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Wichita school board accounting
Read more: Wichita school board accountingMr. Gramke’s assertion that USD 259 spending is not increasing, and that the district has been cutting its budget for the four years before 2005 doesn’t square with the facts as I see them.
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A free society means inalienable rights
Read more: A free society means inalienable rightsWalter Williams Warns Against Tyrannical Majoritarianism.
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Higher Education Wants A Spending Spree
Read more: Higher Education Wants A Spending SpreeSoaring spending has not been spent evenly. The six Regents universities in Kansas initially asked for $727 million to fix deeply neglected buildings at these campuses. Governor Sebelius has performed a valuable service by responding that the Kansas Turnpike have higher tolls to fund this spending.
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A roadblock to private investment in Wichita
Read more: A roadblock to private investment in WichitaSo for the moment, a developer’s plan for a downtown hotel and conference center is blocked by a law, the Kansas preservation statute. What is the problem with the proposed building? “[the problem] is that it incorporates too many materials and features inconsistent with the surrounding buildings. That includes glass, marble, stainless steel, redwood and…
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Government vs. private investment and the downtown Wichita arena
Read more: Government vs. private investment and the downtown Wichita arenaA Wichita businessman proposes building an arena that, while not as large as the downtown Wichita arena being built by Sedgwick County, would provide some competition to the government-owned arena.
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Kansas lags fiscally again
Read more: Kansas lags fiscally againKansas is once again falling behind. The growth in state tax receipts has allowed the legislature to increase state spending. This revenue growth could also provide some much needed tax relief to try and make this state’s fiscal climate more competitive.
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The law vs. markets
Read more: The law vs. marketsOne of the criticisms of raising the minimum wage is that it is Congress substituting its judgment for the market’s in determining pay. While Congress can force an employer to pay an employee a minimum amount, it can’t force the employer to keep the employee.
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No end to increasing regulation
Read more: No end to increasing regulationContrary to the popular perception, Bush has been one of the most pro-regulation presidents — far more so than Democrat Bill Clinton, who, in many ways, was a better friend to the free market than Bush has been.
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Political power is the opposite of freedom
Read more: Political power is the opposite of freedomThe problem is that politicians are not supposed to have power over us – we’re supposed to be free. We seem to have forgotten that freedom means the absence of government coercion. So when politicians and the media celebrate political power, they really are celebrating the power of certain individuals to use coercive state force.
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The Plunder of the Legislative Process
Read more: The Plunder of the Legislative ProcessIt is amazing to read the words of Bastiat, written over 150 years ago, but applicable today: Your principle has placed these words above the entrance of the legislative chamber: “whosoever acquires any influence here can obtain his share of legal plunder.” And what has been the result? All classes have flung themselves upon the…
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The decline of local chambers of commerce
Read more: The decline of local chambers of commerce“I used to think that public employee unions like the NEA were the main enemy in the struggle for limited government, competition and private sector solutions,” says Mr. Caldera of the Independence Institute. “I was wrong. Our biggest adversary is the special interest business cartel that labels itself ‘the business community’ and its political machine…
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The taking of private property
Read more: The taking of private propertyEminent domain is not the only way that private property can be acquired by government. Placing restrictions on the land by law or regulation can also be a taking that warrants just compensation.