What do a Republican Kansas State Senator and Hillary Clinton have in common? (No, this is not the start of a bad joke). Republican Pete Brungardt and Hillary Clinton are both very worried about a vast right-wing conspiracy aimed at destroying them.

That’s right, but let’s back up for a little history first. You might remember the origination of the term vast right-wing conspiracy back in 1998. Hillary Clinton was busy defending her husband from those spurious charges that he had sex with intern Lewinsky in the Oval Office. It, of course, was true, but the liberals hammered anyone who had the audacity to believe such things or consider them of consequence – for it was all, according to Hillary and her liberal buddies, a long, organized, collaborative series of charges by Clinton's political enemies.

Similarly, when he recently learned that another Republican actually had the audacity to run against him in the Republican primary, apparently without his permission, Brungardt recently whined to the media about the opposition: “It's a coordinated effort in the Republican party from the Bushes and the Brownbacks on down to the local level.” Apparently, Brungardt was surprised by the effort, because he did not attend the recent Republican event in Wichita where Karl Rove gave a speech and revealed the secret plot he hatched to eliminate Brungardt.

Similarly, I was recently surprised by a recent question from a national reporter in Washington, D.C., as I was pushing my Voter ID bills through the Legislature. The reporter asked a question that surprised me at that time – was my effort coordinated with the Bush White House? I laughed – though we all know that this is the typical drivel nonsense first expressed by Hillary and now by Brungardt. When you are wrong on the issue, attack your opponents personally. And not surprisingly – Hillary and Brungardt agree on the fundamental issues of the day – they are both pro-abortion, they both support tax increases and bigger government, they both want nothing done about illegal immigration, and they both support homosexual marriage.

If the Republican voters in Saline, Ottawa and Dickinson Counties want a state senator who agrees with Hillary, then so be it. But please, Pete, forget the black helicopter stuff. And in other primary battles across the state, don’t be fooled with non-issues and false rhetoric – the Republican Party is clear on our issues and we should expect our politicians to stand for what we believe.

Speaking of conspiracy, how about the real effort by Kansas Democrats and many liberal Republicans to protect the abortion industry from any regulation or oversight?

In this newsletter, I have periodically reported on the enormous campaign and legal efforts by George Tiller and other abortionists to buy entire segments of the Kansas political system – including the Governor’s office, the Attorney General and the Lieutenant Governor. Some folks laughed and jeered, others cried, most simply said “No Way.”

In recent weeks though, the truth is beginning to come through. First, proceedings were finally made public in which those under indictment (that would be Planned Parenthood and George Tiller) are actually seeking to have the Kansas Supreme Court punish former AG Phill Kline for having the nerve to actually seek actual evidence of law-breaking in these abortion clinics. And then after receiving the evidence via a district judge, Kline had the audacity to actually read the abortion law and successfully seek more than 100 criminal indictments against these abortionists.

As a result, he paid the ultimate political price and is facing legal challenge after legal challenge – including well-funded national attempts, I believe, to make certain he never practices law ever again and perhaps is indicted himself for challenging the abortion establishment.

And his opponents reaped the benefits. Sebelius retained the Governor’s office. The sexually-challenged Paul Morrison became Attorney General. And Mark Parkinson after his strong leadership as Republican Chairman against Sebelius in 2002 – jumped to become her running mate four years later.

And, of course, the abortion establishment must be appropriately thanked. No, she didn’t rent out bedrooms to mega-donors like they did in the Clinton White House. Instead, Sebelius was a little more novel – she invited every staff member and all four abortionists from Tiller’s abortuary to join her for a fabulous taxpayer-funded dinner reception at the taxpayer-owned Cedar Crest Mansion.

And all we got was a t-shirt – at least a picture of one. You can see the photo (on the left) of this $400,010 t-shirt with the words: TRIFECTA – Sebelius, Parkinson, Morrison – 2006. (Note: the $400,010 is an estimate of what Tiller spent to buy these offices and print the t-shirt.) Sebelius is shown here pointing to Tiller (on her right) – certainly recognizing that he made it happen.

