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.”

Kansas City Star.

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: (more…)

Reuters:

NEW YORK, June 12 (Reuters) – U.S. trucking company YRC Worldwide Inc (YRCW.O) has decided not to apply for money from the U.S. government’s bailout program, but instead will push for federal reform to help cope with pension problems.

YRC, based in Overland Park, Kansas, won’t submit an application with the Treasury Department under the Troubled Asset Relief Program, and instead will focus on long-term pension reform, company representative Suzanne Dawson said on Friday.

Source:

Nadler was the author of political biographies on Sen. Phil Gramm and commentator Pat Buchanan, and a contributor to such publications as the Wall Street Journal, New York Post, National Review, Policy Review, Insight Magazine, Education Reform News, and Human Life Review. In 2006, he co-edited the Daily Dispatch, a military blog reporting every weekday on the war in Iraq.
…
“Rich was always passionate about a side he took in any debate and well-prepared,” noted Kris Ketz, morning anchor on KMBC-TV9. “He was a good guy on and and off the set. Sad”
Nadler was the assistant B’al Koreh (Torah reader) at the Torah Learning Center of Overland Park, Kansas.

“Rich Nadler was a visionary always on the cutting edge of any subject he tackled. His knowledge was encyclopedic with an unsurpassed brilliance for extracting the last ounce of meaning from his carefully researched data.
“If there is a stereotype of the traditional Talmudic scholar, Rich epitomized its finest elements. I will miss him greatly.” — John Altevogt

#tcot, #k10

Bagyants:

I agree with Mr. Rose that Thornburgh faces an uphill climb, but that’s no reason to throw up his hands and quit. With this attitude Barack Obama would now be teaching at the University of Chicago instead of nominating a Supreme Court justice.

By the way, I have yet to hear any compelling reasons from either Brownback, or the only interested candidate on the D side, Chris Steineger for why they want to be governor, other than they just do.

And from a political standpoint, I don’t believe Sen. Brownback to be the inevitable winner – at least not anymore. He has a track record of changing his mind on important issues, a fact that was brought back into the spotlight with his recent back-and-forth on the nomination of Gov. Sebelius to be HHS Secretary. And, interestingly enough, he also has a record of attacking others for doing the same thing.

All Things JoCo:  “The bill to kill the deer is dead, but the deer are not!”

Once again, the Johnson County BOCC doesn’t get it! The problem is not the deer, it’s the disease, Lyme Disease or Deer Syphilis. And they have now wasted three MORE months avoiding the problem, by trying to foist the problem and the solution off on the Kansas Legislature. Which is about as lame as thinking Congressman Barney Frank will cure the banking meltdown by screaming at signholders and interrupting both Tim Geitner AND Ben Bernanke in the middle of their testimony.

The problem in Johnson County is we have a deadly epidemic, Lyme Disease, at Shawnee Mission Park, but because it’s also the 40th anniversary of the County’s vaunted Theatre in the Park, they are covering it up. Annabeth Surbaugh and the Six Dwarves refuse to talk about it or treat it. They call it the Deer Problem. That is as lame as Obama calling this recession a short-term budgetary issue that will be reversed by 2010.

And they lie to the public by pretending that culling the deer herd, in 6 months, to half its population, will address the deadly outbreak of a health emergency that is killing our residents, including a teenage girl from Olathe South.

Cutting down the population of tick-infected deer, twice a year, when ticks reproduce 4x a year, is like running a virus program on your computer-twice a year. Well, good luck.

AP: New estimate for Kan. budget deficit is $682M

TOPEKA, Kansas (AP) – The size of Kansas’ projected budget deficit grows to $682 million for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

It’s the gap that would occur if the state tried to duplicate its current budget during its 2010 fiscal year.

The new figure Friday from legislative researchers is higher because state tax collections fell $14 million short of expectations in February. State officials had anticipated tax revenues of more than $260 million. Instead, Kansas collected less than $247 million.

Sen. Dick Kelsey has a Web site for his congressional run at DickKelsey.com.

Kansas Meadowlark:

Why doesn’t Gov. Sebelius tell the whole truth about the “resources available in the Federal Recovery Act”?  Why doesn’t Gov. Sebelius tell the citizens of the state of Kansas the “Stimulus” funds from the Federal Recovery Act will be paid for by higher federal taxes and debt?  State taxes are not going up with her plan, but where does Gov. Sebelius explain that higher federal taxes may result?

Why does Gov. Sebelius care so much for children and education, but is burdening future generations with unimaginable debt?  Why are we stealing from our children and grandchildren because of our irresponsible spending now? (more…)

Jennifer Giroux at Human Events:

Last year, Planned Parenthood boasted in a Wall Street Journal story they would spend an unprecedented $10 million in the 2008 election cycle to make sure they elected strong allies at all levels of government. With the election of President Obama and a long chain of Planned Parenthood affiliated cabinet and staff members, the investment has paid off.

