Author: Bob Weeks
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Assessment of Wichita’s Intrust Bank Arena’s success premature
Any rational assessment of the success of the Intrust Bank Arena in downtown Wichita must realize that the arena is in its honeymoon period. Until initial enthusiasm dies down and the arena has a track record of a year or more, we simply have no idea what the financial performance of the arena will be.…
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United States Government customer service: think twice
For those who argue that we should turn over more activity — such as health care — to the federal government, take a close look at a government monopoly that’s been around for a long time.
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Kansas sales tax exemptions don’t hold all the advertised allure
Advocates of eliminating sales tax exemptions in Kansas point to the great amount of revenue that could be raised if Kansas eliminated these exemptions, estimated at some $4.2 billion per year. Analysis of the nature of the exemptions and the amounts of money involved, however, leads us to realize that the additional tax revenue that…
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Kansas news digest
News from alternative media around Kansas for February 22, 2010.
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Smoking ban advocate says some claims just smoke
Opponents to a statewide total smoking ban say anti-tobacco advocates are playing a little loose with their facts. They have an unlikely ally in Michael Siegel, a medical doctor and professor of community health sciences at Boston University’s School of Public Health. He’s a long-standing anti-tobacco advocate, a proponent of smoking bans and a strong…
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Kansas school spending study finds $717 million in potential savings
A new study on K-12 spending in Kansas concludes that schools statewide are spending as much as $717 million more than is necessary, and that implementing the “best practices” of more efficient districts could eliminate the need to raise taxes or cut spending on other essential services.
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Americans for Prosperity model budget to be presented
This Friday Derrick Sontag, Kansas State Director for Americans for Prosperity, will address members and guests of the Wichita Pachyderm Club. His topic is “An update on the budget shortfall in Kansas, how we got there through excessive spending, and how our state’s tax burden compares with neighboring states.” AFP’s model budget for Kansas is…
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Eric Payne, Joseph Scapa address county Republicans
Last night’s meeting of the Sedgwick County Republican Party featured speeches by two candidates for the Republican party nomination for the Kansas House of Representatives from the 87th district. Democrat Raj Goyle is the incumbent, and he is not seeking re-election. Eric Payne (campaign website) and Joseph Scapa (campaign website not available) each spoke for…
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Mary Ann Glendon to appear in Wichita for Pompeo
Mary Ann Glendon, who was was the United States Ambassador to the Holy See and is the Learned Hand Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, will appear in Wichita for two events on behalf of the Mike Pompeo campaign for the Republican party nomination for the United States House of Representatives from the fourth…
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Meeting to support Kansas medical marijuana legislation
Representative Gail Finney, a Democrat who represents parts of east and northeast Wichita, has introduce a bill that would all the use of medical marijuana in Kansas. On Friday there will be a “call to action meeting” in Wichita regarding this bill.
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Kansas historic preservation tax credits audit reveals inefficiency, data problems
Yesterday the Kansas legislative Post Audit Committee received an audit recently completed by the Legislative Division of Post Audit. The audit, titled Kansas Tax Revenues, Part I: Reviewing Tax Credits, revealed that the historic preservation tax credit is not efficient. Further, the Department Revenue is not accurately tracking the cost of the program.
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Missing from Kansas school financing debate
As Kansas struggles to find funding for its public schools and other functions of government, we’re losing an opportunity to examine our schools and see if they’re performing as well as they should, both financially and academically. Here are some issues not being discussed: