Primary Results – Happy Days are Here Again in Kansas #ksleg

Dear Kansas voters,

Tuesday.  Wow.  What a night.  I wanted to write sooner, but I’ve been so busy running around town singing “Happy Days are Here Again” that I haven’t had a chance to sit down and write.  I know the Babs and Judy version is the classic, but since Kansas is moving out of 1960’s style politics I want to enjoy the more modern Glee kids singing their hearts out as a nod to all the winners of Tuesday’s election.

 

Moderate candidates beat conservatives in 14 races across Kansas.  Names like Melcher, Bruce and Knox are all gone.  Gone with them will be such memorable legislation like only heterosexual, praying, non-smoking, non-drinking people can provide foster care to children and sweet, innocent Kindergarten teachers must be packing heat in the sing-a-long circle at public school.  Kansas is no longer a conservative policy playground that lawmakers can have their way with.  Buh-bye education funding fight with the hashtag #fundtheformula.

 

The most epic loss of the night was Congressman Tim Huelskamp of the Freedom Caucasus a.k.a. the Tea Party.  He lost to Roger Marshall, a guy that was so unknown that when you Google him the only result you get is a “?”.   Huelskamp and his supporters blamed everyone and everything, but himself for the loss.

 

“In an ugly and dishonest campaign, Tim’s record was attacked and misrepresented by big money special interest groups who wanted to exact their revenge,” Jordan said. “Republicans need to be unified behind conservative principles to stop the Obama/Clinton agenda. The House Republican leadership’s opposition to Tim Huelskamp significantly damaged the ability of House Republicans to do that.”

 

The most productive thing Huelskamp did as a Congressman was troll Obama on Twitter.  I had a drinking game where every time Huelskamp tweeted the word “Obummer” I would drink.  I was drunk most of 2014.  The message to politicians is clear – work together or voters will vote you out.  The time for polarizing politics is over.

 

The biggest issue facing voters in the general election is figuring out the difference between a moderate Republican and a Democrat in Kansas.  Does anyone want to clue me in?  I’m thinking yard sign color, but it’s anyone’s guess.

 

Whatever the outcome in the general election, I know that good times are FINALLY ahead for Kansas!

 

Congratulations candidates and well done voters!

Yours for finally getting Kansas out of this mess,

Aimee

PP Summer of Normalcy #NN16 – my morning with clinic escorts

Hey kids, what do you want to do this hot, summer morning?

Hang out at the neighborhood pool?

Nah…

Go to a nice, cool museum in town?

Nope.

I know! How about if you stand in the blazing sun, holding medically inaccurate signs yelling things like, “you are cursed to hell for eternity” at the women and staff going into the local Planned Parenthood?

You betcha!! That sounds like the perfect plan for helping me grow up to become a well-adjusted adult. I’ll grab the poster board!

That was the narrative that played out in my mind as I scanned the crowd of protestors out in front of the local Planned Parenthood this morning to witness the Summer of Normalcy.  #KnowWhatsNormal #NN16

There were about 30 protestors gathered in front of the clinics, but what was shocking was that about half of them were small children.

None of this shocked the clinic escorts who were also gathered to help the women safely access the clinic.  The clinic escorts were familiar with the protestors and their chants.

“There are regulars who are here every Saturday.  They do a lot of yelling at us,” said Paige a clinic escort who was volunteering for a two-hour shift.

Michael, who has been volunteering for over three years, does it for the same reason he feels everyone should get involved.

“I don’t like women being harassed.”

Such a simple concept and yet such a powerful statement.

Then, I met Bob.  Bob is not an official escort.  Bob rides his bike with a Planned Parenthood sign on the front of it by the protestors every Saturday.  He has been doing it since 1985 at different clinic locations around Kansas City.  He is not an official volunteer for Planned Parenthood, but does it because he feels it’s the right thing to do.

