WE Blog

Thornburgh’s impact will last

Rhonda Holman — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:03:34 +0000

Kansas Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh deserves Kansans’ thanks for his solid service during 15 years in his job and remarkable 25 years in the office, where he started as a student intern. Thornburgh, who has resigned to take a sales and marketing job in Olathe, stood firm against the political winds within his own party, including primary challenges from Republicans. His leadership nationally on voting reform and digital services was impressive. What he’s done to enable and promote advance voting and electronic filing for businesses will have lasting impact. Politically, Thornburgh’s resignation potentially changes what already was a competitive contest. If Gov. Mark Parkinson appoints one of the Democrats interested in running for the job, state Sen. Chris Steineger, of Kansas City, Kan., or Securities Commissioner Chris Biggs, that incumbency could help on Election Day.

Open thread 2/9

Rhonda Holman — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:02:40 +0000

Keep advocacy center open

Phillip Brownlee — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:01:54 +0000

Good for Sedgwick County and the city of Wichita for working to keep the Child Advocacy Center of Sedgwick County open for another year. The County Commission will vote Wednesday on providing $120,000 in funding for the center, and the city reportedly may contribute $50,000. The funding wouldn’t address the center’s need for larger, better-suited office space so that social workers, medical personnel, prosecutors, counselors and police can all operate under one roof, thereby reducing the trauma on victims of child abuse and neglect. But the funding buys some time to find a more permanent solution.

City should follow through for Botanica

Rhonda Holman — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:00:49 +0000

Many Wichitans will question whether this is the right time for the city to commit $1.56 million in capital improvement funds over the next two years to help expand Botanica. But the request the Wichita City Council will consider today has been long in the making and comes with an impressive $3.2 million in private matching funds behind it. At this point, the council should not turn its back on either city-owned Botanica or its generous donors, including Barry and Paula Downing. The recession won’t last forever. If the council can get the funds flowing and the earth moving, the new Downing Children’s Garden at Botanica will be around for generations of kids to enjoy.

Palin a charismatic gal with crib notes

Phillip Brownlee — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:33:09 +0000

Sarah Palin dismissed President Obama as “a charismatic guy with a teleprompter.” Yet Palin had notes written on her hand during her appearance at the weekend National Tea Party Convention. During the question and answer period, Palin glanced at her hand when asked the top three things a conservative majority in Congress should do — suggesting that she knew about the question in advance yet needed a reminder of her answer. The notes said “energy,” “budget cuts” (“budget” was crossed out), “tax” and “lift American spirits.”
Palin said Sunday that she might run for president in 2012, and that she was boning up on foreign and national policy. But columnist Mike Lupica wrote: “If her vision and grasp of even the most basic issues — with or without crib notes — were any lighter, you would have to tie a rock to her to keep her from floating away.”

Peasant revolts are a good thing

Phillip Brownlee — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:03:56 +0000

“For liberals, the observation that ‘the peasants are revolting’ is a pun. For conservatives, it is cause for uncharacteristic optimism,” wrote columnist Charles Krauthammer. “No matter how far the ideological pendulum swings in the short term, in the end the bedrock common sense of the American people will prevail.” Does that include when the people revolted against the GOP-led Congress and President Bush?

Open thread 2/8

Rhonda Holman — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:02:57 +0000

Don’t block nominations over tanker deal

Phillip Brownlee — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:01:08 +0000

Members of the Kansas delegation are not above political obstruction in order to protect Kansas’ interests in the Air Force tanker contract. But Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., set a new low in placing a “blanket hold” on 70 of President Obama’s nominees for various government posts, including at the Pentagon. Shelby wants Northrop Grumman and Airbus to win the contract and do the final assembly in Mobile, Ala. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs responded: “If that’s not the poster child for how this town needs to change the way it works, I fear there won’t be a greater example of silliness throughout the entire year of 2010.”

Late-night laughs

Rhonda Holman — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:00:46 +0000

“It was Bill Clinton who popularized the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy. But don’t confuse that with another Clinton policy, ‘don’t ask, don’t tell Hillary.’” — David Letterman

“Great Britain and America now have proposed a half-billion-dollar fund to create jobs for Taliban members who agree to lay down their arms. And if it works there, they’re going to offer the same deal to NBA players.” — Jay Leno

“The Obama administration is planning huge changes to President Bush’s No Child Left Behind law. The new law will be called, ‘Let’s Face It, Some Kids Are Just Duds.’” — Jimmy Fallon

Don’t hold breath on medical marijuana

Rhonda Holman — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 12:04:08 +0000

The Obama administration’s acceptance of state laws allowing medical marijuana renewed the hopes of proponents of legalizing medical marijuana in Kansas. And now state Rep. Gail Finney, D-Wichita, can point to a new poll as she pushes her legalization bill: 58 percent of Kansans in a new SurveyUSA poll said they think marijuana should be legal for medicinal purposes. The poll, sponsored by KWCH, Channel 12 in Wichita, found support strongest among 18- to 34-year-olds and western Kansans (both 68 percent). Still, as the New York Times reported last month, “there is no good scientific evidence that legalizing marijuana’s use provides any benefits over current therapies.” And even High Times assessed Kansas’ chances of becoming the 15th state to legalize medical marijuana “not very likely.”

