Various KPR news

kansas corporation commission which regulates the state's utility companies have been trying to determine over the last two weeks were the contract signing between western resources and the kansas pipeline partnership promotes competition in the delivery of gas to more than one hundred and forty five thousand customers in kansas casey ceo is also be looking at what those contracts that meant to consumer prices executives with the right offer them a williams natural gas of tulsa which was business as a result of a deal between the two companies i'd argue that the contract actually cost tens of millions of dollars in higher rates they also argued that the only reason the kansas pipeline partnership beat them out of the western resources deal with because the head of the kansas pipeline partnership that it slightly unfairly used his political contacts with members of the casey's see that only its head of the state democratic party you know what

according to certain that our show has a crawl the web whatever your favorite metaphor this electronic gap first of individuals businesses and interest groups has quickly grown gargantuan users present themselves through what are called sites or home pages here a recent college graduate shows are way cool wedding pictures there members of an oregon the interest group talk among themselves robert bly ones ended up along with the words the world will soon break up into small colonies of the saved the internet makes it dazzlingly clear how our world has become because all this electronic energy made me feel there's no place like home i recently cruised to a site called kansas heritage q historical and nelson sent the page up he calls the electronic warehouse and riots were filled with bits and pieces of the past covers of old books memories of

childhood letters pictures of children songs the games used to play how your mother came to kansas kansas heritage welcomes whatever kansas memories memorabilia anyone wishes to deposit all right there's a ton of genealogy stuff about cannes is indian tribes unknown fighters only one third of whom i read he died of natural causes today it's about seventy four kansas for its eight hundred eighty one room school houses look a photograph of the nineteen oh seven student body of speed school and speed kansas a drawing of a cicada another of the grasshopper an interactive santa fe trail to work with recent photos frank baum is a wizard of oz is all here so was american conference by nineteenth century came classics professor kate stevens it's a novel set old kay you called in this fiction university of hesse boris it came out twenty years after chancellor joshua been caught had fired stevens the kansas

heritage site has the same problems than that in general which is that it's unfiltered ross and not all equally interesting it also responds to distinguish good from bad isn't his job of preserving memories years he speaks of his grandmother a diabetic shop girl and the chicago loop when she was a toddler her father's sock away one day when she was twelve or thirteen her mother also disappeared and twenty or brothers to care for nelson doesn't know much more than this but wishes he did as we age most of us puzzle about our ancestors that's why nelson says he built kansas heritage quote people with memories are dying all the time and they're not being asked what their lives were like and so heritage is trying to gather this for children for the grandchildren one part of me thinks it's a marvelous paradox that silicone ships are helping mediate crusty memories and antique words

another part thinks we're not what should one of those small colonies of the saved to whom bligh reef first include those who would preserve memories of ordinary law it's especially in a period when so little seems safe when everything feels subject to repeal and legs and was given a message and standing stands and to represent you in the high school last year kansas agriculture secretary sam brownback to clean up congress and the voters of the second district of kansas sent in to washington now that he's dead brownback and republican appears to be living up to his promises he's one of two lead sponsors in what is now being called a bit cleaner congress act of nineteen ninety five the measure is simple but far reaching firstly no representative or senator would be entitled to take any meals trips or

gifts from lobbyists but our took us trade representative's office called hills had a rule no get out just because of the potential appearance of impropriety or invalids and congress should be this and why we're paid clergy we don't need to accept the store to get brum ducks bill also contains provisions that would completely remove special interest group money from the alec turrell system and the plan of any candidate running for federal office would be prohibited from taking any financial contributions from political action committees or packs as they're called on average those contributions now make up a third of the money candidates raised during elections the plan would also prohibit a candidate from holding fundraisers outside of their own home state and lessen the advantages of incumbency no candidate would be entitled to use their congressional franking privileges to send mass mailings dakota's within ninety days of an election brownback says the changes he's advocating

and not endearing him to his fellow republican colleagues in the house leadership probably not the democrats were once in power now because republicans cause they're the ones that are in our lobby getting hammered on by a lot of different people for a long period of time well brokeback maybe making himself unpopular with some members of his own party is efforts are being celebrated by such groups as united we stand america last month brownback shared the stage with united we stand lead and ross perot at the group's annual convention in dallas that brownback received rapturous applause when he accused congress are being built and paid for by wealthy special interest groups rob ickes rhetoric is also attracting attention of kansas voters like frank faction i retired businessman from topeka was long complained about the undue influence pac money has on the country's politicians i've farmed so much legislation

already years and i found it so many times that one question legislation comes low sure that became patchy you know through layer morning as a result of money or shown a person comes into their election campaigns and irrespective of their admonitions of our commission on couldn't possibly be influenced by their were singing and i wonder where we're slimming that they are human and their human yes they are going to be enclosed brownback says that his views are reflective of how many americans feel about their elected officials in washington to counteract that image the freshman republican says he intends to lead by example since taking office brownback says he's never accepted any gifts meals or trips from lobbyists at a recent rotary club luncheon in downtown topeka brown was even witnessed turning down a rotary club when he was presented with to

