After a woefully inadequate federal emergency response last week to Hurricane Katrina that President Bush admitted was “not acceptable,” it was good to see National Guard troops and aid finally begin rolling into New Orleans and Gulf Coast areas to help the thousands of people desperately waiting for food, water and medical help.
As the president said, this is an effort that will be measured in months and years. But the immediate need is urgent and, for those living through it, terrifying.
This tragedy is a reminder that major natural disasters pose as much of a threat to national security as terrorism. Are we prepared for them? Katrina suggests the answer is “no.”
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Pat Lehman, grand lodge representative for the Machinists union in Wichita, argues the pro-union side of a Labor Day debate on The Eagle’s Opinion pages today, opposite Lew Ebert of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce. One colorful anecdote from Lehman’s commentary ended up on the editing room floor:
“At one facility in Texas, the opening of the movie ‘Patton’ was re-created, complete with a retired military general striding to the stage in front of a huge American flag, with the roar of jets flying overhead, and martial music being played while the general delivered the union-busting message that joining a union was really an unpatriotic act, and the military in the United States did not like to have union members doing their work!
“Because many of the workers at this facility were veterans, the union-busting consultant felt this was the best way to approach the workers, along with the usual one on one threatening meetings with their supervisors, and the mandatory viewing of films using paid actors to depict union violence.
“Turns out the retired general was paid $158,000 for his one-time acting gig, and most of the private military work down in the United States is done by union members, with the full support of the military. At least the workers got some cookies and lemonade at this meeting.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
The hot rhetoric on the edges of Congress’ political spectrum gets most of the attention, but it also gets in the way of action. So it’s encouraging to hear about the Center Aisle Caucus, which was founded in June and includes 20-some Democrats and 20-some Republicans. “We can disagree without screaming at each other,” Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., recently told an Overland Park town hall crowd. Good first efforts have included work toward allowing Medicare officials to negotiate lower drug prices with pharmaceutical companies and boosting soldier benefits. “I’m convinced that 80 percent of the issues we deal with in Congress should not be partisan,” said Rep. Dennis Moore, D-Lenexa — in a statement that would seem obvious if it weren’t so contrary to the polarized status quo on Capitol Hill.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Here is a disturbing statistic: Kansas’ median income dropped last year by a greater percentage than any other state except Georgia, the U.S. Census Bureau reported last week. Our median household income fell 4.2 percent, from $45,094 to $43,204. Specific reasons for the drop weren’t cited, though much of it likely is due to local aviation layoffs. What is clear is that too many Kansans are moving backward financially rather than forward.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Kevin Graham did the right thing last week by resigning from the Wichita school board, in the wake of his arrest for allegedly trying to cash two bad checks and the revelations of his long history of personal financial problems. He has yet to be charged with a crime related to the arrest, but as he said in his resignation letter, his legal woes had made his membership on the board “more distracting than beneficial.” With school boards being held ever more accountable by legislators and taxpayers for every public dollar they spend, the Wichita board could not afford to let its reputation get tangled up in Graham’s. Now, it can move on.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
