Even during a budget crisis, Kansans expect their leaders to put public safety first. So it was alarming to learn that a double murderer from Wichita was among the inmates that the Kansas Department of Corrections had thought it appropriate to house at the Ottawa County Jail. That meant Santos Carrera-Morales, despite having been in trouble 39 times while in custody, was in a position to be among the four inmates who used homemade knives to overpower guards and escape from the jail Wednesday. On Thursday KDOC wisely moved its remaining 18 inmates from that jail to the state prison in Ellsworth. But the incident should trigger a reassessment by Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration and state legislators of whether the state has enough resources and facilities to handle its inmates. As it is, many Kansans will agree with Senate Majority Leader Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg, that “apparently, farming them out doesn’t work.”
President Obama’s overall job approval rating is back to 50 percent, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll. And he has an 8 percentage point lead over Mitt Romney. But those polled said that Romney would do a better job with the economy and the budget deficit. Obama also got low marks for his handling of gas prices, though a majority blamed other countries and U.S. oil companies for the high prices. Romney’s biggest challenges are with women and with likability (Obama leads Romney on likability by 38 points).
David Kensinger’s resignation as chief of staff of Gov. Sam Brownback is causing a lot of speculation about what exactly he will do next. Officially, Kensinger is leaving to work on the gubernatorial campaign of Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., and to serve as chairman of Road Map Solutions, which is Brownback’s policy organization. But many lawmakers think that Kensinger’s main job will be trying to defeat moderate Republican state senators in this year’s primaries. “The plan is for him to basically run those conservative Senate campaigns,” Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka, told the Lawrence Journal-World.
Even during a budget crisis, Kansans expect their leaders to put public safety first. So it was alarming to learn that a double murderer from Wichita was among the inmates that the Kansas Department of Corrections had thought it appropriate to house at the Ottawa County Jail. That meant Santos Carrera-Morales, despite having been in trouble 39 times while in custody, was in a position to be among the four inmates who used homemade knives to overpower guards and escape from the jail Wednesday. On Thursday KDOC wisely moved its remaining 18 inmates from that jail to the state prison in Ellsworth. But the incident should trigger a reassessment by Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration and state legislators of whether the state has enough resources and facilities to handle its inmates. As it is, many Kansans will agree with Senate Majority Leader Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg, that “apparently, farming them out doesn’t work.”
