Category: United States government

  • Thoughts on Constitution Day

    Today, September 17, is a little-remembered date in Kansas and arguably a day that eclipses even Independence Day in significance. On this day in 1787, occurred the signing of the U.S. Constitution. Not since the Magna Carta, (June 15, 1215) had there been such a progression by the purpose, mind and hand of mankind to…

  • Stop spending our future

    It’s hard to comprehend the spending by the federal government over the last year. The numbers are so large, the spending programs announced so quickly, one after another, that sometimes we need to step back and take a look at the big picture. When we do, it’s quite terrifying, especially when we realize that the…

  • Paygo rule meaningless, harmful

    In a letter printed in yesterday’s Wichita Eagle, Doug Ittner of Wichita promotes the benefit of a rule known as “paygo.” The purpose of this rule is to force budget discipline on Congress. As the Washington Post’s David Broder wrote in that newspaper in June: “[Paygo’s] key provision requires that any new tax cut or…

  • GovTrack.us helps citizens watch Congress

    The website GovTrack.us is a great resource for citizens who are interested in the United States Congress. With the rapid expansion of government in the recent past, this is something we should all be concerned with.

  • Sonia Sotomayor: We don’t make law (hee hee)

    One of the names that’s surfacing as a potential Supreme Court justice is Appeals Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor. Those who believe that judges should interpret the law and not create new law from the bench should be alarmed that this person’s name is in consideration.

  • Social security believers call in

    Two short opinion line blurbs in today’s Wichita Eagle will leave readers who believe what they say with a dangerous belief. Here’s the first: “Social Security is socialism, and guess what? It works.” The second, in part reads “Social Security is not socialism. It is insurance. I paid into it for 47 years before collecting…

  • Mike Pompeo congressional launch committee announced

    Wichita businessman Mike Pompeo has formed a launch committee to support his bid for the United States House of Representatives from the fourth congressional district of Kansas. Additional information will be forthcoming as it becomes available.

  • Be Wary of Government Control of Health Care

    In Canada, some patients have to travel to the United States for life-saving medical treatment. Patients are also denied to right to pay for their own treatment in Canada, as was the case of a 57-year old man denied a hip replacement operation by the government. The Wall Street Journal article “Too Old” for Hip…

  • Kansas Senator Dick Kelsey Announces for Congress

    On Friday Kansas Senator Dick Kelsey announced that he is a candidate for the United States Congress. Kelsey seeks the seat presently held by Todd Tiahrt, who is running for United States Senate. The Wichita Eagle covered the announcement in the story State Sen. Dick Kelsey to run for Tiahrt’s congressional seat. A question I…

  • Todd Tiahrt on the Kansas Senate Primary

    At Friday’s meeting of the Wichita Pachyderm Club, United States Congressman for the fourth district of Kansas Todd Tiahrt was the speaker. Dion Lefler of the Wichita Eagle covered Tiaht’s speech in the news story Tiahrt offers thoughts on Obama, stimulus to Wichita Pachyderm Club. After the meeting I spoke to the congressman and asked…

  • Dick Kelsey to Announce

    Kansas State Senator Dick Kelsey will make an announcement today “about running for the congressional seat being given up by Todd Tiahrt,” as he wrote in an email message to me. I don’t know what he’ll say, but at Kansas Days he passed out “Dick Kelsey for Congress” pens. The announcement will be at 2:00…

  • Bob Novak’s Final ENPR Edition

    A sad email appeared in my inbox yesterday. Its title — ENPR: FINAL EDITION — gave me cause to think the worst had happened. Fortunately it hasn’t, but the news is sad nonetheless. ENPR is the Evans-Novak Political Report, a fascinating report compiled since 1967. Last year, Bob Novak (Rowland Evans died in 2001) was…