Voice For Liberty

Tag: Wichita Pachyderm Club

  • Kansas and Wichita quick takes: Monday October 10, 2011

    AFP meeting features former Congressman Tiahrt. Tonight’s (October 10th) meeting of Americans for Prosperity, Kansas features former United States Representative Todd Tiahrt speaking on “How regulations affect our economy.” There will be a presentation followed by a group discussion. Tiahrt represented the fourth district of Kansas from 1995 to 2011. He is presently our states Republican National Committeeman. … This free meeting is from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at the Lionel D. Alford Library located at 3447 S. Meridian in Wichita. The library is just north of the I-235 exit on Meridian. The event’s sponsor is Americans for Prosperity, Kansas. For more information on this event contact John Todd at john@johntodd.net or 316-312-7335, or Susan Estes, AFP Field Director at sestes@afphq.org or 316-681-4415.

    Government planning. In an address from 1995, Gerald P. O’Driscoll Jr. spoke on Friedrich Hayek and his ideas on government interventionism. His conclusion should be a caution to those — such as Wichita City Council members and city hall bureaucrats — who believe they can guide the economic future of Wichita through interventions such as TIF districts, grants, forgivable loans, tax credits, tax abatements, sweetheart lease deals, eminent domain, zoning, and other measures: “In all his work, Hayek focused on the self-ordering forces in society. Hayek’s fellow Nobel laureate Kenneth Arrow has suggested that ‘the notion that through the workings of an entire system effects may be very different from, and even opposed to, intentions is surely the most important intellectual contribution that economic thought has made to the general understanding of social processes.’ The Arrovian formulation echoes Adam Smith’s observation that, as a consequence of the interaction of conflicting interests, man is ‘led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention.’ The classic Hayekian statement visualizes economics as analyzing ‘the results of human action but not of human design.’ The economic conception of society is an affront to the conceit of those who would impose order from above. Economic forces defy the will of authoritarians seeking to mold social outcomes. Human beings respond to each government intervention by rearranging their lives so as to minimize its disruptive effects. The resulting outcome may thus be different from and even opposed to the intention of the intervention.” The full lecture is at The Meaning of Hayek.

    Longwell joins Democrats to defeat Republicans. While Wichita city council members are officially non-partisan — meaning they don’t run for election as members of political parties — most members are closely identified with a party. Some, like Jeff Longwell (district 5, west and northwest Wichita), see themselves as leaders in their parties, the Republican Party in this case. Last week, however, Longwell joined with the three Democrats on the Wichita City Council to oppose the votes of three Republicans. (There was a nuance to that vote, but nonetheless Longwell voted with the Democrats.) On Sunday he teamed with left-wing Council Member Janet Miller (district 6, north central Wichita) to write an op-ed that appeared in The Wichita Eagle (Grant helps region). The piece approved increased federal government spending, increased federal government control, and increased centralized planning.

    Optimal size of government. Is government too large? Yes, and trying to determine an optimum size for government is impossible. So says a new policy briefing paper from the Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, a project of the Cato Institute.

    Can We Determine the Optimal Size of Government? by James A. Kahn. In the executive summary, we can read this: “The massive spending programs and new regulations adopted by many countries around the world in response to the economic crisis of 2008 have drawn renewed attention to the role of government in the economy. Studies of the relationship between government size and economic growth have come up with a wide range of estimates of the ‘optimal’ or growth-maximizing size of government, ranging anywhere between 15 and 30 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).

    This paper argues that such an exercise is ill conceived. Modern growth economics suggests, first, that government policies leave their long-term impact primarily on the level of economic activity, not the growth rate; and, second, that the sources of this impact are multi-dimensional and not necessarily well measured by conventional measures of ‘size,’ such as the share of government spending in GDP.

    In fact, measures of economic freedom more closely relate to per capita GDP than do simple measures of government spending. The evidence shows that governments are generally larger than optimal, but because the available data include primarily countries whose governments are too large, it cannot plausibly say what the ideal size of government is. The data can realistically only say that smaller governments are better, and suggest that the optimal size of government is smaller than what we observe today.”

    Steve Jobs. What is his legacy? From Richard A. Viguerie: “Steve Jobs, Apple Computer’s late founder and CEO, gave the vast majority of his hundreds of thousands of dollars in political contributions to liberal Democrats, such as Nancy Pelosi, Ted Kennedy and California Governor Jerry Brown. Yet it is hard to think of a 21st Century entrepreneur who has done more to empower individuals and free them from the demands of the liberal collective than Steve Jobs did through the invention of the iPod, and iPad and the popularization of personal computing. Through the innovative products Apple brought to market, Jobs proved the collectivist premise of John Kenneth Galbraith’s The Affluent Society to be both absolutely true and utterly wrong.” … More at Steve Jobs’ Conservative Legacy.

    Lieutenant Governor in Wichita. This week’s meeting (October 14th) of the Wichita Pachyderm Club features Lieutenant Governor Jeff Colyer, M.D. speaking on “An update on the Brownback Administration’s ‘Roadmap for Kansas’ — Medicaid Reform” … Upcoming speakers: On October 21st: N. Trip Shawver, Attorney/Mediator, on “The magic of mediation, its uses and benefits.” … On October 28th: U.S. Representative Tim Huelskamp, who is in his first term representing the Kansas first district, speaking on “Spending battles in Washington, D.C.” … On November 4th: Chris Spencer, Vice President, Regional Sales Manager Oppenheimer Funds, speaking on “Goliath vs Goliath — The global battle of economic superpowers.” … On November 11th: Sedgwick County Commission Members Richard Ranzau and James Skelton, speaking on “What its like to be a new member of the Sedgwick County Board of County commissioners?” … On November 18th: Delores Craig-Moreland, Ph.D., Wichita State University, speaking on “Systemic reasons why our country has one of the highest jail and prison incarceration rates in the world? Are all criminals created equal?”

