Former Kansas GOP darling Phill Kline shouldn’t be getting into too much trouble nowadays.  He always made headlines as a career politician, seeking various offices and then using them to advance his neo-conservative agenda, regardless of said position’s actual responsibilities.  Ever since 2006, when he was thoroughly trounced in his bid for reelection as Kansas Attorney General, it’s been clear that Kline’s political career has been on the wane.  Republican leaders tossed him into the Johnson County DA’s office after that, ironically to replace Paul Morrison, the man who beat him as AG, and in that time he was reprimanded by the state Supreme Court for hording medical records from an abortion clinic in Wichita, then quietly and soundly beaten when he actually tried to get elected again as DA.

Just when we were getting bored, he has popped up in the  news again.  It seems that the DA’s office  under Mr. Kline was none too kind to the lady folk.  Former Johnson County prosecutor Jacqie Spradling has taken Kline and several of his old cronies to court over alleged sexual discrimination while she worked on that office.  Ms Spradling, a specialist in domestic violence cases, says that over a few months she saw her unit depleted of staff, had homicide cases handed over to a less-experienced male prosecutor whom Kline favored, and was personally told by the then-District Attorney that for complaining about this, she was “just a bitchy woman”.  Also, her office was apparently wire-tapped.

That Phill Kline may be a raging sexist is not shocking, after he spent four years in the state AG’s office flaunting the belief that only he, and not actual women, knew what they should or should not do with their own bodies.

For much of the 2000s, Phill Kline was everyone’s favorite local, far-right supervillain.  He twirled his mustache menacingly, and tied the integrity of whatever office he either held, or wanted to hold, onto railroad tracks, laughing as he told the voters of Kansas that they’d never save it in time.  It’s almost generous of him to provide a little fodder for our amusement again, now that he is basically incapable of attaining public office.

It frustrates me when I write my legislators about what I think they should do about an issue, and they send me a letter back telling me about their opinion. I believe in a democracy in which our representatives would actually represent the opinions and issues of us, their constituents. Instead I should receive a letter back that says, “Thank you for your input. I will be taking the opinion of all of my constituents, and make my decision based on that.”

Currently when a candidate decides they are going to run for office, they raise a lot of money and they give speeches telling us what they believe in. We decide based on these speeches who we will vote for. The person who receives the most votes wins the election, gets lots of pats on the back, and goes on to make decisions for us. It’s up to the winner of an election to decide whether or not they will consider the opinions of the people who voted for them? Am I the only one who sees the flaw in this?

I hear a great deal of apathy when talking to people about politics. I’ve heard, “It doesn’t matter, and they’re all liars anyway”. I’ve heard, “I don’t think my one vote really matters.” I’ve heard “They don’t listen to us, so why bother”. I realize I am somewhat abnormal for caring so much but when I hear any of these excuses I tend to get very animated with my arms flailing…“No, they’re not ALL liars”., “Of course one vote matters because it’s the collection of every one vote that elects people”. But my answer to “They don’t listen to us, so why bother” is hard for me to answer. The only thing I know to say is, “Make them listen”.

In America, when we are kids we are taught that this is the greatest country on the planet, we have the greatest government ever conceived and we believe it, because after all, we are just children. Then as adults we get lazy and we don’t question whether or not this really is the greatest country on the planet, or if our government actually is the greatest government ever conceived. Most of us choose to ignore what is going on or we just complain without taking any action. Most of us don’t try to improve what is wrong with our government system, some don’t bother to participate at all or even do the minimum which in my opinion is voting.

What’s a frustrated voter to do? Remind our representatives who they really work for.

Kansas state employees earlier this week illustrated the power of collective bargaining for the purpose of encouraging positive change in their government and workplace. State employees, represented by the Kansas Organization of State Employees (KOSE), have successfully ratified their second contract with the State of Kansas, which included $10.7 million in undermarket adjustments for state employees who were being unfairly underpaid for similar private and public sector jobs.

