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Dennis Moore transfers campaign email list to Stephene

Apr 8th, 2010
by admin.
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The header and message that greeted those who signed up for email updates from the Stephene Moore campaign website yesterday. Click the image to enlarge it.

The header and message that greeted those who signed up for email updates from the Stephene Moore campaign website yesterday. Click the image to enlarge it.

Webpage displayed when unsubscribed is clicked from the Stephene Moore campaign emails. The constant contact email and information is for the Stephene Moore campaign. Click the image to enlarge it.

Webpage displayed when unsubscribed is clicked from the Stephene Moore campaign emails. The constant contact email and information is for the Stephene Moore campaign. Click the image to enlarge it.

After announcing her candidacy and telling the Kansas City Star, “I’m not entitled to the seat,” it seems that Stephene Moore, wife of current Congressman Dennis Moore, doesn’t have a problem with using her husband’s campaign resources to try and keep the seat in the family.

As previously noted, Mrs. Moore had some website problems yesterday morning. Apparently, those problems were resolved later in the day only to be replaced with another, more curious problem: a header with Dennis Moore’s picture and the words Congressman Dennis Moore greeted those who signed up to receive email updates from the Stephene Moore campaign.

Once confirmed, subscribers were greeted with an incredible statement from the Stephene Moore campaign.

Welcome to Stephene Moore for Congress. We are happy to have you as a member of our community. Your email address and interest preferences have been recordedin our database. In the future, you will receive periodic emails specific to your interests.

Privacy is important to us; therefore, we will not sell, rent, or give your name or address to anyone. At any point, you can select the link at the bottom of every email to unsubscribe, or to receive less or more information.

Thanks again for registering. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,

Stephene Moore

I guess that privacy thing only applies to non-family members, huh?

How does a header with Dennis Moore’s picture end up on the confirmation page for Stephene Moore’s campaign updates? This is a Constant Contact website with identifying information linked to the Stephene Moore campaign. As such, there’s only two possibilities as to what is going on.

  1. Mrs. Moore has hired some highly incomptent staff that had uploaded an image from her husband’s campaign rather than her’s. In this case Stephene is guilty of nothing more than perhaps being incompetent herself and demonstrating why she shouldn’t be allowed to hold elective office.
  2. Stephene has taken control of her husbands Constant Contact account and changed the identifying information but failed to changed the header displayed when someone signed up with the campaign.

In the case of number two, one has to ask if this isn’t borderline illegal. Constant Contact costs money. Is the Dennis campaign making an in-kind contribution to Stephene? If so, will this show up on her next campaign finance report? How does Stephene choosing to use her husband’s contact account square with her statement that she’s her own person and not entitled to the seat just because of who she’s married to?

Or better yet Stephene, after you’ve answered all of those questions, would you produce just ONE voter who actually, truly and wholeheartedly thinks, and has told you, that they think you’re ENTITLED to the seat just because of who you’re married to? If you know somebody like that, what kind of scary people have you been hanging out with?

Who’s the liar, Stephene or Dennis?

Apr 7th, 2010
by admin.
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Click the image to enlarge

Click the image to enlarge

Stephene Moore, wife of Democrat Congressman Dennis Moore, finally announced yesterday that she’ll try to keep the seat in the Kennedy, err, I mean, Moore family, this November. She’s already indicated she supports cap and trade, government run health care, and the TARP bailout. In other words, Moore of the same. (Gee, didn’t see that overused line coming at all, huh?)

My question to Mrs. Moore is who’s lying, her or her husband? Let’s remember why Dennis said he was leaving office.

Congressman Dennis Moore said Tuesday that his decision not to run for re-election is all about family and a promise he made to his wife.

Moore said they talked about him leaving office after five terms, but he will finally step down after serving six terms. He also put to rest the rumor that he was not running because of health reasons.

Leaving for family huh? I guess the family (and when I say family I mean Mrs. Moore) got pretty used to her Washington lifestyle and isn’t quite ready to give it up yet.

On a lighter note, it looks like Stephene’s off to a rocky online start.

Is KDOT video press release taxpayer funded lobbying?

Apr 6th, 2010
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The Kansas Department of Transportation today released its first video press release advocating for a tax increase for another 10 year transportation plan. Besides the obvious questions of why a department so strapped for cash would put time and effort into producing a video to advocate for a tax increase, one should also question if the use of taxpayer resources to produce a video should be considered taxpayer funded lobbying.

There are multitudes of lobbyists in Topeka sent on the taxpayer dime. They vary from local governments like cities and counties to many local school districts and now apparently even state departments like KDOT. Contrary to common sense, taxpayer funded lobbying is not illegal.

Certainly heads of various state departments go to the capital and regularly advocate for more money. It has essentially become standard operating procedure to ask for more than you need. It is, however, a giant step in the wrong direction for the head of a department to use state resources to outright advocate for a tax increase to pad the departments pockets.

Using state resources in this way is disturbing. But in addition to that, watch the video below and ask yourself these questions:

  • Why does Secretary Miller never use the words “tax increase?”
  • If Kansas roads have improved so dramatically since the 1980′s, why is a “revenue increase” needed to “spur economic development across the state?” If more roads equals more economic activity, shouldn’t tax revenues have increased as well? Or does that perhaps lend evidence to the argument that more transportation funding does not equal more economic activity?
  • Why does KDOT note that new construction spending is less than in the 1970′s when they say a tax increase is needed for system “preservation?” Doesn’t preservation by definition mean there wouldn’t be new construction?

