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Wichita School Bond Issue: Informing or Advocating? CARE Seems to Know.
Read more: Wichita School Bond Issue: Informing or Advocating? CARE Seems to Know.Kansas law places restrictions on the activities that government officials may undertake with regard to ballot measures such as the Wichita school bond issue question on the November 4, 2008 ballot. A page at the USD 259 website titled “Educate, Don’t Advocate” explains the behavior that USD 259 personnel may, and may not, undertake with…
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The Cartoon The Wichita Eagle Wouldn’t Print
Read more: The Cartoon The Wichita Eagle Wouldn’t PrintHelen Cochran of Citizens for Better Education commissioned a series of political cartoons concerning the Wichita school bond issue. She’s paid to have them printed in the Wichita Eagle each Monday for the past month or so. They’re also carried on her group’s web site. But the Wichita Eagle refused to run this week’s cartoon.…
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City Council divvies up tax dollars for the arts
Read more: City Council divvies up tax dollars for the artsA Wichita Eagle news story today tells how City Council divvies up tax dollars for the arts. Can you imagine sitting through these meetings with people like Joan Cole and other members of the Arts Council as they decide who gets — and who doesn’t get — government largesse? I imagine that these people actually…
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Karl Peterjohn, Lobbyist and Advocate for Kansans
Read more: Karl Peterjohn, Lobbyist and Advocate for KansansKarl Peterjohn, candidate for Sedgwick County Commission, is being criticized by his opponent for being a paid lobbyist. It’s a timely slur, as lobbyists are never popular. Lobbying legislators and testifying at the state house is a form of speech that is protected by the First Amendment. Advocacy is one of the ways that people…
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Karl Peterjohn is not bad for business, after all
Read more: Karl Peterjohn is not bad for business, after allIn the story Wichita businesses not leaving home after all, Kansas Liberty finds that criticism of Karl Peterjohn by some Wichita business leaders is a little over-the-top.
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Wichita School Bond: Causation, or Merely Correlation?
Read more: Wichita School Bond: Causation, or Merely Correlation?As part of its argument for the need for a bond issue, USD 259, the Wichita school district, makes the case that students who are involved in arts and athletics do better in school. Recently, perhaps as the result of a request I made, the district’s website added evidence of this. As the USD 259…
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Karl Peterjohn is Sorely Needed in Sedgwick County
Read more: Karl Peterjohn is Sorely Needed in Sedgwick CountyWichita business leaders support Karl Peterjohn. The recent opposition by certain Wichita aircraft executives to Karl Peterjohn — a well-respected and strong candidate for Sedgwick County Commission in District 3 — is ill-informed. Peterjohn, an economist by training, has long been an advocate for fiscal prudence and has fought, on behalf of the Kansas taxpayer,…
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Raising Wichitans’ Taxes in a Recession is Not A Good Idea
Read more: Raising Wichitans’ Taxes in a Recession is Not A Good Idea“Democrat Barack Obama says he would delay rescinding President Bush’s tax cuts on wealthy Americans if he becomes the next president and the economy is in a recession, suggesting such an increase would further hurt the economy.” (Associated Press, September 7, 2008) Contrary to assertions by Wichita school interim superintendent Martin Libhart and school board…
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“Trash The Eagle” Website spotted
Read more: “Trash The Eagle” Website spottedI recently noticed the new website Trash The Eagle. It holds, as you might expect, some criticism of the Wichita Eagle, our state’s largest newspaper. The site is run anonymously, although with a little sleuthing, it isn’t hard to find out who is behind this site.
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A Different Kind of Hero, A Different Kind of Weapon
Read more: A Different Kind of Hero, A Different Kind of WeaponEvery action film has a hero who saves the day. In the movie “Flunked,” the heroes are teachers and principals who are fighting the bad guys of declining test scores, failing grades and inferior schools. Their weapons? Creativity and determination. The happy ending? Improved test scores, passing grades and schools so desirable parents are waiting…
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Flunked’s Steven Maggi Interview
Read more: Flunked’s Steven Maggi InterviewOn October 8, 2008, Citizens for Better Education, the Flint Hills Center for Public Policy, and Americans For Prosperity — Kansas sponsored a screening of Flunked the Movie. I had an opportunity to sit down and talk with Steven Maggi, the film’s executive producer. Following are some excerpts from our conversation.
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Is the Wichita School District Hoping For Recession?
Read more: Is the Wichita School District Hoping For Recession?A recent Wichita Eagle article (Economy now is right to support the school bond) USD 259 written by Wichita school district Interim Superintendent Martin Libhart makes me wonder if the school district isn’t hoping for a recession. Here’s why I wonder: right now long-term interest rates for the types of bonds the district will be…