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Wichita School Bond Issue: The Election That Wasn’t, and Maybe Shouldn’t Be
Read more: Wichita School Bond Issue: The Election That Wasn’t, and Maybe Shouldn’t BeWichitans for Effective Education wish to remind the residents of USD 259 (the Wichita, Kansas public school district) that on February 11, 2008, the board of USD 259 passed a resolution declaring that a special election was to be held today, May 6. That resolution asked the citizens of this community to approve a $350…
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No Government Trains, Please
Read more: No Government Trains, PleaseA writer in the April 2, 2008 Wichita Eagle presses the case for passenger train service in Wichita. But there are several problems with the writer’s argument. The writer makes this claim: “With Kansas’ vast wind resource, we could power our trains with no fossil fuels.” Yes, there is a lot of wind in Kansas.…
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Investment in Wichita Public Schools
Read more: Investment in Wichita Public SchoolsA letter writer in the April 27, 2008 Wichita Eagle makes the case that investment in USD 259 (the Wichita, Kansas public school district) has a good return. By way of comparison, the writer argues that the Wichita airport, having been built with public funds, represents “an investment return.” Whether it represents a good return…
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Americans For Prosperity Hot Air Tour in Wichita
Read more: Americans For Prosperity Hot Air Tour in WichitaOn May 1, 2008, the Americans For Prosperity Hot Air Tour made its stop in Wichita, Kansas. It was too windy for the big hot air balloon (who could have guessed that might be the case in the Kansas springtime?) but the speakers spoke as planned, and that’s the important part of this event.
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Universal Preschool Wastes Money, Imperils the Good Society
Read more: Universal Preschool Wastes Money, Imperils the Good SocietyIf K-12 schools fail to graduate one in four students on time, does it make much sense to enroll children in public programs at an even younger age? That’s one problem with proposals for universal, taxpayer-funded preschool, as outlined by a new report issued by the Flint Hills Center for Public Policy. Read “Plato’s Republic…
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Are Teachers Paid Fairly?
Read more: Are Teachers Paid Fairly?The school bond issue in Wichita and those occurring in surrounding districts overlook one crucial necessity: a fair wage for teachers. They are critically underpaid for all levels of education, service and abilities. (From The Wichita Eagle Opinion Line, April 27, 2008) This writer is misinformed on several levels.
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A Mess of John McCain’s Own Making
Read more: A Mess of John McCain’s Own MakingKimberly A. Strassel of the Wall Street Journal explains a mess of John McCain’s own making, and which confirms to me that he is not suited to be President of the United States: McCain’s Campaign Finance Revelation. “The Arizonan may not yet fully understand that money is speech.” writes Ms. Strassel
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Diversity Is What Starbucks Decides It Is
Read more: Diversity Is What Starbucks Decides It IsPaul Jacob, in a Common Sense commentary writes about David Boaz’s article in the Wall Street Journal (available at the Cato Institute) which describes the effort to obtain a customized Starbucks card with the phrase “laissez-faire” printed on it.
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No Recycling Mandates in Sedgwick County, Please
Read more: No Recycling Mandates in Sedgwick County, PleaseIn some cases the price system tells us that recycling is a beneficial use of resources. About 75% of automobiles are recycled, and used cardboard is often recycled in commercial settings. That’s because the price paid for these recycled items is high enough that, in these contexts, recycling can be profitable. That’s the price system…
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Wichita school expulsion myths
Read more: Wichita school expulsion mythsRecently Lynn Rogers, a USD 259 (Wichita, Kansas public school district) board member, made this statement: “I know there are kids from many Catholic schools that have come to public schools when the Catholic schools have kicked them out.” This attitude reflects a common perception or myth: that private and religious schools kick out the…
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Martin Libhart is qualified in what way?
Read more: Martin Libhart is qualified in what way?But what about Martin Libhart, the man who succeeds Winston Brooks, if only as the interim superintendent? According to a news release on the USD 259 website: “Because Libhart does not currently possess a district level leadership certificate, the district is working with the Kansas State Department of Education for a restricted certificate as permitted…
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Hugging Casinos and Banning Power Plants in Kansas
Read more: Hugging Casinos and Banning Power Plants in KansasFrom Denis Boyles’s column at Kansas Liberty, calling the consistency and judgment of Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius into question (admittedly, a small task): If there are at least some scientific studies that show gambling’s bad for you, and none that show that carbon dioxide’s bad for you, why is the governor of Kansas hugging casinos…