http://www.thewesterntimes.com/pages/1343601.pdf

In Congress, I will….

1. Prioritize that farm and ranch commodities produced in Kansas can no longer be imported from other parts of the world at the expense of American agriculture.
2. Protect the Second Amendment without reservation.
3. Promote an environment conducive to job creation and rural population growth.
4. Promote veterans’ rights for health care and economic security.
5. Seek tax reform by an across the board reduction of federal taxes.
6. Advocate health care availability and affordability for all Kansans.
7. Support term limits for all elected federal offices.
8. Advocate for reduced federal intervention as intended through states’ rights guarantees found in the 10^th Amendment and Article IV of the U.S. Constitution.

Sue Boldra

U.S. Congressional Candidate

http://stateofthestateks.com/2010/02/22/tea-party-activists-vet-candidates-at-winter-rally/

It has been called the most devastating single piece of legislation passed by the House of Representatives for over 50 years. And now, with the backdrop of “Climategate” and the realization that much of the “global warming” or “climate change” research has been faulty at best, and perhaps even criminal in its intent, this 1,428 page legislation should be discarded.  But as I read and research more, some believe that the regulatory power of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) can implement many of these proposed policies without Congressional approval or oversight!!!

This bill was passed by the House of Representatives on June 26, 2009 by a vote of 219 to 212.  If you remember, a several hundred page amendment was attached to it in the wee hours of the morning prior to the House vote.  Many members of Congress had not read it in its entirety.   But Speaker Pelosi called for the vote, and vote they did!

President Obama recently returned from Copenhagen for the United Nations climate conference where his administration pitched the Cap and Trade bill to the world and offered millions of U.S. dollars to underdeveloped countries to encourage clean energy development. The source of the funding for these identified nations has not been disclosed!  India and China will continue to build coal fired plants (at the rate of more than one per week in China – 72 last year alone) with limited “clean” mechanisms.

There are five sections to this bill.

Title I – Clean Energy includes a renewable energy standard, regulations for carbon capture and sequestration, performance standards for coal-fired power plants, transportation fuels and electric cars.

Title II – Energy Efficiency would mandate a national building code and energy efficiency standards for buildings, appliances, transportation, and industry.

Title III – Reducing Global Warming Pollution focuses on a national cap-and-trade scheme where carbon credits are traded internationally with the intent of reducing Green House Gas emissions – thereby raising the cost of energy for everyone, including the price of all goods manufactured and transported.

Title IV – Transitioning to a Clean Energy Economy discusses how the federal government will be “rewarding” and “protecting” those most affected by the new rules – it sounds like another tax to me!

Title V – Offsets from Domestic Forestry and Agriculture which will establish regulations and requirements for farming practices across the nation, including green house gas emissions, sequestration, and “international land use changes!”

This brief will discuss #2 and its impact on the construction and housing industries.  A similar brief will address #5, forestry and agriculture.

Subtitle A – “Building Energy Efficiency Program” and Subtitle B- “Lighting and Appliance Energy Efficiency Programs” are the most disturbing for anyone who builds residential or commercial buildings or anyone involved in the housing market.

1. This bill contains 397 new regulations for this industry.
2. National energy efficiency building codes will be established that supersede any state or local regulations.
3. The Secretary of Energy will be responsible for establishing these codes and for the enforcement of them.
4. States must meet or exceed these codes in order to receive any federal funding for local projects, low-cost housing projects, any cost-share initiatives.
5. Upon passage of this law, the Secretary of Energy will establish the “base line” code  -
   1. For residential buildings, the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC)
   2. For commercial building, the code published in ASHRAE Standard 90-1-2004
   3. Each national energy efficiency building code established by the Secretary will be set at the maximum level that the Secretary determines is “life cycle cost-justified and technically feasible.”  (The Secretary can also lower the standards, but I think that would be highly unlikely!)
   4. Immediately after passage, all new construction must meet an increased 30% energy efficiency rating.  By Jan. 2014 (residential), 2015 for commercial, all new construction must meet a 50% reduction in energy use.  Effective 2016, 2017 for commercial, and every three years after, until 2030, an additional 5% reduction in energy use will be mandated.  That computes to an almost 70% reduction in 20 years!
   5. Homes for sale would have to undergo an environmental inspection.  The “state” will be empowered to inspect your home and require environmental upgrades to efficiency standards if you want to sell your house, renovate your house, or change the name of the person responsible for any utility bill.  (You won’t even be able to give it away!)
      1. Home prices will go down
      2. Closing home sales will be much more difficult
      3. Expenses for sellers will increase dramatically
      4. Manufactured homes would have to meet Energy Star qualifications.  Manufactured homes constructed prior to 1976 would have to be replaced.  (With a government provided rebate, everyone will get a new home! – We know that won’t happen, and if it does, you know who will pay for it.)

