Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, was the big winner in the presidential straw poll at last week’s Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C. Paul was picked by 31 percent of CPAC poll participants, followed by Mitt Romney with 22 percent, Sarah Palin with 7 percent and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty with 6 percent. Nearly half of the attendees at this year’s conference were college students, who provide a large base of support for the libertarian-leaning Paul. Conference attendees also gave President Obama a 98 percent disapproval rating.
Columnist Charles Krauthammer scoffs at those wondering if America has become ungovernable. He notes how the same question was raised during the Carter administration, yet Ronald Reagan and then Bill Clinton were able to govern the nation and pass major reforms. “Under a president with extensive executive experience, good political skills and an ideological compass in tune with the public, the country was indeed governable,” he writes.
Sarah Palin was upset with the cartoon series “Family Guy” for having a character with Down syndrome who said she was “the daughter of the former governor of Alaska.” Palin’s real daughter Bristol called the writers of the show “heartless jerks.” But the 39-year-old actress who played the character — and who has Down syndrome herself — criticized Palin for not having a sense of humor. “In my family we think laughing is good,” said Andrea Fay Friedman (in photo). “My parents raised me to have a sense of humor and to live a normal life.” Gail Williamson, executive director of the Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles, which assists films and television series in casting actors with the disability, defended the show’s portrayal of the character. “Within ‘Family Guy,’ the character was fully included, well-rounded, dynamic, not dealing with stereotypical Down syndrome issues,” she told the New York Times.
Responding to our Sunday editorial calling for better cooperation among Sedgwick County and Wichita leaders to solve the jail overcrowding problem, City Council member Lavonta Williams called The Eagle editorial board to second the sentiment, underscore the city’s engagement and add that USD 259 should be at the table, too, because any proposed site for a new work-release or day-reporting center also would affect neighborhood schools. “I just think that we need to look and weigh all options,” Williams said. Regarding County Commissioner Gwen Welshimer’s suggestion last week that “the city is not going to accommodate us anywhere within the city limits,” Williams said: “I just think that we have not said ‘no place within the city limits.’”
