Take Back The MDC
A Gathering Point for True Sportsmen
Answering The Critics
Thursday, May 24th, 2007
Since the grass roots effort to obtain a Commissioner from the Sportsmen's
rank was started, Bob Staton has been at the top of the heap. Almost
equally, efforts have been made to discredit him and others who have
provided proof of negligence towards the hunter and fishermen from the
current MDC Administration.
Bob has been accused of being a disgruntled employee, accused of being
responsible for missing funds, accused of being responsible for missing
guns, as well as out to grind an axe and get even. Some of us personally worked
close with Bob for over 28 years and can attest to the fact that none of the
above is even close to the truth.
Bob retired because he was eligible to do so like many other employees have
done in the past. The only difference is that in the past ten years or so,
more and more employees retire as soon as they are eligible whereas many
employees used to stay on much past their retirement dates. If one reads
between the lines, the question would possibly come as to why employees are
now retiring asap. A good majority of the active employees will tell you
they are counting the days til they can get out of MDC.
A recent MDC audit of the Hunter Education Conference was done and there
were some questions as to where money was spent, but all was accounted for.
The funds that the MDC auditors were auditing weren't even MDC money. It is
odd how the timing of the audit took place.
There are 30 some guns that have been missing from the inventory for years.
Bob's predicessor Bud Eyman tried to find them as well as Bob's sucessor
Rick Flint. Numorous emails were sent out looking for the guns. Many of
the guns were given to MDC back in the sixties and early seventies by
Stix/Bauer/Fuller who went out of the gun business when President Kennedy
was shot. Rumor has it that many of those guns were given to dignataries
etc without a paper trail. The same guns that are missing today were
missing when John Hoskins was in charge of Protection and was responsible
for inventories. Bottom line is there was no wrongdoing on Bob's part.
Bob is far from getting even. He has a vision as to where MDC should be and
is disturbed like a lot of other folks the direction it is heading. Not one
time has Bob singled out the Director or any of his staff in a vidictive
manner. He has pointed out areas of concern and explained how some
situations could be handled. This is far from axe grinding or personal
malice toward anyone. Constructive criticism is healthy but those who have
something to hide are running scared. If We were in his shoes, We would
probably be a lot more personal and vocal about getting rid of some
incompetent people heading up major decicion making.
The major issue that is of utmost importance is to get Commissioners
appointed that have a good understanding of Conservation and what it should
stand for. It is a balance of activities that still includes hunting and
fishing. Yes, there is a large population that pays the sales tax and do
not hunt and fish but the roots of MDC are the hunters and fishermen. The
Commissioners are ultimately responsible for the actions of the Director and
his Administration. Obviously, the current Commission is either misinformed
and mislead of what is going on or they are not capable of controlling what
is going on. We can tell you that all information or programs that go to the
Commission are screened or edited to meet the blessings of the Director.
Sometimes information has been intentionally left out to keep the Commission
misinformed.
We see the major problem with MDC is not necessarily just the
weak inhouse leadership but rather a weak Commission that were appointed by
another Governor. Governor Blunt has a great opportunity to win a lot of
votes from the Sportsmen if he makes the right decision. Whether those
appointments include Staton or not, they must have good qualified
Conservation informed people. We mean real qualified not just a person that
shows an interest but those who are in the know and are active hunters and
fishermen in Missouri.
Can money buy these positions? You bet it can and it has. Anyone who is an
employee past or present cannot deny that fact. Will it be a factor this
time? Time will tell. Bob does not have a warchest full of secret
contributions or any that is in the open. All he has is integrity and a
great knowledge and passion for Conservation.
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To discuss this article, Click Here
Sen. Dan Clemens Remarks
Just last month State Senator Dan Clemens made remarks on the Missouri Senate Floor expressing his concerns with the current leadership at the MDC. Please read his remarks and forward them on to others who may wish to read them. Click Here
Report to Elected Officials
Please download and pass on the Take Back The MDC report to elected officials concerning the current state of the Missouri Department of Conservation. Please call your state elected representatives and senators and tell them that you are concerned with the Leadership at the MDC. Tell them you want change!
Download HERE