10. Section 205 discusses the tree planting programs.  The government will help you choose the trees and shrubs that you should plant and where they should be placed for best energy efficiency.  That, of course, would depend on the terrain and the climate.  Local government agencies will also be encouraged to “suggest” and enforce vegetation types and locations.

11. Installation of solar energy systems will be protected.  No ordinances, zoning codes, or covenants can prohibit or restrict them.

12. All applications of lighting are subject to standards.  The only exceptions are those used for emergencies, swimming pools and water features, holiday lighting, and candelabra. (The bill will be the death knell for all incandescent lighting and plasma screen television sets.)

13. All appliances in the residential setting must be approved by the Secretary of Energy, from the heating and air conditioning units, the major appliances, all the way down to the water dispensers, the hot food holding cabinets, and the portable electric spa! This would eventually lead to the government control of the manufacturing of these items.  The government would pick the winners and losers – not the consumer.

14. The act also discusses HUD programs and rural housing (which, of course, will be regulated by the Secretary of Agriculture, who never lived on a farm!).

We must continue to watch this legislation as it continues to wind its way through committees and debate.  Let your legislators know how devastating this will be to your industry.  The Heritage Foundation estimates that job losses in the industry over the 2012 – 2035 timeline would affect us significantly:

• Construction – more than 1 million jobs lost
• Manufacturing – 400,00 jobs lost
• Transportation Equipment Sector – more than 78,000 jobs lost
• Machinery – mare than 81,000 jobs lost
• Paper, Plastics, and Rubber – more than 23,000 jobs lost
• Electrical Equipment and Appliances – 23,000 jobs lost

We are a strong nation and a strong-willed people.  If change is to be made, we must be the ones driving it.  A strong market-driven initiative will bring about the energy efficiencies that will be necessary. We all believe in preserving our environment! Producers and consumers can take the reins of capitalism and the free-market system and continue to drive the industry of the greatest nation in the world.  We are those “innovative Americans” that others from around the globe have heralded.  We must not rest!

If you have questions or comments, please contact me at sueboldra@gmail.com or through my website at www.sueboldra.com.

I welcome your support in investing in the future of Kansas.  It is only through common sense and a return to Constitutional principles that we can secure a conduit to liberty and a renewed vision of the American Dream.

Sue Boldra
Candidate for U.S. Congress
Kansas 1st district

http://stateofthestateks.com/2009/09/23/sue-bolda/

http://stateofthestateks.com/2009/11/16/sue-boldra-talks-cap-and-trade/

Roger Hrabe, Rooks County economic development director, began the meeting, introduced the dignitaries in the audience, and the presenters from ICG Aeolian Energy, LLC with offices in Washington, D.C., and the SWCA Environmental Consultant representatives, based in Denver, CO.

The turbines will be spread over approximately 2,000 acres of privately owned land and the project will be privately funded.  About 62 acres of land will be permanently developed, which includes the tower sites, roads and infrastructure necessary for the venture.

Through the use of a PowerPoint presentation, the ladies representing the environmental consulting group informed the audience of the results of their Environmental Impact Research.  No Lesser or Greater Prairie Chicken leks occupy this site, whooping cranes do not occur in this area, bats were studied, waterfowl, lake inhabitants, noise decibel levels, and possible paleontology finds were considered.  I found their study to be very thoughtful and thorough.

