News from alternative media around Kansas for December 21, 2009.
KNEA uses incomplete funding data to argue for tax hikes(Kansas Liberty) “Kansas State Department of Education Deputy Commissioner says a common practice of legislators and school advocates is only citing the base state aid K-12 receives for gauging funding levels.”
[...]Yesterday’s Wichita Eagle carried an article about ticket scalping for events at the Intrust Bank Arena in downtown Wichita. Some concerts are very popular, which leads to people frustrated at two things: the inability to buy tickets when they go on sale, and then the high prices that [...]
Here’s John D’Aloia’s “Trackside” column for December 20, 2009. In this article, John traces through the pervasiveness of taxation in many common products, and how long we must work each year to pay these taxes. Besides taxation, regulation is growing, too.
John D’Aloia lives in St. Marys, Kansas, where he serves [...]
At this week’s meeting of the Wichita City Council, underperforming companies that have received economic incentives was at issue.
Wichita grants incentives — usually in the form of an escape from paying property taxes — to companies. Usually there are conditions attached to the incentives, such as a certain amount [...]
Following is a press release from the Great American Forum.
Wichita, KS — The Great American Forum Steering Committee is pleased to announce its third public forum to be held Friday, January 15th, 2010, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at the Bank of America Auditorium, 1st floor, 100 N. Broadway, [...]
Below, Steven M. Greenhut tells how — despite a poor economy — public sector employees are doing quite well. I don’t think the problem is quite as bad here as it is in Greenhut’s home state of California. But just this week the Wichita City Council voted, in spite of [...]
A test for President Barack Obama is coming up soon.
When campaigning for the presidency, Obama pledged to end earmark spending. As reported earlier this year in Time Magazine: “… both Obama and Republican nominee John McCain tried to outdo each other with their pledges to rid Washington of [...]
Sedgwick County Commission
During today’s meeting of the Sedgwick County Commission, commissioners awarded funds to an organization without requiring accountability and transparency.
At issue was the county awarding $50,000 to [...]
Remarks to be delivered to the December 16, 2009 meeting of the Sedgwick County Commission.
Mr. Chairman, members of the commission,
I’m here today to recommend that this body not give taxpayer funds to Visioneering Wichita.
My reason is simple: Many of the items that Visioneering is in favor of require [...]
In a story illustrated with several charts, Kansas Liberty shows that the Kansas National Education Association or (KNEA, the teachers union), is not to be trusted when talking about Kansas school finance.
Why?
School spending advocates claim that spending on schools in Kansas is declining rapidly. It’s [...]
At today’s meeting of the Wichita City Council, John Todd makes the case that Wichita Municipal Court judges should be elected by the people rather than appointed by the council. Before John spoke, there was some confusion on the bench as to whether public comment would be taken for this [...]
At this Friday’s meeting of the Wichita Pachyderm Club, Kansas Senator Dr. Steve Abrams, Republican from Arkansas City, will speak on Kansas education. Abrams served 14 years on the Kansas State Board of Education. In 2008 he was elected to the Kansas Senate from the 32nd district, which [...]
News from alternative media around Kansas for December 14, 2009.
EPA threatens more gov regs and pushes ‘global warming’(Kansas Liberty) “The Environmental Protection Agency issued a ruling today in which it determined that greenhouses gasses, such as carbon dioxide, are harmful to public health. … Derrick Sontag, Americans for Prosperity-Kansas [...]
Recently the Kansas Policy Institute (formerly known as the Flint Hills Center for Public Policy) released “A Kansas Primer on Education Funding.” This is a four-volume set of research, with volumes one and two available at present.
Volume One is titled “History of Education Finance.” It’s written by Gregory [...]
Last Friday Kansas State Representative Pete DeGraaf, a Republican from Mulvane, updated members and guests of the Wichita Pachyderm Club on the status of the Kansas budget and other legislative matters. He appeared with Representative Don Myers, a Republican from Derby.
DeGraff was appointed to the legislature at the [...]
Last week, Sedgwick County Commissioner Karl Peterjohn lead a successful effort to add strong protection for taxpayers to the county’s legislative platform. My coverage is at Peterjohn presses taxpayer protection platform through Sedgwick County Commission. Following is a short op-ed from Americans For Prosperity-Kansas on this [...]
This week former Ohio Representative Bob McEwen appeared in Wichita on behalf of Kansas Senator Dick Kelsey and his campaign for the Republican nomination for the United States House of Representatives from the fourth district of Kansas.