    When governments cut spending. Advocates of government spending argue that if it is cut, the economy will suffer. Is this true? Is government spending necessary to keep the economy functioning? “There is no historical credence to this very popular idea that cutting spending now will actually slow down the economy and actually lead to a double dip recession or an increase in economic stagnation.” This is the conclusion of Dr. Stephen Davies in a short video. As one example — he cites others — Davies explains that there was fear in the United States that the end to massive government spending during World War II would lead to a return of the Great Depression. “In fact, as we know, exactly the opposite happened. As the defense spending of the war years was wound down, and as government was pulled back in other ways as well under the Truman and Eisenhower administrations, the result was an enormous period of sustained growth in the United States and other countries that went through a similar process.” Davies says that economic growth accelerates when government reduces its spending. Reasons include the greater productivity of private sector spending as compared to government spending, and increased confidence of private sector investors. … The video is from LearnLiberty.org, a project of Institute for Humane Studies.

  • Pompeo at Pachyderm on economy, budget

    Last week U. S. Representative Mike Pompeo of Wichita addressed members and guests of the Wichita Pachyderm Club. As might be expected, major topics that members were interested in were the economy and budget issues.

    As an introduction, club vice-president John Todd played a video of a recent meeting of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight where Pompeo interrogated a Department of Energy official concerning the loan guarantee made on behalf of Solyndra, a company that has ceased operations and filed for bankruptcy. That video may be viewed here.

    In his brief opening remarks, Pompeo described the Solyndra matter as just one example of the problems inherent when government — of either party, he added — tries to allocate capital. He described this problem as pervasive, existing throughout all areas of government.

    Pompeo said that President Obama’s policies are simply wrong and have been a disaster. He said the current Congress has made progress in stopping the worst of what the president wants to do.

    In response to a question, Pompeo said that while the House has been busy passing legislation, the Senate has not. The Senate has not passed a budget for three years.

    I asked a question about federal grants: If local governments refuse federal grants, could legislation already introduced by Pompeo be expanded so that all returned grant funds would be used for deficit reduction, rather than being spent by someone else? This is an important issue, as many officeholders rationalize the acceptance of grants by arguing that someone else will spend the money, and it’s our tax money.

    Pompeo said that anytime money from Kansas is returned to Washington, he will move to make sure it is used for deficit reduction, and not to go someplace else. He said these decisions are difficult ones for local officials.

    Pompeo said that citizens would “fall off their chair” to learn of the huge magnitude of grant monies that flow from Washington. Each grant comes with restrictions on the use of the funds. He mentioned the Economic Development Administration, an agency which has a budget of over $400 million per year in earmarks.

    On federal spending, Pompeo said that we think we’ve done good when we reduce the rate of growth of spending by an agency from eight percent to three percent. While it is possible to gain support for cutting grants and spending on projects in other Congressional districts, Congressmen soon find out that their constituents have benefited from federal spending programs. Support for cutting programs then fades.

    But he said that the idea of giving back grant funds for deficit reduction is an idea that might catch on. It’s an idea that is discussed everywhere, he said. The problem lies in Washington, in that the programs exist.

    On the need for tax reform, Pompeo said there is broad consensus that it is necessary. But it may not happen very quickly, especially under the current president. Tax reform under Obama, he said, would likely result in higher taxes. But when we tackle tax reform, he said everything will be impacted.

    On energy policy, he reiterated his position that government should not be trying to select which form of energy will succeed. He also repeated his opposition to the NAT GAS Act, formally known as H.R. 1380: New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions Act of 2011, which would provide subsidies to use natural gas as a transportation fuel. If natural gas is destined to be a transportation fuel, the industry will be able to figure out how to make it work, he added.

    He declined to name who he favors among the Republican presidential candidates, but he implored the audience to work hard for the eventual nominee, saying we can’t tolerate four more years of the current president.

    On foreign trade, Pompeo said we need more trade, not less. On jobs lost to foreign producers, he said it is the federal government that has created policies that make investment more effective in foreign countries, and we should not fault companies for responding these policies and the realities of the global marketplace. He said that the Kansas fourth congressional district is the third most trade-dependent district in the country, with airplanes and agricultural products being the reason. “We are enormous beneficiaries of foreign trade,” he said.

    Pompeo explained his vote for raising the debt ceiling as realizing the necessity to pay the bills for money we had already spent. Once that was realized, the goal was to get the best deal possible. The two best things that emerged, he said, was the fact that there was no tax increase, and that there will be a vote on a balanced budget amendment in both the House and Senate before the end of the year.

    He mentioned that the budget plan developed by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan will take 20 years to balance the budget, and will require raising the debt ceiling seven times by then. Ryan also voted to raise the debt ceiling.

    The votes this summer affected discretionary spending, when it is entitlements that are the “true elephant in the room.” Pompeo said we must tackle the problems of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

    [powerpress]

  • Kansas and Wichita quick takes: Monday October 3, 2011

    Wichita City Council. Tomorrow the Wichita City Council considers these items: First, the council will have a do-over of a public hearing it held on September 21st. The need for this arises from a mistake regarding proper notification. Mistakes like this are not uncommon at Wichita city hall. … Then the council considers revising the development agreement for the Ken-Mar TIF district. More about that at Ken-Mar TIF district, the bailouts. … The council will be asked to approve an agreement with Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 513 providing for pay raises of 2.5 percent per year for the next two years. … As always, the agenda packet is available at Wichita city council agendas.

