If I were pressed to offer one anecdote exemplifying our failure to elect consistent conservatives to Congress last November, the story of Senator Jerry Moran and Big Wind would be at the top of the list.

In 2010, then-Congressman Jerry Moran beat former Congressman Todd Tiahrt for the Republican nomination for Senate in Kansas running as a red meat conservative.  He easily won the seat in this solid Republican state and summarily joined the ‘Tea Party Caucus’ in the Senate.  Nothing emblematizes the convictions of the Tea Party more than its fervent opposition to special interest handouts and government interventions in the private sector as a way of picking winners and losers.  Yet, Senator Moran let the cat out of the bag last week that he has absolutely no compunction about picking winners and losers, or in the case of Big Wind, big losers.

Last week, Senator Moran announced that he is submitting an amendment to the terrible Senate highway bill (S.1813) that would extend the 2.2 cent/ per kilowatt-hour Production Tax Credit (PTC) for another 4 years.  This special interest handout to Solar and Wind is slated to expire at the end of the year.  What happened to Moran’s Tea Party views?  Well, he unabashedly threw them under the solar-powered bus:

Asked about opposition to extending the credit expressed by Rep. Mike Pompeo of Wichita, Moran said: “There are members of Congress who feel we ought not to pick winners and losers, to let the markets decided. I believe it’s better to get this industry up and running, then let the country decide… rather than pull the rug out overnight.”

Wow!  At least he’s honest.  I wish we had known that before the election.

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If I were pressed to offer one anecdote exemplifying our failure to elect consistent conservatives to Congress last November, the story of Senator Jerry Moran and Big Wind would be at the top of the list.

In 2010, then-Congressman Jerry Moran beat former Congressman Todd Tiahrt for the Republican nomination for Senate in Kansas running as a red meat conservative.  He easily won the seat in this solid Republican state and summarily joined the ‘Tea Party Caucus’ in the Senate.  Nothing emblematizes the convictions of the Tea Party more than its fervent opposition to special interest handouts and government interventions in the private sector as a way of picking winners and losers.  Yet, Senator Moran let the cat out of the bag last week that he has absolutely no compunction about picking winners and losers, or in the case of Big Wind, big losers.

Last week, Senator Moran announced that he is submitting an amendment to the terrible Senate highway bill (S.1813) that would extend the 2.2 cent/ per kilowatt-hour Production Tax Credit (PTC) for another 4 years.  This special interest handout to Solar and Wind is slated to expire at the end of the year.  What happened to Moran’s Tea Party views?  Well, he unabashedly threw them under the solar-powered bus:

Asked about opposition to extending the credit expressed by Rep. Mike Pompeo of Wichita, Moran said: “There are members of Congress who feel we ought not to pick winners and losers, to let the markets decided. I believe it’s better to get this industry up and running, then let the country decide… rather than pull the rug out overnight.”

Wow!  At least he’s honest.  I wish we had known that before the election.

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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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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?”

…

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.

…

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

…

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.

…

“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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There is little drama in Oklahoma with no statewide races on the ballot. Perhaps one of the reddest of red states, it is certain that the eventual GOP nominee will take Oklahoma’s seven electoral votes. Instead, the interest will be on the Congressional races, especially the 2nd District.

In the 1st, Republican John Sullivan, who has held the district since 2002, faces his biggest challenge from a Republican in a primary. Some of the suburbs of Tulsa were moved into the 2nd District.

In teh 2nd District, Oklahoma’s lone Democratic Representative, Dan Boren, is retiring, leaving this an open race. In redistricting, it received the more conservative suburbs of Tulsa as well as more Democratic-leaning territory from Marshall County. There is no shortage of Democrats lining up to succeed Boren and keep this district in Democratic hands. Former representative Brad Carson has decided against a run which is a boost to Republican chances. There are two declared Democratic candidates and Wayne Herriman has the early inside track. However, all that could change should state senator Jim Wilson enter the race. For the Republican nomination in the district, there are six declared candidates. Most experts expect this race to come down to state representative George Faught against political novice Markwayne Mullin. Expect a Faught-Herriman general election battle. I think because of a down ballot effect, Faught will win this race.

The 3rd District expande to include parts of Canadian and Creek counties and is safely Republican while the 4th got smaller in size due to population growth and is also safely Republican. James Lankford will win re-election in the 5th and keep it also in Republican hands.

All four members of the Kansas congressional delegation are Republican. Likewise, all are popular within their districts, all are running for re-election and all four saw no major changes to their districts. Hence, all four will be sent back to Washington after the General Election in November, 2012.

OK- it was a quick entry and an obvious one. However, I have to hit all the states to give them their due.

Running totals thus far:
Obama with 83 electoral votes to 87 for eventual GOP nominee;
Net gain of 2 Governors;
Net gain of 1 Senate seat, and;
Net loss of 5 House seats.

Next: Colorado

Whacked from so many gigs in States he can’t remember the names of, Barack Obama’s
running low on original material.

Then again, Teddy Roosevelt is a tough act to follow.

Nowadays, Obama infers Lincolnesque-style passion into his empty, collective agenda. Or,
the other day in Osawatomie, Kansas, Obama retreaded the modus operandi and static from Roosevelt’s New Nationalism speech; one given 101 years ago in Osawatomie that laid the foundation for TR’s unsuccessful 1912 run to retake the White House.

Stumping in Osawatomie, Obama modernized the 20th century icon, contrasting TR’s call for social justice by a powerful federal government regulating the economy. Obama will be remembered for believing in an even stronger ‑- as TR penned, “National Government.” Up until Obama, it was TR who prided himself in taking great license with executive power.

Comparing the political divide in America, Obama said TR was labeled a Marxian for many of the same political proposals he too has put forward. If Obama is taking cues from TR’s ghost, maybe he prepped for Osawatomie by reading historian George E. Mowrys, Theodore Roosevelt and the Progressive Movement, calling TR’s speech there, “the most radical speech ever given by an ex-President.”

The “collective amnesia” Obama spoke of in Osawatomie, reminding Kansans this is the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression; one he bears no culpability for, is for many, the collective amnesia so many Americans threw caution to the wind in voting for someone so skilled in the artful guise of sanguinity.

Kansans though, are not so easily led. The state hasn’t gone Democrat in a presidential race since 1964. Being a non-battleground state, they won’t likely go blue when the unemployment rate there sits at 6.7% compared to the national average of 8.6.

Channeling the raw verve of TR can’t shroud Obama’s abysmal record of failed initiatives, appointing czars with no accountability to the American people, super committees created to flop, and, as so definitively put by Allen West, “a progressive mantra of equal achievement.”

The Cheshire Cat is out of the bag. Even adopting TR’s, “Believe you can and you’re halfway there,” as a 2012 campaign slogan wouldn’t be enough to veil Obama’s stark inadequacies.

It might at the very least, break the long fall down the Rabbit Hole of hope and change.

http://youtu.be/6AsBDZScs6c

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My Email to voters today in Johnson County, Kansas.

Benjamin B. Hodge

- Chair, State & Local Reform Educational Group of Kansas
- State Representative (Overland Park and Olathe), 2007-’08
- Johnson County Community College Trustee, 2005-’09

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Poll: 59% of Overland Park Voters Think City Tax Increases
Will Hurt the Local Economy

MORE POLLING INFORMATION RELEASED ABOUT
THE CONSERVATIVE VIEWS OF OVERLAND PARK VOTERS

Monday night, Overland Park City Council unanimously passed 46% property tax increase,
despite holding only one public hearing, and strong public opposition

Greetings:

Monday, I wrote to you about the scientific poll demonstrating that 67% of likely 2012 Overland Park voters preferred spending cuts, rather than tax increases, in order to balance the city budget.  When respondents were asked specifically about the proposed 46% property tax increase, an overwhelming number — 80% — of voters opposed the tax increase.  And 83% of likely 2012 voters wanted more public hearings on next year’s city budget.  There was only only one public hearing after the budget was announced, and this public hearing occurred after the Council had already unanimously voted to tentatively approve the 46% tax increase.

Unfortunately, on Monday  night the City Council voted unanimously 13-0 to increase city property taxes by 46%.  Here are some news accounts:

• KCTV Channel 5
• Kansas City Star
• Missouri News Horizon

Today, we are releasing more information about the fiscally conservative views of Overland Park voters.  The following information is from a poll conducted by the State and Local Educational Foundation of Kansas.

SUMMARY:

A strong majority — 59% — of Overland Park voters believe city tax increases hurt the local economy.  Twenty-one percent (21%) of voters believe tax increases help the economy.  Fifteen percent (15%) believe there is no impact on the economy, and 6% are undecided.

When it comes to cuts in city government spending, a plurality — 44% – believe they help the local economy.  Twenty-seven percent (27%) believe spending cuts hurt the local economy, 22% believe there is no impact on the economy, and 7% are undecided.

Our own results among Overland Park voters compare closely with national results by the respected polling firm Rasmussen Reports.  On April 30, 2011, Rasmussen wrote:

“A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 53% of Likely U.S. Voters say, generally speaking, tax cuts help the economy.  Most voters have shared that sentiment in surveys for years. Only 21% believe tax cuts hurt the economy, while 13% say they have no impact.  Another 13% are not sure. (to see survey question wording, click here.)  A plurality (48%) of voters say decreases in government spending will help the economy.  Twenty-nine percent (29%) say cutting government spending will hurt the economy.  Ten percent (10%) believe such decreases will have no impact, while 13% are not sure. These findings, too, have remained fairly consistent over the years.”