At a breakfast meeting, McEwen said that his state — Ohio [...]
Americans for Prosperity-Kansas has released a three-page document that details some facts about Kansas spending on schools and education.
It’s an important topic, as K-12 school spending represents about half of our state’s general fund spending. Education — as we’re reminded by school spending advocates — is also one [...]
The City of Wichita has a feature on its website that lets citizens receive timely and useful information by email, instead of requiring citizens to continually check the site for updates.
Its name is “MyWichita.” It’s available as a link in the right-hand column of the city’s website, or [...]
Kansas Liberty is reporting that an email message making the rounds is based on incorrect and misleading information.
The email complains that Kansas state legislators are paid $47,780 per year, while the state spends just $4,100 per year per child for education.
Actual legislator pay is less than half the [...]
On Tuesday, voters in Oklahoma City passed a new sales tax to fund downtown improvements. It passed by a vote of 54 percent to 46 percent.
The tax will be used to fund improvements such as a 70-acre downtown park ($130 million), a new convention center ($280 million), mass transit initiatives [...]
This week the Kansas Policy Institute announced the launch of KansasReporter, a news service covering Kansas government. Combined with some other relatively new sources of news, analysis, and commentary — Kansas Liberty, Kansas Watchdog, State of the State, Kansas and a few older sources like [...]
At today’s meeting of the Sedgwick County Commission, commissioners revised the county’s 2010 legislative platform, adding important and groundbreaking taxpayer protection to the platform. The split vote lets voters know without a doubt where commissioners stand on taxpayer protection issues.
The legislative platform is Sedgwick County’s “wish list” for the [...]
Wichita Geophysicist Dennis Hedke has compiled a great deal of useful information that he uses in making presentations on the science, economics, and politics of climate change and global warming alarmism.
Now he’s compiled his material and made it available on his new website HeadOnIssues.org.
Hedke says [...]
Kansas University law professor Stephen J. Ware has researched and written extensively about the processes that states use to select justices to their high courts. Kansas, as it turns out, is at the extreme end of the spectrum of the methods the states use. My post Kansas is [...]
Kansas Representatives Don Myers (Republican from Derby) and Pete DeGraaf (Republican from Mulvane) will jointly present “An update on the financial status of Kansas” at the Wichita Pachyderm Club on Friday December 11.
All are welcome to attend Pachyderm club meetings. The program costs $10, which includes a delicious buffet [...]
By Phil Kerpen and Derrick Sontag
The global warming debate is at a crossroads. With a skeptical American public already rising up against a cap-and-trade scheme that would send energy prices through the roof, a whistleblower at the influential Climate Research Unit revealing that the temperature data used to make the [...]
A message from Americans For Prosperity:
As part AFP’s ongoing Hot Air Tour, we will be hosting a viewing party in Wichita at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and in Overland Park at the Doubletree Hotel of our Simulcast live from Copenhagen on the same day the President is there to [...]
News from alternative media around Kansas for December 7, 2009.
Deeper K-12 cuts possible — governor and fed. government must approve(Kansas Liberty) Discussion of Kansas school funding: “Walt Chappell, a Kansas State Board of Education member, also agreed that the state should request the waiver and said he believed that [...]
Last week a Wichita company that’s expanding made an application for industrial revenue bonds and accompanying property tax abatements. The company’s application wasn’t timely, and for that reason is not likely to receive the requested help. The discussion surrounding the item provides insight into city council members’ ideas [...]
Remarks to be delivered to the December 1, 2009 meeting of the Wichita City Council.
Mr. Mayor, members of the council,
I’m recommending that the city not renew its contract with the Go Wichita Convention and Visitors Bureau until that organization decides to follow the Kansas Open Records Act.
Recently I [...]
Former U.S. Congressman Bob McEwen will be in Wichita next week to present two seminars. McEwen, an advocate for pro-family interests and free-market economics, is sponsored by the Senator Dick Kelsey for Congresscampaign.
The two seminars McEwen will present are titled “Renewing American Leadership” and “Enhancing Local Economic Development”
These [...]
News from alternative media around Kansas for November 30, 2009.
Parkinson balances budget as promised, but now gearing up for tax hike(Kansas Liberty premium article) Analysis of the governor’s budget cuts, with a look forward: “Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson released a column yesterday illustrating how Monday’s cuts have devastated various [...]
