Daily Archives: Feb. 18, 2007

Open thread

Feb. 18, 20071:05 a.m.

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Open thread | Comments (45)

Because Brownback was away, should he repay?

Feb. 18, 20071:04 a.m.

The American Conservative Student Union, which operates the new Web site AbsentCongress.org, figured Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback’s monthly salary of about $13,767 against his 48 percent attendance rate in January, the month he launched his presidential bid. It figures Brownback owes taxpayers $7,060. Said David Ferguson of the site: “Normal American people show up to work every day. Why shouldn’t our senators?” (Sen. Pat Roberts had a 97 percent attendance rate in January; the only senator worse than Brownback, who spent part of January visiting terrorism hot spots such as Iraq and Afghanistan, was Tim Johnson, D-S.D., who is recovering from emergency brain surgery.)
Posted by Rhonda Holman

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Kansas delegation | Comments (71)

Wall Street suddenly cares when own jobs are at risk

Feb. 18, 20071:03 a.m.

“When Main Street jobs go overseas, Wall Street generally shrugs,” a USA Today editorial noted. “The typical response from the nation’s financial elite is that people who have lost work should tough it out and acquire new skills.” But now that Wall Street is losing business to foreign exchange markets, it is demanding government intervention.
Some of the regulation complaints may be legitimate. But as the USA Today editorial argued, the main reason Wall Street is losing business is that foreign competitors will provide similar services for much lower prices — something that Wall Street cheered when its own jobs and bonuses weren’t at risk.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Business | Comments (43)

Courts need best lawyers they can get

Feb. 18, 20071:02 a.m.

The Kansas House is debating again whether the state needs to change how it chooses its Kansas Supreme Court justices and Kansas Court of Appeals judges to include a federal-style Senate confirmation. Champions of change say the current system is political. But “we never talk about politics in those meetings. It just doesn’t come up,” said Wichita attorney Richard Hite, who chairs the nine-member nominating commission that chooses three nominees based on merit for the governor’s final decision.
To the idea that a Senate confirmation would be political, as Congress unerringly demonstrates, Alan Cobb of the Kansas chapter of Americans for Prosperity said: “This would be the politics of the people, versus politics of the lawyers.”
But surely the people realize that the state’s top courts need to be staffed by the top lawyers in the state, not by politicians.
Posted by Rhonda Holman

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Kansas courts | Comments (24)

Crowson has the evolution blues

Feb. 18, 20071:01 a.m.

Check out the slide show of some of Richard Crowson’s editorial cartoons over the years about the Kansas evolution debate — and his original song “Evolution Blues.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Science | Comments (18)

How do you like your money — paper or metal?

Feb. 18, 20071:00 a.m.

A new dollar coin made its debut last week featuring the likeness of George Washington on the front and the Statue of Liberty on the back. The U.S. Mint will release four gold-colored dollar coins each year, honoring American presidents in the order in which they served. Previous attempts to encourage use of dollar coins — namely the Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea — were unsuccessful. Congress approved the minting of this new series, hoping it will be as popular as the “state quarters.” Evidently, Americans are as fond of their dollar bills as they are their pennies, which cost more to manufacture than they are worth. According to Associated Press, “Even though doing away with the bill could save hundreds of millions of dollars each year in printing costs, there is no plan to scrap the bill in favor of the more durable coin.”
Posted by Patrice Hein

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Current Affairs | Comments (20)