While some bloggers and members of the media will attempt to skew these adjustments as raises for state employees, it is important to understand the nature of these adjustments and who the adjustments impact. State workers receiving equitable adjustments to pay included:

• 466 food service employees, who prepare the meals for those in state hospitals and prisons, who were making, on average, $17,000 annually;

• 1,350 Kansas prison correctional officers, who keep watch of the most violent of Kansas offenders, were starting at an average of $27,000 annually;

• 400 KDOT Equipment Operators were earning an average starting salary of $19,000; and

• 466 custodial workers who were earning, on average, a $23,000 starting salary.

All totaled, 6,800 Kansas workers who were determined to be below comparable market pay in the region, will receive undermarket adjustments to their pay. The adjustments are not about pay raises: the increases are about equity for our employees and providing the best services we can as a state.

The recently negotiated MOA also governs such things as hours of work, benefits, discipline and protocol for classified executive branch state employees. During a seven month period of Meet and Confer with Kansas officials and more than 160 hours of negotiations, the KOSE Bargaining Team also achieved other major victories for state employees, including:

• Neither the Agency Head nor the Governor may implement furloughs without formal Meet and Confer with KOSE;

• During an employee investigation, a KOSE union steward can stop an investigation and offer council for up to 20 minutes;

• Within 21 days of discovery, employees must be made aware of any adverse information that may be used on evaluations and shall be provided an opportunity for rebuttal;

• Right to appeal your evaluation to an Appeal Committee comprised of state workers;

• Stronger language on the grievance procedure;

• No employee will be required to find coverage if absent from work.”

• The Employer will make a good faith effort to avoid requiring employees to work more than 12 hours in a 24 hour period. If the employee is forced over 12 hours and no documentation is provided, then the employee may grieve the overtime; and

• Providing partnership benefits for funeral leave.

KOSE was formed in 2007, after the Public Employees Relations Board (PERB) reorganized the bargaining units for state workers. Prior to the re-organization, state workers were divided into more than 50 bargaining units. Under the PERB directive for reorganization, the bargaining units were consolidated into 16 units. The reorganization gave workers a much stronger voice by bringing more workers together. Since the existence of KOSE, state workers have won historical rights on the job and more money in their pocket books. State workers have received millions of dollars in negotiated market adjustments since 2007.

This year, after the Legislature courageously passed a budget that continued funding for the market adjustments, KOSE negotiated more than $10.7 million in adjustments for the lowest paid workers. KOSE members live in every legislative district across our state. KOSE members clear the snow, answer the abuse hotline, keep inmates locked up and behind bars, and care for the most vulnerable Kansans at our state hospitals. State employees help those who are down on their luck and give a little help when they need it. Most importantly, state employees are watch dogs for taxpayer dollars because they are the agents who investigate fraud and abuse. Members include correctional officers, KBI agents, adminstrative assistants, custodial staff, engineers, equipment operators, direct care staff, and social workers, providing the services that all Kansans depend on.

Labor leaders and workers throughout Kansas are applauding the KOSE victories. Bruce Tunnell, Kansas AFL-CIO Executive Vice President noted the important occasion, saying…

“KOSE, through its newly ratified MOA, has set an example for workers coping with these tough economic times—you don’t have to concede and you can still win no matter what the conventional wisdom says.”

House Minority Leader Paul Davis, who was a valued ally in the fight at the Statehouse over our market adjustments, also praises KOSE for its new MOA and for its activism, saying…

“Thousands of state employees have been underpaid and underappreciated for far too long. The market adjustments approved by the Legislature and ratified by the Master Memorandum of Agreement are a significant step forward in rectifying these inequities and showing state employees that we value their hard work.”

KOSE Executive Director Jane Carter released  a statement earlier this week on the finalization of the 2nd contract with the state, saying…

“Our Bargaining Team worked diligently for over 160 hours with the State to hammer out this agreement. I am so proud of the work we accomplished on behalf of KOSE members and state employees. We stuck to our goals, we stayed true to our principles, and in the end we accomplished our mission. From our member’s activism at the bargaining table, at the Statehouse, and on the worksite we have made our state better for all Kansans.”

Too keep up with the activities of the Kansas Organization of State Employees (KOSE), follow them on Twitter at @KOSEUnion.