    What if the NFL Played by Teachers’ Rules? Writing in the Wall Street Journal, former NFL quarterback Fran Tarkenton explains the harm of teachers unions (What if the NFL Played by Teachers’ Rules? Imagine a league where players who make it through three seasons could never be cut from the roster.): “Teachers’ salaries have no relation to whether teachers are actually good at their job — excellence isn’t rewarded, and neither is extra effort. Pay is almost solely determined by how many years they’ve been teaching. That’s it. After a teacher earns tenure, which is often essentially automatic, firing him or her becomes almost impossible, no matter how bad the performance might be. And if you criticize the system, you’re demonized for hating teachers and not believing in our nation’s children. … Perhaps no other sector of American society so demonstrates the failure of government spending and interference. We’ve destroyed individual initiative, individual innovation and personal achievement, and marginalized anyone willing to point it out.”

    Do-nothing Hoover? A new briefing paper from the Cato Institute (Herbert Hoover: Father of the New Deal) challenges the commonly-held view of President Herbert Hoover as doing nothing to prevent or fix the Great Depression. “Politicians and pundits portray Herbert Hoover as a defender of laissez faire governance whose dogmatic commitment to small government led him to stand by and do nothing while the economy collapsed in the wake of the stock market crash in 1929. In fact, Hoover had long been a critic of laissez faire. As president, he doubled federal spending in real terms in four years. He also used government to prop up wages, restricted immigration, signed the Smoot-Hawley tariff, raised taxes, and created the Reconstruction Finance Corporation — all interventionist measures and not laissez faire. Unlike many Democrats today, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s advisers knew that Hoover had started the New Deal. One of them wrote, ‘When we all burst into Washington … we found every essential idea [of the New Deal] enacted in the 100-day Congress in the Hoover administration itself.’ Hoover’s big-spending, interventionist policies prolonged the Great Depression, and similar policies today could do similar damage. Dismantling the mythical presentation of Hoover as a ‘do-nothing’ president is crucial if we wish to have a proper understanding of what did and did not work in the Great Depression so that we do not repeat Hoover’s mistakes today.” … Well worth reading.

    Kansas school cash. “A new report this month shows that cash reserves in Kansas’ 286 school districts grew 9 percent during the year ending June 30, even as schools statewide made plans to trim staff and cut programs because of reductions in basic state aid to education. The cash reserve increase is the sixth in as many years.” See Kansas Reporter, “Lawmakers question Kansas schools’ stashes of cash.”

    John Locke to appear in Wichita. This week’s meeting (October 7th) of the Wichita Pachyderm Club presents John Locke — reincarnated through the miracle of modern technology — speaking on “Life, Liberty, and Property.” This promises to be informative and entertaining. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend Wichita Pachyderm meetings. For more information click on Wichita Pachyderm Club … Upcoming speakers: On October 14th, Lieutenant Governor Jeff Colyer, M.D. Speaking on “An update on the Brownback Administration’s ‘Roadmap for Kansas’ — Medicaid Reform” … On October 21st, N. Trip Shawver, Attorney/Mediator, on “The magic of mediation, its uses and benefits.” … On October 28th, U.S. Representative Tim Huelskamp, who is in his first term representing the Kansas first district, speaking on “Spending battles in Washington, D.C.”

  • Kansas and Wichita quick takes: Monday September 26, 2011

    Who creates jobs? Paul Jacob of Citizens in Charge Foundation knows that it’s not government that creates jobs. It’s people that do. And, there is one presidential candidate who knows this too. This candidate said during a recent debate “The fact is I can unequivocally say that I did not create a single job while I was governor.” Read more at Who Creates Jobs?

    Pompeo to address Pachyderms. This week’s meeting (September 30th) of the Wichita Pachyderm Club presents U.S. Representative Mike Pompeo of Wichita on “An update from Washington.” … The public is welcome and encouraged to attend Wichita Pachyderm meetings. For more information click on Wichita Pachyderm Club … Upcoming speakers: On October 7, John Locke — reincarnated through the miracle of modern technology — speaking on “Life, Liberty, and Property.” … On October 14, Sedgwick County Commission Members Richard Ranzau and James Skelton, speaking on “What its like to be a new member of the Sedgwick County Board of County commissioners?” … On October 21, N. Trip Shawver, Attorney/Mediator, on “The magic of mediation, its uses and benefits.”

    Supremes to make road trip. This week the Kansas Supreme Court will conduct sessions in Greensburg and Wichita. On Wednesday September 28th, the court will meet in the Kiowa County Courthouse beginning at 9 am. The next day the court will meet in the Wichita City Council chambers, starting at 9:00 am. Details about the cases the justices will hear may be read here: Greensburg Appeal Summaries, Wichita Appeal Summaries.

    March for the chicken. The recent visit to Wichita by economist Walter E. Williams produced many memorable moments, such as when Williams explained how private property works to save animal species from extinction: “I was listening to NPR, a number of years ago, and people were picketing the UN because they were concerned about the extinction of the giraffe, the gorilla, and the lion. So I wrote down a list of animals that people were in a tizzy over the possibility of their becoming extinct. … Then I wrote down another list of animals, very valuable to us, but people are not worried about them. I said ‘How come people are not marching for the chicken? Why are people not forming save the pig clubs?’ … What’s the difference between these two lists of animals? The essential difference is that with this list of animals — cows, chickens, and pigs — they belong to somebody. Somebody’s personal private interest is at stake. But this other list of animals — they don’t belong to anybody. Nobody’s personal private wealth is at stake. If you’re concerned about the extinction of various animals, I would recommend trying to privatize them.”

    Economic freedom. In a short video, Professor Aeon Skoble explains the linkage between economic freedom and personal liberty. Often the two are portrayed as competing forces, but this is not true at all. In the video, Skoble explains: “The truth is, there’s no real distinction between civil liberties and economic liberties. They’re one and the same, and it’s a mistake to separate them out and defend one at the expense of the other.” Economic freedom, explains Skoble, provides the means to express civil liberties, such as the right to publish your thoughts, and the right of someone else to read them: “When we make transactions in the economic realm, we are putting into physical reality in the social setting the choices we make. So if I don’t have the freedom to transact then my freedom of choice is hollow — an abstraction. … Economic liberties simply are the physical, social manifestations of the freedom of choice or freedom of conscience that we take so seriously.” The video is from LearnLiberty.org, a project of Institute for Humane Studies.

  • Kansas and Wichita quick takes: Tuesday September 20, 2011

    Douglas Place value. The budget published by the city for the Douglas Place project, a downtown Wichita hotel, includes $2,600,000 for purchase of the existing building that will be turned into the hotel. According to Sedgwick County, the property has an appraised market value of $710,900. A good question for someone to ask is why the developers are paying so much more than that — or why the property is appraised so low if in fact it is worth $2,600,000. Or, does the fact that the city is offering subsidies drive up the value of property?

    Douglas Place vote delayed. Today the Wichita City Council delayed the vote on the second reading of the subsidy package for the Douglas Place project. Some of the subsidy programs require five votes, and with the mayor and council member Pete Meitzner absent, and with council member Michael O’Donnell opposed, there weren’t five votes to pass these measures.

    Solyndra unnoticed by some. As of last Friday, prime time programs on the MSNBC television network haven’t covered the scandal involving Solyndra, a solar energy company that received $535 million worth of loan guarantees from the Obama administration, reports Newsbusters.

    On Solyndra, the real lesson. Tim Carney gets it just right when he notices that Republicans are using the Solyndra scandal as a hammer against President Barack Obama in particular and Democrats in general. Instead, Carney writes that Solyndra is an example of “influence peddling, incompetence and waste that are inevitable whenever government becomes deeply entangled in industry.” Republicans do this too. Here in Wichita most Republican members of the city council vote for this. … Continues Carney: “If Republicans were willing to broaden their attack beyond criticizing this one loan deal, they could indict the whole practice of government-business collusion. The GOP could show how Solyndra is the inevitable consequence of Obama’s type of big-government policies. … The problem is that Obama’s stated agenda, which involves giving government a central role in the private sector, inevitably creates waste, gives benefits to the well-connected, and opens the door for cronyism and corruption. Obama promised to be the scourge of the lobbyists and the antidote to special-interest dominance in Washington, but he also promised an activist government role in the economy. The two are nearly mutually exclusive.” More by Carney in the Washington Examiner at Republicans dodge the real lesson of Solyndra.

    Spreading the wealth: the costs. Leslie Carbone writing in The Moral Case Against Spreading the Wealth: “There are two principal reasons why the federal government should not be in the business of wealth redistribution. First, government imposed wealth redistribution doesn’t work: It doesn’t create, or even spread prosperity, it dampens it.” On the moral case, Carbone writes: “Government imposed redistribution does moral harm as well. First, wealth redistribution discourages the virtuous behavior that creates wealth: hard work, saving, investment, personal responsibility. In the natural order, virtue and vice carry their own consequences. Virtue yields largely positive results. Hard work, patience, and orderliness, for example, tend to generate prosperity. Vice, on the other hand, brings negative consequences. Sloth, impatience, and recklessness lead to suffering. By taxing the fruits of the virtuous behavior that creates wealth, government redistribution discourages that behavior.” … Concluding, Carbone see cause for optimism: “[Millions] are rejecting what F.A. Hayek so aptly called the fatal conceit of paternalistic government. Decades of federal expansion have demonstrated what history, economics, philosophy, and common sense have told us all along: People, working through the market, are the engines of prosperity, both moral and financial — but only if we get government out of their way.

    Kansas schools to be topic. This week’s meeting (September 23rd) of the Wichita Pachyderm Club presents Dave Trabert, President of Kansas Policy Institute, speaking on the topic “Why Not Kansas: Getting every student an effective education.” … The public is welcome and encouraged to attend Wichita Pachyderm meetings. For more information click on Wichita Pachyderm Club … Upcoming speakers: On September 30, U.S. Representative Mike Pompeo of Wichita on “An update from Washington.” … On October 7, John Locke — reincarnated through the miracle of modern technology — speaking on “Life, Liberty, and Property.” … On October 14, Sedgwick County Commission Members Richard Ranzau and James Skelton, speaking on “What its like to be a new member of the Sedgwick County Board of County commissioners?” … On October 21, N. Trip Shawver, Attorney/Mediator, on “The magic of mediation, its uses and benefits.”

