JEFFERSON CITY | State Rep. Chuck Gatschenberger let constituents know how he really felt about federal health care legislation in a newsletter last week.

He used an eight-letter word that we're not allowed to use on a family friendly Web site like Prime Buzz.

The e-mail newsletter went out to constituents and was sent out on the House's internal e-mail list as well.

The all-caps synonym for certain farm refuse came in a discussion of House Concurrent Resolution 18 , which voiced opposition to federal health-care bills and passed the state House last month.

"Democrats claim that their health care bill would not add to the skyrocketing deficit, but they are not being straightforward about the costs," Gatschenberger, a St. Louis County Republican, wrote. "Washington liberals want to shift the costs to states like Missouri—forcing us to pay $450 million every year.  ($450 million figure according to State of Missouri estimates), this is B-------!

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri House members are considering a bill that could require voters to show a photo ID before casting a ballot but allow them to vote before Election Day.

 The House Elections Committee heard testimony Tuesday on a constitutional amendment that would allow future laws requiring photo IDs and permitting early voting periods. It also debated a Republican bill that sets up early voting.

 Lawmakers have debated early voting and photo ID requirements for the past several years. Generally, Democrats have touted early voting periods, and Republicans have called for a photo ID requirement.

Brrrrrrr. Let's warm things up with a heated discussion. Enjoy...

Another year in the Kansas Legislature, another debate about a tougher seat belt law. 

A Kansas Senate committee this morning reviewed a bill to crack down on motorists who don’t buckle up. Every year, it seems, a tougher seat belt law wins votes in the Senate only to die a tortured death in a multi-lawmaker pile-up in the House.

And yet the seat belt bill comes back.

Ed Klumpp, lobbyist for the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police, said it best: “Unlike people who don’t wear seatbelts, this issue seems to never die."

Cartoon: McCaskill and Skelton pulling right

Thornburgh leaves a legacy after 15 years as Kansas Secretary of State

Why Republicans don't want President Obama to succeed

Thoughts on the potential connection between health care costs and personal bankruptcies in Missouri, a variety of opinions on recent speeches by former Gov. Sarah Palin, and an attempt to put the current economic struggles of the United States in historical context. 

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. David Paterson is lashing back at what he calls an assault on his character that includes accusations about womanizing and drug use.

 The Democratic governor told The Associated Press on Monday that news media and New York politics have hit new lows. He says it won’t stop him from serving in office or seeking election to a full term in the fall.

 He cited a New York Post report that he was caught by state police in the mansion with a woman other than his wife as fabricated. He said the room in which he was reportedly caught doesn’t even exist.

Sen. Claire McCaskill at Friday's forumWASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Claire McCaskill accused Missouri officials of political dishonesty Monday for bashing big spending by Washington while using federal stimulus money to help balance the state budget.

 McCaskill didn’t call out anyone by name, but the Democratic senator generically targeted Republicans who control both the Missouri House and Senate.

 “Instead of anybody in the state saying thank you for helping us in this incredibly difficult time in the economy, they’re busy saying Washington is evil,” McCaskill said in an interview with The Associated Press. “Right now, they’re having it both ways — they’re railing against Washington spending and then they’re busy spending” the federal stimulus money.

Fun piece of Kansas political trivia: Of all the statewide officers elected in Kansas in 2006, only one - Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger - now remains in the job they were elected to do.

Recall:

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius - resigned in 2009 to become U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson - became governor when Sebelius left. Parkinson picked Troy Findley to be Lt. Governor.

Treasurer - Lynn Jenkins resigned in 2009 after winning a seat in Congress. Sebelius appointed former legislator Dennis McKinney.

Secretary of State - Ron Thornburgh announced today that he'll resign next week. Parkinson will pick his replacement. 

Attorney General - Paul Morrison resigned in the wake of scandal; Sebelius appointed Steve Six to fill out the term.

    The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce has issued a statement endorsing the 1 percent Kansas City earnings tax.

   A petition drive is under way that could lead to a citywide vote on repealing the levy.  The drive is sponsored by a group funded by St. Louis businessman Rex Sinquefield.

   The Chamber's statement:

   The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce believes that the City of Kansas City, Missouri's 1% earnings tax is essential for the livelihood of not just the City of Kansas City, but also the entire Kansas City metropolitan region. 

  Here's a version of the story.

Gov. Jay Nixon today named Maj. Ronald K. Replogle as the new superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Replogle (REPP-loh-gull), a 26-year veteran who rose through the ranks to become commander of the Highway Patrol’s Criminal Investigation Bureau, will become superintendent at the end of February following the retirement of Col. James F. Keathley.

“Ron Replogle is the right person for this position of great responsibility,” Gov. Nixon said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — By now, it is abundantly clear that Michelle Obama loves french fries.

 The first lady talks about this “guilty pleasure” all the time, trying to ward off any notion that she is a nutrition nanny even as she cajoles Americans to eat better.

 Now, her conversation with the public about the nation’s health and fitness is about to get a lot more pointed.

 After laying the groundwork for nearly a year, she launches a campaign on Tuesday against childhood obesity that she hopes will change the way millions of Americans eat, exercise, look and feel.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans gave a chilly reception Monday to President Barack Obama’s invitation to discuss health care in a bipartisan, televised setting later this month, part of the White House effort to revive the stalled legislation.

 The House and Senate GOP leaders said Obama and his fellow Democrats must shelve their long-debated health care bill, which was on the verge of becoming law until Republican Scott Brown won a special Senate election in Massachusetts last month. The White House says Obama has no plans to do so but is willing to hear Republicans’ ideas.

 Rep. Darrell Issa of California, the top Republican on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said Monday that the first question for Obama should be: “Did you lie about moving forward on malpractice reform?” He was alluding to the president’s earlier remarks about possibly curbing malpractice lawsuits, which is not included in the health bills passed separately by House and Senate Democrats in December.

   Snow and freezing temperatures have blanketed Washington, but the heat continues to rise in the spat between Missouri Sen. Kit Bond and the White House over the interrogation of the Christmas day bomber.

   President Obama’s top counterterrorism advisor raised the mercury Sunday by accusing Bond and other top Republicans of playing politics with national security.

   “Quite frankly, I'm tiring of politicians using national security issues such as terrorism as a political football,” said John Brennan, White House deputy national security advisor, on NBC’s Meet the Press.  “They are going out there, they're…unknowing of the facts, and they're making charges and allegations that are not anchored in reality.”

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina judge wants a security officer to accompany a former John Edwards aide as he goes to retrieve a sex tape of the two-time presidential candidate, increasing the court’s control of the disputed video.

 Superior Court Judge Abraham Penn Jones said in an order released Monday that the Orange County sheriff has appointed a security firm to help recover the video and other items. Former Edwards loyalist Andrew Young has said he has the original tape and copies stored in an Atlanta safety deposit box.

 “Mr. Young shall take the Officer with him into the vault to obtain the lock box,” the order reads. “The Officer is to secure all items contained in the lock box in bags as is customary for evidence collection.”

UPDATED: (With GOP response, below).

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   Rep. Ike Skelton met with The Star's Editorial Board Monday -- and defended his votes against the House health care reform package, for cap-and-trade legislation, and for both the stimulus package and the TARP bank bailout bill in the fall of 2008.

  "They were the right votes," Skelton said.

   The Democrat is expected to face one of the toughest challenges of his career from either Bill Stouffer or Vicky Hartzler.   Missouri's 4th District is pretty conservative, giving John McCain one of his largest margins in the state in 2008.

   Skelton said his longterm relationships with voters will help him in the district.  He's running for re-election, he said, because he still has things he wants to do.