The crown jewel for Planned Parenthood’s portfolio is the appointment of Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas as Secretary of Health and Human Services, deceptively presented in an Associated Press article on February 28 as a lovable Democratic governor “reaching across the aisle” to do whatever she can to “minimize abortion;” the article even credits her with the 9% drop in abortions from 2002-2007.

As she now takes center stage, it is important that pro-lifers pull back the curtain and allow America an unfiltered look at what really went on in Kansas under the watch of Governor Sebelius in the state known as “the abortion capital of the world.”

The Star:

Mark Parkinson, who is expected to become the next Kansas governor soon, was a Republican state representative and senator for six years in the Johnson County legislative delegation.

He ran for the Kansas House in 1990 and then was elected to a four-year term in the state Senate two years later.

If Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is confirmed as a member of President Barack Obama’s Cabinet, the 51-year-old Parkinson, now a Democrat, will move from lieutenant governor to the state’s top job.

What was Parkinson’s record during those early years as a public servant representing an Olathe legislative district?

During Parkinson’s first two years in the House, he worked closely with another Olathe lawmaker, former Rep. Vince Snowbarger.

In the 1990 election, Democrats swept to power in that legislative chamber. Snowbarger, Parkinson and other Republicans found themselves in the minority during the 1991 and 1992 sessions.

The Kansas Meadowlark looks at a recent claim, one with no reported facts to support it, from Gov. Sebelius, Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson, and KDOT officials.

“Brian Wilson reported that Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) explained that $365 million in debt-stimulus would support 10,000 jobs in Maryland.  Wilson showed that the average highway construction worker makes about $32,000 a year.  10,000 jobs * $32,000 = $320 million, or 87.7% of the total, leaving only 12.3% for construction materials, like concrete, asphalt, steel.”

And:

“Wilson investigated where the 10,000 job number came from.  Wilson could find no hard evidence for the 10,000 figure, and the one source he found had a huge disclaimer.  Watch the  “Crunching the Numbers” video.

Wilson asked an economist if the job numbers could be believed.  Economist Peter Morici said the numbers were “absolutely inaccurate” and are a “gross exaggeration.”

Today, Kansas announced $377 million in highway projects that would provide 10,000 to 11,000 jobs.  Wilson’s job math seems to beg similar questions in Kansas, and whether there really are 10,000 jobs here.”

The Meadowlark concludes:

“Using Brian Wilson’s job math,  yearly salaries for 10,000 to 11,000 highway jobs would cost about $320 million to $352 million.  This would mean that 84.9% to 93.4% of the total cost for these highway construction jobs would be salaries, leaving only 6.6% to 15.1% to buy concrete, asphalt, steel, and all the other materials to build the roads and bridges.”

LifeNews:

Madison, WI (LifeNews.com) — Two days after the Authority Board of the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics approved a plan to create a second trimester abortion facility a second vote gave the go ahead. This time, the board of the Madison Surgery Center decided 6-0 to move the proposed abortion facility forward.

Dr. Nancy Fredericks, an anesthesiologist at the surgery center, was one of the leading opponents of the idea and told the board that it would hurt the reputation of the center to do late-term abortions there.

According to the Wisconsin State Journal, Fredericks said three of the four anesthesiologists at the surgery center will not take part in the abortions. An MSC spokeswoman said that wouldn’t affect its ability to do abortions.

The vote means that second-trimester abortions will be done again in Wisconsin within a matter of weeks or a few months.

The facility, which will be located at 1 S. Park St in Madison, will do approximately 125 abortions annually on women whose unborn children are about 19 to 22 weeks along.

The Fort Mills Times:

They said adding an equal rights amendment would reflect the feelings of Kansas and be much harder to remove.

Opponents included anti-abortion groups that said it would result in unrestricted tax-funded abortions. But supporters say that’s not the case.

Twenty-two states have an equal rights amendment in their constitutions.

KSCblog:

January 30th. The Kansas Supreme Court has issued its opinion in State v. Bennett (No. 98, 038). In a unanimous opinion, authored by Justice Davis, the Court held that requiring probationers consent to warrantless, suspicionless searches as a condition of their probation violates their rights under the 4th Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article 15 of the Kansas Bill of Rights. Note: Former Chief Justice McFarland was a member of the Court at the time this case was argued, but did not take part in the decision. Her place was taken by Judge Christel Marquardt of the Court of Appeals. (more…)

If you’re a business, political group, church, or non-profit and you need an outlet for your press release that you think is of interest to a large audience, feel free to forward them to us at editor@kansasprogress.com, and we’ll try to fit it in.