The Heritage Foundation is well known conservative group that encourages you on their website to “join the likes of Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh” (no thanks) has been caught in yet another scam:

Below is a copy of a letter received:

The funny thing is that the Heritage Foundation, which has been caught through the years running all sorts of different scams, likes to complain about health care reform, Head Start, Job Corps, Social Security and other social programs and labels them as scams.  Apparently, they forgot to look at their own mailings… sometimes the truth is closer to home.

Today marks a sad anniversary in Kansas history.  On a sunny Sunday morning a year ago today, Dr. George Tiller was killed in his church in Wichita.

The aftermath of this murder was unpredictable.  In the past year, a bizarre series of events have changed much of the face of the choice movement.  With this firebomb event the pro-choice and anti-choice movements have been faced with successes, setbacks, and justice.

Scott Roeder, the man who pulled the trigger, was effectively given a life sentence in a Kansas jail.  While it is excellent that a man who has shown that he has no qualms about killing an abortion provider will not likely be released from jail, he has sent anti-choicers into changing paths on their uterine control campaigns.  It should also demonstrate the absolute need to enforce the FACE act.  Scott Roeder was seen attempting to glue locks at a clinic the day before he murdered Dr. Tiller.  The FACE Act was created to stop the harassment at clinics – but it continues to this day.

Some anti’s will continue in the path of Army of God to call for more murder.  However, most anti-choicers prefer to cloak their statements in terms of life and respect.  While their beliefs demonstrate contrastedly different values, the veil has seemingly been lifted on much anti-choice propoganda.  The outrage over the Oklahoma abortion restrictions in national mainstream press has created a consciousness among many people that anti’s do not have women’s best interests at heart.  To revictimize a rape victim by forcing her to have an object placed in her body against her will shows no respect for the woman, and has demonstrated once again that anti-choice stands more for a clump of cells than an adult woman.

This year’s barrage of anti-choice legislation has been met with national media reception and an elevated public consciousness. This elevated consciousness is bringing to light just how much anti-choice legislation is truely asinine.  State budget situations aside, many anti-choicers will cut schools before corporate tax breaks, and provide no support for children once they are no longer fetuses.  The American public is becoming aware of the unethical tactics and moral blame game being played with women’s bodies and lives.

While we will never be able to replace Dr. Tiller, we can continue his ideas and work to carry out his ideals.  Remembering to always trust women, we can support Dr. Carhart, support the Allentown, PA and Charlotte, NC clinics that are being harassed.  While May 31 may always be a day of sadness, it can also be remembered as a day when we think about what we can do as a pro-choice, pro-woman movement to keep forward and keep positive.

If you’re in Wichita today, you can stop by the KS-NOW candlelight vigil in memory of Dr. tiller tonight at 8 pm in the Old Town Square.

You paid a lot of money to read this – far more than you should have – all for the privilege of doing it more slowly.

In the U.S., monthly broadband service costs about $8 for each advertised megabit per second, on average. In Britain it costs $1.98 and in Japan $2.33, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. We pay more for Internet access than other industrialized countries. In most cases it’s a lot more.

To make matters worse, our service is slow. In global rankings, the U.S. is 18th in terms of average connection speeds, according to Akamai’s 2009 Q3 State of the Internet report. One might reasonably assume, however, that we’re improving. The premium amount that we pay must be going for network improvements to create satisfied customers and to build a robust digital infrastructure necessary for a 21st Century economy.

And that would be incorrect. Our average overall speed has actually decreased by 2.4% year-over-year from 2008 to 2009. To recap, we pay a lot more, for slower speeds, that are getting worse.

This is all being done on purpose.

Cable companies control the majority of Internet access in the United States. They also make a lot of money selling commercials on cable TV and through subscriptions for the channels you receive. The Internet threatens this cable television business model. Already you can watch TV shows directly on the websites of the television networks (ABC, NBC, and Comedy Central, for example) while other websites like hulu.com are serving up movies and older TV shows.

The future of TV isn’t through cable; it’s through an Internet connection. Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T know this and want to do everything they can to stop TV via the Internet from happening.

Fortunately for them (and bad for us), they control the speed offerings and the prices that you pay for Internet access. In many areas of the U.S. they have a monopoly on broadband service. For them, the best business decision that maximizes shareholder value is to make sure that you never get access to the kind of Internet service that other areas of the world enjoy.

Here is where things go from bad to worse.