illustrate how far he's willing to go to prove his point about bax political opponents i'm not totally convinced of his sincerity tom sawyer is the kansas house democratic leader there's really ironic that our cars one thinks that somehow was really bad for him to take a pan from the recall was ok for him to take thousands of thousands of dollars in special interest does that make sense sawyer is referring to the fact that brownback has accepted nearly forty thousand dollars impact money so far this year and financial disclosure reports show brownback received more than two hundred thousand dollars in pac contributions during his nineteen ninety four election campaign but brownback insists he isn't being hypocritical he says refusing to accept pac contributions would be the equivalent of unilateral disarmament the reason that i'm not one to walk away now and unilaterally disarm those attacks put about thirty percent of the money into the system now and i will be a targeted member next time around democrats need and democrat has twenty the last

twenty four years freshman congressman running for reelection a lot of money from the other side so by unilaterally disarm thousands of dollars and the history can just a campaign against made without been able to accept the funds the campaign back against that that's just a compound says linda how robust state chairman of the public interest group common cause well how the us would like to see campaign finance reform passed in congress he says the brownback plan has some unexpected ramifications the worst of them he says is that a system of campaign financing that relies almost exclusively on individual contributions unfairly favors candidates who advocate policies that benefit the wealthy anybody who represents policy position of the well off in this country are going to be a tremendous advantage people who want to can find individuals who are able to give up the dollar limit and it's much easier for them to get the dollars necessary to run a credible campaign and his

people from the poorer statements are in a large national community and the whole point of the arrival of the money is not supposed to have an impact on the outcome of the election would have forced to use or theoretically is simply to get patients to the various people no responses to a charter another outfielder like you're going to make your mind up i don't see where this provider what it does to a packed with a problem but it provides an alternative hauber says the brownback plan also favors independently wealthy candidates like ross perot who could afford to subsidize their own election campaigns meanwhile despite those criticisms congressman brownback says he doesn't intend to modify his bill and will press on regardless it's certain he faces a tough battle in congress previous attempts over the last few years to pass even incremental changes to campaign finance laws have floundered on capitol hill some of the chances of a more radical measure a passing the house and senate and

normal atmosphere i would be very limited where we're not in a normal time this was a time of major reform i think we can get enough of a head of steam out in the country or something like that it's not washington that says something that has to be brought from the countryside in the washington that we've got a chance of major reform brownback and certainly rely on the bountiful resources of united we stand america to help him in his fight ross perot was already promised a kansas republican that his army of volunteers well happily light up congressional switchboards how far though brown backs message box with the rest of america is still uncertain for legislative hearings on the clean congress act are expected to begin next month for kansas public radio this is mccain's reporting they still glitches little visits with bags of free candy a pickup

restaurant tabs all over town they good for tickets to a ballgame or out of golf an occasional gift the state's more than six hundred registered lobbyists had been kind to kansas legislators in fact in the first four months of this year alone they've spent more than three hundred and fifty thousand dollars on food and drink the lawmakers and other state officials but now a state senator mark parkinson and johnson county republican wins the gravy train to stop well the legislation to deal with issues that affect their clients to the tune of millions of dollars it addresses dumbest fundamentally wrong when the same lobbying and one and diverse i get less expensive tickets to basketball games of chicken scrawl plane even ask for our vote to be at this point we won't know the question asking legislators boats be bought for those caught avoiding and i mean i think the answer that question has probably know i have observed in the five years so the relationships develop between the lobbyist and the legislatures

winners that kind of wine dine going on and out of those relationships that much about twelve senator parkinson is not alone in believing that's wrong about half a dozen organize asians are expected to testify this week in front of parkinson's special committee on governmental standards they include the public interest group common cause united we stand america and the american association of retired persons front fracture is the aarp is state legislative liaison the schneiders being paid a daily suggests that includes food shelter and a quarter rotation is that cool chopping creation of meals every day that might be another three months in the market and i don't believe that it should be do you think it's possible that some legislators are having their votes

influenced by lobbyists for the price of the lobster do i don't know that you could say just for the church that dinner and he is an accumulation of little work about a half a dozen states have already taken major legislative initiatives to try and eliminate those buttocks one of the strictest states is wisconsin where the legislative caught accepting a mi or a green from a lobbyist could face a fine of up to five thousand dollars a lobbyist involved could also be fined a thousand dollars and lose their lobbying license for up to three years that's got gems from the wisconsin house majority leader he testified before the special counsel's committee on governmental standards require a telephone conference call genson told committee members that the state's strict ethics will only went into effect after a major scandal broke in the local media showing how some key legislators had been both expensive suits by

