With a 60 percent approval rating in statewide opinion polls, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius should have some political capital to spend. The unraveling school finance situation at the Statehouse is a perfect place to spend it. As our editorial today notes, the Democrat was elected four years ago on a commitment to public education but hasn’t offered a schools plan of her own in two years. Yes, that plan went down in partisan flames. But now, she shouldn’t just scold members of the GOP-led Legislature about the need to do what’s right — pass a multiyear schools proposal that directs new dollars where they are most needed, as per the legislative cost study. She should present them with the right plan to do so, then lobby to get it passed.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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Rhonda, That’s a very unflattering picture of a very pretty lady.
Change it. Then go stand in the corner.
She’s a witch! Burn her!
Kansas Legislative Update – Sex, Guns, Illegal Immigrant Tuition, and School Finance
Kansas legislators never seem to tire of their efforts to regulate sex, yet are running as fast as they can from an up or down vote on illegal immigrant tuition and solving school finance.
Three measures are in the hopper related to punishing sexually related businesses and making it easier to outlaw what material adults in the state can read or view.
First we have Sub SB 253, which seeks to define the size and content of signs for adult businesses located within a mile of any highway or interstate. It would mandate that there could only be two signs, one no more than 40 square feet with the name, address, phone number and operating hours, and another noting the premises are off-limits to minors. It passed a first vote in the House, and if passed will go to the Senate. Sen. Tim Huelskamp, R-Fowler said, “It’s good for children and families and sends a message that Kansas is a family friendly state.” Apparently such signs are only a public menace when near a highway.
Then there is the Porn tax bill, HB 2680, which puts a 10% tax on adult oriented businesses. We had a creative suggestion for this bill, but the House Tax Committee is going to keep it in committee till next year, largely because Utah is being sued over similar legislation.
The third bill, HB 2912 wants to cleanup the language on dirty subjects, by amending the the state’s anti-obscenity law to improve the chances of prosecutors charging people for sexually explicit materials. It to needs a final House vote to make it to the Senate.
While legislators are eager on those issues, no similar enthusiasm is being shown to allow an up or down vote on repealing illegal immigrant tuition, being championed by Rep. Becky Hutchins. She has been pushing for getting a floor vote, after attempts to first kill the bill in committee, and then a vote that sent her bill back to committee, by attaching her measure to other bills. So far it has not worked, but the plucky Holton gal has not given up. “She wants a clean vote and until she gets a clean vote, she’ll keep bringing amendments,” said Speaker Doug Mays, R-Topeka. “Once it comes up as a clean vote, it’ll pass.”
This tuition break amounts to $3,926 per semester for a student carrying just 15 credit hours at the University of Kansas, or $7,852 per year. Assuming they graduate in four years, that is $31,408 per student. So far 221 students have qualified, for a total cost of $6,941,168. Of course that will constantly be increasing as new students are approved. Here’s a thought – why not take that seven million dollars and the additional millions that it would cost in the future, and establish a tuition fund for the children of legal immigrants. Sure it would mean changing the incentive toward people following the law rather than breaking it, so no doubt our legislature and governor would hate the idea.
Meanwhile, the must solve issue for this legislative session apparently won’t be, as there are a number of legislators saying the school finance problem will be headed for a special session. We will be commenting more on school finance and the Kansas Supreme Court in the near future.
Finally, Gov. Sebelious once again vetoed the concealed carry bill that would allow Kansans with a permit to carry firearms, as all but three other states do. Expect a battle to override that veto shortly, which should be a close vote.
http://theflyoverzone.blogspot.com/2006/03/kansas-legislative-update-sex-guns.html
Ms Hutchins’ bill originally died on a tie vote in committee, but she literally cried to Doug Mays, who got John Edmonds to do a revote, which she won.The bill was voted down on an up and down vote, but Hutchins is crying again, because she claims four people who would’ve voted for it were not present that day.I feel like screaming, “GROW UP AND GET A LIFE!!!”…but I wouldn’t want to be accused of making her cry again.Don’t you think that if Hutchins were a Democrat, she’d be lambasted for her lack of maturity?
She is being politically safe. She is a smart politican. She has poor leadership in my opinion but she is a good executive.
Will I vote for her this year? I don’t know, depends who the Republican put up.
Joe W:Would you vote for a candidate who apparently doesn’t listen to his wife?One week to the day after Robin Jennison’s wife testified that we don’t exist, Jennison sends us a campaign press release :)
I’m not familar with Robin Jennison or what she means that we don’t exist.
I also only vaguely know who Jennison is. I could be wrong, but I think he is an ex-Kansas Senator. I don’t think he has a chance.
This from mr political science degree. First, ROBIN is a he, and he is the ex speaker of the kansas house, which means he was a little ol’ representative from HEALY freakin’ kansas.
So much for Jennison’s name recognition. But I agree with Joe, who is his wife, and what are you talking about MrC?
I don’t follow who is not in elected office back years ago. I admit, I don’t know everything there is to know.
I checked out his campaign website, that’s about the extent of my knowledge of who he is.
Name recognition? Shoot! I don’t think the Republicans have a prayer to get the Governors Office this year no matter who they put up.
MrC, it appears crocodile tears are the new political capital. You have no idea how many damn legislators last year used the line “I shed tears when I cast my vote for the hate amendment.”
Derek Schmidt, poor baby, supposedly had tears in his eyes when he voted to put the hate amendment on the ballot. So did Josh Svaty the first time, although he later voted for sanity and not bigotry.
Nancy Boyda shed big tears last year saying “I know I let you folks down”.
Becky, Candy, Jan Pauls, Bonbon huy, etc. The only tears they shed were tears of joy at being able to so easily manipulate kansas voters.
