Though this legislative session was mostly squandered on the coal-plant issue, the Wichita-area delegation deserves praise for its success on local priorities. Despite a tight budget year, the delegation helped secure up to $33 million in bond funding for Cessna Aircraft’s new assembly plant, $5 million for the National Institute for Aviation Research at Wichita State University, $5 million for the new aviation training center, $1 million for the Equus Beds Aquifer recharge project, and $2.5 million for the Wichita Center for Graduate Medical Education. In addition, Sedgwick County District Court will get two new judges, and the School of Pharmacy at the University of Kansas received bond funding to help expand, including in Wichita. The keys to all this success were the efforts of Visioneering Wichita to develop a unified agenda and the willingness of area lawmakers to, in the words of state Sen. Phil Journey, R-Haysville, set their “personal issues aside to work for the betterment of the region.†Well done.
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11 Comments
The number one polling issue of concern to the American people and Kansans is fixing the health care insurance availability and affordability problem. Yet how many of the Kansas Health Care Policy board’s 31-point plan was passed? Almost none. And it wasn’t the Democrats standing in the way.
State Senator and TV channel 5 pundit Phil Journey should have said, “set their personal issues aside to work for the betterment of Wichita’s AIR INDUSTRY,” which is where several of the ear marked appropriations went.
What about improving the health situation as mentioned by Kelly above and finding more teachers for the USD 259 district as current teachers retire?
We need to get our legislative priorities straight.
We need to get new legislators and they will tackle solutions, the incumbents have proven to be incapable and incompetent. My House Rep, Jason Watkins, isn’t even capable of being civil let alone competent to do the job.
I believe our legislators deserve a citation for this year’s session.
They should be cited for leaving the scene of an accident.
I guess im the only person who thinks giving welfare handouts to cessana is bad?
No level of government generates any income. They take our money and spend it and then some more they borrow which we repay with interest. Neither party can claim fiscal responsibility. The only differences I’ve been able to see in the spending of the money they take from us is where they spend it. There is also a bit of difference in who they take more from. Republicans are more careful to protect the haves and have mores.
I think we should vote out all incumbents every election. That way none of them gets to repay those who buy their votes and maybe if their votes have no value they could finally get back to serving the people (or a closer semblance of such).
But we don’t vote them out often enough. They count on us not paying any attention and sending them back for another term of selling their vote to the highest bidder.
We comply. Aren’t we proud!? We get what we deserve.
Of course, a lot of people don’t want an elected legislative position because it requires moving to Topeka for several months out of the year. Who can do that but the independently wealthy or those with huge retirement incomes like most of the state legislators. I wonder if legislators still eat lunch at the exclusive Senate Cafeteria on the second floor of a building on Kansas Avenue around the corner from the capitol building? Or have evening dinner and drinks at Po’re Richards bar/grill?
Run against Watkins, LindainKs, no one has filed against him yet.
Run again Watkins … nobody has filed against you yet.
Jason, I recall you and your wife were among the first people I met when I began coming to Wichita in the mid-1990’s. Best wishes. JWink
I am much too competent and intelligent to run for public office! I am retired after a full and rewarding career and have a great life!
I will try in every way possible to make his political career very visible, always checking each vote and always sharing who contributes to his campaigns. Jason Watkins will never have as easy a time staying hidden as he has enjoyed in the past! Oh, I understand there are already records of all this but they aren’t as readily available as a blog, a visit over the back fence… I keep a file and someday, some way there will be a viable challenger. I will be able to help that challenger!
JWink, are you moving to District 105? I actually live in the district Jason Watkins is supposed to represent.
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[...] delegation deserves praise for its success on local priorities. Despite a tight budget yehttp://blogs.kansas.com/weblog/2008/05/delegation-delivered-on-local-priorities/A hat trick for India at the One Show Agencyfaqs!The One Club, a nonprofit organisation that awards [...]