Questions asked by the audience were answered matter-of-factly and no one in attendance seemed to oppose the project.

Economic development possibilities for the area are numerous.  The community seems to be very progressive and forward-looking in this endeavor.

In the summer of 2008, I was part of a group that studied the wind park in Lincoln County.  We visited the park, talked to the park manager, visited the towers and enjoyed an engaging study of the possibilities and the challenges of wind power for Kansas.  I am a true fan of this emerging form of energy production, however, well aware of the current shortcomings.

Congratulations to Rooks County – a community anxious to go forward.

As I traveled west on I-70, I was surprised to see traces of the snowfall that delivered between 6 and 8 inches of white, fluffy moisture the previous weekend.  The lingering patches reminded me of the quickly approaching holiday season (for which I am not prepared).

I arrived in Colby a little early so I checked out the shopping area that originally housed an outlet mall. Most of the storefronts have been matched with new businesses and owners, and “business as usual” described the bustle – even though a Bobcat was still removing mounds of snow from storefronts that faced north.  I enjoyed visiting the shoe store and the antique mall, two of my favorite passions.

The national honor society ceremony was continuing validation that rural schools in Kansas work! The new inductees were honored that evening, a beautiful flute duet of “When You Wish upon a Star” performed by Barbara Bickner and Heather Griggs and a rendition of  “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” was sung by Claire Johnson and accompanied by Chase McNinch.              .

My remarks congratulated the membership and reminded them of the 4 pillars of the organization -scholarship, leadership, service, and character – and finally reminded them of their roots in rural Kansas and implored them to consider returning home to live their lives.  I implored, “Don’t forget the value of your rural routes.  Technology has made it possible for many occupations and careers to be completed in areas that at one time seemed remote.  Come back to us.   Go test your wings, continue your educational aspirations, but strongly consider returning home with your scholarship, your service, your leadership, and your character.  Kansas needs you!

“One is not born into the world to do everything but to do something,” observed Henry David Thoreau, poet, writer,  and philosopher.

Find a way to do something here! ”

Thank you so much for the invitation.  As a teacher for 38 years, I know the quality of the students and the educational system that we enjoy.  Kansas ranks in the top ten states in every national standardized assessment and usually in the top three.  We do it very well, even though the “cultural centers” of the nation are usually quite some distance to travel. Rural America works and education is the engine that drives her.

A copy of my remarks follows.

Administrators, Educators, School Board Members, other School Personnel, parents, friends, and you the 2009 inductees into the Colby Chapter of the National Honor Society.

I want to thank Ms. Jones, Kalen Rasmussen, and Mr. Nichols for extending this warm invitation to visit with you this evening.

What an honor it is to be present at this auspicious event.  Before me sit the students who are among the best and brightest that Kansas has to offer.  Schools all over the nation celebrate their finest with ceremonies much like this.

As for the parents, I know how filled with pride you are right now. I, too, was blessed with 4 children honored in similar celebrations.

But, along with this honor, goes much responsibility.  Let’s review the 4 Qualities of Membership in this august association.

Scholarship means a commitment to learning.  In your generation, the venues of scholarship are more varied than ever before.

You don’t just read, your search for knowledge and social networking has gone beyond the textbook, the print media, even television.  You are getting your news from the Internet, through emails, ipods, iphones, ichats, YouTube, texting, tweeting, Skyping.

In fact, we don’t even know how to categorize you yet.  The Z Generation (following X and Y, obviously) was quickly substituted with Generation Next, The Internet Generation, Net Generation or, my person favorite, the iGeneration (I’m part of the Baby Boom generation following WWII and Korea, which, of course, is still better than the Lost Generation )

You have an amazing ability to multi-task. You don’t just read and research, you do it at the same time you are texting, responding to your mother’s pleas, and listening to music, with 3 or more Internet sites open at the bottom of the screen.