lobbyists and some were even flown from wisconsin to chicago to attend a bull's basketball game said parkinson hopes it doesn't take a scandal of that magnitude to get legislators to pass such a law here are snippets that without such a major incident his chances of passing the ethics proposal may be slim to previous attempts to pass the bill have failed to muster up enough a legislative support the only way this bill will get anywhere is that the public demands that type of reform are the people i talked to out in the citizenry or all supportive of the concept of a warrant unfortunately thank you to kill this type of legislation unless the public cares about it comes up to topeka makes her with her own this bill will not go anywhere right right

sen lee seo even people in your party you've told me off the record that you are the poster child for why kansas leads ethics reform i don't deal with every new breakfast lunch dinner with a lobbyist isn't religious of the vote being influenced by all of this whining and it the answer to the question is absolutely yes for me to sit here and then an n and sell you that any given at any given point in time with its breakfast lunch or dinner that the folks at a visit with me are attempting to influence my vote will be absolutely ludicrous i could tell you that in twenty three years of being a peer i can safely say that never once has any lobby is certainly because i want to state for you because i bought this glass of wine with your meal for you we're there for both of my bill there's a violent will be pushing offended about what happened certainly i would tell him to take a powder

there've been many many people that have won and i mean and i'm going to commit and attack them and the committee by asking him the hard hitting questions why because it totally believe that in order for a legislator to be totally informed he has to listen to both sides of a given issue but you you can find out where all these things about us at the issue from the comfort of your own office it telling me you have to go to a restaurant to do that to try to communicate with him to three minutes on a very potent issue that has a particular special interest group might be concern about it is not given the prison justice i have to practice i have to eat lunch and i have to eat dinner or otherwise i can function as an individual and so why not sit on with these folks in a setting that's not relaxed that the phones not ringing that people are talking about me and allow them the opportunity that they're going to get respect listen to them is that several i think matt is it something that should not be done well if you want to stifle the opportunity

for the exchange of ideas for the exchange of information to cece and allows them to now the opportunity to talk to to function an environment more information is important but the function of a vacuum then shut down those opportunities that said that is proposed ethics lawyers are saying you have to stop meeting with special interest groups or together old saying is if you do well with a lobbyist for a steak dinner or drink and make sure you pay your own way to avoid even the appearance that your vote is being bored after all you are being paid i think is around sixty five dollars a day as nick dunne on top of the legislative salary just to cover things like you know meals a new board i challenge anybody to tell me that they can raise three kids have gone to college to a hospital here take care my dry cleaning bills my gas bills my phone bills and an all expenses and i have and try to make do with what about your art i don't think it's unreasonable the sitar with something and sit in in and that there is a city center are wanting to listen to me on the wire breakfast items are

seated exist without i really don't so if we said to your constituents in wichita will look this is what the center feliciano has been doing this week it was snowing the window to have a breakfast with this at this particular business group of the lunch he went for this they can do you know with their beside a professional a legal organization an idea that time he went for a lobster dinner in a few whiskeys with that with someone else but they wouldn't be a they would be sure well i'm taking care might visit my people and and and in that respect i respectfully the last twenty three years in my constituency have been offended by my actions appear i'm sure they would see fit to not return him i remember in my twenty three is a really want here there was only one job and that's it you just be why combining at a good time at the expense of the taxpayers and i was outraged by that remark as it certainly don't want to have to talk about plain and simple and i challenge you to follow me up here and he says well you're probably rearrange the schedule so that will be very very busy as a saw

you drop it on me anytime that you wanna thank you come up to my before you to spend the night with me you to say i was shocked when one week i got a call from a secretary said as john is in the office he challenged them to meet up with you any day and is the city upset among we start at seven o'clock ironically enough with a breakfast meeting and we have to also applauded my because i have five functions to attend our he stopped he stopped by me if i'll be everywhere i went and i said you know after we got done that evening he spent a second night with me he'd already apologized to me but he said how in the world you do what if this year the kansas legislature decided that we are going to after all get rid of all of this hospitality the lawmakers lobbyist will no longer let the special interest groups will no longer be able to give food and beverages gifts of any kind to lawmakers with at the kennedys that you get a valentine's day or whatever you know it is the legislative process could grind to hold i don't think so i think life

is going to go on and it simply means that the abortion groups that believe in the lane and the right to life issue that way too to it in and in a very dignified way to put it was on my desk and of that of that rolls might be to a lot of pre dollars about the moment and all that it has assigned some of symbolism is simply means that the homeowner be able to do that and so in essence what you're saying is the truth that the no infringement of rights of people of expressing their ways of communicating with the legislators in a certain way where you become any less educated own bills because of that little or none whatsoever none whatsoever so if that's the case why do we need to have food and beverages to begin with you say that's giving you a perspective on what the lines and i think i think that has reporters who you are what what what what what sells newspapers and what what increases the ratings on radio and television is the sensationalism that indeed this sometimes sinister and corrupt corruptible on a mistake as i can tell you that

