The Great Republican Bill Robbery

How Missouri's "Conservative" Politicians Sold Out the Constitution for Billionaires

Rule of Law replaced by Constitutional Violations

The Republican Party platform is simple: follow the Constitution and uphold the rule of law. It's what Missouri conservatives voted for. It's what Rick Brattin, Mike Kehoe, and dozens of other Republicans campaigned on.

But they lied.

Missouri's Republican legislators have systematically violated every sacred principle of constitutional government they swore to uphold in the 2025 Session as documented by scores of independent journalists including Shield Maidens of Missouri, Missouri RINO Watch, MO Education Watch and dozens of others. It is unfair not to list everyone, but this story is about knock-off Republicans.

They've passed laws they know are illegal. They've sold out working families to benefit billionaires. They've handed government authority to international organizations. And when journalists expose their corruption, they gaslight critics and silence accountability reporting.

The evidence is hiding in plain sight in Senate Bill 3, a 2025 taxation bill so obviously unconstitutional that legislators included a "severability clause"—legal insurance for when courts strike down their illegal provisions. But this isn't just one bad bill. It's proof of systematic betrayal by politicians who campaign as conservatives while governing like globalists.

When I questioned Senator Brattin about these constitutional violations on his official Facebook page—and exposed his deception about his personal life, including misrepresenting his second wife Athena as his first wife—he didn't defend his actions or explain his votes. He blocked me from what is arguaably a government communication channel used for official communications. Because when you've betrayed everything you claimed to stand for, censorship becomes your only defense.

What You Voted For vs. What You Got

The Republican Platform Promise: "We believe in the Constitution as our founding document and the rule of law."

What Missouri Republicans Actually Did: Passed laws they knew violated the Missouri Constitution, then used government power to silence journalists who exposed their violations.

The Platform Promise: "We support limited government and local control."

What You Got: International organizations now control Missouri property taxes through bureaucratic pressure, while elected local assessors are forced into compliance through financial extortion.

The Platform Promise: "We oppose corporate welfare and crony capitalism."

What You Got: Up to $500 million in taxpayer subsidies for billionaire sports team owners, while working families face property tax increases to pay for it.

The Platform Promise: "We believe in transparency and accountability in government."

What You Got: Secret meetings with county assessors, hidden MOUs with international organizations, and government officials blocking journalists who ask questions.

The evidence of this systematic betrayal lies in Senate Bill 3, a taxation bill from Missouri's 2025 First Extraordinary Session that reveals how Jefferson City really operates: pass laws you know violate the Missouri Constitution, include a severability clause as insurance, then gaslight anyone who points out your corruption.

Their attacks are virulent because they are guilty.

The Smoking Gun: A Bill Designed to Fail Constitutional Review

Senate Bill 3, introduced by Senator Gregory and championed by politicians like Brattin, contains provisions so obviously unconstitutional that the legislature included what lawyers call a "severability clause"—legal language designed to save parts of a law when courts strike down other sections. Their hope is to sound like they are saving the bill from challenges. But what other parts of the bill are violations of the Constitution?

The bill states: "If any provision of section A of this act or the application thereof to anyone or to any circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of those sections and the application of such provisions to others or other circumstances shall not be affected thereby."

Translation: We know this law has constitutional problems, but we're hoping courts will only strike down the worst parts while letting the rest stand.

The Constitutional Violations Hidden in Plain Sight

A careful analysis of Senate Bill 3 against the Missouri Constitution reveals multiple serious violations:

Violation 1: The Stadium Welfare Scam

Section 100.240, known as the "Show-Me Sports Investment Act," authorizes spending state funds to help private professional sports franchises build facilities worth up to $500 million each. The bill commits Missouri taxpayers to funding these projects for up to 30 years without direct voter approval. Missouri taxpayers get limited benefit with almost no downside. The property taxes now can’t even be estimated 30 years in the future considering how much they are trying to raise real estate property taxes every year.

Missouri Constitution Article X, Section 16 is explicit: "Property taxes and other local taxes and state taxation and spending may not be increased above the limitations specified herein without direct voter approval as provided by this constitution."