Your abilities are a wonderful example of unharnessed energy.  You are the leaders of tomorrow.  Keep up the search for truth.  Continue to reap the rewards of learning.  My father, who strongly believed in education, always espoused that it was the one thing no one could ever take away from you.  Value it and continue to seek it.

Service to others is the payment you make for your space here on earth. Mohammed Ali

Service is an important component in a republic.  The founding fathers, borrowing the term from the Greek and Roman city-states, called it classical republicanism – civic participation was the responsibility of every citizen. In fact, idiote was the term given to someone who did not vote, did not realize the responsibility of citizenship.  Placing the public good above private interest is the cornerstone of a community. In order for all of us to prosper, we must all look out for our fellow man. Don’t forget that your many talents were not a result of any good deeds that you may have done. But because you were freely given the gift of intellect, of acumen, you must use it to the betterment of mankind. You must not waste it.  Not everyone was awarded the same measurement of intellect. Use your talents to help others and give of yourself willingly and without the expectation of reward. Earn your success based on service to others, not at the expense of others.

We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give.
Winston Churchill

Leadership – The price of leadership is sacrifice.  You must be willing to relinquish your personal interests for the good of the whole.  The leader is the one who leads the charge, but gives the accolades to everyone else.  We do not go through this life alone.  Many people will come to depend on you.  Live up to the promise that  leaders instill in their followers a hope for success and a belief in themselves. Positive leaders empower people to accomplish their goals.

Character is difficult to define.  It is the inner strength and drive that you have to stay true to your principles.  It is a measure of your moral fiber. Character is doing the right thing when nobody is looking.  It is being honorable, sincere, and reliable.  This is not a gift freely given, this one you have to work for, it must be achieved – and sometimes at great expense.

My mother used to post quotes on the refrigerator.  She wouldn’t explain them, she just posted them innocuously and waited for her 4 daughters to notice them. This was a common activity all the while we were growing up.  We were at the farm where I was raised, that my husband and I now own, this past weekend.  The house is kept up for our visits to the farm to mow, check the fields, and play and for our son who visits often with his daughter to hunt or fish, or ride the 4-wheelers, or target shoot.  I hadn’t noticed those bits of wisdom, still on the refrigerator, until Sunday.  They are still there.  Two that I always thought were the most poignant, perhaps because they tore at my conscience, read:

“Do not become broad-minded by stretching your conscience” and “Reputation is precious, but character is priceless.”

Food for thought, of course.

I think that I have probably worn out my welcome.  I want to thank you again for allowing me to share this time with you.

Remember, much will be asked of you, much will be expected of you. Stay true to yourself.  Be mindful that no matter what career path you take, what challenges you are required to overcome, you are the master of your destiny.

And I would speculate that the majority of you will remain citizens of the United States and, hopefully, residents of Kansas.  Don’t forget the value of your rural routes.  Technology has made it possible for many occupations and careers to be completed in areas that at one time seemed remote.  Come back to us.   Go test your wings, continue your educational aspirations, but strongly consider returning home with your scholarship, your service, your leadership, and your character.  Kansas needs you!

One is not born into the world to do everything but to do something.
Henry David Thoreau, poet, writer, philosopher

Find a way to do something here!

Thank you.

Shirts and caps with the annual logo are sold, door prizes donated by local and area merchants are given away, raffle tickets for shotguns, a quilt, a Traeger grill, and other items were available and an auction was held.

Proceeds from the event, sponsored by local merchants and businesses, are awarded to local organizations that rely on charitable support in SW Kansas communities and to Pheasant Heaven Charities scholarships.

The timing is perfect: the night before the opening day of pheasant season, when the local motels and rentals are over-booked with hopeful hunters and hounds.  As we drove the highway from Dodge City to Hugoton, the “No Vacancy” signs flashed their condolences to would-be guests.

Residents from near-by communities “save the date” for this now annual event.  Hunters and their entourage from Colorado, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana also make plans to come in early, spend the evening with good food, jovial conversation, and shared story telling – all to benefit worthy causes in the southwest corner of the state.

