The Platte County
Pachyderm Club
an official RNC organization
Boardwalk Square
PO Box 901935
Kansas City, MO 64190

First Thursday's Topic and Issues
"Building from a civil dialog."

First Thursday, Sept. 4th , features:
Republican Leadership Council Director
Visits Pachyderms

The regular First Thursday meeting becomes an opportunity for Platte County residents, Republicans, and guests to get acquainted with the Missouri Republican Leadership Council RLC Executive Director, Ms. Deanna Ladd. Ms. Ladd will give a general overview of the RLC and take questions from the floor about the Leadership Council. In order to cover various areas of interest, an audience Q&A will be part of her presentation.

First Thursday, Oct. 2nd, brings
radio talk show host: Chris Stigall of 710, KCMO,
" Media Bias in Reporting".
The Center for Media and Public Affairs released a study concerning late night comedy. The study reveled that broadcast gags focised on Obama 169 jokes compared with 328 McCain jokes. ( KC Star, 08/26.)

A FREE-BEE!
First Thursday, December 4th is the Pachyderm's Holiday Social. Our Club members get in free! ( It's not a fund raiser, but a get-together.) And live music, too

An inclusive Republican Club where meetings are open: residents and media are invited.

Find Presidential Candidates Information Page

Past Presenters & Forum Issues/Topic

Ralph Shakleford, World War II veteran:
'"Honoring American Veterans & sharing personal history about W.W.II.
State Senator Chris Koster, member of the governor's task force on Stem Cell Research.
State Senator Charlie Shields, member of the governor's Medicaid Reform tasks force and State Legislator of the Year.
Spencer Thompson, member of governor's task force on Eminent Domain.
Former Lt. Gov. and former Pachyderm President Bill Phelps resented the subject of the "Fair Tax - a National Sales Tax to Replace All Income Taxes".
Scott McRuer, C.P.A., from Parkville, "The Hidden Taxes We Pay";...scary and maddening information impacting all citizens. as Taxation Issue #2.
Gary L. Hacker, International Police Trainer, reported concerning training Iraqi police, and their achievements in Baghdad.
Senator LuAnn Ridgeway presented pending legislation concerning Educational Scholarships for Missouri's under achieving school children.
Senator John Loudon addressed The new Missouri Sexual Predator Legislation. The Senator brought together three major laws enacted for protecting our youth.
Book Review and Signing: The Peopleâ€™s MachineArnold Schwarzenegger and the Rise of Blockbuster Democracy,
a new book from Public Affairs Publisher

by Joe Mathews, LA Times Reporter.
Newly Elected County Commission, Betty Knight, presented the "State of Platte County", where consistent progress, high national rankings & surplus monies are the norm.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY for AMERICA. Nationality recognized authority, Mark Stansbury, will provide area residents to look at various methods the U.S. can reduce America's dependency on fossil fuels.
Council Woman, Bonnie Sue Cooper, shared her experiences as she served in elected offices.
Property Re-Assessment. Specific taxation issues were presented by elected officials-Lisa Pope, Platte County Assessor, Dr Paul Kelly, Asst. Sup., Park Hill School District, Mike Maasen, Platte County Board of Equalization.
"Hospice 101: The Facts and Myths" . Ms. Rainey is a Community Education Representative with Odyssey HealthCare . She will speak mostly about hospice as well as Odyssey, which is a national company with 83 locations around the country and locally have offices in Kansas City and Kearney, MO.
The "Castle Doctrine", most recent changes in Missouri's Right to Defend Law. Senator LuAnn Ridgeway (R-Clay) three major changes pertaining to personal property owner rights.
Matt Roney, District Director for U.S. Senator Kit Bond, will speak on the topic -"Federal Immigration Reform - What Works, What Doesn't ".
Veterans Day Salute, A "Professional Patriot": LTC Marty Leners, Chief of Operations for the Center for Army Lessons Learned, will focus on FT Leavenworth, its missions in support of the war, and impact on Platte County
Inside State Republican Politics with: Speaker of The House of Representative, Rod Jetton, presenting, Preview of the 2008 Legislative Session. Prior to his speaking, Speaker Jetton will install the 2008 Pachyderm Club officers.
Inside Sate Republican Politics with: Senator Charlie Shields presenting a "Preview Up Coming 2008 Senate Legislative Session ". The Senator reviewed Governor Blunt’s 2008 budget proposals.
So you want to be a delegate? Mika Schrimpf from MOGOP. presented the unique opportunity how to attend the National Republican convention, schedule for September 1 thru9 in St. Paul/ Minneapolis, MN, as an official delegate &present sequential steps to be a qualified delegate.
" A Moratorium on the Death Penalty" Sean O'Brien, UMKC Associate Professor Law School professor, addressed the " Moratorium on the Death Penalty " constitutional amendment.
Kansas City Mayor Funkhouser and Northland Councilman Russ Johnson presented Kansas City's future development in Platte County. Plus, "Q & A" was allowed for residents to make personal inquires.
Presiding County Commissioner, Betty Knight, gave members an over view of the Platte County Plan.
Both Republican gubernatorial candidates spoke to nearly 100 people on July 3rd. Then, the Platte County Pachyderm Club sponsored the first ever face-to-face debate between 2 Republicans seeking the 1st district commissioner's office. After Sarah Steelman and Kenny Hulshof spoke, Kathy Dusenbery and Jeff Jones debates specific questions on Platte County issues.
The middle East issue was center of attention with Sgt. Gary Hacker presenter. Sgt. Hacker gave first hand information about what actually is occurring in training local police and security forces. Club members and citizens can learn for themselves about recent conditions in the area from one of the men in charge of training Iraqi police and Palestinian police.

by Joe Mathews, LA Times Reporter.