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SEIU seeking payback for $100K donation to Sebelius

Sep 4th, 2009
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seiuWhat is quickly becoming a liability for Gov. Mark Parkinson, the Service Employees International Union is asking the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services for thousands of employees names, addresses and telephone numbers so they can be contacted about SEIU’s “services.” The SRS has stated that they will comply with the request.

According to records obtained by the Kansas Meadowlark, SEIU donated $100,000 to Gov. Kathleen Sebelius in the last election cycle. Is this new request a payback for all of that invested money? It certainly is beginning to look that way.

According to an SRS spokesperson, the department will ensure that the information is not used for “marketing purposes” and that SEIU will be picking up the expense of the request. And how does the SRS or any other government agency plan to enforce the use of information already handed over to the SEIU? Ask for it back? Shake their finger and say, “Bad SEIU, bad!”

Governor Parkinson and his agency heads should quickly abandon this payback scheme and a full legislative investigation should occur. It’s quite troubling that a simple KORA request can result in personal information being released to the public without the employees knowledge.

For more coverage, see Kansas Liberty.

Let’s get this party started

Apr 15th, 2009
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logo

Let’s get the party started!

If you’re still looking for a party to attend, check out the AFP-Kansas list, or for Kansas City area parties, go here.

Three Kansas bloggers will be trying to report on all the tea parties across the state. The current plan is to somewhat divide up the state between various blogs. Here’s where you can find coverage and email your own on-site reports…

Kansas City area parties will be reported on Kansas Meadowlark. Click here to send an email.

Wichita and South-central Kansas area parties will be reported at the Voice for Wichita Liberty. Click here to send an email.

Western Kansas parites will be reported by Meadowlark on his Salina Journal blog. Click here to send an email.

Topeka and Southeast Kansas parties will be reported here. Click here to send an email.

First hand reports are encouraged! Try to include who the speakers were, how many attended, what the mood of the crowd was or anything else interesting happening. Pictures can be emailed. If you’re handy with video, consider uploading it to YouTube and sending the link to the above email addresses.

Wichita Tea Party

Feb 25th, 2009
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Another Tea Party will be held in Wichita tomorrow.

  • Where: Sen. Sam Brownback’s office at 245 N Waco, Wichita (Farm Credit Union building – get directions here)
  • When: Friday February 26, 2009 from 11:30am to 12:30am
  • What: Bring homemade signs and you appreciation for Sen. Brownback and your frustration at the spending bill!
  • Who: Contact Nancy Armstrong at (316) 990-6009 or email for more details.

It’s a grassroots phenomenon! Get sign ideas here and here. Confirm you attendance on Facebook here.

In a new American Tea Party, citizens across the USA are beginning to protest giant government programs that reach deep into their pockets. These programs create huge economic burdens on American families and threaten their livelihood now and into the future.

Come and join the fight if you can!

Ethics Commission fines private citizen, allows corrupt politician to walk

Feb 18th, 2009
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ethics

The Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission today fined a private citizen $7,500 for speaking to the media about a complaint he filed against state Sen. Dwayne Umbarger for misuse of campaign funds.

As far as the public knows, no hearing was conducted regarding the charges against state Sen. Umbarger. The commission has never publicly addressed the complaints or even acknoledged an investigation, but several news sources in Kansas have previously reported that the Ethics Commission is no longer investigating Sen. Umbarger and no fines against the Senator are on record.

When emailed for comment, Van Meteren still had nothing to say.

I would love to talk to you about this issue, (but) my attorney advises me that until a higher legal authority lifts the gag order the Ethics Commission has imposed on me, I really can’t.

Is that what our state has come to? Senators can funnel campaign cash and report such violations to the Ethics Commission, essentially proving a law violation, but as long as they amend their reports to be in compliance with the law, no action is taken.

ethics_pr

And yet when a private citizen takes the initiative to root out corruption, wherever it may be, he is fined for his efforts by the very government commission that is supposed to be holding our politicians accountable.