in my twenty years of being a parent as a member of the national conference of state legislatures i have actually seen corruption and states and i want to get into a question about what states are up about that in the last twenty years ago four five six seven states or indeed that there was corruption i had not seen that happen in the state of kansas that speaks highly that speaks very very well for the kansas legislature but more important it speaks very very well for the citizen through the state and the caliber of the people that they're elected to public office and state governments set of louisiana thank you for joining us sixty one year old leroy hendricks has been described by prosecutors in wichita as the poster child for violent sexual offenders he served more than twenty years in prison for molesting ten young children but hendrix is attorney thomas while it will argue before the kansas supreme court this afternoon that his client has already paid his debt to society and should not be confined the garlic mental health

facility as part of the state's new sexual predator little while it argues the law is unconstitutional he says it violates due process clause which states someone cannot be punished me on the basis of what he might do in the future he also says it violates double jeopardy provisions which say a person cannot be punished twice for the same crime billy ryan rick's case is just the latest in a series of legal challenges that are being launched against sexual predator laws across the country a similar statute in the state of washington was recently ruled unconstitutional by a us federal judge an identical in wisconsin is also being appealed for the courts at the state house this is mccain's reporting last summer's code enforcement officials in wichita were describing sixty one year old leroy hendrix as the poster child for violent sex offenders hendrix had been convicted of

sexually assaulting ten young children but before being sent to the kansas mental health correctional facility in line to be confined under the state's new sexual predator or hendrix admitted that his criminal record or didn't tell the whole story he told a psychiatry study the abusing children once or twice a month for more than thirty years sedgwick county district attorney nola false been prosecuted in texas case gary individual need to have that with children i can't meter hendrix and i'll mr hendrik land that would be part of that went with the law and he said well what i don't think that's what makes him a predator and that's what makes it dangerous and that's what made this case of critical of pored through thinking it it was because of people like hendrix of the kansas legislature passed the sexual predator law in the first place the measure means that a convicted sex offender

was about to be released from prison can be confined indefinitely at a mental health facility for care and treatment jan george ringo was first find that the effect that suffers from a mental abnormality that makes it likely he will commit more crimes if that is the finding of the court if that they could only be released when medical professionals determined he no longer poses a threat but now fifteen months after the law was passed the measure is running into some serious legal trouble an attorney representing the first defendant committed under bill lee wright hendrix would appear before the kansas supreme court this afternoon to argue that the law is unconstitutional the statute allows for preventive incarceration for an indefinite period of time up to the question that a wise which it has never been approved for any reason other than for the commission of a crime wichita attorney thomas one that says his client has paid his debt to society for the ten separate

charges of sexual assault on children hendricks has already sent more than twenty three years in prison well it says to keep hendrix can find further based solely on his actions may be in the future is a violation of the due process component of the us constitution while it is not alone in arguing that the american civil liberties union agrees as do some respected legal experts like joel fond professor of criminal justice at seattle university the state cannot take away a person's liberty after the absurd their prison term simply because they think they might re offend it was in defense of one's home state of washington that the first sexual predator law was passed that was four years ago they're stacked it is now illegal attack to recently a us federal court judge overturned a state supreme court decision and ruled the washington sax prejudiced i did illegal he pasted on three constitutional arguments the judge said

it not only violated due process laws but that it amounted to double jeopardy that is it punishes someone twice for the same crime the federal judge also contended that the measure is an ex post facto all which is prohibited by the constitution that's legal jargon which means someone cannot be punished for something they did before the law was passed professor reform says he's not surprised by all of the legal tangles surrounding sexual predator law was he believes such statues were ill conceived from the beginning what isn't all right is criminal case particularly are especially true this trend has public pressure on politicians to respond understandably politicians do what they can do to quote they passed a law to respond to the public clamor unfortunately these laws are too often and acted in the heat of the moment without careful and thoughtful reflection boat at one of the usual and as to whether or not their fight professor the fund is convinced that there'll be no surety regarding the constitutionality of

these laws until the us supreme court decides the market that he says is now almost inevitable given the proliferation of lawsuits challenging such measures in the states of washington wisconsin i know kansas but what would happen if the us supreme court does decide sexual predator laws are unconstitutional as not being offended is like levi hendrix would be free to return to the old communities sedgwick county district attorney nola for alston says there would be nothing to stop that from happening they would be he left to be a discussion of iran to roma communities and two feet more victims and that would be my fervent belief certainly community policing would be interested in watching individuals and making sure that it was safe but they could be within twenty four hours a day and that's the unfortunate part that prospect disturbed jean schmidt the father of pittsburg state university student stephanie schmidt was murdered by convicted sex offender two years ago it was largely due to issue its

