Scores from Heritage Action:

US Senate:

• Pat Roberts: 65%
• Jerry Moran: 74%

US House:

• Kevin Yoder: 77%
• Lynn Jenkins: 79%
• Mike Pompeo: 85%
• Tim Huelskamp: 92%

By Pete Lucas, a contributing author:

Why? Because they deny the facts and insist on using confused logic as their arguments. What are the major arguments defending abortion, let’s see…

1. A baby shouldn’t have to have a crappy parent that doesn’t want them.

2. If we make it illegal, abortion will be more dangerous (not to the fetus – it’s just as dangerous for them either way).

3. It’s a parasite and the woman should have the right to kill it until it’s “viable”.

4. “It’s my body” and you should keep your hands off.

5. And my favorite non-argument “You’re a man, so your opinion is meaningless.”

If you look at those arguments objectively, you’d quickly realize that each one is faulty on its face.

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By Pete Lucas, a contributing author:

I support peoples’ constitutional right to have guns. And I’m not just talking about my biceps.

I also recently wrote that some real reform was needed if we’re going to slow down the tide of school shootings. And of course, the government has decided that instead, they’d like to make some stupid, totally ineffective restrictions instead.

As Clinton did, the focus is on “assault rifles” and “high-capacity magazines.” The only difference between an “assault rifle” and a “hunting rifle” is the decorations. Literally, there’s no other difference. The high capacity magazine argument is pointless, because you can still have as many standard magazines as you want, which hold 9-10 rounds each. I have a Beretta .40 that has 8 magazines with it. That’s 80 rounds I can fire without reloading a magazine one single time. Over 70% of gun murders are done using handguns. We aren’t talking about restricting them AT ALL.

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Press release:

JOINT PRESS RELEASE

KDHE & the federal Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology

January 7, 2013

KDHE Contact: Miranda Steele

ONC-HIT Contact: Nicole Hudson

Kansas recognized as leader in advancing the use of health information technology

Federal government lauds state’s efforts

TOPEKA, Kan. – Kansas officials and stakeholders have been recognized by the federal government as national leaders for their efforts to enhance the safety and quality of health care by embracing the use of health information technology.

While a number of industries have fully accepted electronic records as their norm for operations, the complexity of information and previous lack of any standards hampered the medical field’s adoption of information exchange.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) serves on the Kansas Health Information Exchange Board of Directors and believes it is important to partner with Kansas’ health care providers, hospitals and pharmacies and other stakeholders to adopt and implement technologies that allow them to communicate securely and electronically, information regarding medical consumers in real time. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology is specifically recognizing the efforts in Kansas for:

· Being recognized as one of the top 10 states in the nation to have the largest increases in Directed and Query-Based exchange

· Achieving Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s second milestone for Directed and Query-Based exchange

Directed exchange is used by providers to easily and securely send patient information—such as laboratory orders and results, patient referrals, or discharge summaries—directly to another health care professional. This information is sent over the internet in an encrypted, secure, and reliable way amongst health care professionals who already know and trust each other, and is commonly compared to sending a secured email. This form of information exchange enables coordinated care, benefitting both providers and patients.

Query-based exchange is used by providers to search and discover accessible clinical sources on a patient. This type of exchange is often used when delivering unplanned care. For example:

· Emergency room physicians who can utilize query-based exchange to access patient information—such as medications, recent radiology images, and problem lists—might adjust treatment plans to avoid adverse medication reactions or duplicative testing.

· If a pregnant patient goes to the hospital, query-based exchange can assist a provider in obtaining her pregnancy care record, allowing them to make safer decisions about the care of the patient and her unborn baby.

“We’re proud of the work being done to improve care of people throughout the state and are thrilled the effort is receiving national recognition,” said Aaron Dunkel, HIT Coordinator and Deputy Secretary of KDHE. “Good communication among everyone involved in keeping a person healthy is vital to ensure good outcomes. Current technologies make it easy and safe for doctors, nurses, pharmacists and others to communicate with each other on their patients’ behalf. It results in fewer errors and means health care providers and their staff can spend more time actually talking with their patients. That’s what we’re working toward.”

Kansas Health Information Network (KHIN) Executive Director Laura McCrary said that KHIN, one of two Health Information Organizations in Kansas, has been fortunate to have the strong support of Kansas health care providers. “The Kansas Medical Society and the Kansas Hospital Association, as founding members of KHIN, have been instrumental in the successful adoption and implementation of health information exchange in Kansas,” she said.

“Many individuals have worked diligently to create capabilities that will ultimately yield improved medical outcomes and reduced treatment costs for all Kansans. The Kansas Health Information Exchange is pleased that these efforts and accomplishments have been recognized by the Office of the National Coordinator,” said Jackie John, Vice Chair of the Kansas Health Information Exchange Board of Directors.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology—which has led the process of establishing the essential building blocks to support this secure exchange of health information—is recognizing the early achievements of states and territories participating in this effort.

Roll call vote.

Washington Post:  Who voted against Boehner.

Politico:  Well-organized resistance:

Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.) — who was recently removed from key committees and supported Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) for speaker — sat on the House floor during the speaker vote brandishing an iPad. A message was displayed on the screen ticking off members of the House Republican Conference he hoped would oppose the sitting speaker. The title of the document: “You would be fired if this goes out.”

