Obama’s job-killing national energy tax
“While President Obama is speaking tonight, oil will continue to leak from the well and extend its stranglehold on the lives and livelihoods of the people in the affected areas. Even now, nearly two months after disaster first struck, the federal response remains inadequate and disorganized. Americans are rightly angry about this failure of government, and they want to know that their president is focused squarely on stopping this leak, cleaning up this mess, and finding out what went wrong. ? ?“President Obama should not exploit this crisis to impose a job-killing national energy tax on struggling families and small businesses. Both parties should be working together to craft responsible solutions in response to this disaster. There’s nothing responsible or reasonable about a job-killing national energy tax that will raise energy costs and destroy more American jobs.

Return of the Federalist Papers: History of
Yes, the Kansas Federalist will now feature each week one of the chapters from the Federalist Papers. The Federalist, commonly referred to as the Federalist Papers, is a series of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison between October 1787 and May 1788. The essays were published anonymously, under the pen name "Publius," in various New York state newspapers of the time. The Federalist Papers were written and published to urge New Yorkers to ratify the proposed United States Constitution, which was drafted in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787. In lobbying for adoption of the Constitution over the existing Articles of Confederation, the essays explain particular provisions of the Constitution in detail. For this reason, and because Hamilton and Madison were each members of the Constitutional Convention, the Federalist Papers are often used today to help interpret the intentions of those drafting the Constitution.

American Power Act will Wreck the Economy
President Obama recently used the Gulf oil spill to stress the need for Congress to pass cap and trade, specifically the bill introduced by Senators John Kerry (D–MA) and Joe Lieberman (I–CT) after much delay. The 987-page American Power Act (APA) aims to reduce 2005 levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 80 percent by 2050, the same target that the House version passed last year. Despite promises of consumer protection, however, the economic effects are the same. APA aims to increase energy prices, which would kill jobs and protect large corporations at the expense of the consumer—all for a minimal effect on the earth’s temperature.

Wind power in Kansas not meeting potential
Kansas is on the verge of making millions of dollars and creating hundreds of new jobs through wind energy generation, but producers can’t get the energy to the market--at least not yet. When construction on new transmission power lines is complete, millions of dollars and hundreds of jobs could pour into western Kansas as new wind farms sprout up. But as the wind power situation stands right now, the potential in Kansas is not being met, according to K-State engineering professor and director of the university’s Wind Application Center

Europe: The Unjust Continent
Western Europe's postwar economies were shaped by an apparent concern for the economically marginalized and the desire to realize more just societies. This inspired the extensive government economic intervention, high-tax rates and generous welfare states now characterizing most contemporary European economies. After 1945, Communists and Christian Democrats alike rallied around these policies. For Marxists, it was a step toward realizing their dream. For non-Marxists, it was a way of preventing outright collectivization.

KCMOPD: 1 in 20 Illegal Drivers!
Kansas City Police wrapped up the last of six driver’s license checks this week with about one in every 20 drivers illegally behind the wheel. Police Chief Jim Corwin announced the results of the checkpoints in his blog on Friday. He reported that police found that nearly 5 percent of the motorists run through the checkpoints shouldn’t have been driving. “That’s a frightening statistic, especially when we know how these illegal drivers are 4.9 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash,” Corwin said in his blog.

Kansas AG candidate vows to challenge health law
State Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt said today that if he’s elected as attorney general, he’ll join Kansas to a lawsuit by other states challenging the recently passed national health care law. Schmidt, R-Independence, said he thinks the upcoming litigation, challenging the law’s requirement that nearly everyone have health insurance, will set the tone for the entire relationship between state and federal powers for decades to come. “Federalism matters,” he said. Adding Kansas to litigation filed so far by 33 states would “bring another voice” to the debate.

Sex offender sweep finds registry violators
Federal and local authorities have identified 37 sex offenders in Independence who weren’t complying with a law that requires them to be registered with the sheriff’s office. A sweep conducted Friday by 76 law enforcement officials from nine agencies investigated 188 sex offenders. Among other things, sex offenders are required to provide information to authorities about where they live and work, Internet addresses and telephone numbers.

Crack Ring Indicted in Kansas City
“Working with our federal partners, Kansas City police have helped cut off a major pipeline of narcotics to the metropolitan area,” said Kansas City Police Chief James Corwin. “These are significant arrests that dismantled a suspected cocaine trafficking conspiracy in the Kansas City area,” said Gary Hartwig, ICE special agent-in-charge in Chicago.

