The Capital Journal brings us news that millionaire Sam Brownback has been receiving farm subsidies.

Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan. Since 1995, Brownback received about $50,000 in sorghum, wheat and conservation subsidies for his farm in Linn County.

Brownback's father and brother have received a total of $605,000 over the same time.

Nice to see our tax dollars going to those that need it.

While other presidential candidates are spending every second meeting with potential voters, attending fundraisers and...oh, I don't know...campaigning - Sam Brownback has decided to take a little time for himself...

That's right, the candidate plans to do no campaigning, no fund-raising, no meeting with staff and no interviews for five-sevenths of a week, while he and his wife retreat to a family home in the Colorado Rockies.

"Sam really likes to hike, take picnics, look at the animals," said his wife, Mary Brownback...

Apparently Brownback is content with his third-place finish in an Iowa straw poll that didn't include three of the four Republican frontrunners.

This really isn't anything new for Brownback, who has been vacationing from his job as Kansas Senator for quite a while now. (For those keeping track - his current missed vote count is up to 123.)

One of the biggest factors in a child's success in school and in life is his or her health. If a child's family doesn't have the money to get access to health care, that child is likely to be less healthy and, as a result, less successful.That's why there's a bipartisan push in Washington to expand the initiative that provides children from low-income families with health coverage (it's known as HealthWave in Kansas.)Reps. Dennis Moore and Nancy Boyda both voted to increase the number of kids that are covered. Jerry Moran and Todd Tiahrt told the kids "no," as did Sam Brownback who actually managed to show up to vote for once.But in one ray of sunshine, Sen. Pat Roberts voted for the Senate's proposal to expand children's health insurance. (Don't say we never write anything nice about Republicans.)President Bush has vowed to veto any expansion of children's health insurance, meaning there will need to be an override attempt once Congress sends him the final bill and once he tells America's kids to "toughen up and walk it off."

While we have become accustomed to Senator Brownback missing votes, this time he failed to show up for a vote that would provide much needed relief to the people of Greensburg. Although he skipped out on the vote, Brownback is taking credit for the bill nonetheless. After shirking his responsibility to the people of Kansas, Brownback adds insult to injury by making false claims of credit for helping Kansans in need.

As we pointed out yesterday, Sam Brownback voted for the President's immigration bill before he voted against it. We surmised that it was because, after missing a third of this year's votes to campaign, he was out of practice. Turns out, Brownback himself can't decide why he did it. He told Kansans that he was going to switch his vote all along:

"I wanted to signal that I support comprehensive immigration reform, but now is not the time, this is not the bill," Brownback told the Associated Press.

But wait, Brownback is telling a different story in DC. He told Congressional Quarterly that he decided at the last minute to switch his vote.

Shortly after that, Kansas Republican Sam Brownback, who had cast an early "yea," switched his vote. "I just concluded as I was on the floor that the country is just not ready," said Brownback.

Which is it, Senator? If you don't know why you voted the way you voted, maybe you should just stay on the campaign trail after all.

Looks like Brownback has spent so much time away from the Senate floor, he forgot how to vote!

Or maybe he's spent so much time outside of Kansas he has no idea how his constituents feel about immigration.

Either way, his varied support/opposition and his eventual voting meltdown over this bill shows that he is completely out of touch with Kansans. Sam Brownback's only interest is Sam Brownback.

Maybe he should spend more time focusing on the people he represents, and less time chasing his presidential pipe dreams.

An Iowa aide to Sam Brownback found herself in some hot water after sending an e-mail to Iowa Republicans in an apparent attempt to draw unfavorable scrutiny to Mitt Romney's Morman religion.

Among the statements: "Theologically, the only thing Christianity and the LDS church has in common is the name of Jesus Christ, and the LDS Jesus is not the same Jesus of the Christian faith" and "The LDS church has never been accepted by the Christian Council of Churches."

The aide has been reprimanded by Brownback's campaign, who claims the email was for fact-checking purposes.

Senator Sam Brownback recently referred to himself as "the tortoise" in the race for the Republican Presidential  nomination. For Kansans, that analogy rings  just as  true  in reference  to his slowed performance in the United States Senate.

So far during the  110th Congress, Brownback has missed 62 of 186, or one-third, of Senate votes. Brownback is surpassed in absences by only two senators: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD).

Missed Votes of Note: Brownback Missed Vote on Help America Vote Act: Brownback was absent June 5, 2007 when the Senate voted on a bill to amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require individuals voting in person to present photo identification. (Washington Post, Vote Database, Vote 184, S 1348)

Brownback Missed Vote of Iraq War Funding: Brownback was absent May 24, 2007 when the Senate passed a $120 billion package that included funding for the Iraq war. (Washington Post, Vote Database, Vote 181)

Brownback Missed Vote on Budget: Brownback was absent May 17, 2007 when the Senate passed the FY 2008 budget resolution. (Washington Post, Vote Database, Vote 172, S CON RES 21)

Brownback Missed Votes on Minimum Wage: Brownback was absent January 24 and January 31, 2007 when the Senate voted on the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007. (Washington Post, Vote Database, Vote 23 and 39)

Brownback Missed Vote to Establish Senate Office of Public Integrity: Brownback was absent on January 18, 2007 when the Senate voted to establish a Senate Office of Public Integrity. (Washington Post, Vote Database, Vote 18, S 1)

Brownback Missed Vote on Ethics Reform Bill: Brownback was absent on January 18, 2007 when the Senate voted on a measure designed to provide greater transparency in the legislative process. (Washington Post, Vote Database, Vote 19, S 1)