Sunday, September 30, 2007

Tiahrt votes against children’s health insurance

Rep. Todd Tiahrt has voted against a State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIO) that was passed I Congress recently. His opposition, according to The Wichita Eagle, on Sept. 26, was that the SCHIO ‘rejected free market principles.’ This is just another way of saying he favors the health insurance industry over government guarantees of health.
Every time a pro-business congressperson, who gets huge campaign contributions for lobbyist, has to vote against the welfare of the people in his own district, they talk of the magical hand of the free market.
How do the free marketers explain how “flipping houses,” ( a speculative venture of buying houses, fixing them a little, then reselling them for a quick profit), has driven the price of housing so high that more people than ever can’t afford a home. Unlike speculating on gold (which most people can live without) or stocks which don’t affect individuals directly, houses need people to move in an live in them. Otherwise they eventually become useless.
A letter writer to The Wichita Eagle (Sept.30) outlined other examples of problems caused by an unregulated “free market” including mortgage banking rates going through the roof. But Tiahrt is a business man there to make himself rich, not for the welfare of US citizens.



Saturday, September 29, 2007

Betts to take on Tiahrt

Finally, we may have found a candidate who can beat Rep. Todd Tiahrt. For years he has embarrassed the 4th seat of Kansas in the US House of Representatives. Could Donald Betts be the first real candidate with a chance? All he needs is money and a good campaign. All he has to do is point out that Tiahrt has used his seat to make himself rich at the taxpayer’s expense


and had contributed almost nothing to his constituents. He also never debates in an election because he is so ignorant about the issues. He just sells his votes to the highest bidder, then tries to justify his votes later.

From The Wichita Eagle, Sep. 29, 2007:

Betts to take on Tiahrt
Wichita senator to seek Tiahrt's seat
BY DION LEFLER
The Wichita Eagle
State Sen. Donald Betts and Rep. Oletha Faust-Goudeau both said Friday that they will try to move up the political ladder in next year's elections.
Betts said he plans to run for the 4th District U.S. House seat now held by Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard.
Faust-Goudeau said she will seek to replace Betts in the Senate.
Both are Democrats and represent northeast Wichita at the Statehouse.
The announcements came during the Demofest, a statewide party meeting at the Hyatt Regency Wichita.
Betts plans to announce his candidacy at 9 a.m. Tuesday at Friends University, but Gov. Kathleen Sebelius beat him to it.
"State Sen. Don Betts is about to take the leap," she told a cheering crowd of about 300 in the hotel ballroom. "Meet the future 4th District congressman."

We can only hope





Monday, September 03, 2007

Tiahrt has shown that lobby money is more important than fighting crime

Once again our Rep. Todd Tiahrt has shown that lobby money is more important than fighting crime.


Tiahrt's Real constituents



According to The Wichita Eagle blog, Sept. 2,:
Posted by Rhonda Holman

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives recently released data showing the states to which guns used in 2006 crimes had been originally traced, though not the names of dealers. For example, the 1,754 firearms recovered in connection with Kansas crimes last year mostly came from Kansas (758), Missouri (126), Oklahoma (43) and Texas (33). In response to the data release, the New York Daily News editorialized that “the ATF’s action was all the more surprising in that it appeared to violate an odious federal law, known as the Tiahrt amendment, that bars publication of gun data as a way to protect the industry from lawsuits.”







Tiahrt’s loyal to his business friends and will easily sacrifice the safety of his constituents and police protection, to protect gun dealers.