Hutch News nails Wasinger, Barker

I couldn't help but laugh out loud as I scanned the headline.

"Pair vying for Moran seat must boost ties" the headline proclaimed.

Uhhh, yea think McFly?

Well, apparently one out of the "pair" doesn't.

Wasinger pointed out that Kansas has a history of sending people to Congress who have gained experience on Capitol Hill and then have run for office. He cited the example of U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan, who was an aide before representing the 1st Congressional District.

Okay, wait, just hold up a second. So, Rob, you're telling me that Pat Roberts played musical chairs with his voter registration right up to the time he filed to run for office? And that voters were okay with that?

How about we try putting some truth on, hmmmm? I know that'd be a change for you. Roberts has always been a life long Kansan and traveled back whenever possible.

Now, let's take a look at you. You've traveled back long enough to register to vote in Hays, at your aunt's house, who, by the way, just happens to be a Democrat. But you didn't bother to bring along your wife and nine kids?

I've always been told home is where the heart is. Is your heart in Washington Rob or in Kansas? Or is it in Kansas just long enough to get a meal ticket back to Washington where it'll reside permanently?

As much as I enjoyed that, I think my favorite part was this:

Barker, 30, of Pratt, was a registered Democrat before switching parties on Aug. 15, four months before his campaign filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission.

Oh come on. Is this guy serious? Sometimes I look at politicians and wonder if they just woke up one day and said, "You know, I think I'll run for office!" But I actually think that's what this guy did!

Okay, okay, to be fair, the guy saw the light and became a Republican. I've got to give him credit for that. But to then turn around and decide to run for Congress in the big first district? Oh come on! And as much as it blew me away that a reporter actually did Research (with a capital R), the guy got off easy. (More on that later.)

Let's face it, in a general election, being a Republican isn't going to win you the election. But in a primary? Well, it does help a little.

And before Wasinger and Barker start whining, let's point out that Huelskamp got mentioned once, at the very end, with nothing about his ties to Kansas (which when compared to Wasinger and Barker would be like comparing the "M" volume of the encyclopedia to a Dr. Seuss book.)

562 days til primary election day. I can't wait!

Wasinger takes a bow?

Dirt Diver, a relatively new Kansas blog, has a short rumor posted that Rob Wasinger is considering greener pastures already after not getting much traction against frontrunner Tim Huelskamp.

Apparently Wasinger doesn't agree. He most vividly signed his name to a comment where he called the author an "idiot" then followed up by suggesting he was working for Huelskamp.

You mean like how the now defunct Kansas Republican blog hounded Huelskamp for nothing time after time? Because you weren't behind that, were you Wasinger?

I have to question any candidate for Congress who would use such language, even in the online realm against an anonymous person. Not to mention it's probably true.

Wasinger has not gotten any traction and won't as the election nears because everyone is asking themselves, "Why vote for an unknown with no voting record when I can vote for the real deal with 12 years of history standing for conservative values?"

That's why Wasinger is in trouble.

To add a little fuel to the fire, it seems Wasinger has played 'musical campaign' before. A 2001 IRS 8871 form shows a 527 political organization formed with the name "Wasinger for Treasurer." I guess Rob wanted the Treasurer's spot just a few years ago.

Too bad for Rob that it never went anywhere. The 527 formed but no donations were ever reported. Now, it could be he took the money and ran, but after his faltering in the KS-01 race, it seems more likely nobody wanted to fork over any cash.

What is more concerning is that a Marilyn Wasinger is listed as Secretary and gives a Hays address for contact information. But voter registration records show the Marilyn Wasinger at that Hays address is a registered Democrat and most recently voted in the August 2008 primary.

It's one thing to be a Democrat, but when you vote in the primary...man...you are a DE-MO-CRAT!

I'm sure that Rob and Marilyn are related, which explains why Rob has a Democrat taking care of his money (or lack thereof.)

But if you want to run on a conservative platform in the big First District, wouldn't it seem appropriate to have, say, I don't know, a REPUBLICAN be your 527 treasurer rather than, you know, a DEMOCRAT?

It's clear what has happened here. Back in '01, Rob thought there would be an open Treasurer's spot and got all hyped up and formed a 527. But back then, it wasn't so hip to be conservative. So, having a Democrat as treasurer wasn't something to question.

But now it's 2009 and conservatives are getting ready to clean up. And if Rob wants to have a job after Brownback wins the governor's race, he's got to move quite a bit to the right.

Again, this is why Huelskamp will get the nod. Why waste time with a guy who just talks when I can vote for a guy that's walked the walk for 12 years?

Huelskamp targets Planned Parenthood funding, cites $1 billion shortfall

When it comes to cutting state pork, there's nobody better than Sen. Tim Huelskamp.

Huelskamp announced yesterday that he intends to scrutinize every penny of state spending in the face of a $1 billion state deficit. In light of some Senate Republicans refusing to discuss possible budget solutions and still blaming the budget shortfall on "tax cuts" rather than their own over spending, Sen. Huelskamp's comments are a breathe of fresh air.

“In the last two fiscal years alone, Kansans have forked over more than $550,000 to this organization,” said Senator Huelskamp. “There is simply no reason in the world why the taxpayer dollars of hundreds of thousands of pro-life Kansans should be used to underwrite abortion providers in this state, particularly those under criminal indictment and investigation.” Huelskamp promised to seek budget language that would prohibit such funding.

One does have to wonder why, if the face of a $1 billion deficit, the state would continue to fund someone under criminal investigation. Just as it pains the citizens of Illinois to pay Gov. Blagojevich's salary, it too should pain Kansans to know their hard earned tax dollars are going to an organization charged with 107 different felony misdemeanors.

And before liberals start howling about the "anti-abortion" activists, Huelskamp's press release notes actions already taken by the state of Virginia, a state that voted for the most liberal Presidential candidate in history.

If Kansas were to defund Planned Parenthood funding, they would not be the first state to attempt to do so. Citing concerns about the racist foundations of Planned Parenthood, their documented willingness to cover up for rapists and other child predators, and their illegal promotion of pornography to teenagers, other states such as Virginia have made moves similar to that proposed by Huelskamp.

Senate President Steve Morris and Vice President John Vratil have blamed the budget crisis on tax cuts passed under their leadership the past few years. But as AFP's Alan Cobb pointed out, it isn't the tax cuts that are to blame but the over indulgence of a majority of Kansas Senators, Representatives and Gov. Sebelius herself.

“Isn’t it worth mentioning the impact of four years of large budget increases on the current budget situation? If the budget had simply increased at 5 percent, hardly a small number, each year since 2004, we would have more than $2 billion in the bank now.”

2004 is the year Sen. Morris and Vratil took over leadership of the Kansas Senate.

Personally, I think the CPI is the most a budget should increase without the approval of the voters. But isn't it interesting to know that if legislators had just had a little self control...not even a lot, but just a little bit...that we'd now be in the black instead of the red

Kansans can rest assured that Sen. Huelskamp will examine every penny in Washington just like he has the past 12 years in Topeka.