Another County Realizes Jenkins Screwed Them

Newspapers and county commissions all over the state are continuing to turn their attention to the multi-million dollar blunder that has been state Treasurer Lynn Jenkins' management of Kansas motor fuel taxes- today's article comes to us from Sumner County:

During the debate, Boyda said Jenkins should have sorted out the issue long before entering her sixth year as treasurer. And, Boyda said, recipients of revenue sharing had a right to forthright disclosure of the situation.

"Have you contacted the county commissioners to let them know?" Boyda asked Jenkins during a debate last Tuesday night at KSNT-TV.

Josh Hersh, spokesman for Jenkins' congressional campaign, said Jenkins "notified all relevant parties"

Oh, really, Josh? That's not what the good folk of Sumner County would tell you:

According to the latest information from the state, $10,805.29 is owed to Sumner County in fuel-tax revenue, but officials in the County seemed to have no idea of it.

“Really? Oh, I didn’t know anything about that,” said an official in the treasurer’s office.

[...]

Officials in Sumner County aren’t sure when they will receive the money owed them, but assured the public, “We will be looking into this. We didn’t know anything about it.”

Fine, Josh, Jenkins might have told Governor Sebelius and the Republican Party leadership in Topeka about her failings, but she didn't let the people who really needed to know- the county commissioners and the taxpayers of Kansas- until months and months later.

“Basically for six years, (Jenkins) wrote checks to the wrong people. Then, once they finally found out, it took her then another two months to tell counties about it, and even after that, it took her another four months to tell counties how much they were owed or how much they might owe. Even then, when she finally got around to announcing it, she got her numbers wrong. And she told all the counties that had been overpaid that they were underpaid and vice versa,” said spokesperson Tom Seay, an aide for Boyda.

Shocking- particularly coming from a person running based on her qualifications as a CPA- and stunningly irresponsible.

Oh, also- there might be more of a bombshell yet to hit. Remember, this isn't a new mistake, and the amounts paid over and under what were owed only deal with the most recent fiscal year- just wait until we see the total damage for the whole of Jenkins' term.

We'll have to wait to see that, though, because Lynn's office doesn't know what the number is yet.

After the election, right, Lynn?

Jenkins is Correct: Ryun's New Ad Overstates His Recrod on BRAC

Lynn Jenkins spokesman little Joshie Hersh and this blog has agreed on so very little these many months, but his statements, made to AP reporter John Hanna yesterday, are right on the money regarding Jim Ryun's new "not only did it save all the military bases in Kansas from certain closure, but I also single-handedly beat the Russians" campaign ad.

In 2005, Kansas did well compared with other states as the federal government picked military installations to be shut down, even gaining an estimated 3,600 military and civilian jobs as changes were made. Only the Parsons Army Ammunition Plant was targeted for closing.

Jenkins spokesman Josh Hersh said the work of others, including Sens. Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts and 1st District Rep. Jerry Moran, was crucial.

"The whole Kansas delegation had a big part in that process," he said. "No one of them single-handedly saved those bases."

Absolutely right- every member of the Kansas delegation was insturmental to keeping the bases open in Kansas, and it's disingenuious of Ryun to claim he was any more important than any other member.

But Mr. Hersh wasn't done:

Hersh also said the ad raises questions about Ryun's true position on earmarks because in it, the colonel praises Ryun for "setting up the infrastructure" at Forbes Field and Fort Riley and an unidentified supporter adds, "Jim came through for us."

Ryun has said previously that he will not support new funding earmarks in the budget. Jenkins has pledged to support reforms of the budgeting process so that earmarks are limited to projects of national interest.

Hersh said Ryun is being inconsistent.

"That would kind of raise the question of what that is going to mean for the district," Hersh said.

Ah, indeed it does. When Jim Ryun did "deliver" for the military bases in his district when he used to be in Congress, he did it via earmarks. When Congresswoman Nancy Boyda has delivered, she's used earmarks, and, one would assume, Lynn Jenkins would indeed attempt to do the same thing. With Ryun's new found aversion to earmarks, he's going to be up a creek without a paddle.

