GUEST COLUMN: Bond issue a good investment for Missouri

Since last December, I have been nagging anyone who would listen — and some who would not — to consider a Fifth State Building Bond. I believe we should allow the voters to decide if Missouri should dedicate some of the tax revenue that taxpayers are already paying to a large-scale capital program. We could construct needed buildings at every university and community college in the state. We could also replace some of our mental health and other facilities that are literally falling down around our ears. We could undertake these projects at record low costs because every contractor in the state is hungry and, if we act quickly, we could borrow the money at record low interest rates. At the same time, we could create jobs to help alleviate an unemployment rate approaching 10 percent.