Why they call us a "right-to-work" state

Section 12 of Article 15 of the Constitution of the State of Kansas:

Membership or nonmembership in labor organizations.
No person shall be denied the opportunity to obtain or retain employment because of membership or nonmembership in any labor organization, nor shall the state or any subdivision thereof, or any individual, corporation, or any kind of association enter into any agreement, written or oral, which excludes any person from employment or continuation of employment because of membership or nonmembership in any labor organization.

Why I'm not running with Ryun

One of the darkest days in recent history was in 2006, when the 2nd District of Kansas elected Nancy Boyda to the US House of Representatives. Fortunately, we get a chance to undo mistakes like that every two years. When I heard that Jim Ryun was planning to run against her this year, I immediately put what little support I can offer behind him. Of course, my main consideration was that anybody was better than Boyda, and Ryun hadn't done anything too offensive in his years in the House.

At a recent meeting of Pottawatomie County Republicans, I got a chance to listen to Ryun give a talk, and also to his Republican challenger, Lynn Jenkins. After the meeting, I saw that she was between conversations, so I went up and introduced myself. I told her that I was mainly interested in defeating Boyda, but I wanted to know what differentiated her from Ryun. Her answer, from long practice answering the same question, was concise, well thought out, and made a lot of sense. I hope I do her justice when I try to put the gist of it in here.

Mainly, she said, we've had two schools of thought for the last few decades. The Democrats want to tax us more and spend more. The Republicans want to tax us less and spend more. Neither scenario is workable, as evidenced by our huge national debt and continued deficit spending. Jenkins is a CPA, and has been an excellent State Treasurer as far as I can tell. As a CPA, however, she realizes that the cycle of spending cannot continue. She wants to cut taxes and reduce spending, something that is unthinkable in Washington.

If she's elected, she won't last long. People (read: voters) love politicians who bring home the pork. Nonetheless, I'm supporting Lynn Jenkins for 2nd District US House of Representatives. I hope all my readers (both of them) will give her a good look and see if you don't agree.

Nancy Boyda shows her true stripes

Nancy Boyda and the Democrats took over Congress promising to do things differently, better. Did any of us believe it for a moment? Well, apparently the thousands of people who voted for her did. But she's a tax-and-spend Democrat, like they all are. And she's been caught. You have to read the story the story to believe it...

But it gets worse! Turns out she originally asked for FAR, FAR more money than the $100,000! Like $1,800,000. For a project that doesn't have a budget, a plan, or anything. She just asked for money (my money! your money!) because "the mayor of Lansing asked for it." Here's that story.

We can be thankful that US Representatives are elected every 2 years. It won't be long until we can have Jim Ryun back where he belongs ... in the US House of Representatives.

Kansas Weather

Norma's new car also has a readout of the outside temperature on the dash. As you may recall, Sunday's forecast was for sunny and 87, but it dawned rainy and stayed cool and wet all morning. We left Manhattan shortly after noon, and the temp was in the mid-60s. By the time we got to Salina, the readout said 79. We stopped for a fill-up of E85 (at $1.999 per gallon!), and headed for Hutchinson. By the time we arrived there, the temp read 95. I was sure glad I had brought a short-sleeved shirt!

A true description of Kansas ... from someone in Massachusetts!

From a speech delivered on the US Senate floor on May 18, 1856 by Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts:

"Take down your map, sir, and you will find that the Territory of Kansas, more than any other region, occupies the middle spot of North America, equally distant from the Atlantic on the east, and the Pacific on the west; from the frozen waters of Hudson's Bay on the north, and the tepid Gulf Stream on the south, constituting the precise territorial centre of the whole vast continent. To such advantages of situation, on the very highway between two oceans, are added a soil of unsurpassed richness, and a fascinating, undulating beauty of surface, with a healthgiving climate, calculated to nurture a powerful and generous people, worthy to be a central pivot of American institutions."

Picture from Spearville

This is my favorite picture from last Thursday's visit to the wind farm at Spearville. Looking west.

(Besides, it is an easy way for me to try embedding photos in my blog post.)

Vexillology

Did you know Kansas has two official flags? The traditional one is scorned as a "seal-on-a-bedsheet" by vexillologists. It ranked fourth from last in the 2001 survey of best state/provincial flags in North America. I've lived with it around me for nearly 48 years, and I must admit that it's not much of a flag. Those hardy pioneers were too busy surviving to bother with designing a decent seal or a flag, so it looks like something put together by a committee.
But hold the phone! On June 30, 1953, Kansas adopted a "banner", which is an official alternative to the State Flag. The link to a picture of it on the website of the North American Vexillolgical Association's website is below, if you're interested. Personally, I think it's beautiful, and I'm going to try to get my hands on a real one.
Here's the link. Enjoy!
http://www.nava.org/Flag%20Design/State&Provincial%20Survey%202001/surveywinners/kansas.htm