"The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state,
​but from the hand of GOD." - John F. Kennedy

How do we hold elected representatives accountable for their actions in office?  How do we ensure that they properly represent the voice of We the People?  Saint Louis County has numerous issues that are, as of yet, unresolved, many of which were the direct result of the prior administration.  That administration was elected for a four year term.  What now?

The following are two simple moves by We the People that will generate greater accountability in Saint Louis County government now and in the future.
 
#1 INDEPENDENT AUDIT
Citizens of Saint Louis County may file a sunshine request and conduct an independent audit of the County budget, County jail, and County human resource records.  This is needed for several reasons:
 
Trajectory of Saint Louis County Budget 
According to members of County government and County council, Saint Louis County is on the path to bankruptcy in two years.  Please contact Mr. Sam Page (County Executive) and Mr. Chris Howard (County Budget and Policy Director) for more information.

County Jail
Treatment of citizens incarcerated at the County jail warrants investigation.  According to a member of County government, human rights abuses are taking place.  Several deaths have been reported, but no one in government has been investigating.  Please contact Mr. Sam Page (County Executive) for more information.

Proposition P
According to members of County government and County council, Proposition P (Public Safety Sales Tax) dollars are being allocated toward  Department of Corrections administrative salaries based on slippery ballot language.  This was not the intent of the proposition as voters understood it as the proposition read "public safety" (AKA police officer salaries).  Please contact Mr. Sam Page (County Executive) and County Council Members (Ms. Rita Days, Ms. Kelli Dunaway, Ms. Lisa Clancy, Mr. Tim Fitch, Ms. Shalonda Webb, Mr. Ernie Trakas, and Mr. Mark Harder) for more information.

General Fund
According to members of County government, Saint Louis County does not have sufficient funds for street repair, which is a primary role of government.  The shortfall is due to money previously allocated for this purpose being diverted out of the general fund and into miscellaneous administrative salaries.  Please contact Mr. Sam Page (County Executive) and Mr. Chris Howard (County Budget and Policy Director) for more information.

Nepotism
According to the Missouri State Constitution, nepotism is not allowed in state or local government.  According to members of County government and County council, Saint Louis County has several positions filled with persons who are related to other members of city, county, or state government.  Hiring of “friends and family” is rampant in County government.  Please contact Mr. Sam Page (County Executive) and County Council Members (Ms. Rita Days, Ms. Kelli Dunaway, Ms. Lisa Clancy, Mr. Tim Fitch, Ms. Shalonda Webb, Mr. Ernie Trakas, and Mr. Mark Harder) for more information.


#2 THE SAINT LOUIS COUNTY CHARTER
In an interview with KSDK leading up to the August 2022 Primary, current Budget and Policy Director, Mr. Chris Howard mentioned assisting in rewriting the County Charter which was passed in 2019 and went into effect in 2020.  The County Charter currently grants the County Executive unrestrained control over the County government which was previously balanced by the members of council and the voters.  The Charter also calls for the creation of a Charter Commission which could completely usurp power away from the voters and into the hands of government appointees (see section 10.020).  A simple ballot initiative and majority vote to a previous version of the Charter would restore the balance of power back to Saint Louis County residents.  Please contact Mr. Sam Page (County Executive) and Mr. Chris Howard (County Budget and Policy Director) for more information.
 
PROPOSITION A
Proposition A goes into effect in 2023.  This proposition is intended to provide Whistle-blower protection for those in County government willing to step forward with information.  We pray that those in government will find the courage to step forward and do the right thing.

PIETAS
Meaning of the word “PIETAS”: 
Dutiful conduct
Sense of duty to God
Piety
Conscientiousness
Love of one's country / countrymen
Affection
Loyalty
Patriotism
Gratitude
 
In other words, “pietas” is love of neighbor, love of country, and love of GOD.

Growing up under communism, my father was forced to hear propaganda on a daily basis.  The communists announced their agenda throughout the valley at maximum volume over loud speakers, forcibly infiltrating the minds of the people and brainwashing them to believe untruths, manipulating them to support the new regime that was being forced on them from the outside.  These events are chronicled in "Midnight Train," and they were insidious.

Flash forward to 2022 America, and something equally insidious is taking place.  It is the total degeneration of the US news media, or, as expressed by the 45th President of the United States of America, "Fake News."

It is quite shocking to witness firsthand the complete and total lack of journalistic integrity on the part of many US "news" agencies, agencies which, on the surface appear reputable, but which are, in actuality, little better than tabloids, the distinctive mark confined only to the reputation of their advertisers.  Whether this is a recent phenomenon or whether it is stitched into the fabric of the country, is a debate for historians.  Thomas Jefferson himself was quoted as saying the "The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers."  It is therefore possible that shoddy journalism dates back to the founding of the country. Given that the first amendment protects freedom of the press and is intended to ensure a free and open exchange of thoughts, ideas, and information, it is not only possible but likely.  