Let’s say you call Joe’s Pizza. The phone rings and then a voice comes on and says that you will be connected to Joe’s Pizza in about a minute or two. However, says the voice, we can connect you to Bob’s Pizza right now for no charge. Wouldn’t you rather connect to Bob’s Pizza instead? There’s no waiting!

I heard Craig Newmark, the founder of Craigslist.org make that analogy last year about a piece of legislation called Net Neutrality.

Net Neutrality means that Internet service providers may not discriminate between different kinds of data or content. You get to decide what you want to see and do, not them. It guarantees a level playing field for all Web sites and Internet technologies. It’s the way it always has been and it’s what the cable companies want to stop.

In technical-speak, what they want to do is called “packet shaping”.

In this scenario, they become king-makers for whatever Internet company is willing to pay them. What will happen is that some sites will become slower, taking longer to reach while other “business partner” sites will receive special VIP transmission speeds.

Google might get a little slower while Bing might get a little faster. To most people, they’ll just think the other sites are slow and poorly built and they will end up preferring the “partner sites”. Comcast recently purchased a controlling interest in NBC. If they get to control your data, NBC content will be the fastest around (if you use Comcast). What if there is a website criticizing Comcast? You might be blocked from ever seeing them.

We’ve gone through something similar before.

It used to be that movie studios owned and operated movie theaters. Back then, there might only be one movie theater in town and it would show only movies from their own studios. The effect was to shut out the other or smaller movie studios and make it easy to cut costs on production budgets. The effect was that there were a lot of really bad, poor-quality movies released in the 1940s. This led to the Supreme Court decision United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. (1948) holding that movie studios could not also own movie theater chains. Quality improved.

We should not make the same mistakes with the Internet. If the cable companies don’t get to control the kinds of data you want to use, companies with the best products and services win. It’s a free market, capitalism flourishes, wealth is created.

The Federal Communications Commission has proposed to classify broadband Internet access as a telecommunications service, just like phone lines. It’s a sensible move. The F.C.C.’s classification would ensure Net Neutrality.

Senator Brownback has sided with the cable companies, of course. That’s no surprise. What is surprising is that Representative Dennis Moore has signed a letter written by the cable industry that would stop Net Neutrality. I expect more from him.

Maybe he doesn’t understand how the Internet works, which I can forgive. Maybe he got taken in by the spin and propaganda that the cable lobbyists wrote in the letter. Or maybe he’s caving in because of the $55,500 in telecommunications lobbyist money he’s accepted. That’s something I can’t forgive and you shouldn’t either.

Please send Representative Dennis Moore a reminder right now that his first duty is to us, the people, and not to special interest groups.

Thank you,

Sean Tevis
Olathe, Kansas

Don't Drink, Drive and Hide.

Below is a press release sent out to local media earlier today by the Whipple for Kansas campaign:

Candidate Brandon Whipple is outraged by the actions of State Representative Phil Hermanson, hiding an arrest, DUI charges and injuring two Kansans. According to a Wichita Eagle article, Hermanson (R-96) was arrested last November for driving under the influence after a wreck that put Kansas residents Kathy Spencer, then 46, and Mary Sheppard, then 77, in the hospital. Spencer has yet to fully recover.

Whipple’s thoughts and prayers go out to Kathy and Mary. “Phil Hermanson chose to put our community at risk and hid his arrest for more than six months,” said Whipple. “There is no excuse for his actions and our community deserves better representation.”
After hiding his arrest from the voters for more than six months, Hermanson’s moral character is in doubt. The Whipple campaign is calling for Hermanson’s resignation.

I, for one, support Brandon Whipple’s call to oust Hermanson. He withheld his DUI arrest from the public for more than six months. He injured two women, one of which has yet to fully recover.

A person of his “moral character” should not be a state representative. If he was under the influence at 11:50 in the morning, how do we know he keeps a clear mind when casting votes that affect the lives of every citizen in our community?

If you have not read the Eagle article about Phil Hermanson’s DUI arrest, I encourage you to do so.

Representative Phil Hermanson arrested for DUI. Hid arrest for six months.

