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Daily Archives: June 24, 2006
Keep eye on payday political influence
June 24, 200612:07 a.m.
A recent Eagle article and editorial revealed that LoanMax, a payday loan business, had paid hundreds of “witnesses” to appear at a local public meeting.
It’s disturbing that the payday industry is spreading its money and influence around in Topeka, too. In 2005, LoanMax made thousands of dollars in political contributions, including $1,000 each to top leaders such as Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, House Speaker Doug Mays and Attorney General Phill Kline.
In fact, scores of state legislators have received LoanMax contributions — all the more reason for voters to hold them accountable for their action, or lack of same, on this issue.
State Sen. Donald Betts (in photo), D-Wichita, called The Eagle editorial board to say he had received a contribution from LoanMax that he intends to return at a town hall meeting Saturday in Wichita. “I’ll be encouraging other Kansas senators to do the same,” he said, and work to pass new regulations on the industry.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Justices asked right questions
June 24, 200612:03 a.m.
No one knows how the Kansas Supreme Court will rule in the state’s school finance case, but the justices asked the right questions and made good observations during oral arguments Thursday.
For the state’s attorneys: Why didn’t lawmakers follow their own cost study? Does the state object to its own audit? What guarantee is there that future Legislatures would fund the phased-in spending increase?
And for the school districts’ attorney: Where do you draw the line on spending? Doesn’t the Legislature have to balance competing needs? Can schools even absorb such a large funding increase?
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Living in space? You first
June 24, 200612:01 a.m.
Stephen Hawking recently said that he thought humans needed to start colonizing space in response to threats such as nuclear war, global warming and other doomsday scenarios.
Count me out.
As my column Friday suggested, who really wants to live on Mars? It’s a dreary, barren place.
Instead of trying to run away into space, we’d be better off figuring out how to live successfully together here on this lovely planet.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
