because I’m no math whiz, I looked up how much money would have to be in that account to replace the revenue our income tax generates annually. Here’s what I found: “[I]n fiscal year 2026, Missouri collected roughly $13.3 billion from individual income, sales and use, and corporate income and franchise taxes combined. At a 3% withdrawal limit, replacing that amount would require a fund averaging roughly $443 billion. That is…not a prediction, but it shows the scale” (https://www.columbiamissourian.com/opinion/guest_commentaries/amendments-7-and-8-sound-good-until-you-read-the-fine-print/article_15911910-ec4c-45cc-aed3-2dc0798bac3f.html).
I don’t know where that $443 billion is going to come from, but I’m hesitant to put that much money into an account that will be invested in markets that go up and down. Further, if some budget shortfall hits, those billions of dollars will be just sitting there, unable to be used except to ensure that we don’t pay taxes to provide state services.
Paying our taxes works fine. It would work better if the legislature stopped cutting taxes for the highest earners and asked them to pay their fair share.
That’s the round-up of the ballot amendments for November’s election. I hope I’ve given you enough to either inform your decision or to look for more data.
Note: “No Kings” rally is this Saturday 11-1 off Highway 50 between Freddy’s and McDonald’s.
Also, “no-excuse” absentee voting is open at the clerk’s office on 215 E. 5th St. Go vote!
Deborah Mitchell is a Sedalia attorney.
