Kathleen Sebelius

After all the promises President Obama made during the campaign about health care, the HHS post (Secretary of Health and Human Services) has got to be one of the most important. Well, what's not important these days? With the economy the way it is and foreign affairs, who could say those players are not important? But I feel the success or failure of Obama to keep his promises about health care for all, is crucial in our eventual judgment of his presidency.

It seems to me there couldn't be a better choice than Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius. I wouldn't be surprised if all that nonsense with Daschle was programmed into this choice. I often feel that the political "surprises" that suddenly alter careers in Washington are not surprises at all but elaborate theatrics for our benefit.

Concerning abortion, since she is Catholic, Sebelius has had to walk a difficult line with Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas. This is what Planned Parenthood has to say about her:

Sebelius has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood and they have conducted fundraising activity on her behalf. Sebelius vetoed abortion legislation in Kansas in 2003, 2005, 2006, and again in 2008.

In 2008, Sebelius vetoed House Substitute for Senate Bill 389, titled the Comprehensive Abortion Reform Act by its sponsors. Proponents of the bill claimed the legislation would strengthen late-term abortion laws and prevent “coerced abortions” particularly with respect to minors.

On Capital Punishment, About.com says the following: "Owing to her Catholicism, Sebelius is opposed to capital punishment." I didn't think the two were mutually exclusive, Catholicism and Capital Punishment, but I can certainly see how a serious Catholic person can conclude that the death penalty is wrong. Wikipedia reports the good news about Kansas.

No one has been executed by the state of Kansas since 1965, although capital punishment is legal there.

Her ideas on gun control are the epitome of common sense, it seems to me. The following is from On The Issues.

Sebelius has said she supports Kansans’ right to own firearms, but does not believe a broad concealed carry law would make them safer: “I don’t believe allowing people to carry concealed handguns into sporting events, shopping malls, grocery stores, or the workplace would be good public policy. And to me the likelihood of exposing children to loaded handguns in their parents’ purses, pockets and automobiles is simply unacceptable.”

Other than vetoing the concealed carry law, she's been responsible for no new restrictions, supposedly supports the 2nd Amendment and even signed a bill, which "repealed a 1933 state law prohibiting civilian ownership of machine guns and other firearms restricted by the National Firearms Act of 1934 provided that any prospective civilian owner successfully meets the requirements of the NFA. The law was passed in part to address legal issues that could have prevented dealers from delivering firearms to law enforcement agencies in Kansas."

Does all that make her a friend or a foe of the pro-gun movement? I think she betrayed her true feelings in that comment about the concealed carry law. They all say they support the 2nd Amendment, at least publicly, and the machine gun law may have been all about those complicated legal ramifications. What's your opinion on her gun stance?

In general what's your opinion of Kathleen Sebelius? Are her ideas about capital punishment and gun control completely outside the scope of her new job? She has also been praised for eliminating a $1.1 billion debt she inherited when she took office. Do these things influence her ability to do the job of Secretary of Health and Human Services?

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