The bill also violates Article X, Section 3, which requires that "Taxes may be levied and collected for public purposes only." Using taxpayer funds to subsidize private sports facilities primarily benefits wealthy team owners, not the public. Do we own the Chiefs? The Cardinals? Do we get free entry into the Stadium as Missouri taxpayers?

Violation 2: The Arbitrary County Classifications

The most egregiously unconstitutional section is 137.1120, which creates a property tax credit system that treats Missouri counties completely differently based on arbitrary population criteria. The bill designates some counties as "five percent counties" and others as "zero percent counties," with dramatically different tax treatment for identical properties based solely on county population numbers.

This directly violates Article X, Section 3's uniformity requirement: "taxes shall be uniform upon the same class or subclass of subjects within the territorial limits of the authority levying the tax."

Why would identical properties receive different tax treatment based on arbitrary county population thresholds? There's no rational basis for these distinctions—it's exactly the kind of arbitrary government action the constitution prohibits. One 10,000 square foot lot in Missouri shouldn’t have special rights if its in Jackson County (unless Senator Joe Nicola fights for it.)

Violation 3: The International Organization Partnership

Perhaps most disturbing is how this bill fits into a broader pattern exposed by the Shield Maidens of Missouri, grassroots journalists that have documented systematic corruption in Missouri's property tax system.

According to Shield Maidens' research, "The State Tax Commission invited over 70 elected assessors to Jefferson City during the winter of 2025. They handed Missouri assessors an MOU (memorandum of understanding = a contract) with the majority of them feeling they had no other option other than to sign it. Why? Because if they did not sign it and commit to raising taxes in their counties, the STC (State Tax Commission) vowed they would withhold sales tax from each county that refused to sign."

The Shield Maidens documented that these MOUs force compliance with standards set by the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO), a private organization that explicitly promotes "diversity, equity, and inclusion" in property assessments—the same DEI ideology that Governor Kehoe publicly claims to oppose.

Shield Maidens noted: "Missouri State Tax Commission endorses and forces all Missouri County Assessors to follow the IAAO 'standards' for assessment. The IAAO is a part of a much bigger picture called the Global Property Congress that is having their annual conference in Australia in May of 2025."

This represents an unconstitutional delegation of government authority to private, international organizations with their own ideological agenda. Did you vote to give your taxing authority away to an NGO? This is taxation bypassing your representation.

When the government taxes you, it’s legal (you can vote to stop it). When a group of unelected officials do it, it’s theft. There is no one to vote out when any NGO can dip into your home’s value and take money from you.

Why the Severability Clause? They Know It's Illegal

The inclusion of a detailed severability clause in Senate Bill 3 isn't just legal boilerplate—it's evidence that legislators like Brattin, Jill Carter, Joe Nicola, and Brad Hudson knew they were passing constitutionally problematic legislation.

When the Senate Pro Tem can [allegedly] help steal items from a Historic Museum without consequences, does it surprise you that they think they can use taxes on you in the same way?

Legal experts recommend severability clauses for complex legislation where unforeseeable issues might arise. But when politicians include them in bills with obvious constitutional violations, it reveals a different motive. Pass the illegal provisions you want, hope they survive long enough to enrich your donors, and let courts clean up the constitutional mess later. Decades later maybe. But the donor class gets our money which we never get back and they never return.

The most obviously unconstitutional section—137.1120's arbitrary county classifications for real estate property taxes—would likely be struck down by any competent court applying constitutional uniformity requirements. If we have competent courts in Missouri.

This severability clause is designed to save the stadium welfare provisions and other corporate giveaways even if the most egregious violations are eliminated. Got to give those corporate sponsors big bucks. Politicians should have logos on their jackets and balding heads for all the corporate sponsorships they take on. Let’s at least know who’s paid for them.