I certainly for one will not argue against more roads and better infrastructure. Preservation of the system should be a priority. However, the funds to do so must be found within the state’s current revenue stream.

Secretary Miller wants Kansans to believe that they should give more money to the government in the name of more economic activity. If that is the case, why not just go ahead and give the government everything you make and let them spend what they see fit first and then give you the rest? After all, if more money spent by the government is such a good thing, this strategy should quickly result in unprecedented state wealth.

Healthcare Freedom Amendment eight votes short; how did your Rep. vote?

Mar 22nd, 2010
by admin.
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Today the Kansas House took it’s first vote on the proposed Healthcare Freedom Amendment. In light of last night’s stunning vote to essentially nationalize one sixth of our nation’s economy, this amendment is more important than ever to protect Kansans from unconstitutional federal mandates.

To pass, the amendment needs a two-thirds supermajority of 84 votes in the House. Today’s vote was 76-44. Listed below is how the votes came down according to party and yea or nay. Click the members name to get their contact information and call, fax and email them TODAY.

Republican Yeas: Aurand, Bethell, Bowers, Brookens, Brown A, Brunk, Burgess, Carlson, Colloton, Craft, Crum, DeGraaf, Donohoe, Faber, George, Goico, Gordon, Grange, Hayzlett, Hermanson, Hineman, Holmes C, Holmes M, Horst, Huebert, Jack, Kelley, Kerschen, Kiegerl, King, Kinzer, Kleeb, Knox, Landwehr, Light, Mast, McLeland, Merrick, Morrison, Moxley, Myers, Neufeld, O’Brien, O’Neal, Olson, Otto, Patton, Peck, Pottorff, Powell, Prescott, Proehl, Rhoades, Schroeder, Schwab, Schwartz, Seiwert, Shultz, Siegfreid, Spalding, Suellentrop, Swanson, Tafanelli, Vickrey, Whitham, Wolf B, Wolf K, Worley, Yoder.

Contact (preferably by phone) the Republicans below and ask them why they voted against limited government.

Republican NAYS: Nays: Bollier, Hill, Quigley, Roth, Sloan.

Contact (preferably by phone) the Democrats below and ask them to once again vote yea. They will be under pressure to change their vote.

Democrat YEAS: Lukert, Maloney, Meier, Palmer, Svaty, Wetta, Williams.

Contact (preferably by phone) the Democrats below and ask them why they voted nea and ask them to change their vote.

Democrat NAYS: Ballard, Barnes, Benlon, Brown T, Burroughs, Carlin, Crow, Davis, Dillmore, Feuerborn, Finney, Flaharty, Frownfelter, Furtado, Garcia, Gatewood D, Gatewood S, Goyle, Grant, Henry, Kuether, Lane, Loganbill, Long, Mah, McCray-Miller, Menghini, Neighbor, Pauls, Phelps, Rardin, Ruiz, Slattery, Swenson, Talia, Tietze, Trimmer, Ward, Winn.

These Representatives didn’t vote. Keep in mind that they may have not been able to vote due to illness. Contact (preferably by phone) the Representatives below and ask them to make an effort to vote for the Healthcare Freedom Amendment.

Didn’t Vote: Fund (most likely would have been a yea, is currently hospitalized according to fellow House members), Hawk, Henderson, Johnson, Peterson.

KDOT’s Amtrak plans show disregard for Kansas taxpayers

Mar 18th, 2010
by admin.
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kdotThe Kansas Department of Transportation announced last week that they are seeking to extend an Amtrak line from Dallas, Texas through Wichita and eastern Kansas to Kansas City. The announcement comes at a curious time when KDOT Secretary Deb Miller, Governor Mark Parkinson and former governors Mike Hayden and Bill Graves all came together to demand a tax increase to, “keep Kansas roads number one.”

As a quasi government agency, Amtrak has been loosing money for years and only continues to operate because of federal subsidies. While federal money is outside the control of KDOT, a KDOT press release notes the one time infrastructure improvement costs and annual operating cost of the four different plans.

For example, the first plan estimates an annual ridership of 92,500 at an annual cost burden to the state of $3.2 million. This doesn’t include an estimated $114 million in improvements for the line to operate. And the $114 million doesn’t include local improvements like platforms and train stations, which would have to be provided by local Kansas communities. Just taking into account the state’s annual costs, it comes to $34.60 per rider.

A more expensive alternative would bring in an estimated 174,000 annual riders but would cost the state $8 million a year in operating expenses. Excluding $476 million in infrastructure improvements, that’s just under $46 a rider. If one includes the infrastructure costs and extends out annual costs for 30 years, the cost per rider increases to just over $137 a rider.

Why would KDOT push for a service that would require $8 million a year be taken from their budget when they are canceling new construction and repair projects left and right? Rather than subsidize passenger rail service to potentially $46 a rider or more, couldn’t those millions of dollars be better spent maintaining Kansas roads that would benefit everyone rather than the few who find passenger rail service so nostalgic that they advocate government subsidies to keep Amtrak going?

Couple this with a continuing push to renovate the state capital because ‘material is so cheap’ and lawmakers so desperate to tax rather than cut spending that soda pop is now on the radar, and it certainly leaves Kansas taxpayers wondering just what happened to our government’s priorities.

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