Pelosi Paying $18K a Month for San Francisco Office
Speaker Nancy Pelosi moved her district office into the new federal building in San Francisco. The move quadrupled the rent she pays, and her new $18,736 monthly bill is almost double the next-highest rental paid by a Member of the House.

Congressman assaults student on street
Meet Congressman Bob Etheridge, Democrat from North Carolina’s Second CD. Rep. Etheridge doesn’t much like people asking him whether he supports Barack Obama’s agenda, as a student camera crew on the street discovered when asking this elected official about his political positions.

Nickelodeon promotes 'naughty' games to kids
The children's network Nickelodeon is now offering a selection of naughty games that allow players to look up teachers' skirts and perform a variety of sexual acts – prominently linking to the sexy games from its popular websites for young kids.

France announces $54B in spending cuts by 2013
France will slash state spending by 54.5 billion dollars in the next three years to get its public deficit back down to three percent, Prime. "We've taken a commitment to bring down our deficit from eight to three percent by 2013 and we will concentrate all of our efforts on it," Fillon said at a meeting of new members of his UMP party.

Karl Rove Endorses Tiahrt for US Senate
Rove was particularly harsh on Moran for how the congressman approached a 2001 bill on trade promotion authority that Rove said was aimed at knocking down trade barriers and would have helped Moran’s rural western Kansas district. Rove said Moran tried to cut a deal on the bill, offering to back it, but only if the president or Commerce Secretary Don Evans agreed to come to Kansas to help Moran raise campaign money. It was, ‘What’s in it for me?’” Rove said of Moran. The Bush team eventually pressed a North Carolina Republican to vote for the bill, which resulted in its narrow passage.

Florida’s Okaloosa County goes rogue on oil spill
Florida’s Okaloosa County is telling the federal government it will no longer take orders in responding to the oil spill, a decision made in response to the county’s deep frustration with the Obama administration’s response to the spill. County commissioner Wayne Harris said “Our frustration is we have to wait for allowance from the federal government … we decided to be our own unified command. We have to stop it before it gets here,” Included in the county’s plan is an underwater “air curtain” that will utilize a layer of bubbles to push oil from the murky depths towards the surface and large barges to block oil on the water’s surface.

Candidate: Concern for Obama/UN Gun Sanctions
McConnell, a “recovering lawyer” according to his website, put out an ad this week highlighting the impact a United Nations arms treaty supported by the Obama administration may have on the gun owners in the United States. But the substance isn’t what matters in this ad; it’s all about McConnell’s style. Check it out.

The Elders open the Olathe Summer Concert series
Ian Byrne and The Elders opened the free Olathe Summer Concert series at Frontier Park in Olathe Friday, June 4, 2010

Pelosi Least Democratic Speaker in History
When asked to compare Nancy Pelosi to previous House speakers, Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) didn’t hold back. Pence excoriated her as the “least democratic speaker in the history of the House of Representatives,” arguing that she’s blocked a “free and open debate” in Congress.

History of Father's Day
On April 24, 1972, Father's Day was assured annual recognition by Presidential Proclamation.

Why Do We Call Our Dads, Father?
A real father is a man who recognizes his role in the larger human family and cares about his children, just as God does.

Sienna Commercial: Daddy Like Protecting
Have you seen the new Toyota Sienna commercials? The dad in this video is all about his kids safety. Its why he chose the Sienna and why he enrolled them in bully prevention courses.

Fathers For Good
Fathers dramatically underestimate the importance of themselves in their daughters. This initiative for fathers comes from the Knights of Columbus.

Father Speaks Out About His Down Syndrome Child
Kurt A. Kondrich is a 20 year veteran of the Pittsburgh police force. Six years ago his daughter Chloe was born with Down Syndrome. He speaks out and says, "It is the soul of our nation that is 'deformed."

Father Enters Race with Son Who Has Disabilities
What a hero this father is!

A Father's Love For His Musically Gifted Child
This story shows how a child born with disabilities has been encouraged, supported and nurtured by his father's dedication and love.

Military Fathers Come Home to Surprise Their Kids
Let us not forget the fathers in the military who aren't able to celebrate Father's Day with their children and are instead fighting, protecting and maintaining peace away from home.

The Indispensable Dad
Dads, you'll never know how important you are. Professor David Eggebeen of Pennsylvania State University suggests that his own research shows that fathers uniquely influence their adolescent children.

Fatherlessness
Let us also remember the children who are growing up without fathers. This video shows the statistics of children in America who grow up without a father. If you know about these children, become a mentor so that they do not end up as one of these statistics.