The color guard presented the national and state colors, “The Star Spangled Banner” was sung, veterans were recognized, and the entire event was accomplished without a hitch.

What a wonderful display of community and American patriotism – the authentic passion of rural America!

Postscript – It was a beautiful autumnal day for a drive across the western corner of the Big First district.  We watched combines and harvest equipment crawl through the fields as many farmers are still trying to get the fall crops in.  Mountains of corn and milo, “stored” on the ground at every elevator along the route, served as testament of a bountiful late fall harvest.  The beautiful hues of gold, red, and brown, evidence of the variety of seeds planted, in the mounds of milo were reminiscent of the sand sculptures we created in glass jars as students, and served as concrete evidence of Nature’s artistry. We certainly live in “America the Beautiful!”

Saturday the gusts of wind and overcast skies kept the light of heart from venturing out, but about 500 people bundled on the stands to watch the exhibition trick shooter ply his trade.  The young archer is quite adept at shooting clay targets with a bow, a video that played in the store through most of the two days, attested to his skill and agility.  However, the wind gusts played havoc with the clay birds and a disappointed young man vowed to return the following day for another attempt.

On Sunday, reduced wind speeds and clearing skies promised a much better day for the shooting exhibitions.  But as the morning progressed, a light drizzle began to fall that continued throughout the day and into the evening.  Tim Bradley, the exhibition shooter, performed his show for a smaller crowd, but amazed and entertained them, none the less, with his precision shooting that included scrambled eggs, and tossed salad!  The young archer fared much better, but it is hard to maintain the precision required when the bundled crowd is anxious for the finale and the rain continues to fall.

We had a good time, we met many constituents dedicated to the promise of the Second Amendment and the guaranteed individual right to own a firearm – an American tradition, constantly under attack, that must be protected. None of the other rights, outlined in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights,  are secure without the vital Second Amendment.

Smoky Valley Shooting Sports will be the host of the 2010 Kansas State Sporting Clays Association State Championship June 24 – 27.

You can check out SVSS on the web at www.smokyvalleyshootingsports.com

The weather was cool and brisk, but not nearly so frigid as the weekend prior at the Svensk Hyllningsfest in Lindsborg, another community approximately the same distance to the west of Roxbury.  When I was a junior in high school, the Roxbury school district unified with Lindsborg, so my entire class, sans me, attended the Smoky Valley schools.  I lived south of Roxbury, and traveled to Canton for my senior year.

We arrived early afternoon on Saturday and walked the main street to view exhibitors and booths set up for the festivities. We stopped by the TEA Party exhibit and visited about the current state of national politics, checked out the local sporting goods establishment, and visited with people along the way.

As time grew nearer for the parade to begin, we found our way back to the old, vacant school building and grounds where we waited in line. (Gypsum went through the consolidation process several years after Roxbury succumbed to the state mandate.  A beautiful new building was erected west of Gypsum and, through consolidation with Assaria, Kip, and others, was renamed Southeast of Saline.)  Carl unloaded the TRIZZARD, the 3-wheel recumbent manufactured by RANS, Inc. of Hays, that has become his mode of transportation at these parades.  He has a great time wheeling around and through the parade entries, handing out candy, and engaging in “high-five” socializing with the younger crowd anxiously lining the street.

As we awaited the “green light”, I visited with Bill Mondt, one of my Secondary School Students from Assaria, who drove a vehicle pulling a trailer full of pre-schoolers from the Little Tykes Learning Center, just as he had done the previous weekend in Lindsborg.  Chris, a friend of our son Brandon, was also nestled among young children on another trailer adorned with pumpkins and straw bales.  The three gentlemen, Eric Faubion, Lance and William Miller, in the “jacked up” American made automobile, right in front of us, offered to place my “Sue Boldra for Congress” signs on their vehicle and do a little extra advertising.  (See picture)  They also offered to do it again next year.  We will have to remind them of their solemn vow!

Good times, warm people, great American tradition!