Politico:  “Who are the Boehner resisters?”

Washington Times:

Rep. Walter B. Jones, a North Carolina Republican who was booted from his committee assignments by Mr. Boehner and his party this year, voted for David M. Walker, the former comptroller general of the federal government, who pushes for action to cure the debt.

In addition to Mr. Jones, the Republicans who didn’t vote for Mr. Boehner were Reps. Justin Amash of Michigan, Jim Bridenstine of Oklahoma, Paul Broun of George, Louie Gohmert of Texas, Tim Huelskamp of Kansas, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Steve Pearce of New Mexico and Ted Yoho of Florida.

Full text of John Boehner’s remarks, after re-election.

Kathryn  Jean Lopez at National Review:  “The speech sounded like a man looking at his own cross and pleading with his colleagues to take up theirs as well.”

Human Events:

However, Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.) told Human Events after the vote that “arm twisting” on Boehner’s behalf was “very intense” with threats that Republicans would lose plum committee assignments or campaign donations from the National Republican Congressional Committee if they opposed the speaker’s reelection.

The Hill:

 Boehner won a bare majority in a vote that saw nine Republicans vote for other GOP members, and several others who abstained from voting or voted “present.” Two years ago, Boehner won all 241 available GOP votes.

 

Obama’s political victory: Getting the GOP to break its tax pledge is “One of the most consequential policy achievements of the last couple of decades.”

Breitbart: “a 41:1 ratio of tax increases to spending cuts.”

Tax increase for 77% of Americans.

Senate roll call vote.  89 vote yes, 8 vote no.

CNS News:  “Senators Got 154-Page ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Bill 3 Minutes Before Voting on It” 

All Kansas US House members vote “no.”

Sen. Rand Paul votes no: “The deal will do absolutely nothing to save this country.”

Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet (CO) votes “no” - “because the deal did not have meaningful deficit reduction.”

Video, Charles Krauthammer: The House Has Been “Neutered” By Obama

Corporate subsidies in bill – algae, movie studios - Tim Carney at The W ashington Examiner.

Paul Ryan votes “yes.”  Erick Erickson:  “…he’s not really a leader. He’s more a follower of leaders.”

Video at KMBC.

KMBC.

John Fund:

Many academics I know agree that black-studies programs are often slipshod, academically non-rigorous, and repositories for “grievance” politics. But they won’t say so publicly, for fear of being branded as “racists.” Naomi Riley had the courage to state the obvious. The author of two substantive books on higher education, she has worked with me as an editor on such topics at the Wall Street Journal. She knows her stuff. Certainly in a 500-word blog post she oversimplified, but that’s the nature of the blog that the Chronicle hired her to write for — it consists of quick opinion takes on issues of the day. It is even called “Brainstorm” to make clear it doesn’t publish the definitive word on any issue.

Her lone blog post brought a torrent of criticism, attacks by MSNBC, and finally a petition demanding that the Chronicle “dismiss” her. It was signed by 6,500 professors and graduate students.

Rasmussen.

Kevin Yoder was the only House member in Kansas to vote for the Export-Import Bank reauthorization, opposed by Club for Growth.  Tim Huelskamp, Lynn Jenkins, and Mike Pompeo voted against it.

Washington Examiner editorial:

Though GOP lawmakers talk a big game about wanting to limit government, they are susceptible to big government if they can be convinced that a given policy benefits big business. To show voters they truly believe in free enterprise, Senate Republicans should work to kill the corporate welfare agency known as the Export-Import Bank.

The Export-Import Bank, known as Ex-Im, is a government agency founded by a 1934 executive order from President Franklin Roosevelt. Its ostensible purpose was to promote U.S. exports by making loan guarantees to foreign buyers. Though Republicans raised a stink when the bankruptcy of solar panel manufacturer Solyndra exposed U.S. taxpayers to $535 million in losses, a large majority of Republican House members voted Wednesday to extend and expand Ex-Im by approving up to $140 billion in loan guarantees. Without congressional action, the agency’s charter would expire at the end of the month.

KSHB 41 News:

Kansas City Star.

Lawrence Journal World.

Rasmussen:

Here’s some bad news for Washington: More voters than ever would vote to replace the entire Congress rather than keep it.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that, if given the choice, 68% of Likely Voters would vote to get rid of the entire Congress rather than keep them all on the job. Just 12% say they would vote to keep the entire Congress.

USA Today.

Topeka Capital Journal.  Wichita Eagle.

Chocola:

Yes, unbelievably, we are subsidizing foreign companies so they are in a better position to compete against our own. This, in spite of the fact that Ex-Im’s own charter clearly states it can only grant loans to credit-worthy entities and must never undermine American companies.

[...]

 

But maybe the most egregious example of how dysfunctional and misguided the Ex-Im Bank’s actions really are is present in the airline industry. The bank provides financing to foreign airlines that in turn purchase American aircraft, allowing them to compete against U.S.-based carriers. These foreign companies use our subsidy to offer lower prices since American companies cannot qualify for this corporate welfare, and they, in turn, lose business.

[...]

Why is taxpayer-backed money being wasted on companies that should be able to seek capital from private lending institutions? And if banks decide against providing some of these companies with loans, shouldn’t that tell us something?