Kansas Supreme Court

Reestablishing a Fundamental Principle of Democracy

Reestablishing a Fundamental Principle of Democracy

Reestablishing a Fundamental Principle of Democracy Alan Cobb, Kansas Chamber President & CEO The words of a recent guest editorial in the Lawrence Journal-World about the Kansas Coalition for Fair Funding were not surprising. It was a continuation of the intellectually shallow, fact-short screed about taxes, school finance, and the Kansas budget. Certainly, reasonable people can disagree about these issues, but partisans rarely adhere to that theorem. And thus, I thought I was reading something from a partisan staffer. Alas, it was from a well-respected Wichita State University professor emeritus who I have known for decades. I’ve not always agreed…
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WichitaLiberty.TV: Kansas State of the State for 2018

WichitaLiberty.TV: Kansas State of the State for 2018

In this episode of WichitaLiberty.TV: Vice president and policy director of Kansas Policy Institute James Franko joins Karl Peterjohn to discuss Governor Brownback's State of the State Address for 2018. Topics include schools and Medicaid expansion. Bob Weeks hopes to be back next week. View below, or click here to view at YouTube. Episode 179, broadcast January 13, 2018. Shownotes Kansas Policy Institute KPI poll on school finance Dave Trabert: 2018 State of the State fails students Governor Brownback’s State of the State address for 2018
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WichitaLiberty.TV: Judicial selection in Kansas

WichitaLiberty.TV: Judicial selection in Kansas

In this episode of WichitaLiberty.TV: Attorney Richard Peckham joins Karl Peterjohn and Bob Weeks to discuss judicial selection and other judicial issues in Kansas. View below, or click here to view at YouTube. Episode 176, broadcast December 16, 2017. Shownotes Richard J. Peckham: Four justices should be voted out of office
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Briefs

Briefs

He didn't participate Wichita Eagle Opinion Line, November 24, 2017: "The kindest word that can be ascribed to State Senator Susan Wagle, when she criticizes the Kansas Supreme Court? Disingenuous. She never mentions Brownback appointee, Justice Caleb Stegall; he has repeatedly agreed with his colleagues on school finance." The likely reason Senator Wagle doesn't mention Justice Stegall when criticizing the Court on school finance matters is that he, along with another judge, hasn't participated. The recent opinions are signed "BEIER and STEGALL, JJ., not participating. MICHAEL J. MALONE and DAVID L. STUTZMAN, Senior Judges, assigned." Why? "Justices Carol Beier and…
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Kansas school fund balances

Kansas school fund balances

Kansas school fund balances rose this year, in both absolute dollars and dollars per pupil. As Kansans debate school funding, as the Kansas Supreme Court orders more school spending, and as schools insist that spending has been slashed, a fact remains: Kansas schools don't spend all the money they've been given. Unspent fund balances grow in many years, and grew this year. Fund balances are necessary for cash flow management. They buffer the flows of receipts and expenditures. The issue is what levels of balances are necessary, and, more importantly, how the balances change over years. In Kansas, school districts…
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WichitaLiberty:TV: Wichita economy, Kansas schools

WichitaLiberty:TV: Wichita economy, Kansas schools

In this episode of WichitaLiberty.TV: Karl Peterjohn and Bob Weeks discuss some statistics regarding downtown Wichita and then the Kansas school finance court decision. View below, or click here to view at YouTube. Episode 169, broadcast October 14, 2017. Now, WichitaLiberty.TV has new broadcast times. The regular Sunday broadcasts on KGPT TV channel 26.1 (AT&T U-Verse 49) at 8:30 am, repeated at 4:30 pm, are unchanged. Here is the full broadcast schedule: Saturdays on KGPT channel 26.9 (Newsmax TV) 10:00 am: The new episode 10:30 am: Repeat of last week’s episode 5:00 pm: Repeat of new episode 5:30 pm: Repeat…
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WichitaLiberty.TV: Wichita talk radio pioneer Joseph Ashby

WichitaLiberty.TV: Wichita talk radio pioneer Joseph Ashby

In this episode of WichitaLiberty.TV: Wichita talk radio pioneer Joseph Ashby joins Karl Peterjohn and Bob Weeks to discuss state and national affairs. View below, or click here to view at YouTube. Episode 167, broadcast October 1, 2017. Shownotes Joseph Ashby on Twitter YouTube channel Joseph Ashby author archive at American Thinker From Pachyderm: Radio Host Joseph Ashby
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Judge Melgren defends Constitutional protections

Judge Melgren defends Constitutional protections

By Karl Peterjohn While it has become increasingly common for members of the U.S. Supreme Court to make news by public comments, particularly during their summer recess, Wichita Pachyderm Club members had the opportunity for Kansas federal district Judge Eric F. Melgren to quote from his judicial colleagues in a way of defending the Constitution's concept of the separation of powers. Judge Melgren cited various appellate court rulings, particularly as they related to the largely little known Chevron decision, that damages that constitutional protection at his July 21 speech in Wichita. Judge Melgren, a former member of this club before…
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Breaking the statehouse budget deadlock

Breaking the statehouse budget deadlock

By Karl Peterjohn The budget deadlock has begun at the Kansas statehouse. The legislature cannot leave Topeka until they have approved the next biennial state budget that will begin July 1. Usually, this includes the governor’s signature on that legislation. That might not happen this year. That’s the issue. Governor Brownback is not willing to fund a multi-year, multi-billion spending bill demanded by the liberal legislative majorities in both houses. Earlier this year he vetoed a record-breaking income tax hike scheme. So far, the governor has been successful in having his vetoes sustained. The pressure is going to be applied…
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