Help Coming for Treece

Roberts, Brownback and Jenkins announced yesterday that Congress has approved legislation to provide the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the authority to buyout Treece, Kansas. The legislation will allow the EPA to protect and improve the lives of residents living with the daily threat of contamination and health related risks from long abandoned lead and zinc mining should a federal buyout be initiated. The bill now heads to the President’s desk where it is expected to be signed into law by Saturday.

“With this important first step, I look forward to working with Administrator Jackson and her team on a long term solution for residents of Treece,” Roberts said. “I applaud the EPA for going the extra mile, sending representatives to the area to listen to residents firsthand, and then understanding their special hardships. Together, I think we can now give these folks a little hope.”

Kudos to the Kansas crew for getting this accomplished. Speaking of Senator Roberts - he's launched a new official website. Check it out HERE He's also joined the cool kids club and is now on Facebook. Add him as a friend today!

AFP - Kansas Health Forum

Americans for Prosperity - Kansas is holding a health care forum this Sunday, Nov. 1st

Memorial Auditorium
101 S Lincoln, Chanute, KS
6:00 - 9:00 PM

The forum will feature AFP-Kansas state director Derrick Sontag, Topeka business owner Ken Daniel and state senator Jeff Colyer.

As a small business owner, Daniel has dealt with healthcare in terms of providing coverage for his employees. He also is the executive director of the Topeka Independent Business Association. Colyer, a physician, has been in the Kansas Legislature for three years and has also served on a number of health-related committees.

Register for the Chanute Healthcare Forum at no cost today at info@afpks.org or by calling 785-354-4237.

Happy Friday

If you're trying to get through te 1,990 pages of the new House health care bill - check out this reading guide the Republican Conference put together.

Some of our favorites:

Page 94 - Section 202(c) prohibits the sale of private individual health insurance policies, beginning in 2013, forcing individuals to purchase coverage through the federal government

Page 297 - Section 501 imposes a 2.5 percent tax on all individuals who do not purchase “bureaucrat-approved” health insurance - the tax would apply on individuals with incomes under $250,000, thus breaking a central promise of then-Senator Obama’s presidential campaign

Page 520 - Section 1161 cuts more than $150 billion from Medicare Advantage plans, potentially jeopardizing millions of seniors’ existing coverage (Remember Obama's promise not to make any cuts to Medicare??)

***Still waiting to hear from Team Goyle or Kelly on whether they're supporting this massive take-over of the health care system

Cash for Clunkers - a real lemon

"There can be no doubt that this program drummed up more business, for more people, in more places at a time when our economy needed help the most," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood

The Cash for Clunkers program helped consumers who turned in gas guzzlers buy nearly 700,000 more fuel efficient vehicles in fewer than 30 days. Sounds good right?

WRONG! A report by automotive Web site Edmunds.com says the program actually cost taxpayers $24,000 per car sold. Only 18%, of the sales were additonal to normal car buying trends -- the remaining 82% of sales would have happened regardless of the program.

Obama and the Democrats chose to add another $3 billion to their spending spree to help out 125,000 people. $24,600 per car = the average $4,000 rebate the customer got? Sounds like fuzzy math to us

House Dems Keep Pushing

House Democrats unveiled their comprehensive health care package today. What will be the new catch phrase - Medicare Part E, the Competitive Choice? No matter what, the plan will still involve a government-run option that will compete unfairly. Check out this video for a quick reminder on the door this 'option' could be opening. The real kicker is that the bill, the comprehensive version of HR 3200 - somehow doubled in size - 1,990 pages. HERE

**Be sure to catch Queen Kathy's quote at 1:55 - "I'm all for a single-payer system....eventually"


When will Raj Goyle and Laura Kelly break their silence and announce they'd be voting right in lockstep with Liberal Democrats for this unfunded expansion of government?

The Change We Deserve

CBS' Mark Knoller tweeted yesterday that President Obama has tied President Bush for the number of rounds of golf played while in office: 24. Only troubling thing, President Bush took 2 years and 10 months while Obama has managed to find the time in just 10 months.

What happened to the current health care crisis in America, the H1N1 National Emergency, the less than 3 months he's given himself to close Gitmo and move its dangerous detainees to our backyards. What about his pledge to end the war - instead he's decided to simply leave our troops in harms way in Afghanistan, delaying a decision on the requested troop surge.

Perhaps he thinks since he's already won the Noble Peace Prize his work is finished. Any other ideas on a better way for Obama to spend his time? Playing with his kids, fundraising for ACORN, appointing CZARS, campaigning for Democrats in NJ and VA?

Democrats Confident...citizens beware

Democrats leaders today came out in strong support of their health reform proposals. Speaker Pelosi reassured - "At the end of the day we will have a public option" in the House bill. Senate Majority Leader Hoyer confirmed that the Senate too will have a public option. However, it will contain an 'opt out' clause for States. Good thing since the low reimbursement levels of Medicare and the proposed cuts to the program in both Chambers' versions will further bankrupt our states - at least this will allow for states to be smart enough to avoid this government-run option.

