Daily Archives: Oct. 14, 2011

Kline let anti-abortion fervor cloud judgment

Oct. 14, 201112:51 p.m.

A professional ethics panel had little choice but to recommend that former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline have his state law license suspended indefinitely. Kline repeatedly misled other officials or allowed subordinates to mislead others, violating “rules that prohibit false and dishonest conduct,” the panel concluded. Kline responded in a statement that he “will continue to speak and stand for the truth and for those who cannot speak for themselves.” And he claimed that his only “mistake” was his “willingness to investigate politically powerful people.” That may play well with some pro-life groups, but what got Kline in trouble was that he let his anti-abortion fervor cloud his legal judgment and justify professional misconduct.

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Abortion, Kansas government | Comments Off

Don’t exaggerate EPA concerns

Oct. 14, 20116:00 a.m.

It’s good that our congressional delegation and other GOP lawmakers are monitoring the Environmental Protection Agency to make sure its policies make sense. But they shouldn’t exaggerate and demonize for political purposes. That’s been happening a lot lately, as an “out of control EPA” fits a GOP narrative about too much regulation. Thus, there have been phony or embellished claims about the EPA regulating farm dust and wanting to tax ranchers for cow flatulence. Even Norm Ornstein of the conservative American Enterprise Institute called out the GOP for its diversionary scare tactics. “Instead of trying to contribute to a solution to our economic problems,” he said, “Congress is trying to whip people into a frenzy and get them to believe the worst.”

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Environment, Kansas delegation | Comments Off