And, of course, there's that whole disasterous vote Ryun cast to defund $300 million worth of BRAC projects in Kanas right after the 2006 election, too. Thank God Nancy Boyda was able to get the money reinstated, because Ryun obviously didn't care about the people of the district very much after they voted him out of office. All comes together to show a man who probably shouldn't be trusted to actually be in that position again.

Lynn Jenkins, you say? By her own admission, her training as a CPA has prepared her for many things (like straightening out the federal books...such a mess...let's pray we dont' get audited...), but the one thing she doesn't know a damned thing about our armed forces and the needs of our men and women in uniform. Trusting her with protecting our bases would be a lot like trusting Jim Ryun to rein in federal spending...

Oh, by the way- 'member the retired colonel Ryun features so prominently in his ad? As far as we can find, he's never ever served in Kansas and, now, he's a lobbyist in Virginia. We aren't questioning his previous service to our nation, but you would have though Ryun would have found someone from or who had served in, say, Kansas, to back up his story.

Jenkins: Endorsing Ryun in '04, Calling Him an Embarrassment in '08

Lynn Jenkins did an interview with Kansas Public Radio Wednesday morning filled with the basic content we've come to expect from the our very favorite glorified accountant, but this particular interview also held a couple of gems we just had to share with y'all.

First, she said Jim Ryun was an "embarrassment to her as a Republican" and, second, she said that she wasn't as "informed as I should have been" when she agreed to record a television commercial endorsing Jim Ryun in his re-election battle against Nancy Boyda in 2004 (you'd forgotten Jenkins had done that, hadn't you? Oh, how the years pass).

So, first:

This is a race about somebody who had 10 years in Congress. His time has come and gone and it's time for new leadership. I would not want to be running on Jim's record in Washington, DC. The biggest difference is probably in the area of financial responsiblity and, um, when you spend money on vanity projects like he spent money on, when you, maybe in 10 years in Congress only voted for maybe one balanced budget- he mortgaged my kids' future- that is an embarrassment to me as a Republican and it should be to him.

Nearly every time we post something Jenkins has said we say this, but we'll say it again for good measure: So much for keeping the primary polite, huh, Lynn? Or did you mean he's an embarrassment in the neighborly, friendly way?

Also, since the voters got the change they wanted last November, we hope you can pivot off this "the Republicans failed us" message pretty quickly- if you are lucky enough to survived the primary.

Next, Jenkins was asked why, if she thinks Jim Ryun is an embarrassment to Republicans everywhere because of his record over the last 10 years, why she filmed an endorsement TV commercial in 2004? Her answer? Well, gee, it's because "they" told me I should!

We were in a time of war and everyone said, "Well, you know, we've got to support our folks." And now is a time to reflect- because we've learned a thing or two, and after reflecting it's become glaringly obvious to me that that was a wrong path.

That's a stunning admission from anyone trying to earn the trust of the people. If we take Jenkins at her word, then, by her own admission in 2004 she was simply shockingly clueless and acting as nothing more than a party stooge-making her the very last person anyone in their right mind should want in the United States House of Representatives.

So glad you've "seen the light" now. But God, lady, the man's record hasn't changed between then and now- he was just as worthless in 2004 when you were endorsing him as he is in 2008 when your running against him. The single difference we can see now is that it's politically advantageous for you to go ahead an let your mind-numbing ambition shove him out of the way.

And, did we miss something, but we are still "at a time of war" aren't we?

To close, another little humdinger from the CPA-Who-Would-Be-Congresswoman:

Well Peter, I am a CPA, and I know a lot about finance. What I don't know, or what I don't have an expertise in, is prosecuting a war.

She goes on to make it pretty clear Congress should just abdicate it's constitutional authority to declare war and just let the generals and the President do as they please. Wonderful, Lynn, you sound like exactly what we need: Just another lock-step Republican...just like Jim Ryun before you.