The Wichita Eagle this morning broke the story of State Representative Phil Hermanson was arrested last November for driving under the influence after a mid-day wreck that put Kansas residents Kathy Spencer, then 46, and Mary Sheppard, then 77, in the hospital. Spencer has yet to fully recover. The story comes more than six months after the accident.

The wreck occurred at 11:50 in the morning on November 6, 2009 in a construction zone. Witnesses told the Eagle that despite the cold, Hermanson was wearing only a pair of shorts, a T-shirt and socks. Multiple witnesses report that Hermanson was speeding in the construction zone and did not apply the breaks before he plowed in to the women’s car. Hermanson failed a field sobriety test and refused a blood-alcohol content test.

Comments posted on the Eagle’s website say that Hermanson used his position as state representative to have his trial delayed multiple time.

If true, when added to the fact that Hermanson hid his arrest for such a long time, the people of southwest Wichita should demand an apology from Hermanson and that action be taken by the leadership in Topeka.

Hermanson is a first-term conservative Republican who represents southwest Wichita.

(Updated to include link to Eagle article)

The Wichita Eagle today reprinted a statement from Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer on the Kansas Chamber of Commerce Evil…

City officials issued the following statement by Mayor Carl Brewer this evening:

“It was very disappointing to learn that the Kansas Chamber of Commerce has accused the Kansas Legislature as having “catered to the needs of those at the government trough” when it adopted a balanced state budget this week.

“This unfortunate choice of inflammatory rhetoric can only make it more difficult for our great state to recover from the greatest economic challenge of our time. Nobody wants to raise taxes if it can be avoided. The enactment of a one-cent sales tax by the majority of both the Kansas House and Kansas Senate was recognized as a painful but necessary compromise solution to the state’s budget problem.

“The important thing to remember is that a coalition of Republicans and Democrats found common ground to end the 2010 Kansas legislative session with a balanced budget. The coalition’s motivation certainly wasn’t to appease special interests who are feeding “at the government trough.” It was intended to preserve essential services while doing the least possible harm to the economy.

“The last couple of years have resulted in a $1 billion cut in state spending, an action that affected everyone from kindergarten students to the disabled. Rather than feeding “at the government trough,” these fragile populations have been asked to get by on less. Along the way, state government was forced to be more creative and efficient. Pain was felt from border to border. And painful as it was, every thinking Kansan will recognize that the adversity has made us stronger and smarter.

“It would be grossly inaccurate and unfair to describe the business tax breaks of recent years as “the needs of those at the government trough.” But that is exactly the kind of response that will be offered by those who are so unfairly criticized by the Chamber’s statement. Those tax breaks were solid investments in the growth of our economy. As our economy recovers, those investments will pay off in more profits for the private sector and more tax revenues for the public sector.

“The beneficiaries of those tax breaks need to recognize that fundamental needs of Kansans have to be met, and the sacrifices need to be shared by all.”

If you intentionally misrepresent make a mistake on your campaign finance reports, at least be truthful about it when you get caught. Chris Steineger has had a  particularly rough bout with professional ethics since he announced his run to be the state of Kansas’ Chief Election Officer, the Kansas Secretary of State.  (In case you missed it, you can get caught up here, here, here and here.)

In late February, the news of Steineger’s most recent ethics probe surfaced.  He was accused of using funds from his Senate campaign account to pay for a poll for his statewide run for Supreme Ruler of the Universe Kansas Governor Secretary of State, which is prohibited by Kansas law, and soliciting lobbyists during the legislative session, also prohibited by Kansas law.

When approached by Topeka Capital Journal reporter Tim Carpenter and asked about the statewide polling, the Chris Steineger of February 26th said he paid for the polling with his own funds.  But then refused to prove it…

So, this guy wants to be the Chief Election Officer for our great state, but doesn’t think he needs to prove who paid for his statewide polling?

Over two months after that interview, though, the memory of Chris Steineger of May 14th had improved about who actually paid for his statewide polling…

To recap, the Steineger of February 26 says he paid for his statewide polling from his own personal account, but the Steineger of May 14 says he paid for his statewide polling from his Steineger for Senate campaign account.  Confused yet? You’re not alone.

Let’s see which Chris Steineger shows up to the Government Ethics Commission tomorrow, Tuesday, May 18th. More importantly, let’s see which story gets told to Kansas ethics regulators.