ad astra per aspera-- Kansas the land of Ahhhs.

[salex]

Ah, Kansas.  Brownbackistan? Our politics are ever more exciting as we tend to be following the ALEC playbook and rush to the right. 

Got a gun?  Carry it with you, because you never know when you'll want to shoot someone.

Want to defund the state court system for going saying the legislature has to fund education?  Sure why not. 

If you are from KS, chime in with your opinion... maybe you love Mr. Brownback.  Reasonable discourse seems healthy. 

If you are not from KS, compare and contrast your state's successes and failures.

 

 

 

 

[Chelio93]

http://m.shawneedispatch.com/news/2016/feb/15/shawnee-senator-removed-kansas-health-committee-ch/?templates=mobile

[salex]

Yes, the infighting between republicans is incredible. The race to prove righter than right continues unabated!

 

[clueliss]

Native Kansan.  I moved almost 6 years ago.  But I keep an eye on the politics there because I still follow the KC Star on Facebook and my mom is there.  Let's see Brownback, Kobach, and the former Johnson County DA trio of Phill Kline, Dennis Moore and Paul Morrsion.  (Kline and Morrison went on to State AG and Moore became 3rd Congressional District US Rep).  I used to know folks in the Jo CO DA's office (admin assts and paralegals) and heard dirt/dislike etc about one of the 3 before things went scandal.

 

[Chelio93]

OOPS!  I messed up last night. I was on my phone and thought I backed out of the comment.  I wanted to move to my PC because I have trouble posting more than one link.  Sorry.  Here is another article about what a nutjob Mary is http://www.rawstory.com/2016/02/kansas-republicans-threaten-teachers-with-jail-time-for-perfectly-legal-sex-ed-material/

 

We already have Sam, why do we get her too?  I bet she is a joy to work with and they were looking for a reason to kick her off the committee in the link from my above comment.

[clueliss]

Oh dear.  Knickers in a Knot over something in teh ebil Shawnee Mission schools in metro KC.  Horrors.  

Wonder if the Koch brothers are funding her.  

[salex]

APNewsBreak: Kansas

TOPEKA, Kan.

More 40 Republican legislators are asking Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle to reinstate the former chairwoman of her chamber's health committee.

Seventeen of the Senate's 32 Republicans signed a letter Tuesday. The list included Majority Leader Terry Bruce of Nickerson.

Twenty-six GOP House members signed a similar letter.

The Associated Press obtained copies of each.

The lawmakers want Wagle to reinstate Republican Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook of Shawnee as chairwoman of the Public Health and Welfare Committee.

Wagle declined to comment.

The Wichita Republican removed Pilcher-Cook on Friday over an attempt by Pilcher-Cook last week to force a Senate debate on a proposal to expand the state's Medicaid program in line with the federal health overhaul.

Pilcher-Cook wanted the proposal to fail. Wagle said the move showed disrespect to the chamber.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/latest-news/article60679121.html#storylink=cpy

 

We get her because Brownback and CO wanted her.....

 

[clueliss]

Oh well, based on that and my mom's dementia issues (meaning she needs mediaid) I already don't like her.  

[salex]

Here are the names of the KS republican Senators who signed the letter...In addition to one of them being my Senator, I know two others personally. 

These people are very (very) conservative. Did I say very conservative?  But one of the ones I know has butted heads with Wagle in the past.   

Senators who signed the letter (in order of signature): Sen. Steve Fitzgerald, R-Leavenworth; Sen. Tom Arpke, R-Salina; Jeff Melcher, R-Leawood; Sen. Julia Lynn, R-Olathe; Steve Abrams, R-Arkansas City; Sen. Rob Olson, R-Olathe; Sen. Jacob LaTurner, R-Pittsburg; Sen. Ty Masterson, R-Andover; Sen. Greg Smith, R-Overland Park; Sen. Jim Denning, R-Overland Park; Sen. Molly Baumgardner, R-Louisburg; Sen. Forrest Knox, R-Altoona; Sen. Mitch Holmes, R-St. John; Senate Majority Leader Terry Bruce, R-Hutchinson; Sen. Rick Wilborn, R-McPherson; Sen. Michael O’Donnell, R-Wichita; Sen. Garrett Love, R-Montezuma

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article60707061.html#storylink=cpy

[clueliss]

Good grief, what is going on in Johnson County?  It used to be Jo Co was old school republican.  Looking at that list I see Leawood, 2 Olathes, and 2 Overland Parks.  Then, thanks to this board, I notice Leavenworth and think of the Maxhells.  

[salex]

4 hours ago, clueliss said:

Good grief, what is going on in Johnson County?  It used to be Jo Co was old school republican.  Looking at that list I see Leawood, 2 Olathes, and 2 Overland Parks.  Then, thanks to this board, I notice Leavenworth and think of the Maxhells.  

The tea party and outside money came to our local elections.

This guy is my local rep.  No one had heard of him when he ran.  I am pretty good at doing research.  I spent time and money on the internet to learn more about him, and found out he may have been divorced in Illinois 20-30 years ago, his consulting firm in MO might have been  sued once, but the case was dropped.  He was quoted in the paper once before the election at a school meeting in Wyandotte County.  Other than his consulting company, which I could never find a website for, and believe me, I tried,  his income apparently comes from owning a medical building in Wyandotte County.

He was one of 3 candidates in the primary.  My mail box was filled, weekly if not daily with big, full color postcards with 3 basic reasons to vote for Lunn.  The same reasons were also on his facebook page and on his campaign website.

You can read for yourself the strong case he made to be elected.   (Insert eye roll here)

http://lunnforkansas.com/

These same  3 paragraphs  on every mailer I got.  And I was drowned in mailers for this guy.

He ran against 2 republicans who won and against a Democrat woman who was well known in the community, and had a visible history of community service. 

But the post cards kept coming.

Here is a link so you can see the sparkling work he has done so far for my part of the state.

http://kslegislature.org/li_2014/b2013_14/members/rep_lunn_jerry_1/ nearly everything he has sponsored is fluff.    Sponsoring stuff like HR6031 - Celebrating the 10th anniversary of Kansas's bilateral relationship with the Republic of Armenia.   Wow, concentrating on the things that make a different in his constituents' lives.

I can only guess that whoever wanted him in the seat wanted someone who would vote for their way without calling attention to himself.  

If I were writing his character in Scandal, I’d either have his sponsors know something about him, or I’d have his sponsors hiring a lot of consulting work to be done or at least invoiced through his company.  But that would be for Scandal, not real life............................................ 

[clueliss]

Bethany Medial Office Building?  As in the now defunct Bethany Medical Center.  (all I had to do was click on 'about Jerry).  How to put this.  And I don't use the term lightly, but I know where this is.  Because I worked at Bethany for 6 months back in 1993 (as an accountant).  That is likely in the hood.  Not Western Wyandotte County where it blends in with Jo Co.  Nope, the hood.  (12th and Central or so).  

and oh look also in About Jerry - Monsanto.  

[clueliss]

http://www.kansascity.com/news/government-politics/article60840913.html#storylink=fb_staff

A Religous Freedom Rally with Brownback babbling on.

Ummmm, what country are we in?  

[Chelio93]

I was randomly playing with the Google at soccer practice and came across this article which is interesting http://www.hutchnews.com/news/local_state_news/senate-gop-memo-offers-glimpses-of-internal-political-strategy/article_f551770a-8f87-5298-bc6e-be4a4f2bcdfa.html 

Supposedly, Sammy is part of a secret society in Washington http://crooksandliars.com/heather/rachel-maddow-show-christian-conservatisms

http://m.dailykos.com/story/2007/1/22/293679/-

 

[clueliss]

OOOh I forgot about the weird house on C street stuff.  I put the book on my wishlist so I could go back to it later http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060560053/?tag=crooksandliar-20 (mentioned in the second link)

 

[salex]

Every year, Sammy goes from Church to Church around the state on some kind of traveling show.  This year is was regarding the Blackrobe Regiment, or some such.  I think we missed the February op, but usually he does it more than once a month.

WOnder if state money pays for any of this?  We know the history has to be accurate, since David Barton is there.  Curious what sort of Civic Action Team they are training?

 

[clueliss]

http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/the-buzz/article61710022.html#storylink=fb_staff

Kobach thinks the KS Supreme Court has gone off the rails.  Apparently because KS School Financing Reform.  Gee thta's been craptastic at best for at least a decade - it's not like the formulas can get any worse (at least from a NE KS Suburban KC/Lawrence area perspective since I've lived there and gotten gouged to finance the rest of the state.

http://www.kansascity.com/news/state/kansas/article61787482.html#storylink=fb_staff

I'm all for Chiro - but erm - this is rather a recipe for disaster.

http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article61756977.html#storylink=fb_staff

revenge porn bill passed and something about a constitutional convention call (that it looks like they said Nay to)

and my possible 'favorite' - Missouri isn't much better off than KS (KS is just getting the publicity) (I live in MO now)

http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/yael-t-abouhalkah/article61663567.html#storylink=fb_staff

 

[Chelio93]

Here is an email I received from the Kansas PTA this week http://kansas-pta.bmetrack.com/c/v?e=8E5F78&c=3927D&t=0&l=1F9DDD41&email=Ehi3gnqK72MOEnVJp9mVKJNLWlj%2FXSBTNyIeD9VsXLU%3D

I am amazed that they are trying to get rid of Common Core with no real backup plan in place and the Shawnee Mission School District can not even come up with an operating budget for next year because they could be looking at $12 million in budget cuts.

http://fox4kc.com/2016/02/23/smsd-outlines-potential-for-12-million-in-budget-cuts/

[clueliss]

We have a local district here that in addition to MO state budget cuts, also missed a deadline to get a tax increase/continuance on the April ballot - and is in huge fiscal problems for school budget.  I believe they are cutting summer school among other things.  

I saw that about common core.  And while it is questionable, to have zip in place to replace it makes no sense.

And I remember when Shawnee Mission, Blue Valley and Olathe didn't have school budget woes because they could do (and did) local tax initiatives to increase local school funding.  That the state tax allocation formuals then made illegal because it wasn't fair to small districts out west that didn't want to raise their own taxes (and now benefit from the 'more wealthy' areas of the state.  

[clueliss]

Because everyone should have a secretary of state who sees communists everywhere.  (ACLU and League of Women Voters specifically)

http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/yael-t-abouhalkah/article62629432.html#storylink=fb_staff

And yes, I remember that Kobach went up against US Rep Dennis Moore some years ago and was trounced.  

[clueliss]

http://www.kansascity.com/latest-news/article63337432.html#storylink=cpy

Apparently the shootings in Hesston is because Businesses are allowed to restrict weapons on their premises. 

[clueliss]

And the Kansas budget woes just keep on giving.  Potential Wichita Schools cuts/adjustments.  (I have someone in the extended family that teaches in Wichita)

http://www.kansas.com/news/local/education/article67454922.html#storylink=cpy

 

[Chelio93]

A little midweek humor for my fellow Kansans 

 

[clueliss]

Kobach - you idiot.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/kansas-spanish-voter-guides-errors

Yes folks, let's put out a Spanish language voter guide.  And include the WRONG registration information.   (this from an candidate who favors strict voter ID)