Retired Kansas State Senator and former GOP Third District Congressional nominee Nick Jordan released the following statement on Thursday of last week.  Thursday was the day Vice President Joe Biden traveled to Overland Park to attempt to justify the unjustifiable — that the wasteful and damaging “stimulus” is a good thing.

In the statement, Jordan sounds like the GOP of post-2004: voicing support for “economic conservativism” while simultaneously supporting liberal spending programs.  It’s likely that Jordan also is trying to play it safe with Overland Park Mayor Carl Gerlach, whose record is that of an economic and social liberal, but who is popular within the country clubs of Johnson County Republican liberals.  Gerlach is exactly the type of mayor targeted by Obama:  Gerlach will happily take Obama’s earmarked federal money for what he and Nick Jordan inappropriately consider “needed projects,” provided that the mayor gets a few headlines for it.  Gerlach willingly allows himself to be used by Obama and the left.

Nick Jordan is a very nice man, but if he wants to have a future within the Republican party, he needs to get off the fence and pick sides in the war of Socialism:  either he will choose the path to American (and electoral) success that involves major spending and tax reform; or he will choose the center-left path that leads to the long-term failure of the nation and GOP irrelevance. (more…)

From KFL:

Statement Mary Kay Culp, State Executive Director, Cell 913-406-4446

BOARD SHOULD REVOKE THE MEDICAL LICENSES OF 4 KANSAS DOCTORS INVOLVED IN ILLEGAL LATE-TERM ABORTIONS

At the time George Tiller was killed, the state Healing Arts Board had already taken two out of three steps to revoke his medical license.   (more…)

From Erickson:

Get on the phone ASAP. The vote has not happened and it looks like it won’t until next week. Why? Because we are bringing pressure to bear and the Democrats are having a very hard time keeping a majority on the legislation.

We absolutely cannot falter on this. We must keep up the continuous pressure headed into the weekend. See the list of names below and call, call, call. (more…)

From the Flint Hills Center for Public Policy:

Kansas Loses Private Sector Jobs as Government Grows

Kansas continues to lose jobs in the private sector as the number of government employees grows. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Kansas lost another 10,500 private sector jobs in April but added 800 state and local government jobs.

Over the past 12 months Kansas added 2,300 local and 100 state government jobs; during the same period the state lost 26,500 private sector jobs. BLS includes public school administrators in local government totals. Teachers are included in private sector totals.

From the Flint Hills Center:

K-12 Spending Increase Fails to Produce Results

(WICHITA) -A new study from the Flint Hills Center for Public Policy, “K-12 Spending and Achievement in Kansas,” finds that per-pupil spending has increased 104% over the last fifteen years, but student achievement scores remain unacceptably low.

According to data from the Kansas State Department of Education, per-pupil spending has more than doubled from $5,987 in 1993 to $12,188 in 2008. (more…)

center for Union Facts:

The media has started to take note of the brewing battle between delivery competitors FedEx and UPS. (more…)

Center for Union Facts:

Bloomberg’s Holly Rosenkrantz has an interesting piece today about the AFL-CIO’s Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka, the likely successor to John Sweeney as president of the union.

Trumka apparently does not have much support from union leaders. Sweeney mentioned his support for Trumka as his sucessor in a meeting with labor bosses in April:

Instead of applause there was silence, said two labor leaders who were among about a dozen in the room for the meeting. The lack of enthusiasm reflected doubt about Trumka’s ability to revitalize the U.S. labor movement, according to the leaders, who asked not to be identified describing the April meeting at AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington.

NetRightNation:

Uh, sure, just like Christine Romer predicted that Porkulus would prevent unemployment from hitting a stratospheric 8.8%.  And, of course, it did - it’s now up to 9.4% and risingand we have $800 billion more debt on our hands.  Never mind the earlier missed predictions, Barack Obama says, and get ready for Stimu-Jobs!

AFP:

With House Democratic leaders challenging the process by which dealerships are being closed and the Supreme Court temporarily blocking the Fiat acquisition, there are finally some speed-bumps to slow down the Obama administration’s forced restructuring of the automobile industry. (more…)

Source:

The report, authored by Robert J. Shapiro, a former Clinton Administration economic official, and Aparna Mathur, a Research Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, found that as many as 2.2 million American jobs could be affected by a repeal, or effective repeal, of  “tax deferral.”

