Congressman Roy Blunt will be in St. Joseph on Friday, September 3rd, with NRA President Wayne LaPierre. Also attending the event will be former Governor Matt Blunt. This event will highlight the NRA’s endorsement of Congressman Blunt’s Senate campaign. The event will be held at 2:30 pm at Rosecran’s Airport.

What do you do when the person responsible for overseeing our elections fails miserably in following the very laws put into place that assure fair elections? In other words: who watches “The Watcher”?

In political campaigning great efforts have been made, and systems put into place, to assure a level playing field when it comes to the rules candidates play by. Much like the processes of “discovery” and “disclosure” in our court system which assure no surprises that might unfairly influence a jury, the rules for candidates and their committees also assures that we the voters are not unfairly influenced in our vote by the hiding of significant information.

One of the authorities that candidates report to locally is the Office of the County Clerk. In addition to the County Clerk’s Office, candidates for state offices and some county offices must also report the details of their campaigns to the statewide authority: the Missouri Ethics Commission (MEC). Since it wouldn’t be appropriate for the sitting County Clerk to have regulatory oversight over their own (and their opponents’) campaigns, candidates running for the position of County Clerk are obviously required to file with the MEC….

Obviously, that is, unless you are the County Clerk in Buchanan County. Despite the fact that both of her Democratic primary election opponents and her Republican general election opponent managed to properly file multiple reports with the Missouri Ethics Commission, Kelley Stahlin, our Buchanan County Clerk of 5 months who claims to have many years of election “experience” somehow felt that those rules didn’t apply to her. From the time she first began accepting campaign contributions on January 20,  until she finally got around to filing her reports with the MEC (on July 20th, just 2 weeks before the August primary), 6 full months had passed without her providing legally required campaign details. That’s half a year!

Ethics laws have been established that set deadlines for filing information publicly. They establish requirements for disclosing not only who is responsible for accepting, disbursing, and maintaining the records of a candidate’s campaign funds, but who has contributed and how much. Every other candidate for County Clerk managed to follow the rules, but somehow the person responsible for making sure every other local candidate followed those rules didn’t follow the rules!

That’s why when it comes to County Clerk candidates, the Missouri Ethics Commission (MEC) is the watcher that watches “The Watcher”. And in the case of the Buchanan County Clerk and candidate, Kelley Stahlin, it’s a good thing they do!

In the 6 months that passed since she started accepting contributions, the following reports were never provided through the Missouri Ethics Commission for review by her opposing candidates as is required by state statutes:

A) She failed to properly form a campaign committee and report it within 20 days to the MEC despite accepting over $2,000 from a single contributor in February. By the time she did finally file the required report, it was only 14 days before the election. State law requires committees be formed more than 30 days before the election (that would have been by July 4). In addition, once the information about her campaign was finally filed on July 20th, it was backdated to the nonspecific date of “February 2010”.
B) She improperly reported loans she had received by failing to correctly indicate who was responsible for repaying loans  totaling $4,000 that were made to her campaign. (The person who gave the loan was also responsible for paying it back? To themself?)
C) She failed to file the first quarter contributions and expenditures report that was due on April 15th. It was filed on July 20th, 96 days (more than 3 months!) late. We now know she had accepted campaign contributions totaling over $2,700.
D) She failed to file the second quarter contributions and expenditures report that was due on July 15th. It was also filed on July 20th, 5 days late, when we eventually found out she had accepted an additional $3,400 in contributions.

Ethics laws were put into place to ensure a fair process. As the current County Clerk, Stahlin has no excuse for failing to follow the laws that she is responsible for upholding. It was 6 months into her campaign before she got around to it. Maybe the $1,000+ in fines that she faces (which are proscribed for filing late at $10 per day) will be a wake up call for her. Despite being our local election authority, she is either ignorant of the laws everyone else managed to follow, or as “The Watcher” she thinks she is above those laws. But don’t worry, it WILL be a wake up call for us, the voters, in November… since ultimately WE CHOOSE “The Watcher”.

The Kansas City Star reports today that the Power & Light District could cost Kansas City taxpayers 10-15 million dollars annually to subsidize shortfalls in revenue.
Remember, the Power & Light District was Kay Barnes’ crowning achievement as Mayor of Kansas City.
With costly “achievements” like these, Northwest Missourians can be thankful she is not our Congressman.
Read the full article at http://www.kansascity.com/2010/07/13/2081872/entertainment-zone-will-need-big.html

Join local conservatives, concerned Americans, and special guests in standing up to the radical Obama-Carnahan agenda!

Bring your friends to the
Give Me Liberty Rally
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
6:00 PM
City Hall Plaza
220 SE Green St., Lee’s Summit, MO
View Map
(This is an outdoor event that will take place in the heart of downtown Lee’s Summit)
For more information, please visit www.mogop.org/liberty

By Margaret Talev | McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON — Two weeks after President Barack Obama signed the big health care overhaul into law, Americans are struggling to understand how — and when — the sweeping measure will affect them.

Questions reflecting confusion have flooded insurance companies, doctors’ offices, human resources departments and business groups.

“They’re saying, ‘Where do we get the free Obama care, and how do I sign up for that?’ ” said Carrie McLean, a licensed agent for eHealthInsurance.com. The California-based company sells coverage from 185 health insurance carriers in 50 states.

McLean said the call center had been inundated by uninsured consumers who were hoping that the overhaul would translate into instant, affordable coverage. That widespread misconception may have originated in part from distorted rhetoric about the legislation bubbling up from the hyper-partisan debate about it in Washington and some media outlets, such as when opponents denounced it as socialism.

