Daily Archives: May 13, 2006

Don’t sip from star of Riverfest

May 13, 200612:05 a.m.

As the Wichita River Festival began Friday, the city’s Web site indicated that the river’s quality was at “Level 2,” suitable for boating and “other recreational activities so long as basic personal hygiene practices are followed.” That means the water is unsafe for swallowing or contact with cuts and sores.
Such a warning probably could apply to Kansas rivers at all times. But it’s also a timely reminder that the waterway at the center of Wichita’s biggest community celebration still needs improvement and attention nearly six years after the Arkansas River Symposium, where community leaders committed to a long-term cleanup. Another reminder: the 95 bags of trash, totaling 1.72 tons, collected by volunteers at last weekend’s River Trash Round-Up.
Posted by Rhonda Holman

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (12)

Campaign bill provides needed sunshine

May 13, 200612:03 a.m.

Though it has some flaws, the campaign-finance bill passed by the Legislature this session provides a needed dose of sunshine, as our editorial on today’s Opinion page notes. The bill requires candidates and political action committees to report within 48 hours large donations they receive during the 11 days prior to the election (now, those donations aren’t made public until months after the election). It requires taped phone calls touting certain candidates to reveal their sponsors. The bill also raises the contribution cap for candidates; many Democrats argued that will help incumbents, but it doesn’t seem unreasonable to me, particularly in exchange for greater disclosure. Unfortunately, the bill doesn’t require “issue advocacy” groups to report their electioneering activities. So will voters be able to learn exactly who is bankrolling groups such as Americans for Prosperity? “You’ll never know that,” said Carol Williams, executive director of the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission. “Never, never, never.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (5)

Focus more on long term

May 13, 200612:01 a.m.

The Wall Street Journal published a glowing interview last week with Wichita’s Charles Koch. The column focused mostly on Koch’s “market-based management” approach to running his $60 billion, 80,000-employee company. But Koch also observed how being a privately owned company enabled Koch Industries to focus on long-term gains, rather than quarterly profits. “We couldn’t have achieved the profitability we have if we had been a public company,” he said. “No investor would have been patient enough to allow us to build a firm oriented on long-term growth and profits.” Many politicians and voters have the same problem: They focus too much on the next election rather than the long-term needs of the nation.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (34)