Free Republic

WICHITA, Kansas — Everyone in Kansas will tell you the same metaphor to explain the state's tax policy. It's their own take on President Ronald Reagan's three-legged stool, specified for tax policy. The three legs: Income tax, sales tax, and property tax. If all three remain relatively even — if each is about 33% of the puzzle — the stool is balanced. The theory is that as long as the stool is balanced, the tax burden on Kansans will remain remarkably steady for a long period of time. It's relatively fair across income groups, and Kansans who support the policy...

Two F-16s of the Oklahoma Air National Guard were involved in a midair collision during a training exercise in Kansas with one pilot safely ejecting. Military officials confirmed the collision took place around 14:20 Monday afternoon. One of the jets (F-16C Block 42E #89-2019) crashed into a field, but the pilot was able to eject. The other plane safely returned to its base in Tulsa, but reports state that it needed to be towed after exiting the active runway. "The tip of one of the jet’s wings had broken off and it had a 4-inch diameter hole in the fuselage,"...

FULL TITLE: Abortion CEO committed to ‘keeping Tiller’s legacy alive’ endorses Greg Orman for U.S. Senate in Kansas A longtime associate of abortionist George Tiller, who is now the CEO of her own Wichita abortion facility, has thrown her support behind Greg Orman in his bid to defeat Republican incumbent U.S. Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas. “As CEO of South Wind Women’s Center, an organization that provides reproductive health care to Kansas women, I am disheartened that, once again, the lives of women are up for debate,” Julie Burkhart wrote in The Wichita Eagle. “We live in a time when...

Greg Orman is running as an independent in Kansas, a conservative pro-life state, by hoping to avoid being seen as a liberal candidate out of step with Midwestern voters on most issues. Pro-life groups have highlighted Orman’s abortion support and he has been running away from his position. he’s literally running away from voters, as Free Beacon reports: At a parade in Kansas on Saturday, the “independent” candidate running for Senate ran away without answering a woman’s question about his stance on abortion. After the incident, documented by America Rising, the woman said Orman completely dismissed her question in an...

Former Democrat House Speaker Tip O’Neill’s political wisdom that “All politics is local” has been a staple in political thinking for many years. But the truth of the matter is that, regarding elections for national office, politics is really, today, a national business. And this is what voters in Kansas should be thinking about in the current close Senate race between Republican incumbent Pat Roberts and Independent challenger Greg Orman. Roberts has not been shy making the point that regaining the Senate by Republicans is crucial and this is what Kansas voters should be thinking about in this election. And...

With less than four weeks until Election Day, the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s independent expenditure arm is shifting resources to increase its investment in six states, including South Dakota and Georgia. The NRSC has moved $1 million to South Dakota, plus another $1.45 million to Georgia. In South Dakota, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee made a $1 million television ad buy this week, on the heels of tightening poll numbers that showed its candidate, Rick Weiland, gaining ground. In Georgia, a new poll suggests a runoff is likely. The NRSC also is upping its investment in four other states: Alaska,...

Dozens of cows trumpeted in the pens out back as Sen. Pat Roberts made his pitch to attendees at a livestock market. Pat Roberts Finds No Place Like Home“When we get a Republican majority, I’ll be chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and we are gonna put the livestock producer first,” Roberts told the crowd from a room behind the then-empty cow pen, where the auctioneer had briefly paused his chant to allow the state’s senior senator to address the crowd. The lone man in a suit jacket in a crowd of denim, plaid, cowboy hats and baseball caps, Roberts...

This week the AFL-CIO threw its considerable weight behind Democrat-turned-independent Greg Orman in his bid for U.S. Senate in Kansas. This came on the heels of a debate that was all about defining who Greg Orman really is: ... The AFL-CIO won't run TV ads for Orman, spokesman Jeff Hauser said, but his campaign will now be incorporated into the union's extensive ground game there. The AFL-CIO had previously endorsed Kansas's Democratic Party's gubernatorial nominee, Paul Davis, who is locked into one of the country's most competitive gubernatorial contests with incumbent Republican Gov. Sam Brownback. During Wednesday's debate, incumbent Sen....

