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I recently visited friends in St. Louis and sadly found it to be a much different place from when I graduated from Washington University Law School nearly 50 years ago. I still have great affection for St. Louis and read the Post-Dispatch regularly. However, I continue to see Missouris serious problems dominate the headlines.

St. Louis leads the nation in murders, Missouri leads the nation in coronavirus cases per capita. It ranks 49th in state aid to public schools and 50th in tobacco taxes. Centene threatens to leave and calls Missouris Medicaid decision an embarrassment. St. Louis has grown 0% in the last decade (as goes St. Louis, so goes Missouri). And a 35-year-veteran police chief in OFallon resigned over Missouris new gun law.

Yet, Missouri elected officials exacerbate the problems. They spend their time declaring federal gun laws invalid, banning abortions after eight weeks, overturning Medicaid expansion, eliminating the motorcycle helmet requirement law, reducing funding for public education, and trying (but failing) to create Rush Limbaugh Day.

And that doesnt even include Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitts spurious lawsuits against China, Google, Facebook, federal immigration policies, the Pennsylvania presidential election results, and St. Louis County over its pandemic public health orders. Missouri has become the laughing stock of the nation, but these are no laughing matters.

Stephen Fishman Laguna Beach, Calif.

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Trump may have damaged democracy beyond repair; Missouri is embarrassing; and other top letters - STLtoday.com