The unraveling of the worlds of former Westar Energy bosses David Wittig and Douglas Lake didn’t get the big media play of other corporate corruption scandals. But there was nothing small about the punishments they drew Monday for their campaign of conspiracy and fraud: 18 and 15 years in prison, respectively, for Wittig and Lake, besides millions of dollars in fines and restitution. Prison and poverty will be quite a well-deserved change for these two. As the Topeka-based utility continues to rebuild trust after the Wittig debacle, which left it $3 billion in debt, the case’s dramatic finale should deliver a powerful message of deterrence to would-be corporate thieves and their board overseers.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Bill Maher is obsessed with Kansas. And not in a good way. Last year, he variously suggested on HBO’s "Real Time With Bill Maher" that Kansas would always be in the final five of a reality show called "America’s Stupidest State"; that New Orleans should relocate to Kansas, "the land that fun forgot"; and that the real-estate boom proved "again just how much people will pay to not live in Kansas."
Then last month, he reacted to the GOP straw poll in Tennessee this way: "If you’re going to win a national election, we’re going to need to see some real proof that you’re stupid enough to carry Kansas. Sorry, but if you think that issues like creationism or flag-burning or boys kissing are more important than messing up Iraq, the state of health insurance and the evaporating planet earth, then I have two words for you: the Sylvan Learning Center. Okay, that’s four words, but the point remains." Would it help if the governor sent the guy some sunflowers? More likely, Kansas just needs to wait until another state draws his ire away.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
The Bush administration reportedly is pressuring the dominant Shiite alliance group in Iraq against letting Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari have another term, in part because he has tolerated the operation of anti-Sunni death squads within the police force. But just last June President Bush said of Jaafari: "The Prime Minister is a great Iraqi patriot, he’s a friend of liberty, he’s a strong partner for peace and freedom."
Given how things are going over there, it’s natural for the White House to want to nudge the Iraqis toward the leadership that would best serve the fledgling democracy. But in doing so, the Bush team again risks undermining the democratic process.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Many critics of the state’s new concealed-carry law, including Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, have noted that it makes an exception for the state Capitol. Asked about that during an online chat last week with Lawrence Journal-World readers, state Sen. Phil Journey, R-Haysville, said he’d originally sought to allow permit holders to carry at the Statehouse but had yielded to the change to help the bill pass. And "in the 21 exclusion zones, most are in areas or buildings of the state that have public security," he explained.
During the chat, which focused on the gun law, Journey also said: "For every time a firearm is used to commit a violent crime, a firearm is used two or three times to prevent a potential violent crime. There is a good side to firearms ownership that we seldom hear in the media or in the news because tragedy is averted."
Posted by Rhonda Holman
The latest issue of The Shocker, Wichita State University’s alumni magazine, notes that an impressive 21 members of the current Legislature have earned degrees at or attended WSU, including some now representing cities as far away from Wichita as Greensburg, Chanute and Lindsborg. Another fact that’s good to know as lawmakers deal with issues of higher education ranging from deferred maintenance to tuition increases to an Academic Bill of Rights: About 65 percent of current lawmakers have at least a four-year degree, some 29 of 40 state senators and 79 of 125 representatives. If Kansans want to see smart decisions on education coming from the Legislature, they should send well-educated legislators to Topeka.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Blunt-spoken Park City Mayor Dee Stuart is running for Sedgwick County Commission, and she’s rightly been giving commissioners heck for their failure to approve a county vote on casino gaming, as the public wanted. She also promises to address unsolved problems such as trash and recycling, the homeless population, and overcrowded jails.
Stuart isn’t shy about speaking her mind, and can be over-the-top at times. Still, Sedgwick County voters need to hear a vigorous debate on these issues.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
