In general, Gov. Sam Brownback agrees with some of his key free-market backers that government shouldn’t be in the business of picking winners and losers. But Brownback also recognizes the practical reality, as do most members of the Wichita City Council. Brownback noted at a Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce forum last week that other states (and cities) are offering incentives to attract and retain companies. “I think we have to fund the incentives to keep competitive in the game,” he said. “In an ideal world, you wouldn’t have any incentives. You’d just all compete on a business and economic basis. That’s not where we are.”
What to make of the strange tale of how Sedgwick County Commissioner Karl Peterjohn crashed Rep. Mike Pompeo’s (in photo) fundraiser featuring House Speaker John Boehner, then got a $2,500 bill from the Pompeo campaign? That for a guy who dislikes entitlements, Peterjohn certainly wasn’t shy about assuming his office entitled him to rub shoulders with Boehner. That there’s something not right about any elected official expecting a “freebie,” political or otherwise. That it’s a shame that a House speaker could visit Wichita and mix only with those willing and able to pay $2,500 for the access. And that, as a reader suggested to Opinion Line, freshman congressman Pompeo has proved a quick study in campaign financing circa 2011.
It’s good news that after a successful test of body cameras by six police officers early this year, the Wichita City Council will consider today whether to spend $125,000 in federal stimulus dollars and other funds to invest in 20 cameras and related gear. Such devices pick up where dash cameras leave off, providing evidence and other documentation that not only can help build cases but also safeguard against allegations of police misconduct.
In general, Gov. Sam Brownback agrees with some of his key free-market backers that government shouldn’t be in the business of picking winners and losers. But Brownback also recognizes the practical reality, as do most members of the Wichita City Council. Brownback noted at a Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce forum last week that other states (and cities) are offering incentives to attract and retain companies. “I think we have to fund the incentives to keep competitive in the game,” he said. “In an ideal world, you wouldn’t have any incentives. You’d just all compete on a business and economic basis. That’s not where we are.”
