Gov. Matt Blunt is patting himself on the back for directing an end to wasteful Medicaid spending. On July 7, 2005, he directed the Division of Medical Services immediately to stop providing erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs to Missouri Medicaid recepients.

Although most druggists in the area claim that they aren't seeing prescriptions for this type of drug from Medicaid recipients, Blunt says that stopping this practice will save the taxpayer a large sum of money. His office claims that from May 2004 to May 2005 Missouri taxpayers spent almost $200,000 on ED drugs.

This move came on the wake of news that the State had paid for ED prescriptions for 26 registered sex offenders during the past year.

Speaking of sex offenders, Senate Bill 73 sponsored by Sen. Norma Champion (R-134) allows Missouri counties to post convicted sex offenders' pictures on their Internet sites, in addition to the name and address of the offender. In signing this bill on July 9, Gov. Blunt said it "will promote efficiency in State government and will make it easier for counties to provide familiies the tools they need to protect themselves from sexual offenders." Adding photos to sex offender websites will make it easier for individuals to identify sex offenders living in their communities.

It is easy to understand the rationale for this considering the odds that the habitual sex offender will live up to his role once released from prison. However, we wonder if there is any consideration for those first time offenders that might have been convicted through the testimony of a pissed-off wife or girlfriend or who were convicted based upon the testimony of a minor with a vivid imagination.

We'd like to know what kind of hell on earth this exposure is in hopes the knowledge might discourage anyone sane enough from committing such a heinous crime.

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