This issue has been raised earlier by bloggers on this site, but The Eagle published a news article today noting how much money Sedgwick County lawmakers have received from northeast Kansas casinos (click here to see list). The article particularly focused on the 19 area lawmakers who signed a letter to the Sedgwick County Commission last summer opposing a local advisory vote on casinos. One commissioner told The Eagle’s editorial board at the time that the local lawmakers basically threatened that if the county held the vote, the delegation wouldn’t help them on any other legislative issue. Turns out those 19 lawmakers have received nearly $44,000 in campaign donations since 2001 from these tribal casinos (which don’t want the competition of a Sedgwick County casino). There is no evidence that anyone changed his or her vote because of these campaign donations. But many in the public are likely asking: If gambling is so bad, why accept their money?
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
I don’t know if the Clinton administration really did try to thwart an investigation into whether former Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros evaded income taxes, as independent counsel David Barrett contends. I wouldn’t be surprised, though former officials of the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service dismiss that charge. But this investigation is a poster child for why Congress was wise to let the independent counsel law expire. The Cisneros inquiry began more than a decade ago and has cost about $21 million. And for what? Cisneros pleaded guilty in 1999 to a misdemeanor charge of lying to investigators (and was pardoned by President Clinton). Yet more than six years later, the investigation is still going.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
You’ve probably heard jokes by now about an Italian study that found that couples who have a TV set in their bedrooms have sex half as often as those who don’t. But Wall Street Journal blogger James Taranto warned that correlation does not necessarily imply causation.
“It may be that people with humdrum sex lives need something to do in the bedroom, so they get a TV set,” he wrote. “Or perhaps there is a complex web of cause and effect: As people get older, their sex drives diminish, while at the same time their wealth expands, so they can afford more consumer electronics.” His conclusion: “Don’t think that you’ll get lucky if you throw the TV out the window — or that your overeager partner will leave you alone if you procure a set.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Give GOP gubernatorial hopeful Sen. Jim Barnett, R-Emporia (in photo), and his running mate, Sen. Susan Wagle, R-Wichita, credit for being bold. Thursday they announced their “prescription for growth,” which includes new tax exemptions, tax credits, tax reductions and even a tax elimination (on estates). They also are budgeting for increased spending in education and Medicaid, which total more than three-fourths of the state budget. They want to pay for some of this spending and tax-cutting by delaying highway projects. But would their budget math really add up?
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
The following satirical headlines come from borowitzreport.com:
SANTORUM BACKS BAN ON GAY WESTERNS; Golden Globes Win for ‘Brokeback Mountain’ Irks Pennsylvania Senator
SEN. BIDEN PRODUCING DANGEROUSLY HIGH LEVELS OF CARBON DIOXIDE; Talkative Lawmaker Creating Environmental Threat, Scientists Fear
DELAY PROPOSES SENDING ABRAMOFF TO PLUTO; Would Become First Disgraced Lobbyist in Space
BUSH CALLS ‘OPERATION ALIENATE PAKISTAN’ A SUCCESS; Airstrike Succeeded in Pissing Off Nation of 162,000,000, President Says
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
The Wichita River Festival can expect some grumbling over the decision to raise the admission button price from $3 to $5: Nobody ever likes to pay more. But even at $5 a head, the 35th anniversary festival’s nine days in May will remain a bargain. And the higher price will help give the festivalgoers what they say they want: bigger name musical entertainment, for the price of the button rather than for an additional ticket price; more family friendly events; more parking and shuttle transportation; and the comeback of the popular booklet-style festival schedule. “We believe that this is a real value still,” Janet Wright, president and CEO of Wichita Festivals, told The Eagle editorial board Thursday. Agreed.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