Luck for us in Kansas - some of our leaders in the State Legislature are already on top of it. Sen. Mary Pilcher Cook and Reps. Brenda Landwehr and Peggy Mast will hold a series of press conferences Tuesday to announce their sponsorship of bills to exempt Kansas from any federal health reform legislation.

SCHEDULE
Wichita: 9AM at Wichita Independent Business Assocation, 445 N. Waco
Emporia: 11:30AM at 6th & Merchant
Topeka: 2PM in the Kansas Senate chamber
Johnson County: 4PM at 10600 Mastin, Entrance A, the waiting room of the College Park Family Care Center's Specialty Office in OP

We're still waiting to hear if Laura Kelly and Raj Goyle will be supportive of this legislation in the state House. And since they're aspirint to high office - we'd love to hear if they would be joining Dennis Moore in support of a government-run public option. Considering Raj's liberal background and previous work for the ACLU, we're sure he's on board - unless he's holding out for a single-payer universal system? Nothing on their websites at this point suggest they wouldn't be voting in lock step with Liberal San Francisco leadership.

Law and Order Under Kobach

The veridict is in. Former Senator and Presidential Candidate, Fred Thompson, has endorsed Kris Kobach for Secretary of State.

"Kris Kobach served the country with great distinction at the Department of Justice during the Bush Administration," Thompson said. "He served my campaign equally well in 2008. He will perform invaluable service to the people of Kansas as Secretary of State. Kansas can trust him to protect the integrity of elections."

Kobach, law professor and former state Republican party chair, is running for the Republican nomination for Secretary of State against JR Claeys, Salina native and former head of the National Association of Government Contractors (NAGC).

Both candidates tout winning straw polls on their website but we'll wait until year end finance reports come out to who Kansans are really backing.

Moore losing Kansas support?

Cycle Source of Funds, 2009-2010, Campaign Cmte only

	Individual Contributions	$151,771	(37%)
	PAC Contributions	$253,072	(62%)

Back in the 2004 election cycle - [Do Nothing] Dennis was getting over 50% of his contributions from individuals...Kansans. Now he's truly sided with big DC interests. And it looks like the votes follow the money.

According to Open Congress - Rep. Dennis Moore is currently voting with Speaker Pelosi and his party 98% of the time. Although the 3rd district did vote for Obama in 2008, we're fairly certain that they're getting tired of their member of Congress voting in lockstep with Pelosi's San Francisco values.

Will any of the current Republican challengers currently in the race give him a run for the money? Are there still others out there considering getting in the race? More to come...

Sedgwick County Young Republicans Meeting

TONIGHT - Thursday, October 22nd, the SCYRs will be featuring Eric Payne, who is running for the 87th State House District seat being vacated by Democrat Raj Goyle who is running for Congress. Come find out how you can get involved in winning back this important seat for the Republicans.

Whiskey Creek Steakhouse
231 N Mosley
Wichita KS

6:30 Social
7:00 Meeting

The House Ways and Means committee has compared the White House's projection of the number of jobs that would be created by the 2009 stimulus law (through the end of 2010) with the actual change in state payroll employment through September 2009. According to the data, 49 States and the District of Columbia have lost jobs since stimulus was enacted. While President Obama claimed the result of his stimulus bill would be the creation of 3.5 million jobs, the Nation has already lost a total of 2.7 million – a difference of 6.2 million jobs.

According to their chart - Kansas was projected to gain 33,000 jobs due to the stimulus but in reality 45,400 Kansans have lost their jobs since the so called economic stimulus was signed into law.

Since this stimulus is certainly not helping Kansans - we're proud of 5 of the 6 members of our delegation who opposed its passage. Bets on who the lone supporter was?

“On January 29, 2009 Rep. Dennis Moore (D-3) voted to pass the so-called economic stimulus package. He called the $785 billion dollar bill ‘necessary and vital’ claiming it would ‘create or save’ 19,180 jobs in the state of Kansas......Kansans deserve more than empty promises from Dennis Moore about unemployment in our Great State. They understand that creating a pro-growth platform does not rest on government spending. Our economy will only grow when businesses become stronger which will happen by lowering the tax burden and setting policies that encourage innovation and entrepreneurism.” - Amanda Adkins, Executive Director of the Kansas Republican Party

Glimmer of Fundraising Hope?

The Republican National Committee, which raised $8.8 million in September has outraised the Democratic National Committee for the second month in a row (the DNC pulled in $8 million in Sept).

An uglier note however - the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee raised $7.05 million in the month – its second-highest monthly total this year – and now has banked $14.7 million for the 2010 midterms. The National Republican Congressional Committee raised $3.4 million for the month, and ended the month with $4.3 million cash-on-hand.

