Mark Parkinson Archives - Page 3 of 8 Voice For Liberty

Nov

Kansas and Wichita quick takes: Wednesday November 17, 2010

Kansas Senator Lee to tax court. State of the State KS reports that Kansas Senator Janis Lee has been appointed by Governor Mark Parkinson to the Kansas State Court of Tax Appeals. Lee is a Democrat from Kensington in northwest Kansas. This action opens another position in the senate -- another three pending vacancies need to be filled due to senators who won election to other offices -- and others are likely to follow as incoming governor Sam Brownback fills his cabinet. Lee scored 13 percent on the Kansas Economic Freedom Index for this year, which is a voting record…

Nov

By Bob Weeks

Kansas and Wichita quick takes: Tuesday November 9, 2010

Wichita city inspection staffing. Sunday's Wichita Eagle carries a story detailing problems some southeast Wichita homeowners have with their homes. I'm not sure whether the story is being critical of the city inspection process, so I'll quote the article: "[Central inspection superintendent Kurt] Schroeder said he can't say for sure that the city did everything possible to prevent these problems. City inspectors granted building permits and conducted inspections at the houses at various stages of building. But he said the city has no records of final approvals for two houses in the neighborhood. It could be that the inspector signed…

Nov

By Bob Weeks

Kansas and Wichita quick takes: Friday November 5, 2010

Political attacks on tap at Pachyderm. Wichita State University political science professor Mel Kahn will be the presenter at today's (November 5) meeting of the Wichita Pachyderm Club. The always-interesting professor will speak on the topic "Do Political Attacks Help or Harm our Republic?" This seems like a timely topic given the recent general and primary elections. The public is welcome at Wichita Pachyderm meetings. For more information click on Wichita Pachyderm Club. Hold the celebration "A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds, in fact, that 59% of Likely U.S. Voters think it is at least somewhat likely that…

Oct

By Bob Weeks

Kansas and Wichita quick takes: Thursday October 14, 2010

Wichita mayor to lead LKM. City press release: "Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer was elected as the 81st president of the League of Kansas Municipalities (LKM) during the organization’s annual conference Tuesday morning in Overland Park. ... He also urged his fellow local leaders to restore the public’s confidence in government. 'We need to have our citizens recognize the value of competent government, and why our freedoms and security depend on it,' he said." As noted a few days ago on these pages, the League of Kansas Municipalities is a special interest group working in favor not of the citizens who…

Oct

By Bob Weeks

Kansas and Wichita quick takes: Tuesday October 12, 2010

Wichita Visioneers in Louisville. The Wichita Business Journal's Emily Behlmann reports on a trip by Wichitans to Louisville to get ideas on transforming Wichita's downtown. Hopefully they won't get this idea, as reported yesterday by the Louisville Courier-Journal: "The heavily subsidized 4th Street Live entertainment district has come under criticism from locally owned businesses for receiving millions of dollars in tax breaks and government subsidies -- including a controversial, $950,000 city loan that won't necessarily have to be repaid." According to Wichita planner Goody Clancy, heavy subsidy isn't supposed to be necessary in Wichita. And, I hope all the planners…

Oct

By Bob Weeks

Kansas and Wichita quick takes: Monday October 11, 2010

Moran at Wichita Pachyderm: This Friday's speaker at the Wichita Pachyderm Club is current United States Representative and Republican Party Senate nominee Jerry Moran. As a large audience is expected, please arrive by 11:45 to get your buffet lunch in time for the noon start (the larger meeting room will be used). Cost is $10, which includes lunch. Wichita, get control of incentives: Rhonda Holman's lead editorial in yesterday's Wichita Eagle urged caution and restraint in Wichita's use of tax incentives -- a welcome message not expected from the Eagle. One conservative wrote to me: "I am stunned to find…

Sep

By Bob Weeks

Texting bans haven’t worked

In an attempt to increase highway safety, many states have passed bans on texting while driving. But the bans haven't worked, and some states have experienced an increase in crashes. A news release from the Highway Loss Data Institute summarizes the finding of a new study: "It's illegal to text while driving in most US states. Yet a new study by researchers at the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) finds no reductions in crashes after laws take effect that ban texting by all drivers. In fact, such bans are associated with a slight increase in the frequency of insurance claims…

Aug

By Bob Weeks

Brownback paves plan for Kansas education reform

Last week near Emporia Sam Brownback, surrounded by Kansas educators and legislators, laid out the start of his plan for improving Kansas education if he is elected governor. His opponents in the race for Kansas Governor are Reform Party candidate Ken Cannon, Libertarian Andrew Gray, and Democrat Tom Holland. Mark Parkinson, the incumbent, decided not to run. In his remarks, Brownback said that education is "primary function of the state." While Kansas has excellent schools, he said that more innovation is needed. In the area of teachers, Brownback wants more mentoring opportunities available to young teachers. He supports a master…

Aug

By Bob Weeks

Kansas tax burdens getting heavier, studies show

While Kansas ranks in the middle of the states in total tax burden, the state's take is getting larger, compared to other states. This finding is important as Kansas and its largest city are increasingly using favorable tax treatment to centrally plan and manage economic development. When the state allows a company's employee withholding taxes to be used for its own exclusive benefit -- as outgoing

Aug

By Bob Weeks

How does Kansas rank in economic freedom?

In measures of economic and personal freedom, Kansas ranks relatively well among the states, but lags behind some neighboring states. Recent actions by the Kansas legislature might drive its ranking down. Last year the Mercatus Center at George Mason University published a paper that ranks the states in several areas regarding freedom. According to the authors, "This paper presents the first-ever comprehensive ranking of the American states on their public policies affecting individual freedoms in the economic, social, and personal spheres." What is the philosophical basis for measuring or determining freedom? Here's an explanation from the introduction: We explicitly ground…