A progressive blog in Missouri, Show Me Progress, posted an entry yesterday about a bill introduced into the Missouri House that would require any wine produced in the US and sold in Missouri to be certified that it was "produced and harvested by verified United States Citizens. Here is the key paragraph:
2. No domestic wine shall be sold at retail in the state unless it has been certified as having been produced by and with grapes harvested by verified United States citizens.
My spouse of thirty-two years is not a "verified United States citizen." I was interested in knowing why this representative wants to prevent my spouse from ever producing wine or harvesting grapes to produce wine.
I had to find out.
Below is the exchange of emails I have had with him in the last 24 hours.
I'm assuming his responses to my questions are public. I was asking him as a citizen of the Show Me State. At no time did he tell me these were off the record.
My question to the Representative McGaugh, the sponsor of this bill.
Dear Representative McGaugh,
Why do you want to make it impossible for my spouse, who lives in the US legally, to produce wine that can be sold in Missouri?
My Name
Mytown, Missouri
His response:
JoeDon McGaugh wrote:
If your spouse lives legally in the US I don't see what the issue is. If you are using unverified workers to produce wine and pick grapes that will be another issue.
Thanks. JDM
That response suggested he was unfamiliar with the language his bill. So, I replied:
Representive McGaugh,
You have not read the language of your bill. Reread it again and tell me how your bill excludes my spouse who is not a US citizen.
His response:
JoeDon McGaugh wrote:
If she is here legally she would be verified. That is my intention. Verified workers covers lawful permanent residents and if not we will change it.
If California can tell us how to humanely raise our livestock we can tell them how they must produce their wine.
I am sure Chris Koster will be supportive given his federal lawsuit challenging California's actions.
Thanks again.
JDM
This response really shows what he is trying to do: embarrass the Demcratic Attorney General of the Missouri (Chris Koster), who is going to be running for Governor next year.
I wasn't about to let what he intended to do and the actual language go unchallenge. I wrote back:
Here is the language in your legislation:
2. No domestic wine shall be sold at retail in the state unless it has been certified as having been produced by and with grapes harvested by verified United States citizens.
My spouse is in this country legally, but she is NOT a "verified United States citizen."
With all due respect, do you understand what "citizen" means? Do you understand there are people living and working in the US, legally, and are not citizens, verified or not verified?
I appreciate your responding to my inquiries.
And, his last reply:
My idea was to have the Dept of Ag verify like the E-verify system.
Again my intent is to not disqualify any lawfully present citizens. Only those businesses who are bad actors.
JDM
I don't think it worthwhile to point out to him, once again, there are hundreds of thousands of people living, working, paying taxes, owning property, receiving Social Security in the United States who are not "lawfully present" (??) citizens.
I don't live in this person's district, but this person is sitting in the General Assembly voting on laws every day that affect the lives of all people (citizens or non-citizens) who live in Missouri. It is frightening to think how many McGaugh's there are in state legislatures across our wonderful land.
As Charlie Pearce writes ends everyone of his on-going "Laboratories of Democracy" entries: This is your democracy, America. Cherish it.
Coda: Representative McGaugh is a lawyer according to a google search.