benjaminhodge's Diary

Invitation for Kansas City conservatives: Hear Joshua Charles, co-author of Glenn Beck’s book “Original Argument”

You’re invited to an event featuring Joshua Charles, co-author of Glenn Beck’s recent book called The Original Argument: The Federalists’ Case for the Constitution, Adapted for the 21st Century.

Join us Thursday night, March 8, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in room 200 of Colonial Presbyterian Church in Overland Park (map below).

This is a free event, but space is limited.

Click here to register online at Eventbrite.

Mr. Charles received his undergraduate degree in Piano Performance from KU, and is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Government from Regent University.

This event is sponsored by the local educational non-profit, the State and Local Educational Foundation of Kansas.

You can learn more about the book The Original Argument by going to Amazon.com or to Glenn Beck’s site.

Location:

Colonial Presbyterian Church
Room 200
12501 West 137 St. in Overland Park

Thank you for your time, as always.

Sincerely,

Benjamin B. Hodge

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Connect with Benjamin Hodge at Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, The Kansas Progress, and LibertyLinked. Hodge is President of the State and Local Reform Group of Kansas. He served as one of seven at-large trustees at Johnson County Community College from 2005-’09, a member of the Kansas House from 2007-’08, a delegate to the Kansas Republican Party from 2009-’10, and was founder of the Overland Park Republican Party in 2011. His public policy record is recognized by Americans for Prosperity, the Kansas Association of Broadcasters, the Kansas Press Association, the Kansas Sunshine Coalition for Open Government, the NRA, Kansans for Life, and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE).

Planned Parenthood leader: Sex selection abortions are just fine

LifeNews:

Angie Murie, executive director of Planned Parenthood Waterloo Region in Canada, was recently quoted in a National Post article claiming she opposed sex-selection abortions but essentially admitting that women should be able to have abortions for just about any reason.

“I wrestle with gender-based abortion more than any other reason [a person might give for choosing to have an abortion,]” she said. “From a macro perspective, I don’t think it’s a very good idea for us to be eliminating women. But if you look at it at the individual level, which is what we do, I don’t have any right to say that one person’s reason is better or worse than another’s.”

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Poll: Voters with High School Degrees, Undergraduate Degrees Disapprove of Obama

On January 28, Rasmussen Reports listed President Obama’s approval rating at 47%. But a voter’s opinion is heavily related to his or her level of education.

Recent Rasmussen Reports national telephone surveying of Likely U.S. Voters finds that 57% of those who attended high school but did not graduate at least somewhat approve of the job the president is doing. Similarly, 56% of voters who attended graduate school approve of Obama’s performance.

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Bret Baier Covers Media Blackout on March for Life

This year’s annual March for Life in Washington, DC, drew 500,000 people. As is typical with the hyper-partisan mainstream press, there was a virtual media blackout.

Via Kathryn Jean Lopez at National Review.

Many a news consumer last week may have heard nothing about last Monday’s March for Life (my photos here) in Washington, D.C. Thank you, Bret Baier, for not only noting the March but the media blackout:

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By 50-27% margin, Florida voters prefer national flat tax to progressive income tax

A recent Florida poll by 7NEWS/Suffolk University (PDF) asked this question: ”Would you prefer a flat tax for all taxpayers to pay which would replace the current progressive federal tax code?”

Fifty percent said “yes,” only 27% said “no,” and 23% were undecided.

Romney was leading Obama 47-42% in the poll.

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Gov. Sam Brownback’s $135 million contract with Accenture is “illegal” – Republican Rep. Trent LeDoux

Holton, Kansas, Rep. Trent LeDoux – “My concern is this contract with Accenture, which, in my opinion, is an illegal contract.”

Shawnee, Kansas, Rep. John Rubin, former federal judge and FDIC Regional Counsel — “The darn thing [ObamaCare] is unconstitutional. Why would we take steps in Kansas to implement anything?”

Topeka Capital-Journal:

A small, defiant group of House Republicans joined forces with the tea-party flavored Union of Patriots to pressure Gov. Sam Brownback to cancel a $135 million contract for a computer system designed to track applicants for state social services.