However, there is a difference between a free press and overt lies.  The average American will certainly recognized and acknowledge that there exists a vast gulf between spreading thoughts, ideas, and information in contrast with an agency spinning and promoting overt lies, slander, liable, putting words in a person's mouth that were never stated, and a misrepresentation of facts via edits, gaps, creative arrangements of words, and complete omission.  In other words, there is a significant difference between the truth of the matter and creative writing or "narrative," a word which has become the colloquial reference to this stylizing of falsehoods.

The news narrative is rampant in the country.  The sheer quantity of "news" sources opining on events rather than reporting on them is astounding, and the American people are starting to take note.  

In 2021, a Gallup poll reported that people's trust in mainstream media continues to erode.  According to the poll, 63% of people stated they had "not very much" trust in the media or had "none at all."  That was a year ago.  In 2022 according to Gallup, that percentage has increased to 84-89%.  In other words, only 11-16% of Americans now trust what they read in the newspaper or see on tv.  That is abysmal.  With more Americans waking up to the fact that the major outlets are owned by a handful of wealthy corporate elite investors, it is no wonder the landscape for the future of mainstream media is bleak.  In the face of emerging local, distributed, and alternative news channels, and in consideration of free speech, this may be nothing short of one of the best things to happen in our country in the last two decades.  The majority of Americans are starting to wake up to the propaganda machine.

I personally witnessed this lack of journalistic integrity in my life as pertains both to myself and to my family, and it is a shock to observe such ruthless behavior, blatant vitriol, and overt lying.  I never witnessed such behavior in my life apart from these events and certainly had not witnessed this behavior in my countless years in business; but, though it is a business, the media does not operate with the professional integrity common in business.  If a company operated like that in the world of every day commerce, it would be out of business.  

I plan to write more about this in a sequel to "Midnight Train" and "Liberté."  For now, let's just summarize this topic by stating that the US news media operates like a propaganda machine and that the level to which journalists stoop is appalling as they fabricate words that were never said, opine without direct quotes, and rely on the opinions of other news sources as if they are facts.  It's a disgrace to what should be a noble and just profession.  Is this the type of behavior colleges and universities are promoting to journalism majors, or is this the type of trained behavior that comes with the job?  Do journalists even know the difference between a fact, a quote, and an opinion anymore in the face of these blatant lies, untruths, misquotes, word shuffles, and personal attacks?

To call certain "news" agencies "fake news" is an understatement.  They are little better than the loud speakers in my dad's village, broadcasting propaganda, spinning a narrative, promoting an agenda, and manipulating people to support a certain point of view.  The only difference?  In my dad's village the citizens did not have a choice.  They had to listen.  The beauty of America is that we have a choice.  Do we choose the lie, or do we choose the truth?  I firmly believe that Americans are choosing fact over fiction, truth over lies, and integrity over manipulation.  They see the man hiding behind the curtain, and they are outraged by his shenanigans.  They are leaving the fairy tale version of someone else's point of view to plant their feet firmly in the truth and walk in the light of concrete facts.  

The beauty of America is in the Constitution, Innovation, and Common Sense.  As I stated many times, I stand firmly behind those values.  As someone whose father escaped communism with no money, no job, no language skills, and a warrant out for his death as chronicled in the book Liberté, I hold firm to those principles.  That's why I spent years of my life writing my dad's story.  We must know the past, else we risk repeating it in the present.  What happened in my dad's village should never happen again and certainly should not happen in the United States of America.

It is inspiring that so many people all over the world are deselecting fake news, propaganda, and fiction in pursuit of truth.  As it says in John 8:32, "the truth will set you free."  Many Americans do not have the resources, time, and money to correct the news media over defamation of character, but we can still take comfort in knowing that God sees all and knows all, and that in God, all things are possible, even the emergence of more objective news sources and higher journalistic integrity in the United States of America.

​To the Citizens, Voters, and Residents of Saint Louis County,

I have pulled out of the race for Saint Louis County Executive.  The reasons are as follow:

• The exempt status, though feasible for the Primary Election, presents difficulty moving into the General Election.
• Items related to traditional campaigning and financing do not correspond to my core values.
• Personal items.

​
I hope for a candidate who can hit the ground running with critical items currently facing the County.

Thank you again to the citizens of Saint Louis County for your overwhelming support and encouragement leading up to, during, and since the August Primary.  You are the reason I decided to put my name on the ballot, and I treasure your kind words, support, prayers, and encouragement.  

Sincerely,
Katherine Pinner