The news that Kansas third district congressman Dennis Moore has decided not to seek reelection is a week old now, but the ramifications will take a while to shake out. As Martin Hawver put it in a recent Capitol Rail: “We don’t know who, but we’re imagining, somewhere [...]
To an appreciative Saturday evening audience, candidate for the Republican party nomination for United States Congress from the fourth district of Kansas Jim Anderson laid out in detail his political positions and his plans for Congress.
Anderson spoke as part of a series of events featuring Alan Keyes, who spoke [...]
Education, health care, Kansas school funding, unintended consequences.
Charter schools: Two studies, two conclusionsThis Washington Post article looks at two recent studies of charter schools to try and determine whether they perform better or worse than regular public schools. Kansas, in effect, has no charter schools. They’re allowed by state [...]
Illegal drug use and the accompanying war on drugs is a huge human problem in the United States. It’s time, according to some, for a radical rethinking of this situation. A group of current and former warriors from the frontlines of the war on drugs has such a perspective, and [...]
On Friday December 4, the Wichita Pachyderm Club presents Jack A. Cole. Cole is executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). My interview with Cole is at Solution to drug problem to be presented in Wichita.
Here’s some information about LEAP from its website:
Founded on [...]
On Monday, the Wichita Chapter of Americans For Prosperity is holding an informative meeting to learn more about free market economics and its application.
The program is:
A trade exercise
A private property exercise
Group discussions of
“I, Pencil” by Leonard Reed
“The Law” by Frederic Bastiat
The Platinum [...]
On Monday and Tuesday, the Kansas House Appropriations Committee held hearings, and big topics were Kansas school funding and the Kansas budget. The reaction by school spending advocates to two speakers is illustrative of the highly divisive nature of public school operation and funding in Kansas.
We need to label them [...]
In an explanation presented to the Kansas House Appropriations Committee of how the Kansas state budget was balanced by Governor Mark Parkinson Monday, there’s a line item “Powerball income tax windfall.” The amount is $3.1 million, the result of a Kansan having won the multi-state jackpot not long ago. [...]
Topeka, Kansas — In testimony Monday before an interim session of the Kansas House Appropriations Committee, former Kansas Education Commissioner Bob Corkins supplied insight into Kansas school funding court decisions, and made some recommendations for the future.
In its ruling in the Montoy case (the 2005 case that ordered the Kansas [...]
Topeka, Kansas — At today’s meeting of the Kansas House Appropriations Committee, Walt Chappell presented ideas on increasing efficiency and reducing cost in Kansas schools.
Chappell, a Democrat from Wichita, was elected to the Kansas State Board of Education last year. He has 40 years varied experience as a [...]
Mike Pompeo at Wichita Pachyderm Club
Yesterday, Kansas fourth district congressional candidate Mike Pompeo addressed members and guests of the Wichita Pachyderm Club. His conservative message was [...]
Who knew?
Here’s today’s Capitol Flash from Martin Hawver, describing the lineup for a meeting of the Kansas House Appropriations Committee on Monday: “Queued up for that presentation … rogue State Board of Education member Walt Chappell, a Democrat from Wichita.”
In case you haven’t heard, Palin’s book, just out this [...]
Continuing a debate on Kansas school funding on the KPTS television public affairs program Kansas Week, Kansas Policy Institute (formerly the Flint Hills Center for Public Policy) President Dave Trabert appeared tonight to present KPI’s findings about school funding. While school spending advocates have criticized these findings, there’s [...]
Tomorrow, the monthly meeting of Kansans for Liberty features national conservative figure Alan Keyes and a presentation about Oathkeepers.
Keyes is in Wichita to endorse the candidacy of Jim Anderson for the Kansas fourth district congressional position. A preview of Keyes’ appearance by Wichita Eagle reporter Dion Lefler [...]
At yesterday’s meeting of the Wichita Metropolitan Area Planning Commission, a mix of politics and policy resulted in protection of a Wichita non-profit’s market, but at the loss of convenience to Wichitans.
The issue is about 65 red clothing recycling bins operated by American Recyclers of Tulsa. These bins [...]
The website GovTrack.us is a great resource for citizens who are interested in the United States Congress. With the rapid expansion of government in the recent past, this is something we should all be concerned with.
By using GovTrack.us, you can search for bills by their bill number, words [...]