For more in depth coverage, see today’s Kansas Meadowlark story.

Related Articles:

KRA Blog: Ethically Challenged Commission ‘clears’ Umbarger
KRA Blog: “Ethics” Commission targets private citizen
KRA Blog: First amendment case postponed one month
KRA Blog: Freedom of Speech defended at Ethics Hearing
Kansas Meadowlark: “Free Speech” May Cost Kansas Citizen $7500
Kansas Meadowlark: First Amendment Defense Thorny Issue for Ethics Commission
Kansas Meadowlark: Fines and other actions by the Ethics Commission at their December meeting
Kansas Meadowlark: 1st Amendment Constitutional Right may become issue in Kansas Ethics Commission Hearing in January. Silence the accuser?
Kansas Meadowlark: Ethics Commission Fines Candidate $500 and PAC $2500
Kansas Meadowlark: Did Senator Umbarger violate ethics rules buying a carport with campaign money? Umbarger clairvoyant?
Kansas Liberty: Talking to press attracts Ethics Commission ire
Kansas Liberty: New campaign finance charges leveled against Umbarger
Kansas Liberty: Primary opponent says Umbarger violated campaign finance law
Kansas Liberty: Umbarger yields to ethics pressure, repays fund

So, just what exactly did your children and grandchildren pay for?

Feb 14th, 2009
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maddy

The Johnson County bloggers at Red County have a nice list posted of what our children and grandchildren will be paying for in the years to come.

I’ll share some of my favorites:

  • $1 billion for NASA
  • $2 billion to develop advanced batteries for hybrid cars
  • $650 million for the digital TV converter box coupon program (because reality TV spurs the economy)
  • $3.7 billion to conduct “green” renovations on military bases (I thought they already wore camo?)
  • $1 billion for the 2010 Census (to count just over 305 million people)
  • $3.4 billion for fossil energy research (Remember folks, it’s the green Democrats that voted for that…)
  • $98 million earmarked for a polar icebreaker (this one just puzzles me, couldn’t we just wait for ‘em to melt?)
  • $500 million for forest health and wildfire prevention
  • $25 million for the Smithsonian Institution
  • $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts

Finally, my ultimate favorite two:

  • $10 million for urban canals
  • $290 million for flood prevention

If I have to explain why that’s funny, we’re in real trouble.

tiaraNostimulus.com surpassed half a million signatures in the waning hours of the spendulus debate, but it made no difference to the Democrats or three “moderate” Republican Senators. The site is still up if you just feel a need to sign it. I’m sure AFP will keep ownership of the domain name. I have a feeling this won’t be the last “stimulus.”

During the House and Senate debate I had a nightmarish flashback to the last time a legislative body voted on a massive piece of legislation without reading it.

Of course, everyone by now knows what a cash cow state-owned casinos turned out to be for Kansas. And not allowing legislative oversight in the bill, that was an excellent idea. I can only imagine what American citizens will learn about this spending bill over the next year or two.

U.S. House rules state that all conference committee reports must be made available for 3 calendar days before a vote to allow Representatives to read the bill. The Democrat controlled House passed a special resolution to waive that rule so a vote on the 1100 page bill could be taken not even 24 hours after it’s final draft was made available.

Democrat Reps and Senators must be very fast readers.

I can think of a few high points though. Every Representative and all but three Republican Senators voted against the bill. What a dramatic return to conservative principles. It’s certainly refreshing to see that most of our Republican officials intimately understand what lost them the election and what they need to do to begin to win again.

Imagine if Republicans had acted like Republicans several years ago.

Other Kansas spendulus blog posts:

Kansas Meadowlark – “‘Yes We Can’ Pass $787 Billion ‘Stimulus’ Without Anyone in Congress Reading the Bill”
Red County JoCo – The short list of your grandchildren’s debt
Wichita Liberty – NoStimulus.com Effort Crosses 200,000 Petitions
Wichita Liberty – Tim Phillips of AFP explains NoStimulus.com
StimulusWatch.org – Lists all Kansas Stimulus projects