Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., can deliver a sharp party line with the best of them. But it says something about Alexander and the current toxicity of Washington, D.C., that he feels he needs to give up his No. 3 spot in the Senate GOP leadership to have the freedom to work across the aisle and actually pass meaningful legislation. “Stepping down from the Republican leadership will liberate me to spend more time trying to work for results on issues that I care the most about,” he said this week. “I want to do more to make the Senate a more effective place to address serious issues.” He’s working on a badly needed bipartisan solution for where to store nuclear waste. As a member of the “Gang of Six,” he also has stated that he’s open to revenue increases to help reduce the deficit, as long as they are accompanied by entitlement reform. Sad that a senator has to exit his party’s leadership to get things done.
Republicans take all the flak for being stupidly anti-science, usually related to evolution, global warming and embryonic stem cells. But Alex Berezow argues in USA Today that Democrats can be just as blind to science on other issues. He cites their activism against vaccination (“Unlike denying evolution, refusing vaccinations can be deadly), genetically modified food and animal research. “We can also thank progressives for blocking the construction of nuclear power plants, even though nuclear power is supported by 70 percent of the scientific community,” he writes. “Ironically, they oppose this technology despite the fact it would help reduce carbon emissions and limit the impact of global warming.”
Given the costs of tuition and living these days, who can blame students at the state’s public universities for increasingly taking more than four years to complete their degrees? Well, the national college-ranking publications can and do blame the institutions, if not the students themselves. That’s only one reason why colleges and the Kansas Board of Regents are right to be concerned about the trend, which also can mean more student loan debt. The regents and universities are trying to help by streamlining graduation requirements and by other means, but they should avoid punitive measures. And the four-year model isn’t for everybody. Yes, a mere 15 percent of Wichita State University students graduate in four years, way off the national average of 36 percent. But it’s part of WSU’s mission as a diverse urban university to be a place where nontraditional students can pursue degrees at their own pace.
“Obama says his new plan to raise taxes on millionaires is not class warfare, it’s math. We Americans hate class warfare, but we also hate math.” — Jay Leno
“All the world leaders at the United Nations agree on one thing: Superman has got to do more.” — David Letterman
“The military’s controversial ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy was officially retired. This marks a new age of tolerance, acceptance and awkward showering for everyone in the military.” — Jimmy Kimmel
Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., can deliver a sharp party line with the best of them. But it says something about Alexander and the current toxicity of Washington, D.C., that he feels he needs to give up his No. 3 spot in the Senate GOP leadership to have the freedom to work across the aisle and actually pass meaningful legislation. “Stepping down from the Republican leadership will liberate me to spend more time trying to work for results on issues that I care the most about,” he said this week. “I want to do more to make the Senate a more effective place to address serious issues.” He’s working on a badly needed bipartisan solution for where to store nuclear waste. As a member of the “Gang of Six,” he also has stated that he’s open to revenue increases to help reduce the deficit, as long as they are accompanied by entitlement reform. Sad that a senator has to exit his party’s leadership to get things done.
