The Tour of Missouri has transcended its status as the second
biggest bike race in the United States and continues to be a political
pawn, a week after the race ended in Kansas City. Today, some of the
top-ranking Democrats in the Missouri Legislature sent a letter to Gov.
Jay Nixon, a fellow Democrat, in support of the race.

Two months ago, weeks before the race, Nixon threatened to freeze
funding for the race, as part of the state's budget shortfall. The
tourism commission, which provides the state's funding for the race and
is headed by Republican Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, voted instead to make
cuts elsewhere in its budget to save the race.

Perhaps this is Nixon's fellow Democrats' way of saying that the
bike race is the wrong way to get to Kinder, who is expected to run
against Nixon in 2012. Maybe they just really like the race.

For his part, Kinder made sure to have a prominent Democrat on stage
with him for each podium presentation, to emphasize the bipartisan
support that the race enjoys.

I'm not politically savvy enough to take it any further than that, so, in lieu of analysis, here's the text of the letter:

Dear Gov Nixon:

Today, we respectfully offer to you our support for funding the 2010
Tour of Missouri.

With a complete realization of the continued recession that our state
is facing, we believe that a 14-to-1 return on the state's $1.5
million commitment to the Tour of Missouri is a wise investment,
especially during these difficult economic times.

The last two years, the Tour of Missouri brought in nearly $60 million
in tourism dollars throughout the state. In 2007 and 2008 combined,
an estimated 802,000 people saw the race. Another 22 million watched
the event on television and viewers in 150 countries viewed live
streaming coverage of the event via the Internet.

We will continue to work closely with you and our legislative
colleagues in ensuring that we are making smart financial decisions
for the families of Missouri. We believe that continuing to fund the
Tour of Missouri is a wise investment for communities and tourism
across our state.

Sincerely,

Sen. Victor Callahan
Rep. Paul LeVota
Rep. Jason Grill
Rep. Tom McDonald
Rep. Jamilah Nasheed
Rep. Chris Carter
Rep. Michele Kratky