Missouri Lawsuit Filed to Prevent Taxpayer Financing of Professional Sports Teams

Today Bevis Schock and I filed a lawsuit against the State of Missouri, the Missouri Governor and Attorney General regarding Senate Bill 3, which provides that Missouri will provide illegal subsidies to the KC Chiefs and KC Royals. Our Plaintiffs are State Senator Michael Moon, State Representative Bryant Wolfin and citizen activist Ron Calzone of Maries County. Plaintiffs assert that Missouri taxpayers should not be forced to fund professional sports teams. Here is today's press release, which further describes the claims .The Plaintiffs are asking the court to declare SB 3 unconstitutional and to enjoin its enforcement. Bevis and I have been co-counseling on a variety of cases over the past few years. It is an honor to work with him.

"JULY 31, 2025

PRESS RELEASE -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CHALLENGE TO CHIEFS AND ROYALS STADIUM SUBSIDIES

Three Plaintiffs have just filed 25AC-CC05910 - Moon v. State, a lawsuit in Cole County Circuit Court challenging the constitutionality of Senate Bill 3, the Bill passed in the June Extraordinary Session of the General Assembly which gives around $1.2 billion in subsidies for the Chiefs and Royals. See attached proof of filing and copy of the Petition.

The Plaintiffs are State Senator Michael Moon, Senate Dist 29, (Southwest Missouri) (GOP), State Representative Bryant Wolfin, House Dist. 145 (Ste. Genevieve) (GOP), and citizen activist Ron Calzone, Maries County (Central Missouri). The Defendants are the State of Missouri, Governor Michael Kehoe and Attorney General Andrew Bailey. Counsel for the Plaintiffs are W. Bevis Schock and Erich Vieth, both of St. Louis. This suit is supported financially by the Article 3 Institute, a 501(c)(4), a charitable organization.

As Truly Agreed to and Finally Passed the Bill, among other provisions, (1) provides taxpayer subsidies to the owners of sports teams for building and improving stadiums and even privately owned headquarters, (2) allows holders of elective office to use campaign funds to pay attorneys to defend legal challenges brought against them related to the Bill, (which would otherwise be a forbidden use of campaign funds for a personal purpose), and (3) provides property tax relief, via tax credits, to homeowner disaster victims, and (4) allows some but not all counties to vote on the adoption of the tax credits for property tax relief for all homeowners.

The suit asks the court to declare SB 3 unconstitutional and to enjoin its enforcement. The Bill’s quick trip through the legislature was unconstitutional because it violated the Missouri constitution’s rules requiring bills to have a clear title, a single subject, and a single purpose all the way through the legislative process. The Bill is also unconstitutional because it grants taxpayer money to private for-profit entities (Chiefs and Royal). Such grants are not “primarily public.” The Bill also violates the Missouri Constitution in that it is a “special law.”

The stadium subsidies are a bribe paid to sports team owners to meet their extortion demand to stop them from leaving Missouri for Kansas. The way the numbers work, it appears the legislature and the governor are sticking taxpayers with most of the salary of Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes. See para. 15. (Plaintiffs agree that he is one GREAT football player!).

An entrepreneur in the entertainment industry should pay for his own hall.

The trial court loser will have a direct appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court. "

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Rational Limits to Empathy and Inclusivity

Yeah, it's important that we pay some attention to people's feelings, but we aren't there to jump to action whenever someone else (especially strangers) claims that their feelings are hurt and that we owe them our time, energy and money. We need to be on guard so that our natural inclinations to be empathetic don't become toxic. We need to know that it's OK to draw boundaries. It's OK to say "No," and to say it often. Functional people do these things. That is how they develop and maintain strong moral character. Every day it important to put your own oxygen mask on, at least for awhile, before jumping to the rescue of others. We intuitively do this with regard to our money. If we acceded to the demands of all beggars, rent-seekers and scoundrels we encounter in person and on the Internet, everyone one of us would go broke in a week.

Today I spotted a post by Mom Wars:

When we tell kids to always be inclusive, we often fail to teach them discernment.

We don’t live in a world where every person has good intentions. We don’t live in a world where every peer is safe, healthy, or kind. And yet, we tell kids—especially girls—to include everyone, to make room for every voice, to keep the peace even when something feels off. We elevate kindness as the ultimate virtue, but we don’t equip them with the tools to know when and how to draw the line.

What does that teach them? That someone else’s feelings are always more important than their gut instincts. That avoiding awkwardness is more important than avoiding harm. That their discomfort is a small price to pay for another person’s inclusion.

And that’s a dangerous lesson.

When you preach “kindness” without nuance, without boundaries, without discernment, you unintentionally teach your child that being “nice” matters more than being safe, or emotionally well, or even just comfortable in their own skin. You teach them that their own mental health comes second to another person’s momentary hurt feelings. That ignoring their inner voice in favor of social harmony is maturity, rather than self-abandonment.

When you preach “acceptance” as a blanket virtue, you fail to give your child a framework for recognizing anti-social behaviors. For noticing when someone is manipulative, attention-seeking, boundary-breaking, or just draining to be around. Kids—especially empathetic ones—can easily absorb the idea that all behavior must be tolerated, all personalities embraced, all people welcomed no matter how they treat others.

But that’s not kindness. That’s codependency."

This is spot on. Such an important lesson that so many people need to learn and heed.

This topic relates to the work of Paul Bloom. In 2016 he wrote a book titled: Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion. He defines “empathy” as follows: “Empathy is the act of coming to experience the world as you think someone else does.” He further describes empathy as “a spotlight directing attention and aid to where it’s needed.” According to Bloom, empathy is an emotion, not a good tool for moral decision-making. “Compassion,” on the other hand, is feeling concern or compassion for someone. Bloom contrasts empathy with “rational compassion,” which can productively be used to “make decisions based on considerations of cost and benefits.” Empathy, by contrast, has no such protective limitations, meaning that empathy often leads to ill-considered policies.

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Time to Divorce your Tribe

I posted this on FB, where inconvenient facts go to die:

Many people don't want to know what is going on unless it helps their tribe. If this describes you, you are a coward who is addicted to the illusion of righteousness. I challenge you to summon the courage to see current events in historical context. Virtually all national politicians and corporate media are massively corrupt and dishonest. They don't give a shit about the people they claim to serve. If you say adios to your tribe, you'll see the raw world in all of its complexities, disappointments and possibilities. You'll stop being such a dupe. You'll stop wasting energy to defend the undefendable. You'll start thinking for yourself again.

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