Source:

A new report by the Workforce Fairness Institute finds that passing EFCA would produce a windfall in union dues for labor bosses to spend on political activities. (more…)

Prime Buzz:

Just days before, Blunt faced opposition from Washington University law professor Thomas Schweich (backed by former Sen. Jack Danforth)and former state treasurer Sarah Steelman.

A tough 2010 GOP primary promised the same result as the 2008 Republican primary for governor. That’s when Democrat Jay Nixon waxed a wounded, financially depleted Kenny Hulshof.

Enter Bond, who has fought more wars than Patton. If insider reports are believed, Bond was a key engineer in a process that resulted in a surprise declaration from Schweich on Thursday that he would not run for Senate and would back Blunt to boot.

Prime Buzz: “KSU’s Bill Snyder: I was first choice for Lt. Gov.”

ARKANSAS CITY, Kan. | Bill Snyder says he was former Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ first choice for lieutenant governor after he retired from coaching in 2005. (more…)

WSJ:

Nothing comes easy for the GOP these days. For months, Republican Robert McDonnell was the clear favorite to be elected governor of Virginia this fall. And for nearly as long, his Democratic opponent seemed likely to be Terry McAuliffe — a former Democratic national chairman, close pal of Bill Clinton, native New Yorker, and grating personality. None of those things are assets in the Old Dominion. (more…)

WSJ:

When we first heard the phrase “cash for clunkers,” we thought the reference was to a Congressional pay raise. Alas, no, it is the bright idea out of Congress to pay Americans to turn in their old cars so they’ll go out and buy a new one. As columnist George Will recently observed, this isn’t as insane as the New Deal policy of slaughtering pigs to raise pork prices, but it’s close enough for government work.

Under cash for clunkers, drivers would be offered vouchers of up to $4,500 to swap their current wheels for a more environmentally correct set with better mileage. The cars they turn in for destruction would have to get less than 18 miles per gallon, be drivable, and insured to the owner for at least a year.

In Washington Times.

Chicago Sun-Times:

As U.S. stock markets plummeted last September, the Senate’s No. 2 Democrat, Dick Durbin, sold more than $115,000 worth of stocks and mutual-fund shares and used much of the money to invest in Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (more…)

Source:

At the core of this scheme, and of the growing political restlessness about it, is the proposed government insurance “option”–essentially a new insurance company run by the federal government. Its defenders argue it would have no inherent advantage over private insurers and would simply spur them to improve their offerings through healthy competition. As President Obama put it last week, “One of the options in the exchange should be a public insurance option  .  .  .  [because] if the private insurance companies have to compete with a public option, it will keep them honest and help keep prices down.” (more…)

Source:

At last, there is convincing evidence that Obama’s poll numbers may be descending to earth. While his approval remains high - and his personal favorability is even higher - the underlying numbers suggest that a decline may be in the offing. Even as he stands on his pedestal, the numbers under his feet are crumbling. (more…)

Source:

It’s also a shame, because more than any other GOP officeholder, Daniels points the way ahead for his bedraggled party. (more…)

Source:

For a politician who prides himself on the persuasive powers of his words, Benjamin Netanyahu has been notably reticent since his election victory in February. (more…)

Time:

That verdict, after the hoopla and spiraling speculation over Brown’s future, was anticlimactic. The Prime Minister prevailed over the few rebels who dared advance a case for his ouster. (more…)

CQ Politics:

After more than two months of horse-trading and compromises, a Senate commmittee is on the brink of approving energy legislation with something for just about everybody to hate. (more…)

Politico:

No request-or campaign-seems too local for Clinton in his current loyalty tour: He even issued an endorsement in a Democratic primary for the Virginia House of Delegates, backing Adam Parkhomenko, a 23-year-old who worked on the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign. (more…)

McClatchy:

WASHINGTON - Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell may have a tepid relationship with fellow Kentucky Republican Sen. Jim Bunning, but he’s giving GOP rising star and 2010 Senate candidate Florida Gov. Charlie Crist a thumbs up. (more…)

Source:

BLITZER: You have a big energy deal that’s in the works right now, and you announced it with a lot of fanfare. A $26 billion natural gas pipeline which would bring natural gas from Alaska through Canada down to the Lower 48. Not everyone is enthused, including “The Wall Street Journal.” (more…)

RCP:

VAN SUSTEREN: So where is the feminist outrage over this? We called “MS” magazine. They had no comment. We asked the National Organization for Women to send someone to appear on our show. They declined but then added Letterman to its Web site’s “Media Hall of Shame.” But is this enough?