    Natural rights. From LearnLiberty.org, a project of Institute for Humane Studies: “Individuals have rights. But are they natural? And how do they compare and contrast with legal or constitutional rights? Are legal or constitutional rights similar to those inalienable rights mentioned in the Declaration of Independence? Professor Aeon Skoble distinguishes such constitutional rights, such as the right to vote, from the rights protected by governments and constitutions — natural rights not actually granted by governments themselves. He concludes that legal systems should create rights that are compatible with natural rights.”

  • Kansas and Wichita quick takes: Monday September 12, 2011

    TIF not good for everyone, it seems. One of the criticisms of tax increment financing (TIF) is that it diverts tax revenue away from the general operations of government and into the hands of private concerns. Supporters of TIF deny this, using a variety of arguments. But as always, actions speak louder than words. In this case, examination of city documents finds that the Wichita Downtown Development Corporation, which is funded by a special property tax district, is exempt from the TIF district. (Actually, it’s the SSMID that’s exempt, but the only reason the SSMID exists, and the only thing it spends its tax revenue on, is the WDDC.) In other words, the city is willing to use TIF to divert money from police, fire, and schools, but not from the Wichita Downtown Development Corporation.

    Wichita City Council. The Wichita City Council in its Tuesday meeting considers these items: The largest item is the Douglas Place project, a downtown Wichita hotel being considered for many layers of taxpayer subsidy. … The council will also have a public hearing on water rates, described as “Citizen input will assist in determining whether the enhanced revenue should come from across-the-board increases or if the current imbalance should be gradually phased out, beginning with cost-based rate structure changes in 2012.” No rate changes will be contemplated at this meeting. … The council will also consider changes to regulations involving slab-on-grade construction standards for one and two family dwellings. There have been high-profile news stories about the failure of some such homes’ foundations. … The council will consider approval of a grant for a Regional Air Quality Improvement Program. … As always, the agenda packet — all 691 pages for this week’s meeting — is available at Wichita city council agendas.

    Williams lecture not noticed. Last Thursday about 650 people attended a lecture by an economist in Wichita, and traditional news media didn’t notice. Fortunately there are other sources: Williams: Constitutional Principles the Source of Fairness and Justice (complete video included in this story), Walter Williams: Government must stick to its limited and legitimate role, and Walter Williams on doing good.

    Energy and politics to be topic. This week’s meeting (September 19th) of the Wichita Pachyderm Club features Merrill Eisenhower Atwater, President of Fox Fuels, speaking on “Infrastructure, energy, and politics.” Atwater is great grandson of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend Wichita Pachyderm meetings. For more information click on Wichita Pachyderm Club … Upcoming speakers: On September 23, Dave Trabert, President of Kansas Policy Institute, speaking on the topic “Why Not Kansas: Getting every student an effective education.” … On September 30, U.S. Representative Mike Pompeo of Wichita on “An update from Washington.” … On October 7, John Locke — reincarnated through the miracle of modern technology — speaking on “Life, Liberty, and Property.” … On October 14, Sedgwick County Commission Members Richard Ranzau and James Skelton, speaking on “What its like to be a new member of the Sedgwick County Board of County commissioners?” … On October 21, N. Trip Shawver, Attorney/Mediator, on “The magic of mediation, its uses and benefits.”

    Pompeo on ideological internships. Have you heard of a government program called Environmental Justice (EJ) eco-Ambassadors? U.S. Representative Mike Pompeo of Wichita has. According to a press release from his office, the application process is tilted along ideological lines: “The requirements outlined the EPA’s stated desire to recruit and hire, at taxpayer expense, only those college students who are ideologically in line with the Obama Administration’s radical environmental policies.” He has introduced legislation to prevent “any paid internships or other student recruitment programs that discriminate based on ideology or policy viewpoint.” Said Pompeo: “At a time when millions of Americans cannot find work and are saddled with record deficits and crippling environmental regulations, spending $6,000 of taxpayer money per student to act as tools of this Administration’s radical policies is clearly not acceptable — nor is it ever the role of the federal government to indoctrinate.” … The legislation Pompeo introduced is H.R. 2876: To prevent discrimination on the basis of political beliefs by the Environmental Protection Agency in its student programs.

    Spending to create jobs. Burton Folsom: “How are jobs created? In the last hundred years, the U.S. has seen tens of millions of jobs created by entrepreneurs like Henry Ford, who put a car in every garage, Willis Carrier, who gave us air conditioning, and Chester Carlson, who invented and marketed the Xerox machine. These men created products people wanted to use, and therefore millions of jobs came into existence to hire people to make those products as cheaply as possible. How do we encourage people like Henry Ford, Willis Carrier, and Chester Carlson to take the risks that might create those jobs? We do that by limiting government, protecting property rights, and allowing entrepreneurs to keep most of what they earn. In other words, do not overregulate, do not overtax, and do not allow the federal government to create instability by intrusive meddling. … Thus, we have President Obama, a disciple of FDR and John Maynard Keynes, frustrated because his stimulus package failed, his bailout of General Motors failed, and his cash for clunkers failed. His Obamacare overhaul is also in the process of failing. Alas, the U.S. has a stagnant economy and is mired in more than 9 percent unemployment. What to do? Why, more stimulus spending, of course! Only it will now be labeled ‘investment’ — along with more targeted spending for green jobs and more small targeted tax cuts.” More at The Sad Story of Presidents Who Think They Can Spend to Create Jobs.

