Immigrants ravage U.S. infrastructure
The United States will need $1.6 trillion to repair damage to its infrastructure from a massive influx of immigrants, a new report reveals. In his report titled, "The Twin Crises: Immigration and Infrastructure," prominent researcher Edwin S. Rubenstein examines 15 categories of infrastructure: airports, border security, bridges, dams and levees, electricity (the power grids), hazardous waste removal, hospitals, mass transit, parks and recreation facilities, ports and navigable waterways, public schools, railroads, roads and highways, solid waste and trash, and water and sewer systems. Rubenstein, a financial analyst and former contributing editor of Forbes and economics editor of National Review, claims the nation is facing a crisis – with immigration responsible for at least 80 percent of spending needed to expand the U.S. infrastructure before the middle of this century.

Mexican Ex-Military is the New Threat to US
A team of rogue Mexican commandos blamed for dozens of killings along the U.S.-Mexico border has carried out at least three drug-related slayings in Dallas, a sign that the group is extending its deadly operations into U.S. cities, two U.S. law enforcement officials say. The men are known as the Zetas, former members of the Mexican army who defected to Mexico's so-called Gulf drug cartel in the late 1990s. "These guys run like a military," said Arturo A. Fontes, an FBI special investigator for border violence based in Laredo, in south Texas. "They have their hands in everything and they have eyes and ears everywhere. I've seen how they work, and they're good at what they do. They're an impressive bunch of ruthless criminals." Dallas and federal officials said that since late 2003 eight to 10 members of the Zetas have been operating in north Texas, maintaining a "shadowy existence" and sometimes hiring Texas criminal gangs, including the Mexican Mafia and Texas Syndicate, for contract killings. The Texas Syndicate is a prison gang that authorities blame for several murders statewide.

D.C. cops ban pro-life messages
The Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department has forbidden a pro-life gathering and chalk display during Inauguration Week – and now the group is fighting back with a lawsuit against the District of Columbia. "Is this the future of free speech and political dissent under President Obama?" Mahoney asked in his statement. "The streets in front of the White House should be open to all views, opinions and thoughts. It should not be a place of censorship and intimidation. I hope this was not the kind of change President Obama was talking about."

Planned Parenthood Covers Up Another Statutory Rape
The video shows a staff member for Planned Parenthood counseling a "pregnant 13-year-old" to avoid mandatory statutory rape reporting laws by suggesting the patient look into the states that surround Indiana.

Obama Inaugural A CO2 Disaster About to Happen! Will Green Loving Media Report?
It ain't easy being green, and in the case of Barack Obama's inaugural, it seems like he's not even trying to green it up. According to the Institute for Liberty, the Obamathon in Washington will produce about 575 million pounds of CO2 emissions. In a study titled Carbon Bigfoot, the IFL concludes that the CO2 glut will be substantial. From the global warming wrecking celebs flying all over the place in their many private jets, to the many hundreds if not thousands of vehicles that will be used to get people to and in the midst of the inaugural, the CO2 carnage is at the amazingly high level.

Obama Interior Nominee to Consider New Ban on Oil Drilling in USA
President-elect Barack Obama’s secretary of the interior nominee, Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.), said he will consider restoring parts of an expired federal ban on offshore oil drilling, but told CNSNews.com that he has “no idea” how much of the drilling restrictions should be reimposed.

Baltimore City Official Admits to Stealing Gift Cards for Needy Families
Prosecutors say a Baltimore housing official has pleaded guilty to stealing gift cards in a probe that also led to the indictment of Mayor Sheila Dixon (D). Lindbergh Carpenter Jr. of Owings Mills pleaded guilty Thursday to stealing $140 worth of gift cards bought with city money for needy families. Prosecutors say Carpenter instead used the cards to pay for part of a $265 Nintendo Wii video game console.

Pro-life mini-movie ‘Miracle of Life’ released
A new pro-life mini-movie showing the stages of development in an unborn child has been released by Catholic Media House. The mini-movie, titled “The Miracle of Life,” asks the questions “When does Life Begin?” and “Do you know about the miracle of life?” The movie also uses high-quality photographs of unborn life and ultrasound videos to humanize the unborn.

New Study: Top Reason for Women's Abortions is No Supportive Partner, Father
The results of this study are counter to the prevailing opinion that women abort because of poverty and financial considerations. Instead, these mothers were more apt to make the decision based on whether or not they would be supported in their role as a mother by a father who had already demonstrated an ability to care for one of his children. Furthermore, marriage was a protective factor in determining the parents' decision to keep and raise their child. This study supports the idea that abortion occurs in the context of a family. It requires both a committed mother and father to assure the choice to deliver and care for a child. Fathers are, not only important, but possibly decisive in the choice to have an abortion.