Liberal Greg Orman Says He's Pro-Choice, Abortion Not Important At Debate - VIDEO:

Just weeks ago, Democrats in Kansas were salivating over the possibility that Paul Davis would be the next governor in the state and independent Greg Orman would be a new U.S. senator. Not any longer. In fact, rather suddenly, Republicans are thinking they are going to have an enjoyable Nov. 4 night of watching election returns. ThatÂ’s because they now have growing reasons to think Gov. Sam Brownback is going to defeat Davis and win re-election. That would be unfortunate, given just how badly BrownbackÂ’s economic policies have hurt the state. And they are giddy over the reversal in the...

In the cola-dominated soft drink market, 7-up enjoyed great success after it labeled itself the “UN-cola”. And for the last 2 months, a multi-millionaire without public service experience, Greg Orman, has gotten some good poll numbers portraying himself as an independent “UN-politician” running against incumbent Kansas U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts. But in the candidate debate last night, Roberts charged that Orman’s attitude about abortion is “UNconcionable.” Here’s how it developed: more than halfway into the debate, the sole “life issue” question was posed: Kansas abortion law requires a mandatory ultrasound, should that be a federal law? (By the way, no...

In the moments after the Royals won the pennant, after their 2-1 victory carried them to a sweep over the Orioles in the American League Championship Series, joy flowed like the fountains beyond this ballpark’s outfield fences. The last embers of afternoon sunshine still illuminated Kauffman Stadium. The voices of 40,468 revelers merged with a fireworks display. Greg Holland jumped into the arms of catcher Salvador Perez. Lorenzo Cain flung his glove skyward and skipped like a child. In the center of the diamond stood the Kansas City Royals, conquerors of the American League, ready to contend for their first...

Pat Caddell, singing the praises of independent Kansas Senate candidate Greg Orman… I listened to Chris Wallace, ‘oh [Orman] will caucus with the Democrats’– what does he know!? He’s never talked to the man. … "[Orman] represents a new world view, which is politics as-is is failing the country, the people are being let down…there is a new force coming in politics, and I think he’s gonna win that seat, and I think, actually, it represents a real breakthrough. " That’s when producers– determined to interrupt the Orman love-fest– fed Childers’ bogus Karl Rove talking points… Childers: But he has...

A day after a close call with a patient showing Ebola like symptoms, but testing negative for the potentially deadly virus, the University of Kansas Hospital is taking extra precautions. Wednesday a second test confirmed the patient does not have Ebola. The hospital ordered 1,000 one piece, disposable hazmat suits. Suits are equipped with a face mask, elastic at the hands and feet, which blocks anything from coming in through the suit.

Kansas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Paul Davis said Tuesday that the list of top Republicans in the state has increased from 100 to 500 members. Davis made the announcement at a news conference on Tuesday, accompanied by the leaders of the group of Republicans who support Davis and oppose Republican Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, according to the Lawrence Journal-World. The conference was to highlight the support Davis has begun to receive from 180 ex lawmakers and 360 educators, community leaders, and business leaders who are part of the group, Republicans for Kansas Values. As TPM previously noted, in July the more...

University of Kansas Hospital officials to release an update on a patient being treated for Ebola-like symptoms. Watch the news conference live.

One question I'm asked in every electoral cycle is, "What are the surprise races in this election?" My answer in recent years has been, "There are no surprises, because any unexpected development becomes universally known in seconds." There have been two such developments in this cycle. One in Kansas: the emergence about five weeks ago of independent Greg Orman (and the withdrawal from the ballot of the Democratic nominee) as a strong competitor against 34-year Capitol Hill veteran Republican Sen. Pat Roberts. The other was in South Dakota: a poll showing Larry Pressler, a former Republican senator running as an...

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Officials at the University of Kansas Hospital say a man being treated in isolation is considered at low to moderate risk of having contracted the Ebola virus. Chief medical officer Dr. Lee Norman says the patient came to the hospital Monday morning with significant weakness and diarrhea. The man also said he had previously had a fever....

Ladies and gentlemen, MSNBC host Joy Reid has a statement to make: Joy Reid JoyAnnReid "To the anti-government wingers in my thread: so far, the only "spread of Ebola" in the U.S. was caused by a private hospital in a red state." 1:33 PM - 12 Oct 2014

KANSAS CITY, Kan.—The University of Kansas Hospital reports an individual called and then came into the hospital early this morning with a high fever and other serious symptoms. Because the patient had recently worked on a medical boat off the west coast of Africa, the patient was immediately isolated on a special infectious disease unit and is undergoing tests. Hospital staff met the patient wearing personal protection equipment and followed the hospital’s plan for this kind of illness.