Month: August 2009
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Kansas needs education for prosperity
Mark Tallman, assistant executive director of the Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB), seems to be making the case that spending on education is more important to a state than moderate tax rates. He makes this case as reported in a recent Topeka Capital-Journal article Education a key to prosperity. As reported: “Tallman said action…
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What type of turf is a lie?
The Lone Star Times reports how, at a town hall meeting in Texas, an Obama supporter claimed to be a physician when asking a question. But she isn’t: Obama camp plants fake doc, Che fan at Jackson Lee forum. I wonder if this happened at the same Sheila Jackson Lee town hall where the Member…
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Astroturf, union style
The American left takes great delight in making accusations of “astroturfing.” Meaning that nothing that conservatives or libertarians do, such as attending tea party protests or raising a ruckus at town hall meetings, is real. It’s all driven from the top, the left says. I wonder: When a government employee labor union provides a service…
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Kansas funds have large, unneeded balances
The Flint Hills Center for Public Policy has released research that shows that the state of Kansas has large unencumbered balances, representing excess funds needlessly collected from Kansans in the form of taxes and fees. The numbers are staggering, with over 1,600 state funds holding between $2 billion and $3 billion in excess balances, depending…
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If this is recycling profit, let’s skip it
A letter-writer to the Wichita Eagle states “In Washington state, we participate in a nearly effortless, profitable and environmentally important recycling program.” A paragraph later she writes “The cost of recycling is $5 a month on our refuse bill.” I don’t know: Do these statements contradict each other?
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Light rail not good for Wichita
A recent letter in the Wichita Eagle by Alden Wilner of Bel Aire worries that “flat, dusty and hot” parking lots in the neighborhood of the Intrust Bank Arena (formerly known as the downtown Wichita arena) in downtown Wichita will hamper downtown revitalization. I don’t know if this claim is true or not, but I…
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Health reform: look at Oregon
In less than 90 seconds this video highlights the upside-down priorities of Oregon’s Medicaid system. Lobbying groups have used the political process to push coverage for special-interest causes like substance abuse and weight loss treatment ahead of treatments for some kinds of cancer on the priority list.
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Public effort should benefit all taxpayers, not a select few
A recent Wichita Eagle commentary by Doug Stanley, vice chairman of the Greater Wichita Economic Development Coalition, made the case for government to invest taxpayer money in developing “shovel-ready” sites to attract a wide range of new employers, especially large industrial and manufacturing companies. He says consultants who work with large employers on site selection…
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Wichita downtown arena parking problem
The Wichita Eagle editorial written by Rhonda Holman on June 29, 2009 now claims that the new Intrust Arena in downtown Wichita lacks adequate parking. This is a major change by the Eagle editorial board’s position. I have repeatedly asked county staff about the available parking in and around this soon-to-open facility since I became…
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Wichita Child Advocacy Center still in business, despite headline
A headline in the Thursday August 6, 2009 Wichita Eagle is a little bit misleading: “Sedgwick County budget saves pavilions, denies site for abused kids.” Recognizing that the reporter who wrote the story probably didn’t write the headline, the fact is that the Sedgwick County Commission didn’t deny a site for the Child Advocacy Center.…