"Yesterday, the office of Speaker of the Kansas House Mike O'Neal sent the following statement out to every secretary for every legislator as "suggested talking points" if angry/scared state employees call asking questions about Friday's payroll.

Generally, O'Neal said secretaries need to tell state employees to blame Governor Kathleen Sebelius and their union representative for the crisis they now face...but not the Republicans who caused it to happen. The statement reads, in part:

"I suggest you call her office at 785-296-3232 and tell her to stop playing politics with your paycheck.

If you are a member of the State Employee Union, contact Jane Carter at 785-354-1174 or by email at jcarter(at)afscme(dot)org and tell her that instead of trying to further the scare tactics being used she should encourage the governor to use her power, through allotments or through the signing of House Substitute for Substitute SB 23, to ensure that employees are paid on Friday.

Call the governor and tell her to stop playing games with their paychecks? They really have no shame, do they?

It isn't the Governor or Jane Carter with AFSCME who issued an ultimatum yesterday that could result in thousands of families placed in very serious financial stress. No, it wasn't Kathleen Sebelius or the union who did that at all- it was the Republican leadership of the House and Senate that did that.

To tell members of the union to call their representative and encourage her to ask the governor to change direction is ridiculous- the crisis was caused by Republicans, and it is Republicans who need to change their tune. They simply cannot prevent payroll from being paid to state employees for any reason- period. Carter, along with every single state employee, need to tell O'Neal and the rest of the Republican Party to stop playing games with their paycheck- because this kind of politics is below even the Republican Party.

UPDATE: Members of the Republican Party, in the House at least (Rep. Brenda Landwehr, at least), are using the statement as produced by O'Neal's office as a form letter response to constituent e-mails concerning state employee pay.