In the conclusion of his now-famous Gettysburg Address, President Abraham Lincoln resolved “that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." Many citizens, including politicians, have thrown these words around – but what do they really mean? In my opinion, they reflect the key principle of our republican form of government. And it is this – the citizens should be in control of their government, not the government controlling the citizens.

After serving as your state Senator for more than a decade, I firmly believe that citizen involvement – or lack thereof – can make an incredible difference in and upon politics. Let me give you a few examples.

At the federal level, the recent debate over immigration policy reflects the incredible impact grassroots involvement can have on Washington politicians. After weeks and months of contact from American citizens, the Kennedy-McCain-Reid-Bush immigration bill was pulled off the calendar of the U.S. Senate. Although there are rumors that this amnesty proposal will resurface, clearly the politicians – at least some of them – got the overwhelming message from the American people. We don’t support granting amnesty to 12 million illegal aliens! A special thanks here to Senator Pat Roberts and Congressman Jerry Moran. It didn’t take citizen involvement to get them to do the right thing - they were doing it already!

At the state level though, a different type of involvement is making the difference.

In recent years, a certain George Tiller has frequented the media. Tiller is a Wichita-based abortionist who specializes in late-term abortions – some only days before the baby’s birthday. Although two judges have found probable cause that Tiller is violating multiple laws, the Attorney General Paul Morrison and Governor Kathleen Sebelius continue to defend him. As he promised in his campaign even before seeing the evidence, Morrison moved to dismiss any charges against Tiller, failed to contact key witnesses in the ongoing investigation, and recently attempted to intimidate the top psychiatrist in the country from speaking about the issue. And Governor Sebelius also defends Tiller in multiple press conferences and just recently even appointed Tiller’s defense attorney to an important position on the Kansas Sentencing Commission.

So what does all this have to do with citizen involvement? Simple -- involvement in the form of campaign monies also makes a difference. George Tiller and his PACs are the single largest donors to Democrat politicians in Kansas. In fact, during the recent election cycle, George Tiller funneled more than $300,000 to elect Morrison and Sebelius – that is heavy involvement. And it has paid off – in an unbelievable effort by the two top elected officials in Kansas to protect and defend a late-term abortion specialist.

So what do these examples mean? Involvement makes a difference. Citizen input – or lack thereof – can change the minds of politicians. It can change what they say and do. While I know that some politicians and their elite friends are troubled by the citizen opposition to the immigration bill, I am more concerned by the impact of big campaign contributors as I have outlined. Government of the people and by the people – should be for all the people, not just those with the largest checkbooks.

Thank you for your interest and involvement in our government. As always, you can contact me about your thoughts and concerns on any or all issues. You may contact me at my home in Fowler or via e-mail at thuelska@ink.org.