“We tell them it’s not free, that there are going to be things in place that help people who are low-income, but that ultimately most of that is not going to be taking place until 2014,” McLean said.

Adults with pre-existing conditions are frustrated to learn that insurers won’t have to cover them until 2014 (though those under 18 will be protected in late September); then they become both hopeful and confused upon learning that a federal high-risk pool for them will be established in the next few months. “Health insurance is so confusing. You add this on top of it and it makes it even more confusing,” McLean said.

The Obama administration is embarking on a years-long public education campaign about the overhaul, including a Web component. However, much of the guidance will depend on Department of Health and Human Services regulations that are still being developed.

Parents of young adults, including those who are preparing to graduate from college this spring, have heard that the overhaul will let them keep their children on their insurance plans until they reach age 26. That starts in September, however; they have to determine how to cover them until then.

A new wave of inquiries could come next month as federal COBRA subsidies for laid-off workers dry up.

Ann Wooten of Austin, Texas, a breast cancer survivor, said she didn’t understand whether the health insurance overhaul law meant that she should try to access private coverage again someday. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 after she lost her insurance in a divorce, and soon after she lost her job at a convenience store as a result of the economic crisis.

Medicaid has covered her treatments but she must apply regularly to renew the coverage. She went back to school to learn hotel management and is seeking a good-paying job with benefits. She doesn’t know how the health overhaul will affect her options, and hasn’t yet found the time or energy to investigate.

Americans who already have good coverage aren’t so worried about the immediate implications, but some admit that they’re plenty confused.

“Why does it take so long for certain health care things to take effect?” said Sandra Preston, a state employee in Paterson, N.J.

Ben Wiesen, a software engineer who works for a small company in Tarrytown, N.Y., said he’d read up on the overhaul but remained concerned about the unknowns.

“The timelines have been pretty clearly stated,” he said. “It’s the execution and the details: How are they really going to roll out the changes, and who ultimately will be the arbiter and decision-maker?”

Actor Sam Robards, the son of Lauren Bacall and the late Jason Robards, was visiting Washington last week with his children and Danish-born wife. Chatting in front of the White House gate, he said he tried to follow news coverage of the overhaul but conceded that “I’m not totally clear” on the details. He said he was glad that he got good coverage through the Screen Actors Guild so he didn’t have to worry about it.

The couple previously lived in Denmark, which has universal health coverage. They applauded the overhaul’s aim of extending coverage to nearly all Americans.

Many small business owners are nervous about requirements being phased in.

“Members are still trying to wrap their head around everything that’s in this law,” said Michelle Dimarob, the manager of legislative affairs for the National Federation of Independent Business, the small-business lobby.

Dimarob said the lobby’s primary concern was that its costs would rise over the next four years as a result of fees, taxes and coverage mandates related to the overhaul.

“The next question that comes out of their mouths is: ‘What do I have to do right now?’ They need to start talking with their accountant, depending on how they’re organized, what industry they’re in and whether they’re offering insurance now and what kind they’re offering. We’re suggesting they talk to their agent or broker.”

Suntan businesses face a new excise tax starting in July as part of the overhaul. Other business owners are trying to understand new Internal Revenue Service reporting requirements related to business-to-business transactions that will kick in as a result of the new law. Others are looking ahead to coverage mandates for 2014 and calculating how many part-time versus full-time employees they should have to best contain costs.

While Obama has been touting a tax credit for small businesses that offer employees health coverage, Dimarob said many small businesses wouldn’t be able to participate. First they must do research to see whether they qualify. “It requires them to understand the intricacies,” she said.

The president has begun traveling the country to talk about the new law to ordinary Americans. In Maine last week, he explained many highlights of the four-year phase-in. However, Obama’s remarks were laced with enough political rhetoric to dilute his policy message.

Many organizations have produced timelines explaining when provisions are to be phased in. Still, it’s confusing for consumers, and until the administration issues more regulations, many details can’t be pinned down.

“The first meeting the president held with the team post-passage was on implementation,” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said. “Obviously this is a big task, and a campaign to ensure that people understand what benefits are coming online when obviously will be tremendously important.”

Please join the Missourians for Conservative Values PAC on Thursday, April 15, 2010, at 7:00PM at the Ramada Inn (Lotus Room) in St. Joseph for a very special forum on the future of the conservative movement in Northwest Missouri.

This event will examine how we as conservatives can best promote our agenda through a grassroots movement, including supporting candidates and taking action on ballot initiatives.

Much progress has been made in our corner of the state in the past 10 years, but there is much left to accomplish. I encourage each of you to come join us and participate in our vision of how we can best move conservatives forward in Northwest Missouri.

Please RSVP to MissouriValuesPAC@stjoelive.com

MCV-PAC Conservative Forum
Thursday, April 15th
7:00PM
Ramada Inn Lotus room
St. Joseph, MO.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=105718549460372

MCV-PAC knew it wouldn’t be long before Bart Stupak “earned” some special funding for his district by showing his loyalty to the President. We just believed it would be a little further in the future, not mere days after he sold out. As reported by NRCC, Stupak received more than $700,000 for airports in his district.

For the full story, go to http://www.nrcc.org/codered/dealwatch/?p=52

In today’s News-Press, Republican Committee candidate Ellis Cross defends Democrat 29th District Representative candidate Ken Shearin by saying, ““I think Ken Shearin was good when you consider his hands were tied by the city manager.”
How can someone honestly represent the Republican Party if their heart is tied to a divisive Democrat?
We have yet to see who local Ken Shearin fanatics and self acclaimed conservatives Maggie Siegmund and Virginia Weigum will endorse for the 29th District. Will they endorse their close friend Democrat Ken Shearin
or the conservative Republican candidate, Galen Higdon?