Open thread 2/7

Rhonda Holman — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 12:03:00 +0000

O’Neal’s double duty looks bad

Rhonda Holman — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 12:02:48 +0000

House Speaker Mike O’Neal, R-Hutchinson, is feeling some deserved heat for doubling as an attorney representing insurance funds, businesses and trade groups in a suit against the state challenging the constitutionality of the state’s confiscation of cash in fee funds related to conservation, banking, workers’ compensation and real estate. Democrats and superintendents see a double standard, in that O’Neal has criticized the Schools for Fair Funding lawsuit against the state and O’Neal and his firm could end up collecting a lot of money from the state. Worse, O’Neal accepted a total $5,000 in campaign donations from five of the 17 plaintiff organizations. Rep. Marti Crow, D-Leavenworth, even called for O’Neal to step down. That seems premature, but O’Neal’s actions look bad at best. Gov. Mark Parkinson said, “We are in an unprecedented financial crisis in the state. It’s time for us all to pull together and work through it. It’s not time for us to be filing lawsuits against each other.”

Would Parkinson veto spending cuts?

Phillip Brownlee — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 12:01:42 +0000

Gov. Mark Parkinson said in his State of the State address that he didn’t support more budget cuts. So does that mean he would veto any bill that has more cuts? Because the state doesn’t know exactly how big the budget hole will end up being, Parkinson wouldn’t say that there are no circumstances in which he would cut additional budgets. “I’m very comfortable saying that if the deficit is $400 million, I don’t think we should cut anymore,” he told The Wichita Eagle editorial board. But, Parkinson said, “I don’t want to draw a deep line in the sand and say that I’m not open to any discussions, because that’s not productive in the process.”

So they said

Rhonda Holman — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 12:00:39 +0000

“Do you want someone who will fight for you, or a smile and a handshake? . . . I will take the bullets.” — Rep. Todd Tiahrt (in photo), R-Goddard, answering a question in Fort Scott about why voters should send him to the U.S. Senate

“A teacher will make a much greater difference in our lives than a congressman ever will.” — Rep. Jerry Moran, R-Hays, speaking in Winfield

“It was like watching a glass-walled sausage factory.” — Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., on congressional Democrats’ handling of health care

“This is like a firefighter that moonlights as an arsonist and then complains that the station house is underresourced.” — Tyler Longpine, Kansas Democratic Party spokesman, about how House Speaker Mike O’Neal, R-Hutchinson, is an attorney in a lawsuit against the state

Pro-con: Will court’s ruling harm democracy?

Rhonda Holman — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 12:02:41 +0000

The Citizens United campaign-finance decision by Chief Justice John Roberts and a U.S. Supreme Court majority of conservative judicial activists is a dramatic assault on American democracy, overturning more than a century of precedent in order to give corporations the ultimate authority over elections and governing. This decision tips the balance against active citizenship and the rule of law by making it possible for the nation’s most powerful economic interests to manipulate not just individual politicians and electoral contests but political discourse itself. The high court’s rejection of the ban on direct political spending by businesses, industry associations and their surrogates, and of limits on the amount of money they may spend on campaigning, sets up a dystopia in which our elections could become little more than Super Bowl games, with corporations spending whatever it takes to sell their products, er, candidates. — The Nation editorial

The proponents of the McCain-Feingold law said it was necessary because when people associated using the corporate form, they would be too persuasive. This is nonsense, of course. Sometimes corporate advertising is influential. Sometimes it is not. Corporations are each different. Some will see the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision as an opportunity to support pro-free-market politicians. Some will use it to support liberal politicians. And some will ignore politics completely and simply try to provide goods and services the public wants. This is because a corporation, like every association, is made up of people. It is the people who are now free to speak and to choose the form they believe is the most effective for disseminating their message. With this decision, Americans will get more information, hear more debate, and learn more about their elections. — Bill Maurer of the Institute for Justice, in Seattle Times

Open thread 2/6

Rhonda Holman — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 12:01:16 +0000

Letterman’s budget review

Rhonda Holman — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 12:00:12 +0000

On Monday’s “Late Show” on CBS, David Letterman revealed top 10 surprises in the $3.8 trillion federal budget:
10. $3.5 trillion given to committee fighting overspending.
9. President now has to pay $25 for each bag he brings aboard Air Force One.
8. Cut NASA budget so much, next mission is to New Haven, Conn.
7. Estimate does not include convenience fee of $3.95.
6. Government is raising the money by sending out a drunk Rip Torn to rob banks.
5. United States pays for Ahmadinejad’s tan windbreakers.
4. It allocates $5 billion for a giant wallet to hold all money.
3. Don’t tell him, it’s a surprise, but McCain’s getting a new Craftmatic adjustable bed.
2. $1 billion research grant to figure out what the hell iPad does.
1. The naked centerfold of Sen.-elect Scott Brown.

Calling on Obama to bomb Iran

Rhonda Holman — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:18:50 +0000

It’s hard to see Americans welcoming a third war. But one sure and quick way President Obama could improve Americans’ opinion of him is by bombing Iran and destroying its nuclear-weapon capacity, advises the Hoover Institution’s Daniel Pipes for National Review: “No one other than the Iranian rulers and their agents denies that the regime is rushing headlong to build a large nuclear arsenal. . . . They might deploy these weapons in the region, leading to massive death and destruction. Eventually, they could launch an electromagnetic pulse attack on the United States, utterly devastating the country. By eliminating the Iranian nuclear threat, Obama protects the homeland and sends a message to American’s friends and enemies.”

Status quo unsustainable on health care

Phillip Brownlee — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:02:25 +0000

New government estimates on health care costs are a reminder of how the status quo is unsustainable. Health care consumed a record 17.3 percent of all spending in the U.S. economy last year — or about $2.5 trillion. These rising costs are squeezing businesses and individuals and weighing down the economy. And as for GOP-fed concerns about a government takeover of health care, a Medicare and Medicaid report predicts that by next year the government will pay for more than half the nation’s total health care costs, regardless of whether Congress passes a reform bill. As a result, anyone who cares about reducing the deficit needs to care about curbing health care costs.

Open thread 2/5

Rhonda Holman — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:01:21 +0000

Parkinson not optimistic about eliminating exemptions

Phillip Brownlee — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:00:25 +0000

“If the Legislature can come up with the votes to eliminate some of these sales-tax exemptions, I’ll be very interested and likely supportive, but I’m not optimistic based on past history,” Gov. Mark Parkinson told The Eagle editorial board. He noted that lawmakers have looked at exemptions in the past but have not succeeded in eliminating them. “It is much more difficult to eliminate these exemptions than people realize,” he said, adding that he thought the most that lawmakers might eliminate would be $60 million worth of exemptions. Parkinson also said the cry to eliminate exemptions is often “a mask for not having a plan.”

Restaurant business hasn’t gone up in smoke

Phillip Brownlee — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:49:42 +0000

It’s good news that, contrary to some fears, Wichita’s indoor smoking ordinance doesn’t appear to have hurt area restaurants. Several restaurant owners and the president of the Kansas Restaurant and Hospitality Association told The Eagle that the city’s smoking restrictions, which began 17 months ago today, haven’t affected business much. And in some cases, banning smoking boosted business or improved efficiency, such as by helping restaurants better manage their tables and improving the work environment for restaurant employees. The Legislature should notice the results of Wichita’s ordinance and pass a statewide ban.

Could GOP regain the Senate?

Phillip Brownlee — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:04:57 +0000

“With the developments in Illinois and Indiana over the past 24 hours, the Cook Political Report now carries 10 Democratic-held seats in their most competitive categories — meaning, theoretically, that if Republicans ran the table (and lost none of their own toss up seats in Kentucky, Missouri, New Hampshire and Ohio), they could get to 51 seats and the Senate majority,” wrote Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post. “Is it a longshot? Absolutely. But remember that recent history has shown that in a national political landscape tipped in favor of one party, a strong majority of toss up contests tend to fall that party’s way.”

Open thread 2/4

Rhonda Holman — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:02:05 +0000

Tiller murder an attack on democracy, civil society

Rhonda Holman — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:01:34 +0000

“The verdict’s clear-eyed response to an ugly act of vigilantism should be welcomed on both sides of the political divide over abortion rights,” the New York Times editorialized about the conviction of Scott Roeder for killing George Tiller. “When people turn to violence to further their political or moral beliefs, it amounts to an attack on our whole democracy and civil society.”
This ongoing threat was voiced this week by Shelley Shannon, the woman who shot and wounded Tiller in 1993. She warned that abortion providers will “continue to be stopped,” and she asked that God bless Roeder “for his faithfulness and brave actions and stand.”