Sebelius also posed for a cozy photo with her best friends – Tiller and his wife. One gets the sense that these abortionists almost believe they own the place – and in some sense, I guess they do. That is – unless Phill Kline is reelected as the Johnson County District Attorney!

At risk of proving the vast right-conspiracy concerns right, I must admit that someone in Washington has finally gotten it right on illegal immigration – President George Bush.

While Bush has been so wrong on open borders and amnesty, just last week he signed an executive order requiring all federal government contractors to use an electronic system that permits immediate verification of employment eligibility of newly hired employees. No longer can federal contractors claim they didn’t know they were hiring illegals – rather, they will now be held accountable for their hiring practices. I have offered similar proposals for two years now in Topeka – falling short both times. At a minimum, those who receive your tax dollars as state contractors should do everything possible to follow federal immigration laws.

But on the failure front, I have been informed of another recent, local example of federal government stupidity, particularly revolving around the Endangered Species Act.

According to a constituent landowner in the Cimarron River area of my district, one branch of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is trying desperately to eradicate salt cedar (tamarisk) along this river in Kansas. Salt cedar is an invasive species that is an enormous water user and crowds out native plant species – and dries up the river flow and critical habit for the Arkansas River Shiner, a little minnow on the Threatened and Endangered Species List. The feds are worried.

Meanwhile, another branch of the same U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is wanting to come down here with canoes and 4-wheelers along the riverbed and count least tern nesting sites. The least tern (endangered) bird depends on the salt cedars for their habitat. The feds are worried.

And, the property owner is caught in the middle. My constituent bravely told the "bird" people not to trespass on our property for any more surveys until the "fish" people can de-list the Cimarron River in Kansas as critical habitat for the Shiner.

Darned if you do – darned if you don’t.

With the Governor’s consecutive vetoes of legislation to permit the building of new electrical production facilities in Kansas, Sebelius has demonstrated her support for our high energy prices. The proposed Sunflower expansion at Holcomb would have generated $3.6 billion in new Kansas investment, tremendous new export markets, and a new, much-needed source for electricity. Without this new source, western Kansans can expect hefty electricity price increases, even much more than in the fuels market.

While this carbon dioxide scare has very publicly impacted electricity production, it has also apparently increased our future gas and diesel prices as well. An energy company, Hyperion Resources Inc., had expressed interest in building a $10 billion oil refinery near Topeka. But when they saw that the global warming baloney had so enveloped the Sebelius Administration, they quickly made tracks to another state. And recently, citizens in southeastern South Dakota approved a rezoning request for Hyperion – thus sending a warm welcome to possibly the first refinery in the U.S. since Gerald Ford was President.

Let me get this straight – Sebelius wants neither new electricity production, nor new gas and diesel production. Meanwhile, her gubernatorial website advertises “Governor provides tools for Kansans to fight high gas prices.” Brings to mind the words of Aristotle, freely affirmed, freely denied. There is no question, friends, that the environmental extremism of Al Gore, Sebelius and others are costing us mega-bucks in our prices at the pump and our monthly energy bills.

With the ever-increasing red ink in Topeka and Washington, politicians are always talking about tax increases. But they are usually talking very quietly (unless you are Obama) and only after the next election.

For these politicians know the reality – and on the Senate floor – some liberals freely admitted it. Kansans are tired of high taxes and government overspending. But not enough politicians are committed to fiscal responsibility – unlike their constituents. For a recent poll commissioned by Americans for Prosperity of Kansas asked the question:

QUESTION: Kansas will face a budget shortfall in 2009 and face a negative ending balance in 2010. Over the past five years the state budget has grown by over $2 billion. When state revenues are less than state spending, which should be the priority, reducing spending or raising taxes?