Joining us live is Jane Swift, the former governor of Massachusetts. She is the first woman to ever hold that office. Good evening, Governor.

NY Times:

Witnesses reported that at least one person had been shot dead in clashes with the police in Vanak Square in Tehran. Smoke from burning vehicles and tires hung over the city late Saturday. (more…)

Time:

When an Israeli cabinet minister proposes that his country impose sanctions on the United States, his government is clearly in a state of distress. Pressure from the Obama Administration to freeze Israeli settlement construction and move toward a two-state peace with the Palestinians has reportedly spurred Minister-without-Portfolio Yossi Peled (who belongs to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s own Likud party) to recommended that Israel shop outside the U.S. for aircraft and military hardware, sell sensitive technology to clients disapproved of by Washington, and invite America’s rivals to play a greater role in the Middle East. (more…)

Asia Times:

WASHINGTON - The United Nations Security Council’s draft resolution on North Korea’s second underground nuclear test amounts to a slap on the wrist that’s likely to have minimal impact after an initial burst of rhetoric and headlines. (more…)

Washington Times:

Mr. Obama called for a “new beginning” in relations between the United States and Islamic civilization. He praised Islam’s commitment to “peace,” “justice” and “religious tolerance.” He listed the Muslim world’s supposed contributions to history - algebra, the compass and the printing press, among others.

There is only one problem: It is all false. Mr. Obama’s outreach to the Arab street is predicated on a massive multicultural fiction. He believes that, if only he praises Islam enough, somehow he can talk the Muslim world into embracing America - and the West. “The Holy Koran tells us, ‘Be conscious of God and speak always the truth,’ ” said Mr. Obama, quoting the Muslim holy book. Yet his speech was riddled with lies.

Source:

Europe’s center-right enjoyed an unexpectedly large victory over their socialist rivals in elections to the European Parliament on Sunday, as voters went to the polls across the 27-member bloc in what is the second largest electoral exercise in the world. (more…)

Rasmussen:

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Saturday shows that 35% of the nation’s voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-two percent (32%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of +3 (see trends). (more…)

Rasmussen:

The Rasmussen Consumer Index, which measures the economic confidence of consumers on a daily basis, was unchanged on Saturday after dropping eight points in the previous four days. At 69.7, the Index is now down two points from a week ago and down six points from one month ago. (more…)

Instapundit reports that is what people are chanting in this video:

From KU:

Contact: Lynn Bretz, University Communications, 785-766-8616; Jim Marchiony, KU Athletics, 785-331-7378

University of Kansas mourns educator, former athletic director Bob Frederick
http://www.news.ku.edu/2009/june/12/frederick.shtml

LAWRENCE - Robert “Bob” Frederick, who served as athletics director at the University of Kansas longer than anyone except the legendary Forrest “Phog” Allen, died Friday, June 12 of injuries suffered June 11 in a bicycle accident.  He was 69. (more…)

From Adam Bitely:

Audit the Fed Update:  Over the past week, a number of new signers have joined in the efforts of supporting H.R. 1207, the Audit the Fed bill sponsored by Ron Paul.  The total number of cosponsors that are now on the bill has surpassed a majority of the members of congress and currently has 223 co-sponsors!

Keep FDA Away From Tobacco:The Senate passed legislation earlier today that would place Tobacco under the control of the FDA.  See how your Congressman or Senator voted.   Also, be sure to read this great article on the problems this regulation will bring.

“Mr. Brown’s” Brown Shirts:  I have decided to write an open letter to the Democrat members of Congress. And I’m sharing it with you, dear reader, since it helps illustrate anew why Mark Twain called Congress “America’s only truly criminal class.”

Be sure to check out William Warren’s latest cartoon, Palin Letterman Feud (The Top 10).

Be sure to follow us on Twitter!

Best,
Adam

AP:

BRISTOL, Conn. — The Rose Bowl will be televised on ESPN beginning in January 2011, giving the network broadcast rights to all Bowl Championship Series games. (more…)