    Kansas education summit. On Thursday September 15th, Kansas Policy Institute is holding a summit on education in Kansas. In its announcement, KPI writes: “Kansas can expand educational opportunities for students in need — even in our current economic climate. Join a “Who’s Who” of the nation’s education reformers in a discussion on how Kansas can give every student an effective education. … Invited participants include Gov. Sam Brownback, the Kansas Department of Education, Kansas National Education Association, Kansas Association of School Boards, state legislators, and other public education stakeholders.” … KPI notes that we increased total aid to Kansas public schools by $1.2 billion between 2005 and 2011, that 25 percent of Kansas students are unable to read at grade level. The event will be held at the Holiday Inn & Suites, Overland Park West. The cost is $35, which includes breakfast and lunch for the all-day event. … RSVPs are requested. For more information, click on Kansas Policy Institute Education Summit.

    Why should liberals like libertarian ideas? Last week we saw Dr. Stephen Davies explain why conservatives should consider libertarian ideas. Today, he explains why liberals, or progressives, should also consider libertarian ideas. The video is from LearnLiberty.org, a project of Institute for Humane Studies.

  • Kansas and Wichita quick takes: Tuesday September 6, 2011

    Live music example of overcriminilization, regulation in Wichita. The Wichita Eagle reports on examples of problems establishments have faced for not complying with Wichita’s requirement for a live music license, which costs $400 per year. In the story No entertainment license in Wichita? Live music is illegal, it is reported that city officials are working with art gallery and coffeehouse owners to revise the ordinance. I agree with Adam Hartke, who wonders why there should be any fees. Like the recently passed regulations on haunted houses, these regulations appear to be regulating something that’s not a problem.

    Tax reform in Kansas. In a nine-minute podcast from the Tax Foundation, Kansas Policy Institute president Dave Trabert discusses the prospects for substantive tax reform in the Sunflower State, including the possibility of both phasing out the individual income tax and cutting (or even abolishing) the corporate income tax. Trabert says: “We probably do right now have the 15th highest state and local tax burden in the country. … That is a serious problem, because we understand how the tax burden affects job creation.” In a recent editorial, Trabert noted lack of job growth in Kansas: “Kansas is the only state whose average annual private-sector employment is below its 2010 average. Part of the reason is that, unlike most states, Kansas chose to continue raising taxes last year. … We must reduce our tax burden to create jobs and economic growth. Gradually eliminating the state income tax will have the greatest impact.” … Click on Dave Trabert on the Fight for Tax Reform in Kansas.

    Downtown Wichita site launched. As part of an effort to provide information about the Douglas Place project, a proposed renovation of a downtown Wichita office building into a hotel, Americans for Prosperity, Kansas has created a website. The site is named Our Downtown Wichita, and it’s located at dtwichita.com.

    Juvenile justice system to be topic. This week’s meeting (September 9th) of the Wichita Pachyderm Club features Mark Masterson, Director, Sedgwick County Department of Corrections, on the topic “Juvenile Justice System in Sedgwick County.” Following, from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm, Pachyderm Club members and guests are invited to tour the Sedgwick County Juvenile Detention Center located at 700 South Hydraulic, Wichita, Kansas. … Upcoming speakers: On September 16, Merrill Eisenhower Atwater, great grandson of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, will present a program with the topic to be determined. … On September 23, Dave Trabert, President of Kansas Policy Institute, speaking on the topic “Why Not Kansas: Getting every student an effective education.” … On September 30, U.S. Representative Mike Pompeo of Wichita on “An update from Washington.” … On October 7, John Locke — reincarnated through the miracle of modern technology — speaking on “Life, Liberty, and Property.” … On October 14, Sedgwick County Commission Members Richard Ranzau and James Skelton, speaking on “What its like to be a new member of the Sedgwick County Board of County commissioners?” … On October 21, N. Trip Shawver, Attorney/Mediator, on “The magic of mediation, its uses and benefits.”

    Campaign contributions flow to Wichita’s subsidy supporters. The Our Downtown Wichita website holds an article that details the campaign contributions made to Wichita’s mayor and several city council members by those who will be asking the city for money next week. The contributions by David Burk and Key Construction owners and affiliates are detailed in Wichita City Council campaign contributions and Douglas Place. … When the issue of campaign contributions was raised at a recent council meeting, several members became testy. Evidently, these contributions are not meant to be discussed in public.

    Organ events. This Wednesday (September 7th) sees the first organ recital by Wichita State University’s Lynne Davis as part of the “Wednesdays in Wiedemann” series. These recitals, which have no admission charge, start at 5:30 pm and last about 30 minutes. … The location is Wiedemann Recital Hall (map) on the campus of Wichita State University. For more about Davis and WSU’s Great Marcussen Organ, see my story from last year. … Later this month Davis hosts Jehan Alain, 1911-1940 — The American Festival, a three-day event celebrating the music of the French organist and composer, who died at the age of 29 fighting for his country against Germany in World War II. There will be several recitals that the public may attend.

    Urban planning in Wichita: an outside perspective. Randal O’Toole is a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute and author of The Best-Laid Plans: How Government Planning Harms Your Quality of Life, Your Pocketbook, and Your Future. He visited Wichita last year and toured some of Wichita’s landmarks of government planning and taxpayer subsidy.

    O’Toole also appeared on the KPTS public affairs television program Kansas Week.

  • Kansas and Wichita quick takes: Monday August 29, 2011

    Wichita City Council. The Wichita City Council will not meet this week, as Tuesday is the fifth Tuesday of the month. The council will not meet on September 6th, as that is a Tuesday after a Monday holiday.