My Dad is Not the President
Wayne Faust wrote the words to this song in honor of his father, George on his 75th birthday.

Strengthening Dads as Christian Fathers
This website comes from Steve Wood, author of Christian Fatherhood, and is dedicated to strengthening fatherhood and the family. You will find articles, newsletters, advice and answers. Dads may also find faith links, help with marriage, pornography, scripture programs and prayer support on this website.

That's What Dad's Are For!
Let Dad know how special he is with this Father's Day song!

State gets $9.1 million of Worthless Pork
The Kansas Board of Regents and the Kansas State Department of Education have announced that Kansas now has a $9.1 million grant from the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education. The funds will be used to continue the development and implementation of an educational statewide longitudinal data system (SLDS). The SLDS will enable examination of student progress from early childhood into the work force. Funding for the three-year grant is provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Gospel of St. Matthew 5:43-48

43 You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor, and you shall have hatred for your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you: Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. And pray for those who persecute and slander you. 45 In this way, you shall be sons of your Father, who is in heaven. He causes his sun to rise upon the good and the bad, and he causes it to rain upon the just and the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Do not even tax collectors behave this way? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more have you done? Do not even the pagans behave this way? 48 Therefore, be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

What happens when the Kansas Supreme Court and its accomplices in the media get something wrong? What happens when that something defames an individual? To paraphrase the falsely-accused Labor Secretary Ray Donovan, to which office does that individual go to get his reputation back?

Since 2005, the court system, political opponents and the media have made much of the ethics allegations against Eric Rucker. He’s been called dishonest, deceitful and dissembling. But now state ethics officials say these accusations are untrue. Last month, the government’s investigation into Rucker’s activities as an attorney mercifully came to an end. After years of high profile probing, prosecutors have finally agreed with Rucker that he committed no acts of dishonesty while involved in the state’s criminal investigation into the powerful abortion industry. These same ethics officials have dismissed every count in their original complaint against him.

Since 1981, Rucker has served in a series of increasingly responsible positions--deputy assistant secretary of state, Shawnee County commissioner, assistant county attorney for Jefferson County, Dickinson County attorney, Army National Guard officer, chief deputy district attorney for Johnson County, and chief deputy attorney general. His talent for crafting sound public policy is widely recognized and his legal skill is respected. At 58, Rucker should be in the heart of a storied legal or political career. Instead, his future is uncertain. The very government he served with distinction has all but destroyed his reputation.

So, where does Mr. Rucker go to regain the reputation built over three decades of public service? How does he get his “re-do”? I’d like to suggest several acts of remediation that could be easily accomplished. First, the Kansas Supreme Court should apologize to Mr. Rucker and strike the language used in reference to him in the 2005 case of Alpha/Beta v. Anderson. In this case, the court clumsily implied that Rucker was less than forthright during oral argument. Rucker’s recent ethics hearing transcript and other sources readily available to the high court make it clear that Rucker’s statements were truthful and that the court’s characterization of him was false. The court should correct its error immediately.

Second, the Topeka Capital-Journal owes the public (and Rucker) an accurate account of this story. The Capital-Journal should stop repeating the government’s original charges as if they were valid. The paper should instead admit it conducted no investigation of its own and as a result got this story wrong.

Specifically, the Capital-Journal should tell its few remaining readers that the ethics administrator has agreed in writing that Rucker committed no acts of dishonesty. The paper should correct its error that Rucker agreed to testify against Phill Kline in his upcoming ethics hearing. And it should report that the only ethics issues Rucker still faces are technical ones dealing with his unawareness of subordinate activities and a failure to notify ethics officials.

After wasting tons of ink on news articles alleging Rucker’s guilt, is there not enough ink left at the Capital-Journal to print the truth. A September 11th-style headline reading “Rucker Vindicated” would be a good start.

The real problem, of course, goes much deeper than Rucker’s reputation. Had Rucker investigated, say, the controversial research done on monkeys at KU Medical Center, he would have enjoyed the media’s praise and the court’s indifference. And the monkeys aren’t even dying.

Instead, Rucker and his colleagues did the one thing sure to offend much of the governing class and just about all of the media: they insisted that the unborn have the right to live under the protection of the law--even in Kansas. As those who have seen the numbers know, the state, despite tough laws to the contrary, had degenerated into the world’s late term abortion capital. How did that happen? You would think that a newspaper would want to know? Rucker and his colleagues did want to know and that has cost them.

So tell me now, and I will pass the word along—which office should Eric report to? I’ll make sure he gets there.