Despite the cash disadvantage, we're confident that if Speaker Pelosi makes her troops (specifically those Dems representing Bush districts) vote for a government-run public option on top of a national energy tax and unsuccessful economic stimulus package - the money as well as voters will start returning to the Republican party.

Help do your part for the committees by posting these contribution links of your social networking sites of choice

Republican National Committee
National Republican Congressional Committee
National Rebublican Senatorial Committee

KS-01 - Safer Republican

The lone democrat in the race to replace Congressman Jerry Moran, Alan Jilka, has had a lawsuit filed against him. The former director of the Salina Housing Authority has sued Jilka, alleging that she was fired because she refused Jilka’s sexual advances.

Johnson’s lawsuit alleges that she was the victim of sexual and gender discrimination. She is seeking unspecified damages. Jilka told The Salina Journal that the charges are “frivolous and preposterous.”

When Jilka announced his candidacy -he "expressed his desire to fight against the traditional partisan politics that have become the hallmark of the status quo in Washington and produced a stalemate in our nation’s capital."

Perhaps Mr. Jilka should abandon the shady antics of Paul Morrison and Eliot Spitzer and follow suit by leaving the political arena.

Wasinger Web Ad

Rob Wasinger, Congressional candidate in the 1st District, has a new web ad up that features him and his family. Check it out below.

Untitled from Meghan Wasinger on Vimeo.

ACORN - the countdown

On October 1, 2009, the President signed a Continuing Resolution in which Congress included the following provision which prohibited ACORN from accessing federal funding:

Sec. 163. None of the funds made available by this joint resolution or any prior Act may be provided to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, or allied organizations.

However, this expires on October 31, 2009. Even if Congress passes its appropriations bills before November 1st, unless they include that language in all 12 appropriations bills, ACORN will be eligible for funding again. The only way to ensure that ACORN is barred from federal funds across the board and for more than a brief time is for the White House to suspend and bar ACORN from federal funds.

Any ideas on what President Obama will do in this situation - placed between his friends and the American people?

ObamaCare - Time for Bipartisan solutions?

The latest Rasmussen poll shows that 54% of Americans oppose the health care plan proposed by the President and Congressional Democrats.

This news comes on the same day that Senate Democrats on the Finance committee release their bill. WAIT - we know what you're thinking. The Senate Finance committee already passed their bill? Correct. They marked up a 200+ page summary of their legislation and the final 1,500+ page bill was just released today. Interesting...

Don't worry about having enough time to read this bill though - this won't actually be what they vote on either. Senate Majority Leader Reid and Sens. Max Baucus and Chris Dodd along with senior White House aides are merging the Finance and Health Committee legislation into one bill that will be considered on the floor of the Senate. Although the committee defeated Senator Roberts amendment to allow the bill to be posted online 72 hours before a vote so members and the American people can read it - I'm sure President Obama will live up to his promise of transparency through this debate.

But what we will do is, we'll have the negotiations televised on C-SPAN, so that people can see who is making arguments on behalf of their constituents, and who are making arguments on behalf of the drug companies or the insurance companies. And so, that approach, I think is what is going to allow people to stay involved in this process."
- President Obama, Aug. 21, 2008, in Chester, Va

Brownback (or Moran/Tiahrt) v. Glickman?

Though we love the idea of Senator Brownback or the Republican nominee for Senate running again former Congressman Dan Glickman - who's even less known state wide than Jim Slattery (lost to Roberts with less than 40% of the vote) we think it's unlikely he'll enter the race. Glickman announced today that he will be stepping down from his post at the Motion Picture Association next September

Back in July, Glickman said - 'I have not spent an exceptionally high amount of time in the state in the last few years. Periodically, people at home talk to me about this, but I haven’t bought a house in Wichita, and I haven’t made frequent trips there.'

Although Slattery repeatedly turned down rumors before finally announcing, we're not putting any money on Glickman entering the race. With Larry Gates announcing he's out last week - it was basically an admission from the Kansas Democratic Party that they had no credible candidate, or even a Joe Democrat like Gates to put on the ballot.

Although, I guess there's still State Senator Chris Steineger....HERE. Looks like they're putting all their Liberal, organic, cage-free eggs in one basket - Raj Goyle.

KS-04 Primary - Early Poll

State Senatory Dick Kelsey released a very early poll today in the race for the Republican nomination for KS-04 Todd Tiahrt's seat. The poll surveyed 351 likely Republican Primary voters and had a margin of error of 4.3%.

The results:

Kelsey 17%
Schodorf 15%
Hartman 8%
Pompeo 6%
Anderson 4%

Most important thing to keep in mind about the poll is that 49% of KS-04 Republican primary voters were undecided. Clearly showing that it is Oct 2009 and voters are extremely unfamiliary with the array of candidates in the race. 3rd quarter finance reports filed yesterday show National Committeeman Mike Pompeo leading in cash on hand ($270,000) and amount raised to date ($350,000). Senator Kelsey is in 2nd with $60,000 on hand and having raised $136,000 (including $132,500 personal loan) so far. Looks like at this point it time it is still anyone's race.

Goyle's Fundraising Breakdown - Part 1 of ?

While we didn't stay up all night to figure out the breakdown of Kansas vs. Out of State money - which looks to be the majority from the latter...we did have to lose a little sleep to find a few fun highlights in his report.

Let's start out with the Kansas Democrat Has - Beens
Former members and candidates Jim Slattery, Dan Glickman ($1K), Nancy Boyda ($250), Jill Docking ($2K)
Staffers Howard Baulke (Moore's CoS - $1K), Shanan Guinn (Boyda CoS - $250), Julie Merz (former Moore/Slattery staffer - $250)
Greg Orman ($2,400) - you remember him - he had a short lived campaign against Senate Roberts
Soon to be has been - Governor Mark Parkinson ($2,400)

Others to note include:
KS-02 candidate Laura Kelly ($250) - apparently she doesn't need to fundraise for her own campaign - she's just giving it away

Kansas Democratic Party Executive Dir - Kenny Johnson has lots of faith in Raj with a $10.00 donation

And of course our friend over at ForwardKansas, Colin Curtis - $50

The report is a real page turner - we literally couldn't stop. Feel free to start flipping through it yourself HERE

Candidates - By the Numbers

Below are the top candidates (moneywise) in each race....more detailed analyses of these finance reports to come. Including the breakdown of Raj Goyle's DC insider/liberal money and Moore's overall breakdown of a fundraising base...

Q3 Raised Cash on Hand

Senate Primary
Jerry Moran - $521,000 - $3,500,000
Todd Tiahrt - $340,000 - N/A

KS-01
Huelskamp - $182,000 - $379,000
Barnett - $105,000 - $300,000**
Mann - $60,000 - $198,000
Wasinger - $107,000 - $195,000

KS-02
Jenkins - $151,000 - $475,000

KS-03
Moore - $129,000 - $420,000
Scherer - $40,000 - $80,000** Includes personal loan
Lightner - $45,000 - $27,000

KS-04
Goyle - $404,000 - $368,000
Pompeo - $99,000 - $270,000
Kelsey - $9,000 - $60,000

South Park Does ACORN

Warning: Language you would expect from South Park...but pretty funny. And Democrats STILL want to fund this organization?!? Go figure.

Obama to Seniors: Cha-Ching

Despite the fact the health care in Congress will cut upwards of $500 billion from Medicare, Obama isn't wasting anytime courting a key demographic in American politics.

Yesterday, the White House threw out the idea of giving each senior a big payout - $250 - so they can go buy, an iPod or something. New dentures? That little check would cost an addition $13 billion.

"These payments will provide aid to more than 50 million people in the coming year, relief that will not only make a difference for them, but for our economy as a whole, complementing the tax cuts we've provided working families and small businesses through the Recovery Act," Obama said in a statement.

We didn't think Obama would be paying off seniors in the first year of his presidency in order to quell their anger from the awful health care bill being shoved down America's throat. But here it is folks. This will do NOTHING to help the economy and most likely infuriate the seniors who are already angry about their health care being jeopardized by the health care overhaul. A real example of change we can believe in.

Nasty 9, vol. 3: David Haley

Meet State Senator David Haley - he hails from Kansas City, Kansas and lives up to their liberal reputation seamlessly. His often touted claim to fame is that he is the nephew of Alex Haley, author of Roots. His father also served as U.S. Ambassador to Gambia under President Clinton.

Oppose Late Term and Partial Birth Abortions - NO
Require voters to provide identification at the polls (to cut down on illegal residents voting) - NO
Amendment to prohibit Unions from collecting dues from Illegals - NO

- After a low of support Kansas Taxpayers Network 15% of the time in 2006 - he has since brought that up to 55% though in our book that's still an F
- In 2005 he supported the interested of Kansans for Life 20% of the time

According to our calculations - Senator Haley is failing the majority of his 'classes' in representing Kansans. Please reach out to Senator Haley and tell him how he can better represent you.

haleyforkansas@aol.com
senhaley@aol.com
913-321-3210

ObamaCare - One Scary Step Closer

The Democrats government health care bill (and by bill we mean 260 page draft document) passed the Senate Finance committee today 14-9. We know what you're thinking - aren't there 10 Republicans on the committee? CORRECT

Maine Senator Olympia Snowe voted in favor of the Baucus legislation. Rumors have it that Snowe will still be opposed to the final legislation in the Senate if it includes the public (GOVERNMENT-RUN) option.

