After a week’s wailing and rending of garments, we’re going to find out whether Republicans can make a big enough deal out of the four line-item vetoes Gov. Laura Kelly inflicted on their third try at passing a budget to give them what they can call a political win.

Kelly’s vetoes last week are relatively low-dollar, and there’s not a lot of outcry from anyone affected by them except for legislative Republican leaders. Democrats have been largely silent on the line-item vetoes which are worth a total of about $54 million from the multibillion-dollar budget.

Only significant spending cut accomplished with a ballpoint pen is $51 million in accelerated repayment of money borrowed in earlier (Republican Govs. Sam Brownback/Jeff Colyer) era from the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System (KPERS).

That $51 million? It would be atop a $115 million pay-back to KPERS that lawmakers and the governor made earlier this year which most state retirees are still celebrating.

The objection to that KPERS veto? Mostly formulaic, with Republicans generally saying that Kelly is punishing the retirees, that she plans massive “grow the government” spending increases in the next years—you rarely go politically wrong by tossing money at KPERS.

For Democrats, well they are relatively quiet on their Democrat governor’s KPERS veto, mostly citing that earlier $115 million and the need for the state to hold down spending so that there is less need for tax increases in future years.

All stuff we’ve heard before from both parties. No adrenaline rush here…

The whittled-down income tax bill that Kelly vetoed? So far, hall talk puts override success as unlikely, but that’s the biggie for Republicans. Win that one, and few will notice the budget bill’s line-item vetoes. But if the GOP can’t beat Kelly on taxes, then it’s time to talk about KPERS, and those other, smaller cuts she carved into the Legislature’s budget.

And who is going to be politically excited by overriding a $705,000 cut from a Board of Pharmacy program, or $1.8 million from the Department for Aging and Disability Services or $1.2 million for Department of Education for a reading research program? Oh, they are all probably nice programs, but the majority of Kansans have never heard about them. Angering voters about those line-item vetoes would take longer than most politicians want to spend on the effort.

At this point, just a year away from the House and Senate standing for reelection, it might be politically valuable for conservative lawmakers to scratch up the paint on Kelly’s official state SUV…just to show that they’re still in the game.

It’s all about Medicaid expansion that Kelly lost this session by a handful of votes and clever parliamentary maneuvering in the Senate, and the possibility that the tax bill she vetoed might be overridden and become law.

If it comes down to a scrap over the line-item vetoes, we’ll know that the politics of the session remain up in the air. For Kelly, win on taxes, lose on Medicaid expansion. For the GOP legislature, lose on taxes, win on Medicaid expansion…or so it seems. The Medicaid battle is mostly GOP leadership with thin margins that Kelly hopes to overcome this summer.

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Chances look good that nobody’s going to claim a real victory this session. Not the new governor, not the still-Republican (but moderating) legislature, and probably not Kansans.

Hard to consider this session just a warm-up for the real fight ahead, but at least that will make the upcoming 2020 session worth watching…

Syndicated by Hawver News Company LLC of Topeka; Martin Hawver is publisher of Hawver’s Capitol Report—to learn more about this nonpartisan statewide political news service, visit the website at www.hawvernews.com

Having gotten a whole summer’s worth of rain in 3 weeks, Kansas reservoirs and lakes are swollen and campgrounds and boat ramps are completely submerged, meaning camping, boating and for the most part fishing too are out of the question. I was reminded this week of an interesting fishing trip to a local reservoir years ago after several inches of rain.

Our boat pitched and heaved with each “white cap” that rolled under the hull, and Marion Reservoir was littered with floating debris, remnants of the nearly 4 inches of rain just days before. We usually fished there by drifting over shallow water outside French Creek cove, using night crawlers on jigs as bait.

Suddenly my wife hauled back hard on her rod, and uttered those 3 little words every fisherman longs to hear, “I’ve got one!” She worked the fish perfectly, gaining line with each crank of the reel. As I reached for the net, the monster showed itself for the first time, and I slumped horrified into the nearest seat. It was a dreaded “stick” fish, (not to be confused with a “fish stick”) and a big one! She wrestled the 4 foot long monster next to the boat, where I gingerly removed the hook. I hated to release him to haunt another fisherman, but we had no room for him in the boat. (I’m sure it was a “him” because of certain protruding anatomical features) My wife and I stared blankly at each other, numbed by the encounter.

I’m as certain as I can be that everyone who has ever fished has had an encounter like the scene I just described, but how many of us know anything about these prehistoric creatures. Their life cycle is strange and secretive to say the least. They are born in many different forms, from “helicopter” like seeds to long bean pods. The most prevalent species found in Kansas waters are the cottonwood variety, which begin life as fluffy white seeds.

Whether blown by the wind or floating on the water, the seeds of all species eventually reach a spot of dry ground, where they burrow into the soil and soon emerge as tiny seedling-like beings. Here they spend the first part of their life cycle, which determines how large they will be. The 4 foot specimen we encountered is actually small in the stick fish world, and was probably 20 to 25 years old. I have caught brief glimpses of these monsters several times the size of our catch, which must have been over 100 years old.

Eventually, whether by storm, wind or rain, the beasts are toppled into the water where the final part of their life’s journey begins. Now they float aimlessly around their chosen lake or river, like cast-out souls searching for fulfillment. On land, they had adapted to feed on nutrients from the soil. Now in their watery world, they become opportunists, often gathering into great, twisted masses on the lake or river bottom, and feeding mostly on fishermen’s bait.

During long, hot summers, when water levels dwindle, the brutes can rest for months in large tangled groups along back water shorelines. Storms and high water seem to bring them forth like night crawlers after a rain, and suddenly again they are everywhere. This is when most encounters seem to occur. When suddenly surprised by a lurking stick fish, give it plenty of space. They are usually docile, but can do considerable damage to fishing tackle or boats if run into or hooked.

I don’t mean to paint “stickies” as trash fish, because they do have some noteworthy uses. While resting in their large summer groups, they are excellent sun bathing decks for turtles, and make fine dry docks for herons and egrets. Beavers like to “borrow” them as temporary reinforcements for dams and lodges. The “cane” variety, a long, slender species, makes fine walking sticks if harvested and dried, and their tales can be formed into circular handles when fresh from the water and still pliable. Dead ones, if pulled ashore and dried in the sun, produce lots of BTU’s when burned for campfires and barbecues. The immense under water groups become choice fish habitat, and are prime “honey-holes” if found and fished over. But be forewarned, as this type of fishing does seem to provoke a large number of stick fish bites.

We escaped our stick fish encounter fairly unscathed; happy, yet awed at having been so close to such a prehistoric, secretive creature right here in the waters of central Kansas…Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors!

Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at [email protected]