“Things aren’t as violent now as they used to be back when I started.  It’s like they know they aren’t going to win the fight to outlaw abortion.  When we started, they (the protestors) felt like they just needed one more Supreme Court Justice and then abortion would be illegal, but that never happened.”

I spoke with another group of escorts who had gathered to greet patients next to the protestors.

“The escorts become a community and friends.  We are in this together for reproductive justice,” said one escort.

One protestor handed me materials as I was driving away.  Looking at them, I was comforted in knowing that their materials were as old and outdated as this fight.

Anti-Choice Materials

This post is dedicated to all of the escorts during this Summer of Normalcy, but especially Bob.  Sometimes all it takes is one person, a bike and a sign to stand up for what’s right.

Ride on Bob….ride on.

Kobach – can I suggest an Uber?

Dear Mr. Kobach,

 

We all know you as the caped crusader of voter I.D. laws.   Your exhaustive effort to disenfranchise voters with your restrictive voter I.D. laws have turned up voter fraud cases in the whopping single digits. (applause…applause)

And now the media has the nerve to criticize you for using the state plane!

Kansas official Kris Kobach uses state plane to speak at GOP events

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article87370122.html#storylink=cpy

 

What did they expect? Disenfranchising voters, most of them Democrats, can’t be done in a car!   Duh!

Now taxpayers are going to probably be just a little pissed to know that you are using the “company jet” to attend Republican rallies when I just pulled up the latest revenue numbers from June.  Here is a picture of them.

Hell, what’s another $34 more million in the hole?

At least the media gave you the right to defend your use of the plane,

“Kobach defended his use of the plane by saying that he’s doing it less than former Republican Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh, who also flew with family members and logged about 8,700 miles over two years.”

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article87370122.html#storylink=cpy

 

Let me step in here.  What I think you are trying to say here is this-

 

If Bobby was pulling Susie’s hair and Jimmy came in later and also pulled Susie’s hair, but pulled it less, we shouldn’t punish Jimmy because he did it less.

Makes perfect sense.

 

The state plane is a King Air 350. I went to the King Air website to check out this plane you have been jet setting around the Land of Oz in.  As the state of Kansas deals with major budget cuts, the voters will be comforted to know that the airplane can handle two sets of clubs and a fancy, round train case.  (You know you are uber-wealthy when you have a round piece of luggage.)

“The Kansas Highway Patrol, which oversees aircraft operations, says it has no specific guidelines and leaves its usage up to each state agency.”

Here’s a nifty idea guys – get some guidelines.

In the meantime, Mr. Kobach, if you want to continue spending your time traveling around speaking at Republican functions, here is a link that I think you will find helpful:  https://www.uber.com/?exp=hp-c

For the sake of the Kansas taxpayer, keep your feet on the ground and out of the skies,

Aimee

 

The last day of the KS legislative session-bathrooms, education and we’re still broke

They are finished.

Kansas lawmakers finished their last day in session.  If your hair doesn’t have enough gray in it and you are longing to end your day with an excruciating tension headache created from nothing, but complete frustration over state government- cue up twitter feed #ksleg and read all about what you missed.

Of course KS is joining the legal challenge against the federal mandate allowing transgender youth to use the bathroom of their choice.  Do you think they would miss an opportunity to confuse the capitol with a church?  No way.  Here’s the winning quote,

“We have to return to Christendom, we have sacred responsibility to preserve it and pass it on to our children.” Sen Fitzgerald

News flash – you have a responsibility to represent all Kansans.  You can return to Christendom in your church.

Moving on.

The school funding crisis was not resolved.  In fact, no one knows when this will be resolved, but the clock is ticking.  Just a friendly reminder lawmakers that the countdown clock is now the same as my age 28 <cough> <cough>.  Based on the reports and tweets, no one can tell when this will be resolved.  Some say special session will be called to resolve this and others think that the government is going to play a risky game of chicken with the Supreme Court to see if they really will close schools.