Now we all wait and see what Senator Harry Reid will come up with. He now has the power to merge the Senate HELP and Finance committee bills together and basically bring whatever final version to the floor that he wants. Luckily Senator Liebermann has come out public saying he is opposed to the Baucus bill and in a surprising alliance for Republicans - about 30 Unions are opposing this version as well. Though they're opposed because they want a public option included but also because of the taxes it would impose on expensive insurance policies.

Lucky for us Kansans - we can continue to count on Senators Brownback and Roberts to push for reform that won't include a government take over of the system, increase the deficit or make cuts to Medicare.

The Myth of "Independent" Democrats

Remember back in 2008 when then Senator Barack Obama promised a "new era in politics"...a time when he would transcend the partisan divide? Remember when he talked about how there aren't blue state or red states, but rather the "United States"? At each campaign event, Obama promised change, a break from partisanship.

And in the past 10 months, we've seen him and his party push a partisan, ideologically narrow agenda. Just as Kansans weren't fooled by Obama's promise of "independence", neither will they be fooled by so-called independent candidates in 2010.

Liberals Laura Kelly and Raj Goyle are another example of this bait and switch politics.

Goyle's website says it is time for "strong, independent" leadership. Kelly, who announced her run last Friday for Congress, said she would bring "common sense" to Congress.

We have heard this mantra before. Both Kelly and Goyle have strong ties to the partisan, liberal wing of the Democrat Party. Kelly has close ties to Governor Kathleen Sebelius, who is now pushing hard for a government takeover of health care. Kelly campaigned hard for Sebelius' gubernatorial races and Sebelius returned the favor, recording robo-calls for Kelly's state senate run.

Likewise, Goyle spent most of his college years dedicated to the College Democrats, leading the charge against Bob Dole's candidacy on his campus in 1996. He even worked on Clinton/Gore's 1996 campaign. Goyle also has strong ties to the ACLU, where he worked, the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank, and the most liberal of activist groups, DailyKos.

There's no question this duo would be voting lock-step with Pelosi and Co., just as we have seen Dennis Moore do in the 3rd district. Over the next year, we will be covering the liberal records of Kelly and Goyle and why Kansas cannot afford to have them in Congress.

The promise of "independence" has been made before and each time, proven a myth. This time will be no different.

Enjoy the Weekend! Follow fellow GOPers on Twitter

Here's a listing:

@RepToddTiahrt, @jerrymoran, @RepLynnJenkins, @lynnforcongress, @sensambrownback

@ksgop, @amanda_adkins, @jrclaeys

If there are any other Kansas Republicans or Libertarians out there that we should be following, let us know in the comments section!

KSKidConservative: No Moore!

A short video on why the people of the 3rd district should dump Dennis Moore in 2010. H/T KSKidConservative.

Obama: He's Here To Save Us

We are disappointed to report that a previously lauded institution took, quite possibly, it's final steps in to the realm in insignificance today. That's right, we too woke up this morning to hear the jaw dropping news that President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009. The Nobel committee cited the Presidents establishment of a "new climate in international politics" and gave "special importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons" as the contributing factors to Obama's victory. We can't forget to mention the nomination deadline was just 11 days into Obama's presidency. Yeah, 11.

Now in all fairness the Noble committee has been doing their best to to make this award as trivial, inconsequential and irrelevant as possible over the last decade, awarding the Peace prize to the colossal dolts Jimmy Carter, Al Gore, and terrorist Yassir Arafat. This move, however, puts the Noble Peace Prize into the same category as those ever respected Day Time Emmy's.

The choice was even more surprising given that the President was only in office for 10 days prior to the February 1st nomination deadline. It is deplorable that an institution who has previously honored figures such as Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr. bought into campaign rhetoric and bestowed their highest honor based on hope and potential. We hope that Mr. Obama uses his 1.4 million dollar prize money to pay down the massive about of debt he has saddled upon this nation.

Poll Watch: Independents Move to GOP

Latest from the Gallup poll.

"The Republican Party's relatively strong position on the generic ballot in the latest poll, conducted Oct. 1-4, stems from the support of political independents, who now favor Republican over Democratic candidates by 45% to 36%."

Take a look at the entire results here.

THANK YOU: RWK Hits 1,000

Right With Kansas says...THANK YOU!!!

To all of our readers. As of this morning, we hit the 1,000 mark for unique visits to our blog. We want to thank you for reading and sharing with your friends. Please feel free to e-mail us if you have any suggestions of stories that we should cover.

Parkinson Full Of Hot Air

We have never claimed Governor Parkinson to be the brightest one of the bunch, but his recent remarks to the Kansas Wind and Renewable Energy Conference make us even more glad he's not running for governor.

Parkinson spoke mostly about the cap and trade, climate legislation before Congress. The House barely passed the legislation earlier this year, with more than 40 Democrats defecting because of the impact it will have on rural states. Parkinson said the Kansas delegation should "place economic interests of the state ahead of other considerations" and simply vote for the cap and trade bill. Have you looked at the economic impact of this bill, Governor Parkinson?

