Greetings from the State Capitol! The 2008 legislative session kicked off last week and it was good to be back and see many of my old friends. I find it hard to believe that this is my 8th and final year of serving you. The time has flown by and I have enjoyed every minute of it!

Many pieces of legislation have been filed and the Governor presented his priorities on Tuesday night in the annual State of the State Address. Governor Blunt has quite an aggressive list of priorities for the upcoming session. Some I like…some I don’t. I will share these with you next week.

I know many of you have made New Year’s resolutions and I hope you stick with them. As we look forward to this new year, I can’t help but look back into 2007 and share a few thoughts with you on things I hope we don’t have to hear about in ’08!

Number One--Steroids in baseball. First off, who really cares? Baseball lost all appeal to me after the strike. There is no pride left in the sport…it’s all about money and filling up stadiums. I would rather watch a little league game. The players try harder and I can afford it! Of course, our elected officials in Washington must feel that this is a national security issue the way they have been wasting their time with Congressional hearings to try and find out what players have used the enhancing drugs. Heaven forbid that they spend their time working on issues that are on the minds of most Americans. How about paying a little attention to the economy; the war in Iraq or possible illegal immigration. It’s no wonder that 80 percent of Americans feel that Congress is doing a poor job. But let’s give them some credit…this week Speaker Pelosi banned processed cheese from the Capitol cafeteria and ordered that it be replaced with Brie cheese. I don’t know what Brie cheese is, but I bet most of us couldn’t afford it.

Number Two—Waterboarding. This is some type of interrogation method in which enemy combatants in Iraq (those are people who wait to kill us) are made to feel like they are drowning in order to get information from them. Many people feel that this is cruel and inhuman, and as a country, we should be ashamed. Call me what you want…if this technique helps save the lives of our soldiers and citizens, I’m all for it!

Number Three—Britney Spears. Help me out her, but for the life of me I cannot figure out the fascination. There are dysfunctional people all over America. Why does the press have to just pick on her? There is no doubt the girl needs help, but does her life need to be an American obsession? I bet her parents believed in ‘time out’ instead of spankings. Now many Hollywood celebrities are rushing to her aid and are concerned about her mental condition. Well, what about my mental condition!!?? I would love to be able to watch the news and not hear about her! She is driving me crazy!!!

Now, on to a more serious note… I know all faithful readers of the Clinton Daily Democrat were saddened by the news of the passing of Editor Kay Miles. I always enjoyed visiting with Kay and listening to her stories about the history of Henry and Benton Counties. A strong Democrat till the end, we didn’t often agree on political issues, but Kay was always fair to me and in this business you can’t ask for anything more. Kay and her knowledge will be truly missed.

I encourage you to contact me with your suggestions or ideas. I can be reached at my Capitol office (573) 751-1484, or by e-mail at shannon.cooper@house.mo.gov. My mailing address is: Room 310, State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101.