Brownback issued a strong statement indicating he is up for a game of chicken –

“I will work with the Attorney General and Legislative leadership to respond aggressively and appropriately to any action taken by the Kansas Supreme Court to close our schools,” he said in the statement. “Kansas has great schools and they should remain open. The courts should not be playing politics with our children’s education.”

Playing politics with our children’s education?  That’s funny coming from a guy who played politics with our entire state…

Which leads us to our next bit of Kansas economic happy news from today. #Sarcasm

Kansas missed revenue estimates for May by about $74 million dollars.  Response from the Brownback administration – it’s not our fault.  Oil, agriculture and aviation industries are all down.  There were also too many partly cloudy days, the sunflowers didn’t grow to the right height and the waving wheat didn’t sure smell sweet. (wait that last part is a line from Oklahoma).  My point – excuses, excuses, excuses.

Here’s my favorite part of the story,

Brownback has tasked Shawn Sullivan, the budget director, with conducting “a full, independent review with outside experts to evaluate current procedures related to revenue estimating and budgeting” to determine why the state’s current process “fails to provide accurate estimates.”

Read more here

 

S2 Pick me!  I’ll be your outside expert!

 

It doesn’t take a genius to know what’s wrong here.  Close the LLC loophole, revise the failed tax cuts of the Brownback administration and this will stop happening.  If not, I’ll be telling my children,  “I remember roads.  Kansas used to have those.”

 

 

The last day for KS lawmakers! A big agenda awaits them, but will school funding be addressed? #ksleg

Today is the last day of the KS legislative session, also known as sine die which I believe is Latin for “destroyed a state.”  The big question today is will they address the large elephant in the room that I have affectionately named Gannon?

According to some, including Senate President Susan Wagle, the answer is no.

Wagle said the state’s attorneys have not had enough time to analyze the school finance decision, and she sent the AP an e-mailed statement saying that she, Brownback and House Speaker Ray Merrick, R-Stilwell, have agreed that the sine die session will end in one day “as originally planned.”

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article80975172.html#storylink=cpy

 

Not enough time to analyze the school finance decision?

Not enough time?  Hell I’ve had enough time.  What do we do if we don’t have enough time for something?  Say it with me…..”you make time.”  Very good!  Now might be a great time to reference my count down clock – 29 days to go until Kansas schools close.  I’m sure that Kansas kids will be comforted if their schools close this fall by saying, “sorry kids, lawmakers just didn’t have enough time.”

 

Wait!  Change of plans.  Looks like the lawmakers might, just might find time to address it today.

 

“After much discussion today, we are looking into addressing the Gannon decision on Sine Die,” wrote Christie Krieghauser, Merrick’s chief of staff.

Will they or won’t they? The suspense is killing me!  It’s better than a 80’s soap opera cliff hanger just like who shot J.R. Ewing!  I guess we will just have to stay tuned….

 

Some of the other items that they will address:

• The transgender bathroom debate – KS lawmakers want to defy the federal mandate.  I always enjoy watching lawmakers debate something that will find themselves on the wrong side of history.  I’m sure there will be juicy blog content coming out of this debate.
• A veto override of Senate Bill 280 involving Pizza Hut Franchises and $42 million in taxes (wowsa that’s a lot of taxes!  I’m in the wrong business.)
  • The legislation contains a provision that would make it easier for taxpayers to appeal rulings by the Board of Tax Appeals. The bill is seen as helping Gene Bicknell, who has been engaged in a rolling battle with the state since it audited the taxes he paid from 2005 to 2008 and found that he owed $42 million based on his 2006 sale of NPC International — America’s largest holder of Pizza Hut franchises with hundreds of restaurants.  Suddenly I’m hungry for lunch!
• Last, but not least, farewell speeches by lawmakers not returning next year. I hope they carved out a huge chunk of the day for this part of the agenda since I’ve heard that many won’t be returning.

 

As always, I’ll be following it all on #ksleg – hope you will join me!