It’s remarkable that after all the discussion of how the arena should boost the city’s dismal concert scene, the Rolling Stones have booked a concert not at any indoor venue but at Wichita State University’s Cessna Stadium. And on Oct. 2, when Wichita’s weather forecast could be, ahem, interesting. Still, anytime Wichita shows up on the big rock tour itineraries — even for a band perhaps best suited these days to promote AARP — it’s time to celebrate.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
It’s not surprising that Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has raised a lot more money than the top three GOP gubernatorial candidates, though the disparity is huge — she had almost $2.8 million available from Jan. 1 to July 20, compared with a combined total of $841,783 for Jim Barnett, Robin Jennison and Ken Canfield. That gap likely will close significantly after the Aug. 1 primary, as many GOP donors likely are waiting to see who will win. Still, the GOP should be worried about the fundraising edge, as it reflects Sebelius’ front-runner status and a lack of confidence that any of the GOP candidates can beat her.
Meanwhile, Democratic attorney general candidate Paul Morrison’s amazing fundraising success — he had nearly $1 million on hand from Jan. 1 to July 20, compared with $614,861 for Republican incumbent Phill Kline — reflects both a belief that the longtime Johnston County district attorney would make a good attorney general and the strong dislike that many donors have of Kline.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Kevin Brown, a deputy commissioner at the Internal Revenue Service, told The New York Times that he ordered the elimination of half of the jobs of the agency’s estate tax lawyers (who find an average of $2,200 of taxes owed for each hour that they work) because fewer people pay estate taxes now, due to legislation pushed through by the Bush administration. But others at the IRS see a different motive for the job cuts. Sharyn Phillips, a veteran IRS estate tax lawyer, claimed that the job cuts were a “back-door way for the Bush administration to achieve what it cannot get from Congress, which is repeal of the estate tax.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
GOP gubernatorial hopeful Ken Canfield told The Salina Journal that if he becomes governor, he’ll send every married Kansas couple a congratulatory card on their first anniversary.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
The GOP gubernatorial forum Saturday in Wichita sounded like a lovefest. “Our focus is Kathleen Sebelius, not my opponents at this table,” said state Sen. Jim Barnett of Emporia.
“We’re all talking a little bit different about the vision we have for Kansas, but we all think that anybody up here is better than Kathleen Sebelius,” said former Kansas House Speaker Robin Jennison of Healy.
But isn’t the time to talk party unity on Aug. 2? A united front doesn’t give Republicans much to vote on in the Aug. 1 primary. Kind of makes you nostalgic for the rough-and-tumble primaries of the past.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
It was good to see the American Bar Association speak out about President Bush’s signing statements, used more than 800 times to disavow all or parts of laws he signs. Of most concern were his statements taking exception to laws barring torture of detainees and requiring the White House to report to Congress on anti-terrorism efforts. In a report released Monday, the ABA called for Congress to exercise more oversight and for courts to review the president’s signing statements. If unchecked, the presidential use of signing statements “raises serious concerns crucial to the survival of our democracy,” said ABA president Michael Greco.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
