President Bush’s approval hasn’t sagged as badly in Kansas as in much of the country — until this month. The SurveyUSA poll released Monday found the president with a 35 percent approval rating in the state, down a whopping 11 points in a single month. His approval in the Wichita area is a fairly steady 42 percent, but in western Kansas it plummeted from 54 percent in April to 39 percent this month. Given that things haven’t changed all that much in Iraq or the economy over that period, the best guess is that Kansans don’t share Bush’s preference for comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for some who are here illegally. Then again, there’s no need to guess: 73 percent of Kansans said last month that they think the United States should attempt to deport illegals.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Washington Post conservative commentator George Will raises a complaint I share about the use of the term "values voters" by social conservatives and the media. "This phrase diminishes our understanding of politics," Will wrote. "It also is arrogant on the part of social conservatives and insulting to everyone else because it implies that only social conservatives vote to advance their values and everyone else votes to . . . well, it is unclear what they supposedly think they are doing with their ballots."
Will also pondered what qualifies as values. "Freedom and happiness are valuable," he wrote. "Arguably, governmental actions that did much to increase freedom and happiness in the past half-century were state laws liberalizing divorce. These made important contributions to the emancipation of men and especially women from mistaken marriages. Perhaps the most important of these laws — it was among the most liberal and was in the most populous state — was signed by a divorced governor, Ronald Reagan. What do socially conservative values voters make of that?"
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
It’s not often that directors encourage people not to go see their movies, but that’s what Ron Howard did Wednesday, when asked about his controversial film “The Da Vinci Code.”
“There’s no question that the film is likely to be upsetting to some people,” he said. “My advice, since virtually no one has really seen the movie yet, is to not go see the movie if you think you’re going to be upset. Wait. Talk to somebody who has seen it. Discuss it. And then arrive at an opinion about the movie itself.
“Again: This is supposed to be entertainment, it’s not theology,” he said.
Posted by Melissa Cooley
It was encouraging to learn during Wednesday’s Sedgwick County Commission meeting how smoothly the downtown arena seems to be progressing, with property appraisals and the first of the 26 site acquisitions nearly complete. One unbudgeted surprise: that street improvements for the project will involve eight properties on Washington Avenue. Assistant County Manager Ron Holt expressed the hope “that around August we will see some activity on the site” — meaning buildings could start coming down just 21 months after voters approved the $184.5æmillion project. That’s fast work. Commissioners also could pick the design next week. To be part of the process, check out the three designs and participate in the online forum at the Web site www.sedgwickcounty.org/arena/.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
An interesting group of articles in the Washington Post looked at how teen sex is viewed and carried out in Western Europe and America. In Western Europe, teen sex is predominantly viewed as a normal and healthy part of development. In America, teens receive mixed messages about sex, being told to wait until marriage while at the same time living in a hypersexualized culture. And, judging from the article, American teens aren’t waiting to have sex, but they are failing to protect themselves:
“The outcome? Levels of teen sexual activity look remarkably similar here and abroad, but U.S. rates of teen pregnancy, childbirth, abortion and sexually transmitted diseases are among the highest of all industrialized nations, despite recent decreases.”
Posted by Melissa Cooley
Wichita State University is planning another makeover of mascot WuShock, and it’s good to hear there will be no major changes to his looks. The peppy and pugnacious wheat bundle has terrified and mystified opposing teams for decades — there’s no reason to mess with success. But it makes sense to make the Wu experience easier on those inside the costume. “The elongated head makes it particularly difficult for costume wearers to see, and to breathe, and to maintain mobility,” said Ron Kopita, vice president for campus life and university relations.
It’s a good point. A Wu that runs into things, and falls down, isn’t likely to inspire fans.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