FYI Governor: the cap and trade bill is not one big wind energy bill -- is that news to you?

The Obama Administration even estimates this bill "could cost some American families $1,761 a year in new taxes". Does that sound like in the economic interests of Kansans who are still being laid off and looking for work? Does that sound like in the economic interests of families who are already having to cut back and struggling to pay the bills? In addition, "taxpayers will have to pony up as much as $200 billion a year in new taxes, the equivalent of raising everyone's taxes by roughly 15%."

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Luckily, Governor Parkinson isn't in Congress. Perhaps he was just pandering to a group who wanted to hear more about wind. But when you "call out" members of Congress, we think he really believes the cap and trade bill is the answer. Fortunately for Kansas, three of our four House members voted against the legislation and our senators look to do the same. Yes, liberal Dennis Moore is drinking the kool-aid full time.

If the cap and trade legislation was just a wind energy bill, that could probably benefit Kansans. But the package as a whole is chocked full of regulation, higher taxes, and will have little to show for other than wrecking the economy. Sorry, but getting approval from Europe because of our "progressive" fight against global warming isn't high up on our list. This cap and trade bill should be the last thing Governor Parkinson would wish on the people of Kansa. Next time, Governor, do a little more studying before you make an endorsement of legislation. Your remarks were nothing but a bunch of hot air.

Change that Does Nothing

Rarely do we see any late night or comedy shows go after liberal Democrats. But on the rare occasion is does happen, we want to share it! This skit has caused hand wringing among Dems online, arguing it's an unfair shot at the glorious Obama.

We think it couldn't be more honest. Take a look for yourself.

Moore Ducks Transparency -- with Liberal Majority

Let Freedom Ring is organizing to get member of Congress to sign a discharge petition that would require Congress to post all bills online 72 hours before voting. Luckily, here in Kansas, we have our three Republican members of the House on board: Todd Tiahrt, Lynn Jenkins, and Jerry Moran. Yet there's always a bad egg in the group.

Enter Democrat Dennis Moore.

Let's encourage him to get on board and fulfill the promise of transparency that him and his fellow liberal Democrats promised when they took control of Congress. We've had dozens of broken promises from this Democrat-led Congress and Administration and it's up to us to put the pressure on them!

Twitter: Dump Dennis: Why are you breaking your promise for transparency?

KS Libertarians Organize Against Nanny State

In recent years, Kansas has seen the debate over smoking in public places at the forefront in several cities. Topeka and Manhattan were two of the last cities in the state to ban smoking in public spaces. While there is certainly a public health issue to be raised, how far are we going to let the state play Nanny to us all?

So who is heading up the effort to repeal the smoking ban? The Libertarian Party of Kansas.

Topekan Gail Trembley, who announced last week she was starting the drive, said Libertarian Party members will seek support from business owners while she plans to work with other volunteers to focus on getting petition signatures from private citizens...

Local officials say the petition to force a vote must contain the signatures of at least 5,744 registered Topeka voters, which would be equal to 25 percent of the number who cast ballots at the last municipal general election on April 7. Anyone registered to vote in Topeka may sign a petition. (STORY)

If you live in Topeka and registered to vote, you can contact Gail Trembley at southerndrawlcountry@yahoo.com for more information. And check out this article from Reason magazine. It's from 2006, but rings true today. The title is "The Race to Ban What's Bad For Us". Bans may start with smoking, but in some places, the state has taken the liberty to ban trans fat acids in restaurants and smoking even outside of restaurants and other establishments. Believe us, the government can come up with any "reason" to do "what's best for us".

What do you think about all the smoking bans taking place in restaurants and bars? Does the public health issue trump the rights of property owners every time?

Senate Primary Numbers

Yesterday, SurveyUSA release a poll on the Kansas Senate Republican Primary. Newest numbers show Jerry Moran leading Todd Tiarht 43-27. Unaffiliated voters break 3:1 for Moran, however of all those polled - 30% remain undecided.

We're still waiting to see a real poll released in this race from a polling firm - not an automated service. The true update in the race will be when the 3rd quarter finance reports come out on Oct. 15th - will Tiahrt start closing the cash gap or will Moran widen his lead...

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Government Must Learn Modesty

A new transportation plan will be front and center of this next legislative session in Kansas. Legislators are already wringing their hands over what to do. Transportation Secretary Deb Miller and others want a 10 year, $13 billion plan. But with tax revenues plummeting, President Obama's "economic stimulus" failing miserably, and unemployment at a 26 year high, things don't look pretty.

Kansas Democrats, and some Republicans, are already thinking about which tax is going to be raised. But Republican and Appropriations Chairman Kevin Yoder has a novel idea: government should have some modesty.

“Most people are tired of government not paying its bills and instead focusing on a new shiny toy — and articulating the need for revenue for that — when our budget is in the red,” said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Kevin Yoder, an Overland Park Republican.