campaigning that convinced kansas legislators to pass the sex quite a lot last year my daughter called her life and only on the dollar you have to be sacrificed to get a grip on well i think as a constitutional right of law abiding citizens recent criminal rights and at some point i wanted to deal with that issue and we share of americans' civil liberties or stolen instead of fighting criminal liberty and borrowing a lot read says he intends to meet with kansas legislators to try and work on a possible new statute that would prevent sex predators from being released from ahmed any eventuality that the supreme court rules no unconstitutional he admits he has no idea at this stage what kind of legislation they cook pasta do that neither it seems to kansas lawmakers representative clyde grader at leavenworth is the vice chairman of the house judiciary committee i'm not quite sure what what we do but i do feel that you know

if the supreme court rules that way then we need to take immediate action and former media coalition of other states to try to find a solution to this situation because the general public is saying we don't want these people back on the streets of tehran and i just think it's a mandate to the legislature can find a way to do that the justices of the kansas supreme court will begin hearing oral testimony on the constitutionality of the sexual predator law this afternoon they're not expected to make a ruling in the case until the end of next month at the state house this is mccain's reporting the special legislative committee on energy and natural resources decided to look at the sand dredging issue after company applied for permits to dredge sand in one of the most unspoiled stretches of the kansas river between laurenson topeka several environmental groups have argued that if the senate plan were to be built it would be devastating to local wildlife and migratory

birds they also argue sand dredging is responsible for robbing banks and white thing the channel of the river in some places near kansas city by as much as three hundred and fifty feet industry officials have dismissed those environmental concerns as overblown even the director of the kansas geological survey testified that bind corrosion on the kansas river had been caused mainly by flooding over the years and not by sand dredging but epa administrator dennis grounds city's not sure sure he told the committee that his agency would deny any requests for further permits and a little detail the environmental study into the issue and being conducted we don't think there's enough information out there are to make a good decision grimes also told the committee that they were more environmentally friendly alternatives for uncovering sound and by dredging including open pit mining on flood plains the public will get its chance to weigh in on the sand dredging issue with the committee continues its hearings next month at the state house this is mccain's reporting

fb last year when you do or insurance salesman david miller took over as chairman of the kansas republican party he promised to open up the party's decision making process mailer of fundamentalist christian and a former spokesman for the state's largest anti abortion group kansans for life is now living up to that pledge starting next month is authorized the party caucuses be set up in counties across the state that will allow every registered republican in kansas to help in the rewriting of the state's party platform we're going to have a very open process and nobody's gonna be screened out every republican who wants to be considered will be considered but move to bring more power to rank and file members in major party decisionmaking has been welcomed by gop members like kay o'connor who is a state representative from a later it sounds good to me i am the whole process of having the young people in the upper positions making all these decisions whether it did or didn't it certainly had an opportunity for a kind of elite isn't to be

going on i think that having the unwashed masses help with that decision making process i think that's a good and i think that's a step in the right direction i i look forward to it i have to suggestions i have already made one regarding no less government control over schools and more control over schools and the other one having to do with me and the issue that gets everybody all riled the abortion issue i believe that the state party should come up with some sort of a statement that simply says they support the national position on that issue which has been around i believe since something in the nineteen eighties and some moderates within the party a concern that the caucus meetings will be crowded out by social conservatives like o'connor nancy brown is a former republican state representative who is now director of the mainstream coalition and johnson county based group that is fighting what they believe is a hostile takeover of the gop by the religious right brown believes david miller's desire to open up the republican party he's just

going on brown says the bottom line issue is control she says giving more power to rank and file members is simply a way of diluting the influence of moderates within the party who still control many of the leadership positions in the state organization rep kael called it says that's just sour grapes i believe that if the mainstream correlation is as they claimed to be so mainstream then nodded what we have done get your people involved get your people active get your people too make their voices be heard as we have done for a period of time the conservative religious part of that community mostly stayed home and get themselves into care that

families now they found out that debt things are going the way they would like to go and so it's now it's time for them to have it on the anti semitic religion certainly has the same opportunity political scientists like that ed loomis at the university of kansas say oh carmen is right there's nothing really nefarious about this question of well of getting new people out if it's clear that the conservatives can mobilize more people to get to a particular venue on a particular day and they can dominate the decision making process especially among activists people who will dedicate i saw a whole saturday showing up who will put the time evening and so it shouldn't be surprising that they remember last have this kind of a process is open so the moderates can show up if they want but the fact that matters in advantages david miller of the conservative side of the party and to the moderates in the state get people out concert was walk on over as the debate

continues all the whims and the creation of a new party platform some republicans are not so sure that the gop even pizza rat manifesto of its beliefs governor bill graves has already said that he the one that doesn't think the platforms make much difference great spokesmen mike matson the governor does not believe the voters enter the booth with a platform in mind when deciding upon a candidate to vote for while they may be of some interest to the media and they might make for good stories during a political season they really don't make that much difference come election time social conservatives don't like representative kay o'connor disagree with that assessment i think that an identification of the party is very important for example what's going on the democrat party right now they're having a hard time identifying who they are what they represent as a group and it is good for the republicans to define where we do stand in less government job lower taxes those are all very very republican

ideas and i think it's the first to make that kind of statement it doesn't state just because it's in a platform doesn't mean that i can't separate myself personally from a particular piece of the platform as long as most of the way that i believe and will will vote is going to be a republican mandate the caucus meetings that will decide the new kansas republican party platform will begin at the end of october the final document is expected to be released in january at the state house this is mccain's reporting the brain bank needs rules like hitler was a brain to arrive no later than ten hours after its owner's death the average as a k u medical center brain bank is four point four hours dna and rna disintegrate rapidly so hitler would like a brain chilled to four degrees fahrenheit within two hours of death when a brain ridges

and he cuts and apart in ways determined by research protocol and the needs of investigators is tricky fresh brains he says joy sometimes uses especially terrible part as soon as possible handler plunges that i said that or going into a negative ad freezer which is temperatures of eighty degrees below zero celsius that's negative one seventy six fahrenheit that won seventy six blow enzymes called that would otherwise continue to word and click and to somebody or been some of the brain parts or bad mothers like plugs of sarah palin are squeezed into crumbles these containers are crippling cold withdraw the parts the negative ad has two compressors recently handler off loaded about a hundred brains into a backup freezer one one compressor broke a power failure is his nightmare the jewels of his collection are the seventy six

brains taken from all timers are parkinson's patients their owners had signed on about a blind leading they're better organs to science for study handler shows a computer screen green crosses appear with kansas and jews in states across the center for studies if they live in the kansas city area their bodies will be hostile to the medical center's work for the removal of the brain is the bodies are far off to colleges indicated another computer screen by red diamonds reap the brain and ship it in a container the brain bank was established forward a half years ago to support all timers research the medical center has one of twenty federally designated ulzheimer is research centers in the nation and where helps the cause by distributing brain tissue not just in how scientists that took twelve lives on three continents that includes israel or autopsies are discouraged and brain tissue is scarce not all the braise handler processes are part of this research

on the day i visit the assistant professor of pathology slices of brain has come to him from wichita medical examiner first cross sections he takes from the frontal lobes look when laid flat like sliced cauliflower those of us who study the brain is has become obsessed by it is three percent of body weight that uses fifteen percent of all the calories burned by the body the human genetic code maintains recipes for one hundred thousand pro teams thirty percent of those are brain contains to produce a full complement of nerve cells for the brain a growing fetus most priest fifty thousand a minute on average the theory goes that we make four times more than we ever use and then destroyed all but the crane handler says the brain is the only place in all of creation where at some level tissue has a sense of mortality and a vision of god it's a pretty thing to say i think yet i can't take my eyes off the

slices the deafness of his work no and anderson have been contracted to do legal work for the kansas insurance departments second injury from a financial poor which pays for workers' compensation claims submitted by previously injured workers over the last five years insurance commissioner kathleen sebelius cid together both attorneys had built the fund for than two million dollars in legal fees it was founded anderson often bill to fund four more than thirty hours of legal work at a ranger an internal audit of course mayor's legal fees found that he was repeatedly double billing in other words resubmitting legal bills he had already been paid for he drew scrutiny sebelius says firing miller and that this may be just the beginning and she conducts investigations into the more than one hundred attorneys and legal for those

who currently do work for the second injury fun meanwhile miller is considering legal action against a b as he says he was fired solely for political reasons miller was the campaign manager for sebelius his opponent in the last election former commissioner rod todd as the telling with attorney robert anderson he's been unavailable to comment at the state house this is mccain's reporting the nineteen ninety four elections would devastating for the kansas democratic party not only did they lose the governor's office but they also lost all of their representation in the us congress for the first time in more than thirty years it means that kansas democrats and now lacking big name candidates who may be interested in writing for a vacant us senate seat next year it strikes me that a short list of potential democratic or not

professor burdett loomis a professor of political science at the university of kansas says the democrats can rule out former governor jon cohen is a candidate college loss to sam brownback in the second district congressional race last year is likely to want to take another political bruising from the kansas electorate particularly now that he has a safe and well paying job in washington as the new us archivist loomis says james slattery who run against bill graves for governor last november is also unlikely to make another run for office if he'd asked by ten percentage points but no question people have said well is republican year he ran a good campaign he just couldn't overcome that republican landslide to bed rising as he did by about thirty points i think it just wiped off the face of a potential most of the candidates another name that has been circulating is a possible senate contender is former kansas congressman and now us agriculture

secretary dan glickman of wichita but llamas says he too has been damaged by election defeat that could make it is that he was to race but he probably shouldn't i was going to have quite a conservative challenger albeit in a very republican year so been losing house candidate is not exactly a great resume builder for for assessing medical secretary he certainly helps national status could raise money is articulate can think honestly the question is that they want to come back we know about the crew bob martin a senate democratic aide and former glickman press secretary says no at this point and would not be interested in running that's not to say at some point in the future he would be interested in reading about the farm bill debate for next year he's got a good position worried

he can influence a public policy that people mistake care about and i think that's where his interest life right now the democrats highest ranking un politically damaged state office holder right now is insurance commissioner kathleen sebelius what many consider her a talented operator who could garner support from across the state her own staff say she's not interested in giving up the commission's position at this time professor loomis doesn't see anyone else within state politics who could be viewed as a viable contender back ten or twelve years ago you could've seen a lot of democrats in the state legislature who look like they would be pretty strong house didn't want candidates don't want them barkers age and many of them have taken their shots and come up from a major backing if you know you don't see that town some democrat leaders say it may be a mistake for the party to rely solely on the state legislature as the talent pool of candidates for higher office kansas house democratic leader

tom sawyer says it may be more attractive to voters if the party chose a candidate outside of politics when you look at nationally what's happening people seem to outsiders are tired of politicians and somebody that's been in washington for twenty years doesn't sell that well right now so somebody who's never been in washington are never held any political office has been a businessman and has the background has a goodwill moon and not the ideal candidate right now solis says he already knows someone who would fit that description build talking before my son of kansas governor bob docking was a successful businessman and that get in the kansas city so i says not only is talking a political outsider he does carry an influential name in the state it was in other documents the intensity part stayed up to that point hands was one border state republicans controlled everything and the documents you know a lot of people out of democratic party so that there's a tremendous amount of good will out there for the good job that the blockade as governor of fiscal conservative that cared about average people in

an back on a goodwill store power it's also know how a new generation of voters would identify with a docking name it's been twenty years now since bob docking sat behind the kansas governor's desk senate democratic aide bob martin agrees the docking would be a good candidate but martin says talking is too busy dealing with his business interests to run for public office he recently declined and offered to run for the kansas senate and running for state senate would be infinitely easier than running for us senate professor burdett loomis says it appears the democrats are clutching at straws he says their failure to find a viable candidates is just another example of how the party is in danger of becoming irrelevant in kansas politics the democratic party it is close to being irrelevant not only in kansas politics in the short term but a national park look nationally democrats are simply standing by with the exception of bill clinton democratic party in the senate is decimated in the house who oppose morsi it's uncertain what

the kansas i don't think we're looking at something that that is exceptional on the other hand republicans have to finish this severe schism in the ranks between moderate republicans and very conservative republicans and they certainly and of the woods political analysts like martin holder say the schism developing within the republican party maybe the saving grace for democrats especially here in kansas where conservatives within the gop on making life deciding difficult for their moderate colleagues in the legislature as the divisions within the republican party become more apparent and moderates find themselves consistently with no friends and legislative leadership especially in the kansas house republicans would be friendly with democrats over the democrats' sit back and wait to see what they are it's happening in the republican you know they have to be very actively driving wedges every time a moderate republican has ever down by his conservative

republican party members in the house democrats need to hammer that you say you're another republican that the republican party that's in control of the kansas house of representatives has cut off hackers embarrassed has refused to deal seriously with every slight real and imagined ought to be pointed out by democrats that the democrats be doing that not very effectively that were coming under a campaign cycle when their interest and that ought to be greater house democratic leader tom sawyer agrees that the party could be capitalizing more on republican divisions but he refuses to believe the democratic party in kansas is sinking fast he says in the grand scheme of things democrats in the state are not faring too badly that was big in kansas history as a republican state democrats i said a powerful hold on every five years the history of the state we still vote for seats in the house and thirteen in the senate and of course kathleen sebelius atlanta last elections the first time a democrat's never been let insurers can assure the state and sally tompkins are the second democratic treasure in history the states so he have pluses and

minuses of good years and bad years ninety four was not a good year but the county's democratic party this building and i think you know we don't do a better job of representing marriage kansans and we did that again saut admits though those gains may be slow in coming particularly when it comes to electing more state legislators not even the most optimistic of democrats is predicting the party will take over control of the kansas house or senate in next year's elections as the taking us senate seat well no democrat has managed to do that since nineteen thirty two at the state house this is mccain's reporting farms two thousand acres a small town in reno about an hour's drive northwest of wichita these affected generation farmer is attractive land has been healing family since eighteen seventy three but last spring healing was worried that long tradition would come to an end as we can from washington that

congress was pulling the light on its ten billion dollar a year farm subsidy program a program which has provided a safety net for american farmers more than sixty years with the support of subsidies were at the point where we're at a break even or are losing money if we don't have a good crop every year now and when they take those prices away from us or take those subsidies away and i think you're going to see a lot of farmers go out of business probably two to five years and are pro be out of business elaine farms twelve hundred acres of wheat and another eight hundred acres and other crops and his human toil in the fields his net income is twenty five thousand dollars a year with half of that coming from federal farm subsidies professor barry football and agricultural economist at case state university says yearlings financial situation because the vast majority of kansas farmers we have about twenty six hundred farm families in this state on a record keeping system that is universally they're not returned

in nineteen ninety four was about twenty eight thousand dollars and twenty eight thousand dollars they made a million dollars and that's not that are paid out of aleppo aleppo means french waltzes the idea that farmers a living the highlight for taxpayer's expense is just one of the myths that is driving efforts to curb farm subsidies in washington but french forces direct aid to farmers has been cut substantially over the years if you go back to nineteen eighty six that's the year we spent the most out of the federal treasury owned farm as one six billion we're now down to roughly ten billion that is an enormous cost kansas congressman pat roberts who is chair of the house agriculture committee says about the government programs had been kept at the same rate farm subsidies have been over the last decade there wouldn't be a federal deficit i mean we had done

that's largely to presidential politics and lobbying efforts made by roberts and other rural members of congress republican leaders have now step back from their original rhetoric which call for the total elimination of farm subsidies and now advocating harding aid to farmers over the next seven years instead in financial terms it represents the difference between sixteen billion dollars in cuts and eight billion dollars in cuts at a state university there's a fringe gault says the kansas farmers that may mean the difference between surviving on the farm and selling off the family business then a billion is livable there is a distinct possibility we could handle that to help wean farmers off government subsidies at a cushion that transition to a free market system kansas congressman pat roberts is pushing what he calls the freedom to fight the bill which is now at the center of the farm debate in washington basically guarantees farmers an annual government check which would decline gradually over seven years it would get that

direct payments no matter what crops they planted a no matter how high crop prices go it would and this is a local farmers to plant crops that make the most sense for the market instead of crops that will have the biggest government payment as is the case and the current system besides giving farmers more flexibility to grow crops of their own choosing roberts is proposing cutting back on regulations affecting farmers are making changes to the tax code to provide them with additional financial relief i know what to believe there's agreement on capitol hill that farmers do need to depend more on markets and less on government but at a state university ag economist barry flinch isn't convinced that american farmers will be able to survive in a free marketplace it's not about the free market that the farmers are rare in the free market an end farmers

efficient farmers protecting farmers certainly have cracked of surviving in the free market without these go for it but is the government level that the market beef or are they going to let the american farmer export to china regardless of what china's human rights policies regardless of who the new leader of china has regardless whether giant jumps in bed with north korean help some develop nuclear weapons are using agriculture as a foreign policy tool i want the answer to that question and answer is no and as long as that answer is no i would argue that the american farmer has to have a safety net scott van allen who runs fifteen hundred acres of farmland in northern summit county also has concerns with a free market approach the un says it could work well for farmers who have the ability to retain their crops in line with market trends but he argues it could be damaging for farmers who are restricted in the kinds of crops they can grow van hollen says he's been locked into wheat farming on his land because of the unique saul on climactic

conditions in his part of the state if there were other parts that were sampled for this country we bigger and now other crops just don't consume as gently reduce the income that we need to stay in business pleasing the wide variety of american farmers is one of the major challenges facing members of congress as they tried to fashion a new farm bill what works for kansas wheat farmers may not work for mississippi cotton growers or georgia peanut farmers the debate gets further complicated by a complex vocabulary that involves everything from target prices to encourage set asides but ok state university of the french waltzes would be a mistake to ignore the current debate in washington as a personal battle between farmers and government he says what's happening in these negotiations could have major ramifications for all americans if nothing else to higher prices at the grocery store it's got causes x dollars to produce this nation's food supply whether we have

the reforms are not the cost to production is not that anyone else i am is paying ten billion a year towards the cost of production that means the consumer base that's looking at tents and selected for the victims of terrorism well in various commodity back a month and it isn't just those commodities that get a direct subsidy like to eat the grains and continents that beef cattle and poker involves eating right and when the government help paying the cost of production of those ingredients it has a rippling effect in the livestock it we could be faced with a fairly dramatic jump in prices and the american public gets excited pretty fast with wooden porch negotiations on the new us farm bill are still in their infancy and is expected to be seven time yet before any reform measures are written to lowe spokesman for agriculture secretary dan glickman says political posturing by some members of

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