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Prepare for sales tax-induced job effects now
Read more: Prepare for sales tax-induced job effects nowCollecting the sales tax to pay for the downtown Wichita arena may produce unintended consequences.
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Tom Daschle’s Defeat, Media Filters, and Kansas
Read more: Tom Daschle’s Defeat, Media Filters, and Kansas(Reprinted with the permission of the author, Karl Peterjohn, of Kansas Taxpayers Network.) Enclosed is a December 13, 2004 Wall Street Journal opinion piece by John Fund (How Daschle Got Blogged) demonstrating how the bloggers went past the media filters in South Dakota to help knock off Tom Daschle last month. This is relevant to…
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On Seatbelts and Helmets
Read more: On Seatbelts and HelmetsI believe there is little doubt that it is foolhardy to be in an automobile without wearing seatbelts, or to ride a motorcycle without wearing a helmet. Someone inevitably claims that it is better to be thrown clear of the wreckage than to be trapped inside. But ask any race car driver — they who…
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The Real Scandal at City Hall
Read more: The Real Scandal at City HallIn 2003, local Wichita news media devoted extensive news coverage to two officials in the City of Wichita’s finance department. They were accused of improperly spending between $52,000 and $73,800 on travel. While I don’t condone this waste and I’m glad that our local news media uncovered it, the amount involved is relatively small. Furthermore,…
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Why I don’t listen to Rush Limbaugh
Read more: Why I don’t listen to Rush LimbaughThere have been periods when I listened to Rush Limbaugh, but it has been many years since I listened regularly. Now I hear his show only when I happen to be driving while it is on the air. When I do hear it, I realize that I don’t miss it.
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Remarks to City Council, May 11, 2004, Regarding AirTran Airways Subsidy
Read more: Remarks to City Council, May 11, 2004, Regarding AirTran Airways SubsidyI delivered these remarks to the Wichita City Council as they were preparing to vote on extending AirTran Airway’s subsidy for another two years. The extension passed with only one dissenting vote. Mr. Mayor, Members of the Council: I speak today in opposition to the continuation of the subsidy the City is paying to AirTran…
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Political decision-making increases conflict
Read more: Political decision-making increases conflictA recent column by economist Walter E. Williams (Why we’re a divided nation) strongly makes the case for more decision-making by free markets rather than by the government through the political process.
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Columnist Confuses Government and Individual, Again
Read more: Columnist Confuses Government and Individual, AgainIn the November 7, 2004 Wichita Eagle, columnist Mark McCormick again confuses the proper role of government and individual. He starts by talking about the spirit of the people in Wichita, how they will help you push your car, how they will hold open the door for you, etc. He refers to this as “neighborliness.”…
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Columnist Confuses Government and Individual
Read more: Columnist Confuses Government and IndividualWriting in the November 3, 2004 Wichita Eagle, columnist Mark McCormick labels the vote in favor of a taxpayer-funded, government-owned arena a “rebirth of city’s pioneering spirit.” In this column, Mr. McCormick mentions our famous entrepreneurs and aerospace industry pioneers. Although he explicitly denies comparing the building of a downtown arena to the genius of…
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Downtown Wichita arena as a public good
Read more: Downtown Wichita arena as a public goodThe streets and highways, and certainly the public parks, are examples of public goods. Public goods are characterized by two things: nonexcludability, meaning that non-payers can’t be excluded from enjoying and using the good, and nonrivalrous consumption, meaning that consumption of the good by one person doesn’t reduce the availability of the good to others.…
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Arenas’ Financial Statements Not Complete
Read more: Arenas’ Financial Statements Not CompleteThe WSU Center for Economic Development and Business Research study (reported by Fred Mann in the September 5 Wichita Eagle), showing a small loss for the proposed downtown arena, does not account for the cost of building the arena. Neither do the Qwest Center in Omaha nor the Alltel Arena in Arkansas when they report…
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WSU Study on Downtown Wichita Arena Not Complete
Read more: WSU Study on Downtown Wichita Arena Not CompleteGovernment Accounting Standards Board Statement 34 requires governments to account for the cost of their assets, usually by stating depreciation expense each year. Through a series of email exchanges with Mr. Ed Wolverton, President of the Wichita Downtown Development Corporation, I have learned that the WSU Center for Economic Development and Business Research was not…