Wind power to clutter up the Kansas prairie

Rep. Todd Tiahrt is a staunch supporter of wind power, even on the Kansas Lone Prairie. There are environmental factors to consider, but Tiahrt has never shown any interest in the environment. His record on that subject is among the worst in Congress.


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Tiahrt supports trashing science standards

Upset? Who can blame him?

He’s smarter than Tiahrt.

According to The Wichita Eagle, Nov. 14, 2005, Rep. Todd Tiahrt said:
"I believe Kansas students should receive information about the major theories on the origin of life. Proponents of the theories of intelligent design and evolution have well-known and respected scientists claiming scientific evidence to support the validity of each of these leading mainstream theories. Proponents of both theories should be confident enough in the science that they would welcome any scientifically based scrutiny by schoolchildren."

Tiahrt has thrown his support to those monkeys on the Kansas State School Board who can’t tell the difference between science and mythology. “Mainstream science?” Tiahrt said. No mainstream scientist is proposing ID in the schools. Tiahrt knows as much about science as he does about politics. The only thing he really knows about is campaign financing loopholes. He’s made himself rich off that office while pandering the Christian fundamentalist right. He always says things that will please his fundamentalist kook supporters.

Koch and Tiahrt, a match made in $lush fund heaven

The Center for Public integrity has made some important observations on Wichita’s own Koch Industries and their ability to buy elections. Among the findings:
“Koch Industries (pronounced "coke") is a huge oil conglomerate controlled by brothers Charles and David Koch, two of the country's richest men and among the biggest backers of conservative and libertarian causes. With estimated revenue of about $40 billion last year, Koch is bigger than Microsoft, Merrill Lynch and AT&T.
Koch is the leading campaign contributor among oil and gas companies for the 2004 election cycle, giving $587,000 so far. Next came Valero Energy at $568,000.”

And of course as we follow Todd Tiahrt’s slush trail, we find a close nit relationship between the congressman and Koch:
“Koch has rained the most campaign cash, almost $121,000, on Rep. Todd Tiahrt, a Republican who represents Wichita, where Koch is headquartered.”
Nothing illegal is happening here. Koch, as with Tiahrt, knows the loop-holes around the law:
“Koch has also discovered the newest trend in campaign financing, so-called 527 committees.
Named after the section of the Internal Revenue Service code under which they're organized, these political committees can raise unlimited amounts of money to influence elections. They are also allowed to claim tax-exempt status as political committees while at the same time avoiding regulation by state or federal election authorities.”

More than $150,000 a year for Tiahrt and he still opposes raising the minimum

Once again Rep. Todd Tiahrt has voted against a raise in the minimum wage. According to The Wichita Eagle, Nov 01, 2005:
“Recently, a bill to raise the federal minimum wage to $6.25 per hour failed to receive enough Republican votes to pass the U.S. Senate. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, with all the purported concern about poverty and homelessness, it is shocking that the minimum wage is going to remain at $5.15 per hour, where it has been for almost 10 years.”
Also according to the Eagle Tiahrt has received salary increases of more than $21,000 over the past six years. He is now being paid more than $158,000 per year, in addition to receiving the best health care plan in the United States. Chances are good that he will oppose any federal funding for health care, even though he gets it.
This is not the first time Tiahrt voted down a raise in the minimum wage. He did so in 1996 and has continued to do so every time the issue has first come up for a vote. I’m sure he’s just trying to please his rich donor friends, such as those who paid thousands to sit at a special seat to hear the band U2 play recently. All his business friends seem to think this is a new age of feudalism, where workers are so poor they must be dependent on the companies they work for and the rich congressmen who help those businesses suppress them with poverty.