Like most families and small businesses during an economic recessions, things must be scaled back. Belts have to be tightened. Instead of forcing higher taxes down the throats of Kansans, the Legislature should look at a scaled-down version of a transportation plan. Government needs to learn modestly -- especially when the people are footing the bill. Raising taxes is in unpopular because it is destructive, especially with the economy in the state it is. Republicans need to get across that this isn't about a having a transportation plan or not having one. It's about passing a plan that is modest, yet remains focused on the most important transportation needs. Without a greater tax burden on the backs of middle class Kansans.

Unfortunately, we can be sure Democrats will fight tooth and nail for higher taxes in order to fulfill all of their transportation dreams. Modesty and the middle class be damned.

Recap: Democrats' Dreamfest '09

We won't spend a whole lot of time on the Democrats Dreamfest '09 that took place in Wichita yesterday. So here are some of the highlights:

• Chin Up: Governor Mark Parkinson attempts to reassure his party that it's not as bad as it looks for 2010...that they have a real shot at something...he wasn't really specific. Convenient that he's decided not to run but tells his party, best of luck guys!
  
  
• Primary?: Parkinson is backing Larry Gates who is under investigation by the AG's office for Medicaid fraud. Chris Steineger is still considering a run. Could we see a primary to see who will take on Brownback? Let's hope so!
  
  
• Stop the Partisanship!: Senator Tom Holland from Baldwin City said he's "strongly considering" a run against Lynn Jenkins in the 2nd because of her "partisanship". We can't wait until he tells Kansans he supports the Obama agenda. What was Obama's latest approval number in Kansas? Oh yeah, 39 percent. Good luck with that Tom.
  
  
• It's Bush's Fault: Not a surprising tactic that's STILL being used. Parkinson is confused as to why Democrats are "starting to get criticized for the financial failure brought on by the Bush administration" -- 10 months into Obama's presidency. He just doesn't get it. Regarding Browback, "Lt. Gov. Troy Findley, a former legislator from Lawrence, said, “What we don’t need to happen in Kansas is for an extremist brand of the out-of-touch politics of the Bush years moving into the governor’s office.” (LJ World)
  
  
• For Senate: Someone named Schollenberg to run for Brownback's seat...announcement video of him on a hotel bed. strange.
  

Oh and here are some pretty entertaining Tweets from the day:

yonahana: So excited to eat at Braum's for lunch. Anyone who wants to join is welcome #demofest09 - no we'll admit Braum's is delicious.

MikeNellis: Governor Parkinson is feeling his inner Barack Obama. #p2 #demofest09 - wow...so many things wrong with that sentence.

ColinCurtisKS: @RajGoyle is awesome! He got a standing ovation at #Demofest09! #p2 #raj10 - shocking..a Dem getting a standing ovation at a Dem conference. They sure love their ACLU lawyers.

immunis: We're the DemocratIC party, not the democrat party. Don't talk like the opposition! #demofest09 #fail - nah, Democrat party : )

Senator Roberts: Cap & Trade Bad for Kansas

Senator Pat Roberts continues to be an advocate for Kansans - whether it's opposing government-run health care or fighting energy legislation that will hit Kansas agriculture, small businesses, and families with higher taxes. Here is a letter to the editor by Senator Roberts in the Salina Journal:

Cap and tax problems

The latest cap and tax proposal introduced by my Senate colleagues from Massachusetts and California might sound pretty good on the coasts, but to those of us that live and work in Kansas and across the Midwest, this bill raises the price of gasoline, diesel, fertilizer, natural gas and coal.

If this bill were to pass, Kansans, and all Americans, including those in big cities that depend on the food and fiber we grow, are likely to see an increase in our utility bills, transportation costs and basic consumer goods in exchange for little to no reduction in carbon emissions.

It is not in the best interests of the United States to undertake mandatory carbon reductions until developing countries like China, India and Brazil agree to the same. As a member of the Senate Agriculture and Senate Finance Committees, I will continue to fight against such proposals that limit our ability to compete in a global marketplace, ration domestic energy and result in greater government bureaucracy.

-- U.S. SEN. PAT ROBERTS, R-Kan.

Obama's (DIS) APPROVAL

According to a new SurveyUSA poll (conducted Sept 27-28) - 39% of Kansans approve of the job Barack Obama is doing as President. 57% of Kansans disapprove.

Most surprising to us in the poll: When you look at the President's approval by age group - the age range 18-34 disapproved of the President more than any other range. 30% approve/65% disapprove. Very shocking when you think back to the campaign and how our country's youth was the most energized by Obama's movement of CHANGE. Good to know that at least Kansas' youth understand what he's doing to our country.

Also in the poll - Senator Roberts job approval holds strong at 54%/37% disapprove. Looks like Kansans do support him in his opposition to the President's health care plan.

Gingrich to speak at Dole Center

Former Speaker of the House and conservative policy guru will be speaking at KU this fall.