DETAILED INFORMATION BELOW:

Read More →

Read my recent Email as a Web page, here.

The vote is expected tonight at Overland Park City Hall.  It impacts everyone in Kansas City.

Benjamin B. Hodge

- Chair, State & Local Reform Educational Group of Kansas
- State Representative (Overland Park and Olathe), 2007-’08
- Johnson County Community College Trustee, 2005-’09

Monday, August 15, 2011

TONIGHT, OVERLAND PARK LIKELY TO INCREASE PROPERTY TAXES BY
ALMOST 50%

Poll: 80% of likely 2012 Overland Park voters oppose
the planned 46% increase in property taxes

70% of Overland Park voters want spending cuts instead of tax increases.
A strong majority are OK with cuts to services.

Read below for more details on poll.

Greetings:

Tonight, the Overland Park City Council is expected to vote unanimously to approve a 46% property tax increase.  This, despite only one public hearing after the budget was announced, and despite this public hearing occurring after the Council had already unanimously voted to tentatively approve the 46% tax increase.

But 80% of likely 2012 voters in Overland Park oppose this tax increase, according to a scientific poll performed by the State and Local Educational Group of Kansas.  Click here for detailed results to this poll, including survey wording.

The poll was conducted Tuesday, August 9, and Wednesday, August 10.  The margin of error is +/-5.4%.  Poll demographics were 55% female, and 45% male.  50% over the age of 50, and 50% under the age of 50.  By party affiliation:  51% Republican, 29% Unaffiliated, and 20% Democratic.

Here are some of the results:

Question: Now I’m going to ask you some questions about your city government in Overland Park. Like many governments, the Overland Park city government faces budget shortfalls. Going forward, how should Overland Park balance its budget? Should the city government increase taxes, or cut spending?

To balance budget,
increase taxes or cut spending?    Count             Percent

Cut spending:                             227                66.8%
Increase taxes:                            79                 23.2%
Undecided:                                   34                 10.0%

Total:                                            340                 100%

Question: Asked a different way… by how much should city spending be decreased? Not at all?  1-5%?  6-10%  Or 10% or more?

Spending cuts?  By how much?    Count             Percent

Not at all:                                      46                13.5%
1-5% in cuts:                             134                39.4%
6-10% in cuts:                           100                29.4%
10% or more in cuts:                 38                 11.2%
Undecided:                                  22                   6.5%

Total:                                          340                 100%

Read More →

The Overland Park, KS,  City Council has already voted once to tentatively approve a 46% property tax increase.  The vote was unanimous.  To read more information about this likely tax increase, you can visit my columns at KCMonitor.com here, here, and here.

Poll performed by the State and Local Reform Educational Foundation of Kansas.  Join us at LibertyLinked, a pro-liberty social networking site.

[Note: Visually, the results are lined up vertically better at our original post, over at our Web site.]

Part 1 of results

Telephone survey among likely 2012 voters in Overland Park, KS.  Conducted Tuesday, August 9; and Wednesday, August 10.  Margin of error +/- 5.4%.  For survey wording (questions 1 through 18), click here.  For accompanying information for comparison purposes, click here.  More information about survey methodology can be found at the bottom of this page.

Demographic information for poll results

Party breakdown: Count Percent

Democratic:                           68                  20.0%

Republican:                         174                  51.2%

Unaffiliated:                           98                  28.8%

Total:                                    340                 100%

Gender breakdown: Count Percent

Male:                                     153                  45%

Female:                                187                  55%

Total:                                    340                 100%

Age breakdown: Count Percent

Over 50:                                170                  50%

Under 50:                             170                  50%

Total:                                    340                 100%

Question: Now I’m going to ask you some questions about your city government in Overland Park. Like many governments, the Overland Park city government faces budget shortfalls. Going forward, how should Overland Park balance its budget? Should the city government increase taxes, or cut spending?

To balance budget,

increase taxes or cut spending? Count             Percent

Cut spending:                           227                66.8%

Increase taxes:                          79                 23.2%

Undecided:                                 34                 10.0%

 

Total:                                          340                 100%

Question: Asked a different way… by how much should city spending be decreased? Not at all?  1-5%?  6-10%  Or 10% or more?

Spending cuts?  By how much? Count             Percent

Not at all:                                    46                13.5%

1-5% in cuts:                           134                39.4%

6-10% in cuts:                         100                29.4%

10% or more in cuts:               38                 11.2%

Undecided:                                22                   6.5%

 

Total:                                        340                 100%

Read More →