House Speaker Doug Mays, R-Topeka, this week angrily said that Wichita lawyer Alan Rupe “can shove it up his ass” when told that Rupe, who represents schools in the funding lawsuit, didn’t think the House’s school-finance plan was good enough.
A raucous House stomped and cheered in support Friday when Mays returned in triumph.
Of course, the great orator — like his f-bombing mentor, Dick Cheney — later refused to apologize for expressing “what I was feeling.” The vulgarity “speaks for itself,” he said.
It certainly does. Eloquence! Thy name is Mays! One hopes that Kansas schoolchildren were in attendance to see how our political leaders guide debate and build consensus. Inspiring.
For his part, Rupe replied, “I won’t be going hunting with Doug Mays anytime soon.”
Posted by Randy Scholfield
House lawmakers whiffed this week on two softball chances to bring more sunshine and accountability to government. One bill would have made probable cause affidavits open records. These affidavits, in which police officers give reasons for asking a judge to issue an arrest warrant, are presumed open in at least 45 other states (and they’ve had no problems). The other bill would have allowed a public official to object to participating in a closed or executive session, if that person believed it violated the state’s open meetings law. At that point, if the meeting continued, it would have to be recorded for possible review by a judge. As our editorial on today’s opinion page notes, these were modest, compromise measures that would have provided some needed openness and scrutiny — which is likely why the district attorneys, cities, counties and school board associations were so vigorously opposed to them.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
My column Friday took note of the eight Nebraska meatpackers who have become instant multimillionaires by winning a $365 million lottery. More powerball to them.
But while the nation indulges in fantasies about being awarded unimaginable wealth for doing nothing, millions of low-income Americans who work hard and play by the rules continue to fall further behind.
Many of the Wichitans standing in line at the Lord’s Diner have jobs. They just can’t make ends meet. This country’s moral failure to raise the $5.15-an-hour federal minimum wage or — better — provide a living wage is grossly unfair, because the minimum wage at its present level is really a poverty wage.
No one who works hard should be unable to make ends meet. Too bad so few politicians of either party are talking about this problem.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
The old state office building was such a run-down eyesore for so long at Douglas and Rutan in the College Hill area, that just getting it torn down was a major improvement.
But it’s even better news to hear that local developer Mike Loveland is considering something different and eye-catching for this prime College Hill location: a row of big-city style brownstone apartments, two or three stories high, along with a high-rise condominium.
At least that’s one idea being considered, and it’s getting a good response from neighborhood residents.
Kudos to developers who take into account the aesthetics and opinions of a neighborhood when undertaking projects.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