…

Rep. John Rubin, a Shawnee Republican, said he met with Brownback in an effort to convince the governor the state should have nothing to do with computer system changes that played into mandates for health insurance reform crafted by Democrats.

“The darn thing is unconstitutional,” Rubin told a Statehouse gathering of about 10 House and Senate Republicans. “Why would we take steps in Kansas to implement anything?”

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The state entered into a five-year contract with Accenture calling for expenditure of $85 million for technology acquisition and implementation of the database and $50 million to operate and maintain the system.

Meanwhile, Accenture agreed in September to pay $63 million to settle a suit tied to a scandal involving acceptance of kickbacks after recommending certain hardware and software to the federal government. The U.S. Department of Justice also accused Accenture of fraudulently increasing prices and rigging bids on government contracts.

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“My concern is this contract with Accenture, which, in my opinion, is an illegal contract,” said Rep. Trent LeDoux, a Holton Republican.

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Rumbling from the likes of Shute, Rubin and others within the Republican Party played a role in Brownback’s decision to return a $31.5 million federal grant earmarked for IT systems directly related to implementation of national health insurance reform.

Brownback, while governor-elect in November, didn’t object to Kansas’ application to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for the grant. The award was approved in February, but Brownback unexpectedly decided to send the money back to HHS immediately prior to the August meeting of the state GOP that was shaping up to be a forum for rebellious Republicans unhappy with the grant.

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“It undercuts our legal argument before the Supreme Court,” [Rep. John Rubin] said. “The only remedy is to cancel the contract.”

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SurveyUSA poll in Kansas – Newt and Ron Paul most easily beatable by Barack Obama

On January 3, Wichita CBS affiliate KWCH commissioned a SurveyUSA poll among Kansas voters about the 2012 election. This was released on the same day as the Iowa caucus, and was before the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries.

Two questions were asked to registered voters in Kansas (emphasis added):

“Which Republican has the best chance to beat Barack Obama in the general election in November? Mitt Romney? Newt Gingrich? Michele Bachmann? Ron Paul? Rick Perry? Or, Rick Santorum?”
“Which Republican candidate would Obama have the easiest time beating?”

Some demographic breakdown of the poll’s sample:

57% Republicans, 22% Democrats, and 20% Independents
41% conservative, 42% moderate, 13% liberal
86% white, 4% black, 6% Hispanic, 4% other
19% described themselves as a Tea Party member, 76% did not
56% under age 50, and 44% over age 50.

Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and Texas Gov. Rick Perry had not yet withdrawn from the race, so they were included in the results.

Overall, Mitt Romney was viewed to be the most likely to beat Barack Obama. Mitt Romney received 38% of this vote, Newt Gingrich received 15%, and Ron Paul received 14%.

Every demographic except Tea Party members said that Romney was the most likely to beat Obama in November. Tea Party members viewed Bachmann as the most likely (27%), with Romney getting 22% and Gingrich also getting 22% of the vote.

With all voters, Bachmann was viewed as most easily beatable by President Obama. Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich tied for the second most easily beatable.

Across the board, Mitt Romney was least likely to be voted the most easily beatable by Obama, in a November head-to-head matchup.

See all details from the January 3 SurveyUSA poll here.

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Video – Kansas is quietly helping ObamaCare, through Gov. Brownback’s $160 million federal Medicare grant

An important video to watch, from a recent Overland Park seminar sponsored by the Union of Patriots (their Facebook page is here).

First, here is a speech by Rep. Charlotte O’Hara, the only legislator willing to publicly criticize a needless $160 million project by Sam Brownback that is deeply intertwined with ObamaCare. Overland Park Rep. O’Hara was removed from a health care committee by Speaker Mike O’Neal after O’Hara criticized Gov. Sam Brownback on a radio program. This video is from KansasWatchdogTV.

The next video begins with a video message from Rep. John Rubin, followed by a strong presentation by Union of Patriots board member Steve Shute of Gardner, Kansas – “Steve Shute – The Clear & Present Danger of Obama Care.”

Here, you can read the letter to Gov. Brownback from the Union of Patriots group. Learn more at “Our Letter to Governor Brownback regarding Kansas ObamaCare Exchanges.”

