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Courage is often talked about but seldom witnessed. On Memorial Day each year, America comes together to remember those courageous souls who inspire us all – those who answered the call to serve our county and laid down their lives for our freedom. Read More
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I’ve already told you the story of Mrs. Campbell, my well-meaning high school guidance counselor. In case you missed it, I’ll tell you again. Read More
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The Medal of Honor, our nation’s highest military award, is bestowed on the bravest of the brave. Read More
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Work in the third week of the 2013 legislative session continues largely in committee. After three weeks, almost two hundred bills have been introduced in the House. These are all referred to a committee where testimony for and against is heard and the bill is debated. Read More
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Talking about taxes. Senate committees have been busy with new bill introductions and hearings throughout the week. The highest profile bill is Senate Bill 78 that implements Governor Brownback's new tax proposal. Hearings were held throughout the week in the Assessment and Taxation committee, with proponents and opponents discussing their support or concern. The Ways and Means committee also discussed the revenue impact of the new tax proposal. According to Secretary of Revenue, Nick Jordan, ... Read More
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Though critical to farmers, ranchers and consumers, the farm bill has not been at the top of the list of issues on Capitol Hill. Instead, lawmakers are debating how to avoid what’s known as the fiscal cliff. In case you haven’t heard, this fiscal cliff is a series of tax increases and spending cuts set to take effect Jan. 1. Many farmers are hoping lawmakers will see passage of a five-year farm bill—with its $20 ... Read More
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There are some things that can’t be said enough. Just ask Carol Kratzer, director of the Ellsworth-Kanopolis Chamber of Commerce, or leaders of the Smoky Hill Development Corporation. Read More
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When the latest jobs report was issued the first week of July showing 8.2 percent unemployment, it was not a shock. While we may not be in a formal economic recession, the recovery we so desperately need has yet to appear. While the unemployment rate seems to be leveling around 8 percent - still too high - the rate is staying where it is because so many people have left the workforce. Since 2009, the ... Read More
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Organized labor, liberals in general, and President Barack Obama in particular got their heads handed to them by the good people of Wisconsin, with a little help from the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy. Read More
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Predictions about a community’s future are similar to political polls — they often vary by a significant number and you’re never quite sure where to put your money. Read More
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Republican lawmakers have declared war on the presidency. Not so odd, perhaps, given their recent record. But the leader they're targeting this time is Mitt Romney. Read More
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Millions of college graduates will soon walk across the stage to accept their diplomas. Given the harsh reality of today's economy, here's the commencement speech I'd like to deliver to the class of 2012: Read More
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U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, today said the Committee’s 2012 Farm Bill would reform Agriculture in America, saving nearly $23 billion and consolidating nearly 100 programs while ensuring critical safety nets are improved to allow farmers and ranchers to continue to meet exploding global demand for food and fiber. Read More
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U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) issued the following statement in response to the Department of Labor’s (DOL) announcement this evening that it has withdrawn a proposed rule dealing with youth working in agriculture: Read More
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Linda Mowery-Denning Editor-Publisher Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter 220 N. Douglas Ave. Ellsworth, Kan. 67439 (785) 472-5085 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kansas Farm Bureau" <kfb@kfb.org> To:"Kansas Farm Bureau" <kfb@kfb.org> Cc: Sent:Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:59:23 -0500 Subject:INSIGHT for the week of April 26, 2012 v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;} @font-face {font-family:Tahoma; panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 ... Read More
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As families across Kansas begin to plan for summer vacation, many are scaling back this year because of increasing gas prices. Escalating gas prices have also impacted business owners, who have been forced to pay higher costs to cover utility bills, and producers who have been paying more to bring their commodities to market. Consumers have also faced higher prices for goods and services because of the rising cost of transportation fuel. ... Read More
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As anyone who was hunkered down in their basement Saturday will probably tell you, we won’t soon forget the day and night when a dozen reported tornadoes crossed the state. That’s as many twisters in one day as Kansas typically has in the entire month of April. Read More
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It seems as though the 2012 Republican presidential primaries began the day before forever. But oh the lessons we've learned. Read More
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When they decided to honor Dwight Eisenhower with a memorial in Washington, they did it up right. They hired perhaps our most famous architect, Frank Gehry, to design it. They picked out a place in the middle of the National Mall to put it. They bankrolled it at a cool $112 million. Top shelf all the way. Read More
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It's not about free speech. Within extremely wide limits, Rush Limbaugh certainly has the right to say anything he pleases. Read More
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Anyone who doubts the importance of volunteers to rural communities should have attended the annual meeting several weeks ago of the Ellsworth County Historical Society. Read More
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Oh my God. Gasoline is headed for five bucks a gallon. I read it in the newspaper, so I know it's true. The national average is already creeping up on $4, and it's bound to climb higher as the summer surge in travel approaches. Read More
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The USD 327 Board of Education is in the process of proposing a bond issue for voters to consider making significant improvements to our existing facilities. Read More
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The Republican primaries have been a tough sled for God, the Father of the party. (Well, Republicans claim He is.) Read More
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Television pioneer Art Linkletter used to do a popular segment called “Kids Say the Darnest Things.” This year’s Republican presidential primary has proved you don’t have to be a kid to say the darnest things. Read More
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At the risk of crossing the line between politics and religion, we often think the governor of a state and the pastor of a church have much in common. They are both imperfect human beings, yet we expect them somehow to be a little better than those of us who look to them for guidance and inspiration. Read More
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Folks, I've got some good news and some bad news about the nation's ever-elusive quest for a sound energy policy. The good news: Finally there's some under-the-radar bipartisan consensus in Washington. The bad news: Both parties are dead wrong. Read More
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Washington's talking about cutting the military budget. Whoopee. Read More
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In his State of the Union Address, President Obama called on Congress to pass an agenda that helps start-ups and small businesses succeed. We have already introduced a plan that shares his goals. It's called the Startup Act. Read More
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Our nation has a long legacy of defending an individual’s religious freedoms. James Madison, the Father of our nation’s Constitution and the author of the Bill of Rights, once wrote that “conscience is the most sacred of all property.” Since our nation’s earliest days, the U.S. Supreme Court has consistently affirmed our First Amendment right to exercise our religious beliefs freely. But today, recent decisions by the Obama Administration are threatening Americans’ ... Read More
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As one travels through rural Kansas it becomes readily apparent many small communities that once revolved around farm life are slowly fading away or have already died. Read More
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Business owner Ken Daniel, of Topeka, was beaming Thursday as he listened to members of Gov. Sam Brownback's cabinet explain to lawmakers details of the administration's latest tax and budget plans. Read More
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I generally make New Year's resolutions in hopes of becoming a better person — more disciplined, healthier, or, at the very least, less pathetic. Some of these resolutions last until nightfall. Some don't. None ever sees February. Read More
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In many respects, Wednesday, January 18, 2012 will be like any other day. The federal government will borrow about 40 cents out of every dollar it spends. Washington bureaucrats will remain unaware of and unconcerned about the economic and cultural consequences of their rules and regulations. Millions of Americans will remain out of work because of the tax and regulatory uncertainty scaring small businesses from taking risks to invest and hire new employees. And ... Read More
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Go to almost any meeting these days and at some point someone — usually a state or federal official — will get around to describing a project or policy plan as “a tradeoff.” Read More
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In honor of the Martin Luther King jr. Holiday, the Kansas Leadership Center is offering newspapers these columns about King and civic leadership. Read More
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The Senate remains out of session until January 23rd and I am spending time in Kansas. I look forward to Congress reconvening so my colleagues and I can tackle the many challenges our country is facing – including the national debt ... Read More
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2011 comes to a close with no U.S. combat troops in Iraq for the first time in two years shy of a decade. Veterans of that war return home — not to the celebrations of World War II or the bitterness and anger of Vietnam — but to a country more concerned with the economy than the official end of a war plagued by second thoughts. Read More
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The House is close to adjourning for 2011, but getting here has not been without a fight. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to represent Kansas in Congress this year. I have learned a lot working for you in Washington, but the best instructions I have received on my trips home every weekend during Session and in more than 70 town halls across the Big First. Those who have gotten in touch ... Read More
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It's now officially too late to do your Christmas shopping early. Read More
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Over the years, motorists at the intersection of Kansas Highways 156 and 140 have faced four-way stop signs and an overhead red light on K-140 and a yellow caution light on K-156. Read More
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