The Broader Pattern of Corruption

Senate Bill 3 isn't an isolated incident—it's part of a systematic pattern documented by organizations like Shield Maidens. As they note: "Missouri just approved a budget of over $53.5 BILLION. Six years ago when REPUBLICAN Mike Parsons took office as the Governor our budget was $27 Billion. Our Republican leadership has taken us to the gutter with tax credits and political favors to their donors on the backs of hard working Missourians."

With Covid-19 money disappearing (maybe), they have to find other ways to take money from us to keep up with the large expanse of State Government and Schools. So they steal it from you and me, but don’t ask the Chiefs or the Cards to help out. In fact, we give them an interest free loan that we forgive called tax cuts. If you get mad about Student Loan forgiveness, but want the Chiefs to get the same deal, then you are part of the problem.

The same politicians passing corporate welfare for billionaire sports team owners are simultaneously forcing property tax increases on working families through compliance with international standards. Shield Maidens documented uniform 15% property tax increases across Missouri counties—"statistically impossible unless there is pressure from above."

Governor Kehoe publicly signed an executive order banning DEI initiatives while his State Tax Commission forces compliance with IAAO standards that explicitly promote DEI in property assessments. It's the same deceptive playbook: say one thing publicly while implementing the opposite through bureaucratic channels.

The Censorship Response: Blocking Accountability and Hiding Deception

When others questioned Senator Brattin about these constitutional violations and his voting record on his official Facebook page "Rick Brattin for Missouri"—a page he uses for government communications—his response revealed everything about how Missouri's corrupt political establishment operates.

First, I exposed his legislative betrayals through satire. Then I documented his personal deceptions: campaigning as a "traditional family values" Christian while misrepresenting his second wife Athena Brattin (a former NASCAR WAG and underwear model) as his first wife.

Athena’s Brattin’s history is relevant to the public persona developed by Rick Brattin as a wholesome Christian man.

Both revelations went to the heart of his credibility as a public servant. Voters have a right to know when politicians lie about their constitutional oath and their personal lives. If Brattin will deceive voters about basic facts like his marriage history while campaigning on "family values," why should anyone trust him on constitutional issues? Why do politicians get special protection for their divorce? Why do their divorces never show up on Casenet?

His response wasn't to defend his actions or explain his votes. Instead, he blocked me while allowing his wife to attack critics on the same official government page. They turned a taxpayer-funded communication channel into their personal echo chamber, where only supportive voices are allowed and legitimate journalism or public criticism gets censored.

This wasn't personal harassment or off-topic commentary. It was legitimate journalistic inquiry into a public official's record on constitutional issues and his honesty with voters. The blocking occurred despite supporters making similar or more aggressive comments without facing restrictions.

Under the Supreme Court's decision in Knight First Amendment Institute v. Trump and subsequent cases like Campbell v. Reisch (an 8th Circuit case involving a Missouri legislator), when government officials use social media for official communications, blocking critics based on their viewpoints violates the First Amendment.

But the censorship reveals something deeper: politicians engaging in constitutional violations can't defend their actions on the merits, so they resort to suppressing the journalism that exposes them. Brattin and others like him are terrified of truth.

The Ultimate Betrayal: Gaslighting the Base

The most insulting part isn't just that Missouri Republicans violated their constitutional oath. Many of us expected they would. It was difficult to get people to understand Kehoe thinks he has a moral duty to mislead because of his Masonic belief system. It's that they're now gaslighting anyone who questions them about anything—their legislative betrayals or their personal deceptions.

When Shield Maidens documented the property tax scam, politicians dismissed them as "conspiracy theorists." When I questioned Brattin's voting record and exposed his misrepresentation of his wife as his first wife, he blocked me and let his second wife attack critics on his official government page. When county assessors objected to signing MOUs under duress, they were told they had "no choice."

This is classic abuser behavior: violate trust, then blame the victim for questioning you. Lie about your constitutional oath and your personal life, then call critics "unchristian" when they expose your deceptions. Brattin loves to talk about Christian values on his facebook page, but sincere questions about his deceptions are anti-Christian.

Missouri conservatives voted for leaders who would uphold the Constitution and serve working families. Instead, we got politicians who serve billionaires, international organizations, and political marketing firms while calling constituents who object "unchristian" or "divisive."

They betrayed every principle they campaigned on, then act outraged when journalists document their corruption. They sold out Missouri families for corporate profits, then gaslight critics who expose their actions.

The Real Stakes: Your Vote vs. Their Lies

This isn't really about property taxes or stadium funding. We need lower taxes and we shouldn’t fund private enterprises so that someone will scratch Kehoe’s ballsack for him with hundred dollar bills. It's about whether your vote matters when politicians lie about everything they plan to do once elected.

If Republicans can campaign on constitutional principles while systematically violating the constitution, then elections become meaningless. If they can hand government authority to international organizations while claiming to support local control, then conservative votes accomplish nothing. If they can silence journalists who expose their corruption, then accountability disappears entirely.

The question isn't whether Mike Kehoe or Rick Brattin are slightly better than Democrats. The question is whether "Republican" means anything when the politicians wearing that label betray every principle the party claims to represent. Our Republican Party in Missouri doesn’t follow the simplest pledges to their platform, but they will follow Mammon.

As Shield Maidens documented, Missouri's Republican leadership has exploded state spending from $27 billion to over $53 billion in just six years—"almost an identical budget to the RADICAL AND LIBERAL state of Illinois with only half of the population."

These aren't conservatives. They're not even Republicans in any meaningful sense. They're corporate cronies wearing conservative masks while implementing the exact globalist agenda they claim to oppose.

What You Can Do: Stop Rewarding Betrayal

Missouri voters have the power to end this corruption, but only if we stop rewarding politicians who lie about their intentions.

Stop believing campaign promises from politicians who've already betrayed them. When someone shows you who they are, kick them out office.

Stop voting for Republicans who govern like Democrats. Party labels mean nothing when politicians betray party principles. Hiding divorce so you can pretend you’re family values is a Democrat value.

Stop accepting gaslighting from politicians who call you "divisive" for holding them accountable. Demanding constitutional government isn't extremism—it's basic citizenship. It’s our right and responsibility. No politician can take that from you.

Support organizations like Shield Maidens, MO RINO Watch, or MO Education Watch, that expose corruption regardless of party labels. Truth matters more than team loyalty. If you say you’re grassroots, but let everyone walk all over you, you’re really just dirt.

Demand primary challenges against politicians who violate their constitutional oath. Bad Republicans are worse than honest Democrats because they fool conservative voters into supporting globalist policies.

The corruption runs deep, but it's not too late to fight back. Missouri used to be the Show-Me State. It's time to show politicians like Rick Brattin and Mike Kehoe that we won't be fooled anymore—and we won't be silenced when we expose their constitutional violations.

You voted for leaders who would follow the Constitution and serve working families. You got politicians who serve billionaires and international organizations while gaslighting anyone who objects.

The choice is yours: keep rewarding betrayal, or start demanding leaders who mean what they say.

Missouri conservatives deserve better than politicians who campaign on constitutional principles while systematically violating them. We deserve transparency, not censorship. We deserve local control, not international manipulation. We deserve public servants, not corporate cronies. How can capitalism work when it’s captured by the a Socialist State?

Most of all, we deserve leaders who respect the voters enough to tell the truth about their intentions instead of lying their way into office and gaslighting critics who expose their corruption.

The Constitution isn't a suggestion. The rule of law isn't optional. And your vote shouldn't be worthless because politicians lie about everything they plan to do. Brattin went into this four year term determined to get his and to throw you under the bus. Kehoe did the same.

Missouri's Republican politicians have betrayed everything they claimed to stand for. The question is whether Missouri conservatives will keep rewarding that betrayal, or finally demand leaders who deserve their trust.

Stand up, Missourians. Pull your tiller alongside and hitch up those Missouri Mules. We can plow under Jeff City corruption if we wanted too.

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David Rice is editor of HickChristian News and has filed a First Amendment complaint with the Missouri Attorney General regarding Senator Brattin's blocking of his journalism. I encourage Missouri conservatives to stop rewarding politicians who betray constitutional principles while gaslighting critics who expose their corruption.