Month: June 2009
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Journalism’s obituary, in advance
Referring to an article on the Drudge Report, a local Wichita blogger writes “According to this report on June 24th 2009 the ‘Free Press’ died without a whimper. It rushed head long into suicide.”
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I lost some data
Yesterday afternoon my web hosting company, which I am satisfied with, suffered a mishap and some data was lost. This site was unavailable for some time, too.
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Sedgwick County solid waste fee criticized
Today’s by Rhonda Holman is a two-fer. Two issues for the price of one column, and two issues she’s wrong on. She criticizes Commissioner Karl Peterjohn and Board Chairman Kelly Parks for the opposition of a solid waste management fee that would add a relatively small amount to property tax bills.
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Sedgwick County transparency effort delayed
This week Sedgwick County was scheduled to debut its financial transparency website. Based on the preview I briefly saw, this system will allow citizens to explore county revenue and spending in detail. Evidently, the system presents too much detail. The rollout was delayed due to an issue brought up by the Sheriff, having to do…
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Wichita water economics
This week the Wichita City Council declined to raise the fixed portion of customers water bills by $2.00 per month. Today, Wichita Eagle editorial writer Rhonda Holman praises the council for avoiding an illogical water-rate increase. Is she and the city council right on this matter?
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Wichita tea party on July 4
Americans For Prosperity — Kansas announces a tea party to be held in Wichita on independence Day, July 4, 2009. It will be at the Sedgwick County Courthouse at 8:30 am. Click on July 4 Taxpayer Tea Party for the details.
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Kansas open records law needs an overhaul
“An open and transparent government is essential to the democratic process. Under Kansas law, citizens have the right to access public records and observe many meetings where decisions are made that affect our state.” That quote is taken from the Kansas Attorney General’s web site. Unfortunately, the second sentence isn’t really true. Kansans may technically…
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In the world of chemical security, the real world
A post on a blog sponsored by the National Association of Manufacturers explains a few of the problems with the proposed Chemical facility anti-terrorism standards legislation now making its way through Congress. One of the issues mentioned in the post In the World of Chemical Security, the Real World is the threat of excessive litigation.
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Wichita school informational forums could help increase understanding
At Monday’s meeting of the board of USD 259, the Wichita public school district, board president Lynn Rogers said he wants to have a discussion about ending balances, in particular unencumbered funds. He said there is misunderstanding in the community, during the bond issue campaign last year, and now with a state school board member.…
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Cost of Wichita water likely to rise in some way
At yesterday’s meeting of the Wichita City Council, the water department asked for permission to add $1.00 per month to water bills. It’s actually a $2.00 per month proposed increase, as $1.00 would be added to both the water charge and the sewer charge, and most people have both services.
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Congress could give government bureaucrats more control of farms and industry
The Kansas Meadowlark blog has a detailed post that explains some of the harm to agriculture that proposed legislation — Chemical facility anti-terrorism standards — could cause. The post also contains a section of helpful related links. Click on Congress could give government bureaucrats more control of farms and industry to read.
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GovTrack.us helps citizens watch Congress
The website GovTrack.us is a great resource for citizens who are interested in the United States Congress. With the rapid expansion of government in the recent past, this is something we should all be concerned with.