    Government and business. Today’s Wichita Eagle carries a letter to the editor that makes a comparison that would be humorous, if so many people didn’t believe it: that government can be, and should be, run like a business. Here’s part of the letter: “But government isn’t like a family. It’s a business — a business that provides the services we need and want. Things like courts, the financial system, the military, national parks, interstate highways and all the other things that the government does to make our life what it is today. And each of these services has costs. To stay in business, all businesses must make a profit, or have the potential to turn a profit in the near future.” … Government is nothing like a business, however, and failing to recognize this is dangerous. First, customers patronize businesses voluntarily because they like what they get for their money. We don’t have this voluntary relationship with government — we must pay whether we want to or not, and regardless of whether we use the services government provides. Government often becomes the sole source provider of many things, meaning that we must use government, even if we would like to get the service somewhere else. Thus, government is not often subject to competition, which characterizes markets that business operates in. Then, government has no ability to calculate profit, as it conscripts its capital. Finally, just because government currently provides a service, it doesn’t follow that government should provide it, or that government is the only way to provide it, or that government is the best way to provide it.

    Developer welfare shop opened. From Wichita Business Journal: “The Wichita Downtown Development Corp. on Friday opened its new Innovation Center. Designed as a one-stop shop for developers interested in building downtown projects, the new center is expected to be a place where ideas are both created and shared.” Should Wichitans be worried about centralized government planning?

    ‘Kansans United’ formed. The Kansas City Star notes the formation of a new group named Kansans United in Voice and Spirit. According to the group’s website: “Kansans United in Voice & Spirit are concerned citizens throughout the state of Kansas who are uniting to support, advocate for, and protect valuable State services, programs, and policies and to promote government by and for all Kansans.” … Judging by posts on its Facebook page, the group is a reaction to the policies of Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, and is in favor of the glorification of government.

    Kansas education summit. On Thursday September 15th, Kansas Policy Institute is holding a summit on education in Kansas. In its announcement, KPI writes: “Kansas can expand educational opportunities for students in need — even in our current economic climate. Join a “Who’s Who” of the nation’s education reformers in a discussion on how Kansas can give every student an effective education. … Invited participants include Gov. Sam Brownback, the Kansas Department of Education, Kansas National Education Association, Kansas Association of School Boards, state legislators, and other public education stakeholders.” … KPI notes that we increased total aid to Kansas public schools by $1.2 billion between 2005 and 2011, that 25 percent of Kansas students are unable to read at grade level. The event will be held at the Holiday Inn & Suites, Overland Park West. The cost is $35, which includes breakfast and lunch for the all-day event. … RSVPs are requested. For more information, click on Kansas Policy Institute Education Summit.

    No Wichita Pachyderm this week. The Wichita Pachyderm Club will not meet this week. Upcoming speakers: On September 9, Mark Masterson, Director, Sedgwick County Department of Corrections, on the topic “Juvenile Justice System in Sedgwick County.” Following, from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm, Pachyderm Club members and guests are invited to tour the Sedgwick County Juvenile Detention Center located at 700 South Hydraulic, Wichita, Kansas. … On September 16, Merrill Eisenhower Atwater, great grandson of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, will present a program with the topic to be determined. … On September 23, Dave Trabert, President of Kansas Policy Institute, speaking on the topic “Why Not Kansas: Getting every student an effective education.” … On September 30, U.S. Representative Mike Pompeo of Wichita on “An update from Washington.” … On October 7, John Locke — reincarnated through the miracle of modern technology — speaking on “Life, Liberty, and Property.” … On October 14, Sedgwick County Commission Members Richard Ranzau and James Skelton, speaking on “What its like to be a new member of the Sedgwick County Board of County commissioners?” … On October 21, N. Trip Shawver, Attorney/Mediator, on “The magic of mediation, its uses and benefits.”

    Myths of capitalism. In a short video, Dr. Jeffrey Miron explains three common myths of capitalism. The first, and one we struggle with in Wichita as our city and state seek to be business-friendly, is the common perception that business and capitalism are one and the same. Miron says: “Nothing could be farther from the truth. The point of capitalism is to make sure that businesses have to compete vigorously against each other, and that benefits consumers. It’s not good for the businesses per se, because they have to work really hard. So many businesses understand this, and they hate capitalism. They are constantly trying to get government to erect various rules, restrictions, and regulations that help them, but they’re not in the interests of consumers.” … Miron also addresses the issue of income distribution, noting that capitalism rewards those who are productive and who come up with good ideas. Some people have very little skill, he notes, and so it is reasonable to support some antipoverty spending. But hampering capitalism to achieve this goal makes everyone worse off. … Also, capitalism is not responsible for the recent financial crisis. We didn’t have unbridled capitalism before the crisis, he says, and it is much more likely that government interference with capitalism causes crises like in 2008. TARP and other bailouts shielded risk-takers from paying the true price for the risk they undertook, and encourages people to take other risks, knowing they will not have to pay. … This video is from LearnLiberty.org, a project of Institute for Humane Studies, and many other informative videos are available.

