Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, appointed members voted to give themselves $100k through the Governor's newly-created Ferguson Commission. Lt. Governor Peter Kinder, the only elected official on the board, was the only “no” vote. That's what happens when you're accountable to the public. The purpose of the commission:
1. First, to conduct a thorough, wide-ranging and unflinching study of the social and economic conditions underscored by the unrest in the wake of the death of Michael Brown;
2. Second, to tap the expertise needed to address the concerns identified by the Commission – from poverty and education, to governance and law enforcement;
3. And third, to offer specific recommendations for making this region a stronger, fairer place for everyone to live.
I'm not sure what “social and economic conditions” there are to study in an area that has been almost entirely represented by Democrats since I was a child, but it's easy to be generous with the public's money. This area, Missouri's first district (in which I lived until nine months ago) has been dominated by Democrat policies my entire life. A once thriving area, the neighborhoods have had to fight for their renassiance and those that flourish moderately do so in spite of big government's heavy burden, not because of it. This is what big government looks like. You don't need $100k to figure out that one.