I bet the churches in kansas could make it legal to hammer a kitten to death if they thought it was a gay kitten.
They would probably burn the body and salt the ground underneath if it was a gay kitten TRYING TO MARRY!!
You all know dont you, how dangerous gay kittens are to your families, your marriages and your children? I mean, kids playing with a gay kitten could catch the disease, ya know?
ksfarmgrrl. I notice many times that you mention Bonnie Huy. I know you really don’t like her. I would really like to know what you know about her. I live in her district.
And where was governor leadership on the hate amendment?
On the sidelines, doing nothing, and issuing lukewarm statements as quietly as possible.
Sound familiar on school finance?
She expended WAY more effort and political capital to stop concealed carry than she did to stop hatred and bigotry.
I guess kansans carrying guns are more problematic to her than a constitutional amendment that confirms both the state’s bigotry and kansas’ image as backwater hillbillies. Real economic development there.
And as for school finance, well, that isnt as important to her as promoting hate and stopping guns. Kids are way down on the list when the political capital gets passed out. Water policy doesnt even make the top ten in this governor’s administration.
She’s not going to lead on school finance or any other subject as long as 60% of kansans will vote return her to office as a reward for doing nothing.
Well she wants to hang on to her job for another term. Don’t make waves, stay still, maybe they won’t kick her out.Not saying that it’s right but just self-preservation
Given the reported strong support maintained by Kansans for President Bush’s war in Iraq, I’m not sure how the following shakes out here.
Still, it’s interesting that, according to Pew, the fear ‘n loathing of gays generated in the last prez election seems to be subsiding nationwide.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060323/ap_on_re_us/gay_marriage_attitudes;_ylt=AnfYGiiwN5NMyLCxiEPskVtG2ocA;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA–
I guess it’s likely the fear is just dormant now, what with no prez to elect.
But hope springs eternal, kfg. Maybe those crocodile tears’ll be remembered for what they so were next election.
:)
Julie: “Well she wants to hang on to her job for another term. Don’t make waves, stay still, maybe they won’t kick her out.Not saying that it’s right but just self-preservation”
My point exactly Julie.
Leadership be damned, I’m gonna pander for re-election!
And this helps kansas…how?
When are we gonna elect leaders and people who put the good of kansas above their own petty careers?
I guess when I see the devil ice skating on Cedar Bluff Reservoir.
And Joe Williams…
I agree. The r’s have no hope in hell of unseating governor leadership. All she NEEDS TO DO is be quiet and let them commit political suicide. What a damn shame for kansas.
Where is David Adkins when we need him?
But hope springs eternal, kfg. Maybe those crocodile tears’ll be remembered for what they so were next election.
Flike, you arent a damn republican are you? :) I mean with all that hope springing eternally…
Would that it would be so, but 70 percent of kansas voters are apparantly not smart enough to see through the smoke screens and red herrings.
Joe, I will try to do some research on bonbon, but I think there isnt enough time or bandwidth to post all the IDIOT remarks she makes after she gets her talking points from joe, terry and fred.
Just call up her voting record. Google her for quotes. She spouts the fred, terry and joe line every time. She votes like they tell her to vote.
She is the one who said if we let gays marry then poligamy will not be far behind. She wanted PROOF than any gay person in ks had EVER been beaten or harmed for being gay.
Bonbon is also the one who said, (in agreement with that bastion of good government kay o’connor), that if the hate amendment passed, we could expect to see MORE businesses move to kansas. (BTW, how’s that working?)
In summary, I will say that indeed, a vote for bonbon is a vote FOR Fred Phelps, Terry Fox and Joe Wright. If you vote for her, you are putting THEM in office.
And did I mention her hypocricy for taking money from gambling profiteers and supporters while strong arming your local leaders to prevent you all from voting on gambling?
Go to the kansas ethics commission website. Check out her donors. That ought to tell you all you need to know about bonbon and who jerks her chain. In addition to fred, terry and joe….
Flike, I know that nationally, the fear and loathing of gays is subsiding. That is why the gay marriage-poligamy link and talk is the new right wing meme. Nothing gets the faithful to the polls like queer hating.
But even though fear and hate may decline nationally, that means nothing in ks, where it is COOL to be swimming upstream against the mainstream.
My evidence? Kansans backing the war in iraq in an almost inverse way to how the mainstream of the nation, AND THE TROOPS feel.
It’s cool to be crazy in ks.
What war? Oh, you mean the Bush slaughter of the Iraqi children. Their mangled bodies are all over the internet.
Enjoy.
Can’t be a Democrat, kfg.
The only stupider Americans than the neocons are the folks running the Democrat party, imo.
Gun to my head, I’m probably whatcha call a Glenn Reynolds (for you, Ginnie Postrel!) ex-Democrat, ex-Republican libertarian of some sort who just wishes people running the Show had more brains so that I don’t have to pay so much attention (er, bitch ;)).
Enjoy yer posts especially.
The governor is not a leader, she is a political hack.
V.L.R.B!!
I like your posts too flike. Always.
I don’t know why anyone expects the Governor to lead when she has not done any leading in four years.
She talks, takes polls, raises money and issues press releases all in the name of children, elderly etc. but when you look into the programs you find that they do not exist.
She can spend a lot of money and say she is not raising your taxes while she is raising fees.
She was elected as the full time CEO of this state and all she does is whine that the republicans are picking on her. Well get over it and start acting like the leader you said you were.
You said education was you number one issue but when you lost the debate over education your first year you picked up your little toys and started hiding in your office unless you staff said you could attend an event and they planned it for you.
Lead or let someone else do it!!!!!