From the Topeka-Capital Journal:

As part of a series of programs this fall at the Dole Institute of Politics at The University of Kansas, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will be the inaugural Robert J. Dole Distinguished Visiting Fellow.

Gingrich will visit the institute on Nov. 4. Doors will open at 6 p.m., and the program will begin at 7:30 p.m. It is free and open to the public.

Gingrich was first elected as a U.S. representative from Georgia in 1978. He then served as House speaker from 1995 to 1999.

Shocker: Another Entitlement Program Bankrupt

Congress is in the midst of possibly creating a whole new government entitlement program via government-run healthcare and at the state level, a KU study reveals the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System is "bankrupt". Shocking!

At the federal level, Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security are all rapidly becoming insolvent and yet liberals are insistent government do more, spend more, and promise more...to more people! This will for sure be front and center for the state legislature when they reconvene in January.

From the Lawrence-Journal World:

TOPEKA - A Kansas House committee is preparing to take up the state pension system's long-term funding problems.

Chairman Kevin Yoder says the Appropriations Committee will review a recent report about the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System at a meeting next week.

The report by the University of Kansas describes KPERS as "bankrupt."

State officials disagree but acknowledge significant funding issues in the pension fund for teachers and government workers.

Late last year, KPERS projected the gap between its income and expenses over the next 25 years at $8.3 billion. However, KPERS officials say no current retirees' benefits are in danger.

Alan Jilka for Congress: He's Bilingual!

We didn't think the Democrats would even find someone to run for Moran's seat. But former three-term Salina city commissioner and mayor Alan Jilka announced yesterday. Jilka's campaign manager - a Sebelius minion - used an interesting rationale for his candidacy: he's bilingual...and spent time in Latin America.

From the Salina Journal:

...And, he speaks Spanish

Jilka has hired as a campaign consultant Chris Cardinal of Lawrence. Cardinal, originally from Salina, worked on campaigns for Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, as well as for groups such as the Kansas Health Care Association and the Great Plains Alliance for Clean Energy.

"I will say I know that Alan's going to be a really hard worker. He's going to run a grass roots campaign, he'll be visiting a lot of different areas and making sure he can connect with as many constituents as possible," Cardinal said Wednesday.

He said Jilka's city government experience will aid his candidacy, as will Jilka's interest and experience visiting and living in Latin American countries, and Jilka's fluency in Spanish.

"He will be able to communicate with quite a few (Hispanic) constituents with whom there may not have been as strong a connection by those representing them in the past," Cardinal said. FULL STORY

Kansan Refuses to Be Victim

This letter to the editor today is a must read in the Topeka-Capital Journal. Apparently, this Kansan was used in a column awhile by back liberal and former Congressman Dr. Bill Roy. Roy portrayed this man as being a helpless victim and a reason why we should simply give in to government run health care. Liberals LOVE to use people and their unfortunate stories for their political gain. However, this citizen not only stands up for himself, but refuses to play the victim. We will let Mr. Asher speak for himself.

Surprise, surprise, I somehow garnered the attention of a political figure as important as Bill Roy when I attended Rep. Lynn Jenkins' town hall meeting in Holton. Never did I imagine he would want to write about me in his Sept. 19 column in The Topeka Capital-Journal.

I am honored. But let's look a little closer at what Roy had to say in his column, just to set the record straight.

It is true that I am a dialysis patient, although I am 49, not 45 as Roy said in his column. I hate that my treatment is paid for by the government. Yes, I said hate. The more the government pays, the more control it wants. And that control will be between you and your doctor. Is that the kind of care you want?

I don't think the government will do a good job with my medical care, and I talk from personal experience. I don't think that if 47 million people were added to the ranks of the insured that we would have enough medical personnel to care for them all. Finally, I don't believe a government that can't run the post office efficiently, that can't run Cash for Clunkers correctly, should run medical care, which will cost us trillions of dollars and amount to 1/6th of the total budget. Would you?

So you see, Bill Roy, I may have lost control of my medical treatment, but I have not lost the right to voice my concerns about the direction some in Washington, D.C., are trying to take us. And I will be at the voting booth each and every year to cast my ballot for those who believe as I do.

I am so glad I had the opportunity to meet you, Bill Roy. The next time we meet, I hope you won't feel the need to write about me just to pen a column to support your views - views that if they become policy will hurt this great country and run up a debt that our grandchildren will never be able to repay.

MATTHEW S. ASHER,

Holton

Cato Institute: Education Funding & Results

Great chart from Cato Institute regarding education funding since 1970 and test scores. We think it speaks for itself. h/t Kansas WatchDog

From Cato:

The debate over No Child Left Behind re-authorization is upon us.

Except it isn’t.

In his recent speech kicking off the discussion, education secretary Arne Duncan asked not whether the central federal education law should be reauthorized, he merely asked how.