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Connect with Benjamin Hodge at Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, The Kansas Progress, and LibertyLinked. Hodge is President of the State and Local Reform Group of Kansas. He served as one of seven at-large trustees at Johnson County Community College from 2005-’09, a member of the Kansas House from 2007-’08, a delegate to the Kansas Republican Party from 2009-’10, and was founder of the Overland Park Republican Party in 2011. His public policy record is recognized by Americans for Prosperity, the Kansas Association of Broadcasters,the Kansas Press Association, the Kansas Sunshine Coalition for Open Government, the NRA, Kansans for Life, and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE).

Bethlehem inn-keeper — Generous or greedy to lend stable to Mary and Joseph?

First, I would like to wish readers a Merry Christmas.

Thanks to David Keating at the Club for Growth for first mentioning this recent economic newsletter from First Trust Portfolios, based in Wheaton, IL.

The Bible story of the virgin birth is at the center of much of the holiday cheer at this time of the year. The book of Luke tells us Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem because Caesar Augustus decreed a census should be taken. Mary gave birth after arriving in Bethlehem and placed baby Jesus in a manger because there was “no room for them in the inn.”

Over the centuries, people have come to believe that because Jesus was born in a stable, and not in a hotel room, Mary and Joseph must have been mistreated by a greedy innkeeper. This innkeeper only cared about profits and decided the young couple was not “worth”
his best accommodations…

It may be that the stable was the only place available. Bethlehem, like other small towns, was overflowing with people who were forced to return to their ancestral homes for the census – ordered by the Romans for the purpose of levying a tax.

If there was a problem, it was caused by the unintended consequences of this government policy…

The innkeeper was generous to a fault – a hero even. He was over-booked, but he charitably offered his stable, a facility he built with unknowing foresight. A facility he was able to offer, while the government officials who ordered the census slept in their own beds with little care for the well-being of those who had to travel regardless of their difficult life circumstances…

And this is why it’s important to favor economic and political systems that limit the use and abuse of power over others. In the story of baby Jesus, a law that requires innkeepers to always have extra rooms, or to take in anyone who asks, would “fix” the problem. But this new law would also have unintended consequences. It would create fewer hotel rooms because the costs of building would rise. A hotel big enough to handle the rare census, would be way too big in normal times.

And who would open a bed and breakfast, if the law could crack down at any time the
house became full? With fewer hotel rooms, prices would rise, and innkeepers would once again be called greedy. Government would then try to regulate prices.

Read the whole article here.

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Connect with Benjamin Hodge at Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, The Kansas Progress, and LibertyLinked. Hodge is President of the State and Local Reform Group of Kansas. He served as one of seven at-large trustees at Johnson County Community College from 2005-’09, a member of the Kansas House from 2007-’08, a delegate to the Kansas Republican Party from 2009-’10, and was founder of the Overland Park Republican Party in 2011. His public policy record is recognized by Americans for Prosperity, the Kansas Association of Broadcasters,the Kansas Press Association, the Kansas Sunshine Coalition for Open Government, the NRA, Kansans for Life, and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE).

Friday night in KC, Saturday in Wichita: Free event on ObamaCare and immigration reform.

I encourage you to attend a free event this weekend, focusing on three important topics: ObamaCare, immigration reform, and tax reform. It’s Friday night in Overland Park, and Saturday in Wichita. No, Wichita is not like it’s portrayed in “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.”

It’s co-sponsored by two Kansas City-area center-right groups: the Union of Patriots and FairTaxKC.

I think you’ll find this event educational, even if you don’t come to the exact same conclusions on all of the issues.

The flyer is below (or click here to download the PDF).

Jointuop_ftkc PDF

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Connect with Benjamin Hodge at Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, The Kansas Progress, and LibertyLinked. Hodge is President of the State and Local Reform Group of Kansas. He served as one of seven at-large trustees at Johnson County Community College from 2005-’09, a member of the Kansas House from 2007-’08, a delegate to the Kansas Republican Party from 2009-’10, and was founder of the Overland Park Republican Party in 2011. His public policy record is recognized by Americans for Prosperity, the Kansas Association of Broadcasters,the Kansas Press Association, the Kansas Sunshine Coalition for Open Government, the NRA, Kansans for Life, and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE).