Did you bloggers watch the Democratic presidential debatelast night? Did you think the YouTube questions added much? Some of the videos did personalize certain issues, and the quirky ones helped liven up the debate. But the candidates still tended to fall back on their talking points. FYI: It was a University of Kansas student who asked Hillary Clinton if she was "satisfactorily feminine" — to which Clinton responded: "I couldn’t run as anything other than a woman."
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Few members of the area legislative delegation are as savvy and effective as Rep. Jim Ward, D-Wichita. The House assistant minority leader, Ward also is one of only two area legislators in House leadership. And his depth of experience is rare at the Statehouse. So it was disappointing to learn that Ward had been arrested in Topeka over the weekend on suspicion of drunken driving and refused a sobriety test. The justice system still must sort out what happened; voters in Ward’s southeast Wichita neighborhood could have their say next year. One lesson might come from the experience of Rep. Dale Swenson, R-Wichita, who was quick to admit both error and embarrassment upon his 2006 DUI arrest, then won re-election later in the year with 64 percent of the vote.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
"Looks like Texas is on the move to be as stupid as Kansas," a HoustonPress blog said last week about Texas Gov. Rick Perry (in photo) appointing conservative ideologue Don McLeroy to head the State Board of Education. "The expectation," the blog said, "is that McLeroy will lead the way into creationism in the upcoming board debate over state textbooks."
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Gambling opponents have spread fears about Century II being turned into a casino. But that was never going to happen, as the Wichita City Council didn’t support the plan. So it was good last week that the Canadian developer who proposed the idea announced that he was officially dropping it.
Voters still won’t know where a casino might go if expanded gambling is approved Aug. 7. But they can stop worrying about it taking over Century II.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Hats off to Dillons for deciding to rebuild its grocery store in Greensburg. The Hutchinson-based chain easily could have pulled out after the May 4 tornado destroyed its store and nearly all of the town. Or it could have waited longer to rebuild until more of the population returned. Both would have made financial sense. But by rebuilding, the company is showing that it cares about citizens and a community, not just about its bottom line.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee