IRS Snooping Reaction: Hartzler Calls It “Thuggery” May 16, 2013

Western Missouri Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler criticized President Obama firing of acting IRS Director Steven Miller saying it is only part of the solution.
Hartzler, in a news release, said “the forced resignation of scapegoated IRA Acting Commissioner Steven Miller is not sufficient.”
“All individuals who were involved in this thuggery should be held to account,”, Hartzler said.
Suburban Kansas City Congressman, Rep. Kevin Yoder (Ks-3) called the IRS snooping “un-American”, in a speech on the House floor Wednesday (see previous post).
Missouri senator Roy Blunt has called for Miller to resign, if the charges proved to be true.
“I’ve repeatedly called for Steven Miller’s departure and I’m glad he finally stepped down. However, this is only a start. I’ll keep demanding that President Obama work with Congress to fully investigate the IRS scandal, restore transparency and accountability in the government, Blunt wrote in a release.

Video: Yoder Calls IRS Snooping “UnAmerican” May 15, 2013

Yoder Introduces Kelsey Smith Act to Get Cell Phone Records to Assist in Locating the Missing April 16, 2013

Johnson County Congressman Kevin Yoder introduced a bill Monday to require cell phone companies to release information in the case of missing persons or other emergencies.
Yoder calls the bill the Kelsey Smith Act. It is named for a Johnson County woman who was abducted and murdered in 2007.
It was four days between the time Ms. Smith was taken and the release of her cell phone location that led to the discovery of her body.
“The Kelsey Smith Act says that if it is an emergency situation, if there is the danger of loss of life, if there’s a situation where someone is in danger of serious bodily harm, then release the location information to law enforcement,” said Sen. Greg Smith. He is Kelsey’s father. He got involved in public life after the death of Kelsey.
Currently cell phone companies may release that information, but they are not required to do so.
“My hope with introducing the Kelsey Smith Act is that we can create a national standard for safety and ultimately prevent a rape, or kidnapping, or murder. We want to make it clear for law enforcement officials to do their job as quickly as possible in these rare instances to prevent horrible crimes from happening, while still protecting the privacy of all cell phone users,” stated Congressman Yoder.
The measure would require cell phone companies to assist law enforcement in locating a cell phone’s “ping”, immediately in the event of an emergency.
Eastern Kansas Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins also signed on as a co-sponsor.
Kansas Senators Pat Roberts and Jerry Moran also introduced a companion bill in the Senate.

Roberts Calls Squester Stand-off, “A Hell of a Way to Run a Railroad” February 19, 2013

Kansas Senator Pat Roberts expressed frustration and defiance over the federal sequester showdown during a town hall in Olathe Tuesday.
Roberts, Senate colleague Jerry Moran and Johnson County Congressman Kevin Yoder were at an hour long meeting in Olathe. Roberts opened the meeting by complaining about the looming sequester deadline.
Many federal programs face a total of $85 billion in automatic cuts a week this coming Friday. No deal to avoid it seems in sight.
Later, Roberts said the nation has no option but to get federal spending under control. Otherwise, he predicted the deficit could roar out if control. “$46 Trillion in 10 years!” Roberts shouted, “my God!”
He warned many Kansans could lose the federal programs they rely upon. He closed, however, by urging people not to give up.
“Let’s roll up our socks and sleeves and get the damn thing done,” he said. A number of the people at the meeting complained about how government works.
Sen. Moran told them he thinks too often politics trumps policy most of the time in Washington these days.
One person insisted President Obama had violated so many laws and abused the Constitution that he ought to be impeached.
Rep. Yoder shied away from that. He says the laws are in place. The problem is the President picks and chooses the laws he wants to follow.
A couple of people criticized Roberts and Moran for supporting tax policies that reward large oil companies that already make big profits.
Both men reminded the questioners the stock of oil companies are often held by middle class families or by Kansas institutions.

Yoder Apologizes for Skinny Dip in the Sea of Galilee August 20, 2012

KC Star:
U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder of Kansas apologized to his constituents Sunday night after a published report revealed the freshman lawmaker swam nude in the Sea of Galilee during a private fact-finding trip to the Mideast last August.
Politico reported the incident in a story on its website Sunday. The website said the FBI investigated the trip, which included other lawmakers and their spouses, as well as staff members.
“I feel incredibly remorseful that I have caused embarrassment to my constituents and I have caused folks who believe in me to be disappointed,” Yoder told The Star Sunday night.
“The gravity of the situation and the actions I’ve taken are not lost on me, and I feel certainly regret at what has occurred, and I just want to apologize to my constituents for a momentary lapse in judgment.”
It was not immediately clear what the FBI might have examined in relation to the trip. Yoder and his chief of staff, Travis Smith, said neither the Republican congressman nor any members of his staff had talked to the FBI.
But the revelation of the incident could prove embarrassing for Yoder. In its story, Politico said it was told privately that alcohol may have been involved in the incident, which took place the evening of Aug. 18, 2011. Smith said the congressman had wine at dinner but was not drunk.
Yoder, 36, admitted he dove into the sea “without a swimsuit.”
Christians consider the Sea of Galilee a holy site; it is where the Bible says Jesus walked on water.
“Part of the reason I made that decision at that moment was there was really nobody in the vicinity who could see me,” he said. “I dove in, hopped right back out, put my clothes on and, regardless, that was still not the behavior people expected out of their congressman.”
He said it was dark out with visibility limited to only a few feet, and said he was in the water for about 10 seconds before climbing out.
Politico said Yoder was the only person to remove all his clothes. His wife, Brooke, accompanied him on the trip, but she did not swim.

Read more here: http://midwestdemocracy.com/articles/yoder-apologizes-for-swimming-nude-in-sea-of-galilee/#storylink=cpy