Environment

27
Jun
By Bob Weeks

Socialism And Big Government Expand In Kansas

By Karl Peterjohn, Kansas Taxpayers Network State owned and operated casinos are constitutional and permissible in Kansas. The extremely activist and left-wing Kansas Supreme Court unanimously ruled June 27 that state owned and operated casinos were legal in Kansas. For many statehouse observers this wasn’t a surprise. The Kansas Supreme Court is dominated by liberal Democrats with three of its seven members having been appointed by Governor Sebelius. Since there has never been any statewide votes by Kansans authorizing a change in the Kansas Constitution to authorize state owned casinos. The Kansas top court has ruled that under the provisions…
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26
Jun
By Bob Weeks

Kansas Energy and Environmental Policy Advisory Group: Good for Kansas?

Yesterday's Wichita Eagle editorial by Randy Scholfield (Climate group could help state) supports Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius and her hand-picked Kansas Energy and Environmental Policy Advisory Group (KEEP). Together with an earlier article in the same newspaper (Climate group to assist state on energy plan, June 22, 2008), Kansans have plenty to be worried about as our governor seeks to burnish her national reputation as a green governor as she makes plans for her post-gubernatorial career. The Wall Street Journal got it just right in a recent editorial The 'No, Nothing' Democrats: "Ms. Sebelius is a Democratic wunderkind and her…
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25
Jun
By Bob Weeks

Understanding the Responsibility of Liberty

A writer in the Wichita Eagle's WE blog recently wrote this cautionary note about what our country would be like if libertarians were in charge: "... you can HOPE that the acid factory down the road didn’t taint your well water and the food you buy isn’t disease ridden." This writer seems to believe that under libertarianism, one can do whatever one wants, and to heck with the consequences. The most important principle to libertarians is the non-aggression axiom. As Walter Block explains in the article The Non-Aggression Axiom of Libertarianism: "The non-aggression axiom is the lynchpin of the philosophy…
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27
May
By Bob Weeks

The Energy Policy Goals of Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius

The Kansas Meadowlark gets it just right in this quote from a recent article: "Unfortunately Sebelius' energy policy is more about winning elections than solving long-term energy problems." Most Kansans realize that Kathleen Sebelius' national ambitions are more important to her than the good governance of the State of Kansas. Her policy switch on the desirability of coal-fired power plants in Kansas helps her nationally, but hurts us here in Kansas. The Meadowlark's full story is here: GPACE PAC/Sebelius only want unreliable energy sources for Kansas?
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23
May
By Bob Weeks

Sedgwick County trash franchising: on the road to economic perdition

I received this letter to Sedgwick County (Kansas) Commissioner David Unruh "over the transom" and I thought it merited reading by the general public. The author speaks of the "road to economic perdition." I had to use the dictionary to refresh my memory of the exact meaning of the word "perdition." While that term seems at first to be a little strong, I believe that trash franchising, like a ban on smoking, is just the first step in the plans of our local government officials. If politicians and newspaper editorialists can convince us that we require the force of government…
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21
May
By Bob Weeks

Trash Franchising in Wichita and Sedgwick County

Currently both Sedgwick County and Wichita are considering trash franchising. On the surface, "franchising" sounds like a good thing. It sounds like someone's opening a new Subway sandwich shop. But what trash franchising does is to grant a monopoly to one (or sometimes a few) service providers for specific geographic areas. Under franchising, people living in an area will have either no choice, or perhaps limited choice, in choosing who picks up their trash. Rates will also be set by government. The effect of this is that the profit motive for trash haulers is dramatically modified. Under franchising, trash companies…
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20
May
By Bob Weeks

Rod Bremby’s Action Drove Away the Refinery

In The Wichita Eagle (Roderick L. Bremby: Neufeld Disregards Truth About Air Permits, May 17, 2008) the Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment takes issue with Kansas House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, a Republican from Ingalls. The point of contention is that Neufeld claims that if not for Bremby, Kansas might have landed a large oil refinery. Bremby disagrees with Neufeld's assertion that Bremby's actions have created "regulatory uncertainty" in Kansas. There's some uncertainty as to whether Kansas was really in the running for the oil refinery, or if we were just a fallback state. There's also controversy…
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16
May
By Bob Weeks

How Much More Will Kansas Electricity Cost In Your Future?

From Karl Peterjohn of the Kansas Taxpayers Network. How Much More Will Electricity Cost In Your Future? Karl Peterjohn, Kansas Taxpayers Network Governor Sebelius and her bankrupt Secretary of Health and Environment Rod Bremby (Bremby filed for personal bankruptcy over a year ago) now appear to have stopped the Kansas house from joining the Kansas senate in overriding her veto of the coal power plant expansion in western Kansas. The legislature’s final attempt at legislating a solution that would expand electrical power generation in the western half of Kansas is headed for another gubernatorial veto. The Kansas House of Representatives…
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01
May
By Bob Weeks

Americans For Prosperity Hot Air Tour in Wichita

On 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. Some photos that I took may be viewed here. Some of the material from AFP: Climate alarmists have bombarded citizens with apocalyptic scenarios and pressured them into environmental political correctness. It’s time to tell the other side of the story. Climate Schemes Mean Higher Taxes A…
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24
Apr
By Bob Weeks

No Recycling Mandates in Sedgwick County, Please

Remarks delivered at a public hearing for the Sedgwick County solid waste management plan, April 24, 2008. Sedgwick County, Kansas, home to the City of Wichita, is considering a mandatory household recycling program. Or, perhaps people won't be forced to recycle, but they will be required to pay for the cost burden that recycling places on communities. You may listen to this article in audio form by clicking here. The economist Frederich Hayek tells us that the price system communicates all the information we need to know about the relative value of things. The price system allows people who don't…
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