Who needs ideas for columns when one has Mel Neufeld as Kansas Speaker of the House. Last year, Republicans elected one of the few legislators that could make one pine for the days of Doug Mays.

Under Neufeld's "leadership," the entire session has been held hostage by the coal issue. Although the governor has vetoed two bills already, and her veto has been kept from being overridden twice, guess what's holding up adjournment? You guessed it; a third coal bill, much like the two first bills. Gosh, I wonder what the governor will do with the third bill?

By the time you read this, the Legislature might be adjourned until Sine Die (I defined this term years ago. It's Latin for one last per diem/mileage check).

But the highlight of this year's session (for me, anyway) happened last week. Neufeld accused Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of blackmailing legislators with perks; rides on the gov's plane to KU games. Now, this is something the governor must take seriously, because if there is one thing Speaker Neufeld is an authority on, it's blackmailing a legislator.

Actually, he might have been convicted of the crime, if one of those activist judges he's always whining about wouldn't have given him a favorable ruling. Basically, the judge said he couldn't be charged because it happened while he was performing his legislative duties.

The irony of Neufeld pointing his blackmailing finger at the governor was too much for me to ignore. So, I fired off a few e-mails to Neufeld asking him if he didn't think this as funny as I. You won't believe this, but he didn't answer me.

No rumors to a new soap called, "As the Kansas Legislature Stalls," starring Speaker Neufeld and Senate President Steve Morris.

Just as the 2008 Kansas legislative session will end, so will the Democratic presidential primary. Trust me. Although, our state's lawmakers are hung up on a single issue, the national media is reporting on many issues during the presidential primary. This was pointed out by Norton Telegram's editor Tom Dreiling last week.

The media points out that Sen. Barack Obama doesn't wear a U.S. flag lapel pin (most of those questioning the senator's patriotism didn't either) and his lack of prowess at bowling. They point out Sen. Hillary Clinton slapping back a boilermaker in a Pennsylvania bar.

Who cares about this tripe?

We've got four-buck gas on the way. We've got a war in Iraq that is sucking this country dry. We've got 50 million Americans with no health coverage. We've got two people running for president that think giving us an 18-cent-a-gallon tax cut on a tank of gas is going help alleviate our misery index. "Oh, thank you so much Senators McCain and Clinton, now where am I going to spend my $1.80 this week? I know, I'll spend it on a half gallon of gas."

Don't look for the national media to get any better. There are still people that believe Fox News is fair and balanced.

Since we are talking politics, I guess we should include a local issue. If you read The Hays Daily News letters, you know it's all about wind. All day. Every day.

I support the one-year moratorium on the wind farm permit issue. I thought it was the law. Shouldn't we all be big boys and girls and play by the rules?

But I would like to take it one step further. I would support a one-year moratorium on letters to the editor concerning the wind farm issue.

I know I will most likely catch some guff on this. "Glenn, how can you be a Democrat and be against free speech." I'm not. What more can possibly be written on the subject of wind farms that hasn't already been written, refuted, re-written, re-refuted and on and on and on and, well, you get the picture?

That being said, I would like to suggest to the powers that be the following as an HDN poll:

Do you agree there should be a one year moratorium on letters to the editor concerning the wind farm?

A) Yes

B) No

C) What wind farm issue?

I like "C" better than the usual "don't care" answer.

What do you say, HDN runs the poll next week and if it comes out the way I think it will, the moratorium would begin May 18. What a special day that would be.

Glenn Staab, a lifelong Hays resident and former city commissioner, sells insurance and real estate and is the Democratic Party chairman for Ellis County. elcodemo@odsys.net