As the Nov. 7 election nears, expect more violations of city yard sign rules. This past weekend, for example, campaign signs for Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard, were posted illegally along several major roads in northwest Wichita — and in several of those locations, more than a dozen Tiahrt signs were posted illegally, one after another.
Some campaign volunteers may not know that they can’t post signs on public property or in right of ways, which includes the area on private property between a public sidewalk and the street. But even so, posting signs illegally reflects poorly on the campaigns — either the campaign didn’t inform its volunteers of the basic rules, or the volunteers know the rules and don’t care.
By the way, I smiled when I first heard about the vigilante group that puts orange stickers on illegally posted yard signs — and I wondered if any of you bloggers were a part of it.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Even White House spokesman Tony Snow had trouble spinning Vice President Dick Cheney’s comments that seemed to endorse torture. Snow said that Cheney wasn’t referring to "water boarding" when he said last week that dunking terror suspects in water was "a very important tool." Snow, however, couldn’t explain what Cheney meant.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Garrison Keillor’s "The Writers Almanac" radio program today featured this quote from our second president, John Adams:
"In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress."
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
No, this isn’t another one of our satirical headlines. Former Johnson County Republican state lawmaker Phil Kline (that’s Phil with one “l,” unlike Attorney General Phill Kline) is among the latest Republicans to jump parties and back Paul Morrison, a Democrat. “Classic Kline,” as he was known when he and Phill served together in the Legislature, said: “I think Paul Morrison’s character and proven legal experience in the largest county in the state makes him the superior choice.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
The generation of kids raised without knowing the value of a good spanking, and who never heard the mantra “children are to be seen and not heard,” is hitting the work force. And times will be changing.
The traditional “top down” management style our parents worked under won’t cut it with Gen X and Gen Y workers, which should signal behavior changes in boardrooms across the country. Rasmussen Reports conducted a survey for Hudson recruiting consultants, and reports that 24 percent of younger workers want feedback at least once a week, if not daily. Only 11 percent of the traditionalists — workers born between 1928 and 1945 — seek that amount of contact with their supervisors. A staggering 81 percent of younger workers want direct access to senior management, compared with 76 percent of baby boomers. Also, 26 percent of the younger workers today would want to socialize with their boss at least once a month, compared with 17 percent of traditionalists.
Henry Ford didn’t have that kind of time to spend on the manufacturing line.
Posted by Angie Holladay
Kansas Education Commissioner Bob Corkins had an upbeat assessment of his first year on the job when he met recently with The Eagle editorial board, pointing with special pride to his efforts to streamline databases, reorganize the department staff and reach out to school districts. But some superintendents, including Wichita’s Winston Brooks, gave mixed reviews of the controversial Corkins, a lawyer who came into the job without either education or management experience.
“Bob’s in way over his head,” Brooks told the Topeka Capital-Journal.
Part of the problem was the quality of a technical assistance team that the Education Department deployed to help Wichita meet its testing mandates under the federal No Child Left Behind law. “God only knows we need help,” Brooks said. “But we aren’t going to get it from people who first and foremost didn’t prepare for the visit, they didn’t have a clue where Wichita has been and where Wichita is going. And they weren’t experts in the area. This is far too important to be dealing with rookies.”
Meanwhile, board chairman Steve Abrams had only praise for Corkins in a story in the Kansas City Star: “I will certainly argue that we have been moving forward very, very well under his leadership.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Quick, where would you rather live: Baghdad or Stockholm?
A growing number of Iraqis agree. While Iraqis have been streaming out of the country since the war began in 2003, the exodus is accelerating and Sweden has become a favored destination. It’s not for the climate. Exiles cite Sweden’s relatively lax immigration laws, compared with the increasingly restrictive ones in Denmark, Britain and the rest of Europe.
While you wonder how this might transform Sweden in the years to come, the larger question is what mass emigration means for Iraq.
Those who leave are presumably those with the brains, the means and the most to lose — just the sort of people you want for a stable government and economy. Iraq might now have elections, but the middle class is voting with its feet.
Posted by Dave Knadler
