Kansas Meadowlark

Mary Ca Ralstin recently appeared at a candidate forum with her opponent, Brandon Kenig, to discuss education issues in Kansas. While Ralstin is a passionate advocate for education, she seems to act like a Democratic Party activist while calling herself a Republican. Is this deception, or advancing one’s political agenda, or both?

At the candidate forum, why was Ralstin not asked about policy questions related to teachers having drugs at school? Unbelievably, in 2005 Ralstin supported a teacher dismissed for having drugs in a high school parking lot. (more…)

Dr. Elizabeth Ann Sanders, a member of the Johnson County League of Women voters, asked the candidates in State Board of Education District 2 candidate forum: “Using the moderate-conservative continuum, how would you characterize … the majority of your political views, and please explain that characterization.”

In Kansas, the furthest left you can be politically is a “moderate.” The world “Liberal” in Kansas only refers to a city in southwest Kansas, and has nothing to do with political philosophy.

Dr. Sanders is a very smart woman (more…)

The Johnson County League of Women Voters (LWV) along with the Johnson County Community College (JCCC) hosted a forum recently for August primary candidates, which can now be viewed online. A recent Meadowlark article asked about the “tilt” in the panel discussions because the LWV is mostly a left-leaning group and is confusing “non-partisan” with “not political” in their promotion of the public forum.

The inclusion of Richard Voss on the panel to ask questions of candidates Steve Baru and Jeff Colyer in State Senate District 37 is a good example of the bias introduced by the LWV in this process. Remember: the JoCo LWV declined a request to provide transparency in how these forums were run. (more…)

The left-leaning Kansas City Star is confused about the political affiliation of Steve Baru, who is a candidate for State Senate District 37 against Jeff Colyer in the August Republican primary election. Recently the Star’s Prime Buzz blog asked about Baru: Republican or Democrat: You make the call.

The Star’s confusion isn’t surprising since Baru has run for public office as a Republican, Democrat, and an Independent. In the last two elections cycles Baru has been a “Republican for Moore” in support of Democratic Congressman Dennis Moore, and opposed other Republicans for Congress in earlier years. Has “Republican” Baru ever supported a Republican for Congress? What other political skeletons does Baru have in his political past?

What legal actions have been taken against Baru, and what public censures has Baru received as a financial adviser? (more…)

The Johnson County League of Women Voters is confused about the words “non-partisan” and “not political” and their concern for transparency in their candidate forums. (See the candidate forums online, or on local cable TV channels.) The JoCo LWV and Johnson County Community College sponsored these recent candidate forums.

The League is a completely political organization, supposedly interested in government transparency, but they declined requests to provide transparency about participation of their members in these recent forums.

The League should be commended for their public service in organizing these forums, but should be challenged about their use of JCCC government resources if they are not providing a level playing field to all candidates. This will be the first of several articles about the tilt in the JoCo LWV-JCCC candidate forums. (more…)

On Monday a fundraising event was held by “The WISH List” in New York City to benefit Lynn Jenkins. On Aug. 5 Jenkins is opposing Jim Ryun in the Republican primary in the Kansas 2nd Congressional District. (more…)

Yesterday’s Prime Buzz featured an article about eleven former Kansas State Republican Party chairs endorsing State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins for U.S. Congress while snubbing former Congressman Jim Ryun. Why do so many of these former GOP chairs give money to Democratic Gov. Sebelius, or former Democratic Attorney General Paul Morrison, or have connections with groups friendly with the Democratic Party? (more…)

Thursday’s Kansas Register, which is published by the Kansas Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh, shows new permanent administrative regulations concerning the oversight of authorized poll agents. These new regulations go into effect on July 7, 2008: (more…)

Sue Gamble, who is Republican candidate for State Senate District 10, was featured in a 2004 “Republicans for Moore” ad in which she said:

“Please join me in helping re-elect Dennis Moore,” Sue Gamble, KS Board of Education

Dennis Moore is the Democratic Congressman from the Kansas Third Congressional District.
(more…)

People in the Kansas City area can move across the state line and re-register to vote, and unknowingly become registered voters in both Kansas and Missouri. Such folks vote in their “new” state and are likely not even aware they are still registered in their “old” state. Legally, a voter cannot vote twice in both states, but it’s unclear whether such a voter accidentally registered in both states could vote in either their “old” state or their “new” state. And who would know if they did?

A prominent member of the Kansas City Star’s staff moved across the state line from Kansas to Missouri and re-registered to vote in Missouri, but is still an “active” registered voter in Kansas — more than 10 years later. (more…)