Prayers for Huckabee

Born again Christians may have made up to 60% of Republican Iowa caucus. These ladies and I shared a prayer; that Huckabee would win. Nothing like the Republican party being torn apart by the corporate guys (who only want to allow hedge fund managers to be taxed at 15%) who fund the party and the religious right who get led around with gay marriage and abortion carrots.

For the record, Matt Blunt supports Romney. Jeff Roe and State Senator Matt Bartle support Huckabee. Sen. Kit Bond backs Guiliani. Let the blood letting begin.

Political Prosecutions by Bush's DOJ under Review

Right here in River City we had our fill of politics leaking into the Department of Justice (DOJ).

First, Bush/Gonzalez/Rove fired U.S. Attorney Todd Graves for not being political enough (note, this is the first time in history that anyone - let alone a Republican - has accused a Graves of not being political enough). Then the defenders of liberty and justice bring in the hatchet man, Scholzman, to prosecute some low level folks who registering voters right before an election (which was contrary to long standing DOJ policies). Finally, the Republicans got rid of Scholzman (who later resigns under a dark cloud) and bring in a relative of Senator Kit Bond. And we wonder why people across America and the world are sick of Bush?

Tomorrow, the House will dig into the selective (and political) prosecutions by the Bush DOJ.

(Washington, DC)- The House Judiciary Subcommittees on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security and Commercial and Administrative Law will hold a hearing titled, "Allegations of Selective Prosecution: The Erosion of Public Confidence in Our Federal Justice System" on Tuesday, October 23, at 10 a.m. in room 2141 of the Rayburn House Office Building. Members will address allegations of federal selective prosecution in several cases across the country including cases in Alabama, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

WHO: House Judiciary Subcommittees on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security and Commerical and Administrative Law

Witnesses:

Former Attorney General Dick Thornburgh

Former Alabama U.S. Attorney Doug Jones

Professor Donald C. Shields, Professor Emeritus, Department of Communication, University of Missouri

WHEN: Tuesday, October 23, 10 a.m.

WHERE: 2141 Rayburn House Office Building

This hearing will be webcast at

http://judiciary.house.gov

Catholics Support SCHIP; oppose Graves

In one corner we have Bush and Congressman Graves - in the other we have Senator Kit Bond, Mayor Kay Barnes and social justice Catholics. The boxing match is over whether we should provide health care to poor kids.

That's right, Catholics have a lot of social justice left in them. Christianity is not all about abortion. Catholics United is starting a radio campaign today which is designed to hold Congressman Graves accountable for his votes on SCHIPS (health care for poor kids). The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Charities USA, and the Catholic Health Association have all urged Congress and President Bush to support SCHIP. Chris Korzen, executive director of Catholics United, said

“Building a true culture of life requires public policies that promote the welfare of the most vulnerable.At the heart of the Christian faith is a deep and abiding concern for the need of others. Pro-life Christians who serve in Congress should honor this commitment by supporting health care for poor children.”

To hear the radio ad which is being played on talk radio and Christian radio, go to Catholics United web site. There's a large Catholic presence in St. Joseph, Missouri - right in the heart of the 6th Congressional District. Here's a hearty AMEN to Catholics United for being pro-life, for the whole life of God's creation.

Republicans Seek to Override Bush (and Graves) on SCHIPS

You know the controversy, Congress passed an expansion of SCHIP (health care for poor kids). Congressman Graves voted against it (because he thinks it has something to do with illegal immigration). Senator Bond voted for it. Mayor Barnes said she would support SCHIP.

The end of times must be approaching because now Republican Senators are talking about an override of Bush's veto of SCHIP. Isn't that an override of Congressman Graves, too? How did Graves get so far out of step from the rest of the Republicans and the Country? Read the letter to the Wall Street Journal from Senators Grassley (R - Iowa) and Hatch (R - Utah).

Compromise Bill Sets Up A Less Expensive Schip
We were dismayed by the mischaracterization of the Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization Act of 2007 in your Sept. 28 editorial "Schip for Everyone." You did not accurately portray the work and diligence that went into crafting this truly bipartisan compromise, which passed the Senate twice with 18 Republican senators voting "aye." Due to our participation, the bill is significantly less expensive than the Schip reserve fund in the Democrats' budget, prohibits state waivers for covering adult men and non-pregnant women, and refocuses on low-income children by cutting federal matching dollars to states covering those over 300% of poverty.

In order to find and cover even half of the six million eligible but unenrolled kids, the Congressional Budget Office said we needed to spend more money than the president proposed.

Assertions that the bill expands coverage to higher-income children are baseless. In fact, the bill puts tremendous pressure on states to not cover higher incomes. Just like now, the only way a state may cover higher income families is with administration approval, which the Bush administration has given repeatedly.

We want this practice to stop, so our bill specifically targets Schip coverage to low-income children. It says that if states cover higher income families over 300% of poverty, then the money they get from the federal government is cut, and by 2010, they get no funding for such coverage if the state isn't covering most of its low-income children.

This is not an entitlement program. The legislation passed by the House would have turned Schip into an uncapped entitlement, but the compromise bill maintains the Senate position for a capped block grant.

Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R., Utah)
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa)
Washington

Barnes v. Graves: SCHIPS makes the decision black and whte

Graves couldn't make the decision on who to vote for any easier. Do we provide health care insurance for poor kids or not.

You have Mayor Kay Barnes and Senator Kit Bond on one side, President Bush and Congressman Graves on the other. The House and the Senate both passed the expansion of SCHIPS. Bush vetoed the bill, Graves voted against the bill.

That crazy liberal, Senator Kit Bond, had this to say:

“SCHIP is a valuable safety net for needy children in families who don’t have the means to purchase affordable health care. Millions of children receive the vital well-child and preventative care, vaccinations, and emergency care they need to grow, learn and thrive thanks to the SCHIP Program. I am proud of my votes to create SCHIP in 1997 and to reauthorize the program today.”

Bond also has glowing things to say of Barnes

“Obviously the mayor and I are of different political parties, but the people of Kansas City expect elected leaders to work together to get things done,” Bond said in the release. “Because of [Barnes’s] commitment and dedication, Kansas City is a better place to live and work.”

Northeast Missouri voters (and 10% of those votes also come from Eastern Jackson County) have a black and white decision; do we want to support kicking kids off health insurance (vote for Graves) or do we follow the lead of Senator Kit Bond and vote for health care for poor kids and Mayor Kay Barnes.

KC MO PD Cost of Taking Bush to Breakfast

You will recall the stink in KC over traffic snarls when President Bush decided to fix the riff between Senator Bond and Congressman Graves by going to breakfast at the Corner Cafe. Who knows if it has worked, Senator Bond hasn't appeared in a photo op with Mayor Kay Barnes in a while.

I made a Sunshine Request of the KC MO Police Department. The information above is direct from the police department, nothing changed, nothing redacted. I paid the pretty sum of $85.06 to get this information.

All Americans respect the presidency and security is essential for the leader of the free world. Fixing political feuds can be done in the presidential suite at the hotel. Spending $3,867.90 to transport Bush to breakfast is crazy.

The CYA at the bottom of the KC MO PD cost summary indicates that almost all of the expenses would have been realized anyway. I assume, however, that the 1 major, 2 captains, 12 sergeants, 65 officers and 14 civilians are employed to fight crime. "Transporting politicians to try to keep Graves in office" is not in a KC MO police officers description.

Bush Vetos SCHIP

President George W. Bush, the guy who never uses his veto pen and who has run up 9 trillion worth of debt, has vetoed an expansion SCHIP.

The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) is a national program in the United States which provides health insurance for families who earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid, yet cannot afford to buy private insurance.
State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)—a successful program that provides health care to millions of low-income children. Sen. Bond voted for it. Sen. McCaskill voted for it. Kay Barnes supports the measure. Congressman Graves voted against it.

On Monday, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) organized a group of parents and children that marched to the White House to protest Bush's upcoming veto. What happened when they got there? They were asked to go away. But wait, it gets worse—two days before vetoing health care for millions of low-income children, George Bush had the nerve to issue a presidential proclamation commemorating—you guessed it—"Child Health Day."

Who could be against providing health care to kids? The guy who only does things that makes profits for his friends in the oil business, that's who.

DOJ Totally Corrupt - Scholzman Quits

OK, I'm an NPR junkie. I love Nina Totenberg. Her insight into the Supreme Court and legal issues is amazing. So, when I hear her voice on KCUR, I perk up.

I was shocked this morning to hear Nina Totenberg talking about the Western District of Missouri, our former US Attorney Brad Scholzman, our fired US Attorney Todd Graves and the corruption in the Department of Justice. Brad Scholzman is resigning, the latest in a long list of political hacks going day as the corruption scandal spreads through the Department of Justice.

Its amazing how the Republican scandals make even some Republicans look "normal." Take Ashcroft - on death's door in a hospital bed - standing up to Gonzales to stop illegal wiretaps. Ashcroft - of all the Republican radicals - appears "normal" compared to Rove/Bush/Gonzales Now, take Todd Graves - brother of Congressman Sam Graves - getting fired from being a US Attorney. Why fire Todd Graves - because he wouldn't go after Democrats and ACORN. Well, Scholzman would, so they brought him into KC, he filed charges and "It surprised me," Graves said in June. "It surprised me that they'd been filed that close to an election." Some may say that the political objectives of the Scholzman caused the prosecution of Shields. So, Todd Graves looks almost "normal."

The arrogance of the current occupant of the White House is amazing. Why fire the brother of a congressman (unless Sam Graves is hated by Kit Bond) and then lie about it? Why send in Kit Bond's relative to take over the US Attorney's Office (unless he needs his resume built up a little more so he can run for Kit's job)? Why turn one of the most respected organizations on the face of the Earth - the US Dept. of Justice - into political hacks? Why would President Bush - but for an inner party feud - take Congressman Graves and Senator Bond to breakfast at the Corner Cafe in Riverside (always ask them to bring out the biscuits or rolls first, they are great as an appetizer)? Does Bush think some scrambled eggs can fix the anger over Kit Bond quasi-endorsing Mayor Barnes in her race against Graves?

Barnes Has Lots of Friends

Mayor Barnes can sure raise the money!

In only one half quarter, or just six weeks since her May 14 announcement in St. Joseph, Barnes raised $328,763.00. With minimal expenses, the Barnes campaign ended the quarter with $315,571.00 in the bank.

Compare that to the political machine of Graves/Roe. Barnes and Graves are in a dead heat in money raising race, but Congressman Sam Graves has been in DC since January 1, 2007. We know Graves has been busy passing special legislation to get him paid for his private airplane. We know Graves/Roe are ticking off Speaker of the House Rod Jetton (R) and US Senator Kit Bond (R) (who have all but endorsed Barnes). Barnes race for Congress wasn't a big secret - speculation has been around for years.

So, what is wrong with the Graves/Roe machine; one too many defeats? Stepped on one too many senior US Senators from Missouri? Senator Bond has tried mightily to show respect for Mayor Barnes and Mayor Cleaver. Jeff Roe has or is running the nastiness campaigns know to man against both of these great elected representatives. No wonder Bond is running as fast as he can from Graves/Roe.