Jenkins Just "Too Busy" to do Her Job

Back- if only briefly- because we simply can't let Lynn Jenkins walk away from last night's debate in Lawrence without just a little more piling-on.

First, one very brief point: Does anyone else think it's shocking the only person in the race for this seat who has actually voted to increase taxes is the one making big deals about increasing taxes? Jenkins rants about "the largest tax increase in history" (which, just so we're clear, ISN'T REAL...Jenkins is either willfully lying or and idiot), but wants everyone to just ignore the fact she voted to increase taxes when she was a State Senator- even after promising she wouldn't.

In 2002, when Jenkins was a state senator, she said she would oppose a state sales tax increase but then voted for a $294 million tax increase, which included raising sales, inheritance, cigarette and liquor taxes.

Seriously, who is she trying to fool? Oh, right...Kansas voters.

Oh, also- we all know Congresswoman Nancy Boyda's "walkout" on Retired Gen. Jack Keane was the "saddest day" of little Lynn's life. Boyda, however, made a grand point last night when she pointed out her job as our Member of Congress does include actually sad days- like visiting army hospitals and attending the funerals of soldiers. How on Earth Lynn Jenkins' little psyche will handle those kinds of honestly sad days we can't fathom- if she's being honest with the whole "saddest day" thing. Oh, or, Boyda visiting a antechamber for 10 minutes- never missing a moment of testimony- wasn't really the saddest day in Jenkins' life, and she's just a soppy, melodramatic...well, you get the picture. Either way, sit down and shut up, Jenkins, because you're being offensive.

Finally, the meat and potatoes: Lynn Jenkins wanted to talk last night about her opinion Congresswoman Nancy Boyda simply couldn't have been doing her job representing all of us if she got up for 10 minutes and walked into a little room and watched a brief part of a hearing on a little TV instead of sitting on her duff almost alone in the big hearing room. Lynn can think that if she wants- every single reasonable voter in the Kansas 2nd knows that certainly doesn't raise to the level of "not doing your job."

Interesting, though, that Jenkins would make a big fuss about someone not doinig their job...

In her closing remarks, Boyda fired back that Jenkins had missed four consecutive meetings of the board of the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System during a period when the pension system lost $1 billion in investment income.

“You need to look at yourself,” Boyda said to Jenkins, who as the state treasurer is a member of the KPERS board.

Yes, that's right, Lynn Jenkins skipped the June, July, August & September meetings of the KPERS board of trustees...didn't even bother to "phone it in" as Boyda put it- all the while as KPERS was losing $1 billion.

Why, you might ask, was our State Treasurer absent from her place at the table? She was...um...busy?

After the debate, when asked about missing the KPERS meetings, Jenkins said, “I’ve been a little busy. I have lots of balls in the air right now.” Jenkins said.

Busy. Busy? Honestly? So busy you can't do your job, Lynn? So busy advancing your own ambition you can't even manage to keep up with your state-level responsibilities? How on Earth can you ask us to trust you to manage national-level responsibilities? Lord knows you'll be busier as a Member of Congress than you are now as State Treasurer...

If we do send you to DC, Lynn, and things get busy- which meetings will you skip? Which votes will you not take because you have too many balls in the air?

Four missed meetings, $1 billion lost, a statewide official dropping all the balls she's got in the air, compared to 10 minutes and not a second of testimony missed. You tell us what actually matters, folks.