The Missouri General Assembly reconvenes in the state Capitol this week for the start of the 2014 regular session which runs through May 16.If the past few sessions are any indication, the prospects for meaningful legislation addressing the state’s most vexing problems are not very bright.Pragmatic problem-solving isn’t a skill that comes easily in a Legislature that is dominated by ideology, agendas, egos and ambition.When you factor in that 2014 is an election year, prospects become even dimmer for lawmakers passing responsible bills that tackle the bigger, tougher issues.Instead, Missourians can expect most of the oxygen from this session to be consumed in pursuit of a legislation agenda dealing the same warmed-over smorgasbord of Republican red-meat issues dealing with tax cuts, guns and abortions.That’s not to say these aren’t issues without any merit. They are. It’s just that there are other more pressing issues that the Legislature has neglected that are begging for resolution. Plus, Missouri is already a low-tax state, we have some of the most pro-gun rights laws in the nation and Roe vs. Wade is, unfortunately, settled law, legalizing murder.Plowing this same ground is easy and helps politicians get re-elected, but it doesn’t solve the real problems.Republicans hold large majorities in both chambers so they drive the legislative agenda. They ought to devote their attention to some of the issues that really need to be addressed in our state.But the party which holds super majority status has shown an uncanny inability to get along in recent years. Infighting has limited the GOP’s effectiveness despite its large majorities even on their pet issues.If the GOP is serious about getting legislation passed this session, the party needs to find common ground among its caucus and be willing to compromise with Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon to avoid another veto session meltdown.We hope the Legislature can summon the guts to take on the tough issues rather than the red-meat issues.We would start with passing a transportation bill. Lawmakers acknowledge a problem with the state’s crumbling transportation infrastructure. Fixing the problem is going to require money.Local Reps. Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, and Dave Hinson, R-St. Clair, worked hard last session to pass a bill that would have put a 1-cent sales tax on the ballot. Under the bill, voters would have decided whether they wanted to tax themselves to improve the state’s ailing roads and bridges. The bill would have created jobs and helped with economic development — key bipartisan priorities. The bill failed to pass but the problems haven’t gone away.Speaking of jobs, lawmakers ought to expand Medicaid eligibility to thousands of lower-income adults consistent with the provisions offered to states under the Affordable Care Act. They missed an opportunity to provide health insurance to about 300,000 more of our state’s working poor and create thousands of health care jobs, including many at rural hospitals.Republicans are loathe to support anything connected with Obamacare, but the facts demonstrate that Medicaid expansion would be good for the state’s economy and would actually save the state money. That’s why groups like the Missouri Chamber of Commerce have endorsed the expansion.Finally, lawmakers should pass an ethics reform bill that includes strict limits on campaign contributions to candidates. Missouri is only one of a handful of states in the country that has no campaign contribution limits. We also don’t have limits on lobbyists’ gifts or a waiting period before a legislator can become a lobbyist.These are some of the real issues facing our state. The issue is, does the Legislature have the guts to do anything about them?