Voice For Liberty

Category: Politics

  • Wichita Tea Party, from AFP

    Here’s a message from Americans For Prosperity’s Kansas state director Derrick Sontag about the Wichita Tea Party this Friday.

    It started with people like you, logging on and signing our petition at NoStimulus.com, and now we have a full-blown grassroots movement on our hands.

    One such activist, Nancy Armstrong, supported Hillary Clinton in the 2008 primary and even went on the road, campaigning for the former New York Senator. But while on the campaign trail, Nancy learned more than she anticipated about the Obama campaign. Now she’s joining the fight against the massive deficit spending bill by organizing the Wichita Tea Party, part of the nationwide grassroots movement that’s spreading like wildfire from coast to coast.

    Join Nancy at a rally this Friday outside Senator Sam Brownback’s Wichita office:

    Wichita Tea Party
    11:30 a.m., Friday, Feb. 27
    Senator Sam Brownback’s Office ( Farm Credit Bank Building, 245 N. Waco, Wichita)

    Let’s help support this cause tomorrow — bring your homemade signs and show your appreciation to Sen. Brownback for opposing this federal bailout bill, and your frustration for this bloated spending bill.

    This stimulus package is not only detrimental to our national economy, but it has immediate implications right here in Kansas. Our state faces a $1 billion budget shortfall, and we need budget reform — now. This federal bailout bill for the states will be too much of a temptation for our legislators, who may see this as a way to avoid making those tough budget decisions that come with real and meaningful budget reform.

  • Area Residents Plan Wichita Tea Party

    Grassroots movement sweeps into Wichita with anti-stimulus rally

    WICHITA — Grassroots activists in Wichita will rally outside Sen. Sam Brownback’s office on Friday, to show their appreciation to the senator for opposing the federal stimulus bill, and to demonstrate their frustration with big government spending.

    Nancy Armstrong, Garden Plain, organized the rally at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 27 outside Sen. Sam Brownback’s office (245 N. Waco, Wichita).

    Sen. Brownback voted against the federal bailout bill. Armstrong said Friday’s rally is intended to thank the Senator for standing in opposition to this bill, but also to let everyday Kansans vent their frustration with the current spending in Congress.

    Armstrong previously worked for the 2008 presidential campaign for Hillary Clinton, but has since devoted her efforts to opposing the big-government, liberal schemes put forth by Congress and the Obama Administration.

    “The powers in Washington are out of touch with the American people,” said Armstrong. “But Americans taxpayers are not going to take all of this spending lying down.

    “We’ll keep reminding our elected officials that we’re not happy with this ‘porkulus’ bill, and we’ll certainly remember this in the 2010 elections.”

    The Wichita Tea Party will be held simultaneously with local tea parties nationwide as part of a growing nationwide movement allowing everyday citizens to voice their opposition to the federal stimulus package.

    For more information, contact Nancy Armstrong at 316-990-6009 or renaissancelady46@yahoo.com.

  • Public education illustrates special interest politics

    One of the problems with government today is the proliferation of special interest groups, and then how issues are framed according to the needs of these special interest groups.

    You might think that public education would fall outside the wrangling of special interest groups. After all, it’s “for the kids,” as we’re reminded. But the public schools and their lobby are one of the fiercest special interest groups.

    Even conservatives fall into this trap and may ask “what’s in it for me?” or “what is my relationship to this issue?” Here’s an example.

    On a recent episode of the KPTS television public affairs program Ask Your Legislator, a Kansas Representative, a conservative Republican, introduced his answer to a question about Kansas education funding this way:

    “I share the gentleman’s concern about public education since my wife is a teacher. I have no children in public schools at this time because they have all grown and left the public schools.”

    Why did he feel it was necessary to introduce his remarks this way? Is he saying that because his wife works for the public schools, he has an interest in their funding? That’s characteristic of special interests and their supporters.

    Or, since he has no children that attend public schools, he is less interested in their funding? Again, evidence of special interests at work.

    This Kansas House Member has a very good ranking from the Kansas Taxpayers Network, so he has proven conservative fiscal credentials. So I hate to pick on him.

    But this serves to illustrate how entrenched special interest politics are. We don’t even recognize it.