  • Kansas and Wichita quick takes: Monday August 22, 2011

    How not to grow an economy. Wall Street Journal Review & Outlook How Not to Grow an Economy: A week in the life of the Obama recovery. from today: “Financial markets are in turmoil, investors are fleeing to safe havens, and the chances of another recession are rising. This would seem to be a moment when government should be especially careful to do no harm, to talk and walk softly, and to reassure business that Washington wants more private investment and hiring. But this is not how our current government behaves. Day after day brings headlines of another legislative, regulatory or enforcement action that gives CEOs and investors reason to hunker down, retain as much cash as possible and ride out whatever storms are ahead.” … After listing a number of headline events of the type mentioned, the Journal concludes: “None of these stories by themselves — or even a week of them — is enough to undermine a recovery. But the cascade of such stories day after day — about new regulations, new prosecutions or fines against business, new obstacles to investment, more spending and higher taxes — contributes to the larger lack of business and consumer confidence. It’s impossible to quantify the impact of such policies on lost GDP or lost job creation, but everyone in the real economy understands how such signals work. The great tragedy of the Obama nonrecovery is that this Administration still doesn’t realize the damage it is doing.” … Me, if wonder why if President Obama knows how to create jobs and has a plan to do so, why not introduce it today — or two and a half years ago, right after he became president? Are we to believe the he and his advisers know something now that they didn’t know then? We might hold some faint hope that Obama will reveal a plan that relies less on government and more on free markets and capitalism, but that doesn’t seem likely.

    Son of TARP. Also in the Wall Street Journal, Holman W. Jenkins, Jr. explains that the housing crisis isn’t over, thanks to government policies: “Under bailout theory, housing was supposed to hit bottom, but the bottom would be higher than if the economy had lapsed into depression. But housing hasn’t been allowed to hit bottom, thanks to policies designed to foil foreclosures and keep people in houses they can’t afford and have stopped paying for. As a result, the housing and construction industries remain paralyzed.” Bank of America, having bet on the success of the bailout, and now creatures of a government safety net: “They wouldn’t exist without it.” Holman contends the bailout isn’t working, and that raises a possibility for the future: “Our warning of two years ago — ‘bank nationalization will soon be back on the agenda unless the economy picks up’ — threatens to come true. If the tea party crowd didn’t like the debt-ceiling hike, think how they’d react to Son of Tarp.” The full article is The Bailout Isn’t Working: Bank of America is the canary in the coal mine.

    Wichita City Council. The Wichita City Council in its Tuesday meeting will consider consent items only as it is the fourth Tuesday of the month. Consent agendas are usually reserved for items thought to be of non-controversial nature, and items on them will not be discussed by the council unless a member asks to “pull” an item for discussion and a possible vote separate from the other consent agenda items. One item that may be of interest to citizens is a decision on purchasing four new city buses. This item is notable, according to Wichita Eagle reporting, because “The four buses the city is poised to purchase might be the last diesel buses it ever buys.” … Also on the consent agenda is a proposal to rezone large swaths of downtown property from various classifications to “CBD” Central Business District zoning. City document say this will allow existing land uses to continue while permitting new. The Metropolitan Area Planning Commission approved this proposal unanimously. … The council will also decide whether to accept petitions regarding the formation of a community improvement district and authorization of a facade improvement project at 104 South Broadway. That’s the Douglas Place Project being developed by David Burk and partners. There’s not much basis for refusing to accept the petitions, and all the agenda item does is accept the petition and set September 13 as the date for the public hearing on these matters. The council has already issued of letter of intent stating that it desires to go forward with these programs. … Earlier this year Jeff Longwell (district 5, west and northwest Wichita) voted against accepting CID petitions for the Eastgate shopping center. … As always, the agenda packet is available at Wichita city council agendas.

    Critique of Keynesian policies. Sheldon Richman in The Freeman: “The Keynesian pundits, then, are wrong on all counts. The government need not be the spender of last resort because 1) producers and consumers would spend just fine if it would get out of their way, and 2) the government can’t be relied on to create, rather than destroy, value in its use of scarce resources.” Richman also notes the intolerance, and also the “attitude that is at once arrogant and ignorant” of those who question “Keynesianism as the only truly scientific economics.” He explains that “The pundits can’t even acknowledge good faith in their opponents. This explains the intolerance shown those who refuse to agree that in a recession government spending is indispensable to raising aggregate demand and restoring economic growth.” … Boosters of government spending as stimulus often explain that the ARRA stimulus passed in 2009 was too small at only around $800 billion. But all government deficit spending counts as stimulus — and there’s been a lot of deficit spending the past few years.

    Junior Kansas legislators to speak. This Friday’s meeting (August 26th) of the Wichita Pachyderm Club features Kansas State Representatives Jim Howell and Joseph Scapa speaking on “Our freshmen year in the Kansas Legislature.” The public is welcome and encouraged to attend Wichita Pachyderm meetings. For more information click on Wichita Pachyderm Club … Upcoming speakers: On September 2 the Petroleum Club is closed for the holiday, so there will be no meeting. … On September 9, Mark Masterson, Director, Sedgwick County Department of Corrections, on the topic “Juvenile Justice System in Sedgwick County.” Following, from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm, Pachyderm Club members and guests are invited to tour the Sedgwick County Juvenile Detention Center located at 700 South Hydraulic, Wichita, Kansas. … On September 16, Merrill Eisenhower Atwater, great grandson of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, will present a program with the topic to be determined. … On September 23, Dave Trabert, President of Kansas Policy Institute, speaking on the topic “Why Not Kansas: Getting every student an effective education.” … On September 30, U.S. Representative Mike Pompeo of Wichita on “An update from Washington.” … On October 7, John Locke — reincarnated through the miracle of modern technology — speaking on “Life, Liberty, and Property.” … On October 14, Sedgwick County Commission Members Richard Ranzau and James Skelton, speaking on “What its like to be a new member of the Sedgwick County Board of County commissioners?” … On October 21, N. Trip Shawver, Attorney/Mediator, on “The magic of mediation, its uses and benefits.”