National backers of intelligent design insist that Tuesday’s defeat of two anti-evolution candidates for the State Board of Education was not a setback. Boy, it sure looked like one, as moderates will have at least a 6-4 majority on the State BOE next year. National science groups also see the election as a big loss for the ID movement. “I don’t think there is any other way to interpret it,” Nick Matzke, a spokesman for the National Center for Science Education, told The Lawrence-Journal World. He added: “If they are having trouble winning in Kansas, a red state, and in the Republican primary, it has to be somewhat discouraging. This was their crown jewel.”
But the science groups are wise not to dismiss the ID proponents. “They’ve had a series of setbacks,” Eugenie C. Scott, director of the NCSE, told The New York Times, “but I don’t think for one moment that this means the intelligent design people will fold their tents and go away.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
The Eagle editorial department was among those that received this week a pair of “flip-flops” — the cheap white sandals being distributed by the Kansas Democratic Party to highlight apparent position changes by GOP gubernatorial nominee Jim Barnett. The label on the shoe box says: “The official shoe of the Barnett/Wagle campaign ‘06 (one size fits all).”
Barnett has explanations for his changing views on school finance, concealed weapons and other issues. But as Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., learned during the 2004 presidential campaign, a flip-flop label can be difficult to remove.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
The idea of America’s richest people dodging their taxes in droves might not come as a surprise these days, but it’s still maddening. Especially when the problem is described in a Senate report as so rampant that it’s now beyond the control of law enforcement.
The report estimates the loss to honest taxpayers at about $70 billion a year. The beneficiaries are a variety of billionaires who apparently availed themselves of offshore tax havens while the rest of us were staring wearily at a Turbotax screen and wondering where we mislaid that shoebox full of receipts. Two of the billionaires, who testified yesterday before a Senate panel, are described as victims — unwittingly duped by advisers into believing that all was aboveboard. Well. There are victims, and then there are victims.
The report urges changes, of course: Going after law firms and accounting firms, banks and investment advisers. Here’s a call from the cheap seats: How about a tax code that is not written, via lobbying, by those very same interests?
Posted by Dave Knadler
It’s hard to know where to start on the loopy “debate” at Tuesday’s Wichita City Council meeting, in which members introduced a (kind of petty) resolution to forbid city officials (read: Mayor Carlos Mayans) from from speaking on behalf of the council in calling for the return of WSU football, leading Mayans to invoke the troops’ sacrifice in Iraq in support of his freedom of speech.
Sigh. Didn’t we put this behind us?
The Council’s valid point is that Mayans shouldn’t act like he’s speaking for the entire Council or city when he launches one of his frequent left-field ideas.
But Council member Bill Martz confused the issue with the lame example that Mayans shouldn’t wear Wichita-logoed shirts when making such pronouncements.
At any rate, Tuesday’s session seemed to forecast more bad blood and pettiness at City Hall. As Sharon Feary noted, doesn’t the Council have more important business on its agenda?
Posted by Randy Scholfield
There were a few glitches, as expected, but overall, the new Sedgwick County voting system seemed to work pretty smoothly — giving much-criticized Election Commissioner Bill Gale some vindication.
The new touch-screen voting machines operated handily, for the most part, although some concerns were raised about privacy (Sedgwick County Commission candidate Dee Stuart vowed never to use them again). One point of confusion: After a voter presses the “vote” button, the screen kicks up an alert if any races are left unchecked — some voters might have misunderstood this as suggesting they must cast a vote in every race.
Of course, this was a primary and turnout was light. It remains to be seen how well the drastically reduced polling stations will handle traffic during the November general election.
But the new voting centers seem to have passed this initial test. In coming weeks, civic groups and voting stakeholders should work with Gale to review the election and address concerns. How many voters couldn’t find their polling places? Do we still need more of them?
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Cuban dictator Fidel Castro isn’t dead yet — despite the celebrations in Miami this week (see photo). But the Castro era is nearing a close — and what will take its place? The Bush administration is hoping Castro’s death will unleash an immediate and unstoppable democratic revolution.
But other Cuba-watchers expect more of a transition period. Considering what we’ve learned in Iraq about nation building, it might be best to go slow.
Probably the best way for the United States to encourage democratic change in Cuba is to end the decades-long economic embargo of the island.
Opening Cuba to trade and tourism would bring a flood of new ideas, money and hope to the island. And it would give the communist dead-enders fits.
What do you think, bloggistas? What’s in store for Cuba?
Posted by Randy Scholfield