Obama Eligibility battle rages on 3 fronts
Officials at Occidental College in Los Angeles, Calif., have been served with a demand to produce records concerning Barack Obama's attendance there during the 1980s because they could document whether he was attending as a foreign national – in one of three fronts now established by those contesting the president-elect's constitutional eligibility for the Oval Office. The Supreme Court and Congress also both are being challenged to address the worries that Obama doesn't meet the requirements of the U.S. Constitution that the president be a "natural born" citizen.

Liberal Policies on Geese Cause Airplane Crash
"Round them up - and get rid of them!" Or even kill them if you like. That's the sure answer to eliminating the potentially deadly Canada geese that threaten air travel around New York, says wildlife biologist Steve Garber, who once ran the wildlife-mitigation program at Kennedy, La Guardia and Newark airports. Garber doubts Port Authority bureaucrats have the courage to eliminate the threat in the face of four international treaties and federal and state laws designed to protect Canada geese and other migratory birds - not to mention the public outcry that results against anything perceived as cruel to wildlife.

Mob Museum included in Bailout
Local jurisdictions have compiled lengthy wish lists of potentially “shovel-ready” projects, or those that could be under construction within 180 days. Among them: a $200 million project to build a more efficient ramp from the airport connector onto eastbound Interstate 215, $63 million in regional road repair and, of course, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman’s proposed $60 million mob museum downtown — a request that is being roundly rejected on Capitol Hill. On Thursday, the day an $825 billion stimulus bill was pitched by House Democrats, Clark County Manager Virginia Valentine submitted a lengthy list of projects — including the mob museum — to the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition. The coalition, an area advisory group, approved the list, passing it on to the state’s congressional delegation.

Obama prayer leader from group US linked to Hamas
A Muslim scholar chosen to speak at President-elect Barack Obama's inaugural prayer service Wednesday is the leader of a group that federal prosecutors say has ties to terrorists. Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of North America, is one of many religious leaders scheduled to speak at the prayer service at Washington's National Cathedral. In 2007 and as recently as last July, federal prosecutors in Dallas filed court documents linking the Hartford, Conn.-based Islamic society to the group Hamas, which the U.S. considers a terrorist organization. Prosecutors wrote in July that they had "a wide array of testimonial and documentary evidence expressly linking" the group to Hamas and other radical groups.

Gun Sales Continue to Increase
Despite a weak economy, gun sales are continuing to increase amid concerns that incoming lawmakers will institute a new gun ban on law-abiding Americans. Data derived from the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) show a 24 percent increase in firearm purchaser background checks for the month of December 2008 (1,523,426 checks) over December 2007 (1,230,525 checks). This increase follows a 42 percent rise in NICS checks for the preceding month, the highest number of checks in NICS history. FBI background checks are required under federal law for all individuals purchasing firearms from federally licensed retailers. These checks serve as a strong indicator of actual sales.

University Pays Terrorist Thousands, Bans Protestors
A major public university paid a renowned domestic terrorist—who proudly admits planting bombs in several U.S. government buildings—thousands of dollars to speak on campus this week and administrators violated academia’s sacred free-speech policy by forbidding protestors. Claiming that Vietnam-era radical William Ayers, once a fugitive from U.S. justice, is an “education reformer,” administrators (whose salaries are financed with tax dollars) at Florida State University enthusiastically lured him to their sprawling Tallahassee campus with a $5,000 reward to spread his radical agenda.

Maryland Senator’s Comments Cause Uproar
A Maryland State senator said it doesn’t matter if Maryland’s broke as long as Obama’s president. Her words came right after Maryland’s Governor laid of 5% of the state’s workforce.

National Prayer Vigil for Life Expected to Draw Thousands to National Shrine
Thousands of Catholics will gather in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception to pray for an end to abortion at the National Prayer Vigil for Life Opening Mass at 7 p.m. on January 21, the eve of the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. Over 16,000 worshipers—many of them youth from schools around the nation—are expected to attend the opening Mass and all-night prayer Vigil and then join tens of thousands more the following day to participate in the national March for Life. Chair of the bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia, will be the principal celebrant and homilist at the Vigil Mass, concelebrated by his fellow cardinals and hundreds of the nation's bishops and priests. After the Opening Mass there will be confessions, a National Rosary for Life, Night Prayer according to the Byzantine Rite, and holy hours from midnight until 6 a.m. led by seminarians from across the country. The Basilica and The Catholic University of America will host up to 1,600 pilgrims overnight. On January 22, the morning of the March for Life, the National Shrine will also host Morning Prayer at 6:30 a.m. and a closing Mass of Penance and Prayer at 7:30 a.m. Bishop Paul Loverde of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, will be the principal celebrant and homilist.

If state cuts bond aid, school district could raise taxes
A proposed bill that would suspend state aid for school bonds would cut about $150 million from a Wichita bond issue and force leaders to either raise local taxes or cut bond projects, officials said Friday.

Power & Light District will cost Taxpayers Millions
Kansas City’s financial wizards are scrambling to avoid a $36 million catastrophe within the next 90 days. Their challenge: Find a way to restructure $180 million in city-backed bonds sold for the downtown Power & Light District project. Recasting the deal would cost taxpayers millions — one reason the city’s new budget proposes setting aside $7.2 million for the project next year, up $3 million from this year’s estimate. Without refinancing, though, Kansas City is on the hook for a $36 million payment this April, a cost that would cripple a budget that already calls for cutting jobs, freezing salaries, and raising taxes.

Health Care Policy Authority Fails its Mission
The Kansas Health Care Policy Authority, which was handed oversight of Medicaid, the SCHIP insurance program for children and the state employee health plan has failed according to GOP leaders. The quasi-independent, mega-agency influenced health spending and policy. The agency's leaders, Republican critics say, haven't properly fixated on reducing the cost of Medicaid, which serves poor families. Republicans also criticize the agency for calling for a statewide indoor smoking ban and state tax increases for the benefit of health programs, two years in a row. Adding to irritation in the GOP ranks is the Democratic governor's enthusiasm for the authority's agenda, even though it has failed in its mission. "I'm not sure we ever intended to empower them as an independent lobbying agency," said House Speaker Mike O'Neal, R-Hutchinson. "It is time to re-evaluate the mission." Sen. Jeff Colyer, a physician and Overland Park Republican, said the authority "has not lived up to its potential."

Jenkins Sponsors Bill to Block Terrorist Detainee Plan at Ft. Leavenworth
Congressman Jerry Moran told military officers attending the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth this week that he's joining an effort sponsored by Rep. Lynn Jenkins that seeks to block the use of federal funds to transfer prisoners from Guantanamo Bay to Fort Leavenworth's U.S. Disciplinary Barracks. Fort Leavenworth is one of three sites that has been proposed for relocation of detainees, after President-elect Barack Obama announced his plans to close Guantanamo Bay detainee operations as quickly as possible once he is in office.

2010 GOP Gubernatorial Poll
The Kansas Gubernatorial Poll for the 2010 GOP selection. Click the link to vote for either Senator Sam Brownback or Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh.

“Governor Kathleen Sebelius is not fit to serve as Governor.”
– Bill O’Reilly, Fox News Commentator and Star of the O’Reilly Factor

From Proverbs 15:22
“Plans fail when there is no counsel, but they succeed when counselors are many.”

Gospel according to Mark 2:13-17

13: He went out again beside the sea; and all the crowd gathered about him, and he taught them.
14: And as he passed on, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him.
15: And as he sat at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were sitting with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many who followed him.
16: And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" 17: And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."

Kansas Has Too Much Local Government

Newly elected Speaker of the House Mike O’Neal is calling for consolidation of local government services in Kansas, based on a lack of efficiency and high costs to taxpayers. The Flint Hills Center for Public Policy agrees with his suggestion.

While Kansas’ population has increased at 17.4% since the 1980 census, local government employment has increased by 65%. If local government employment had grown proportionally to population, taxpayers would be spending $2.2 billion less per year on pay and benefits. The Bureau of Economic Analysis says Kansas had 184,280 local government employees in 2007, compared to 111,660 employees in 1980. If local government employment growth had matched the population growth of 17.4%, we would have had 131,138 employees in 2007, or 53,142 fewer employees.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Kansas has 2,084 general-purpose governments (cities, townships and counties) serving 2,775,997 residents. That’s an average of 1,332 residents per government, compared to a national average of 7,725. That ranks Kansas 49th in the nation (including the District of Columbia). Only North Dakota and South Dakota rank lower than Kansas.

Speaker O’Neal is right on target. As the economy continues to suffer a downturn and state funding remains tight, now is the time to enact reforms that increase efficiency, decrease costs and reduce the burden on taxpayers.