Digest for Nov 15, 2009 (weekend edition)

Kansas Clips from Friday through Sunday:

Where is the “suitable” logic of school administrators?

In a period of recession, with many out of work, with Kansas courts shortening hours, with Kansas government workers facing furloughs …

• Hutchinson:  Lawmakers see push for government furloughs
• KCUR:  Without More Money Kansas Courts Will Close Temporarily
• Pittsburg:  Kan. lawmakers see pressure for govt furloughs
• Topeka:  Furloughs in court system could trigger cascading effect

… school administrators want more money but don’t understand economics or reality (would courts and other state government office  need to close their doors even more to provide more money for schools?)

• Dodge City:  USD 443 ready to sue state
• Dodge City:  What’s Fair for Kansas Kids? Schools for Fair Funding may ask Supreme Court to decide [Meadowlark:  It's "fair" to dump a huge federal and state debt on our kids?  Are students taught what this huge debt means to their future?  Isn't $344,675 in government debt liability per citizen overwhelming?]
• Leavenworth:  Leavenworth School Board supports legal action against state
• Kansas City Kansan:  Piper considering joining “Schools for Fair Funding
• Wellington:  District joins fair funding effort

At least USD 408 in Marion understands economic reality.  From a tweet:

@jmeierks: USD 408 unanimously votes against joining SFFF, “You can’t squeeze blood from a turnip.” http://bit.ly/1GiAN1 At least some districts get it 11/14/2009 06:31 PM

Google Sightseeing

• Before and After: Greensburg, Kansas

Noteworthy

• Wall Street Journal:  Gridiron Grind: This Poor Fan Never Misses a Kansas State Game

Watchdogs

• Kansas:
  • Kansas Made $254.3 Million in Confidential Payments in 2009
  • No Decision by Schools for Fair Funding on Lawsuit
  • Opposing Viewpoints: Is the Tenth Amendment Important in Health Care Debate?
• Oklahoma:  Swine flu vaccine side effects beginning to appear
• Mackinac Center:  Nothing “Liberal” About Defending Government-Class Privileges
• National:  Economists: State deficits could stall recovery

Blogs

• Wichita Liberty:
  • Failure of one program doesn’t justify forming another
  • Wall Street Journal on government health care
  • Kelo abandonment holds lesson for Wichita
  • In Central-Northeast Wichita, government is cause of problem, not solution
• KRA:  New report on uninsured children confirms Healthwave enrollment failures
• Quiet Conservative:  RINO’s Belong in the Zoo
• Principally Political:  Kobach on terror trails in New Your Post
• KFL:
  • Euthanasia elites fail to undermine Palin’s death panel warnings
  • Road narrowing for pro-abort Catholic politicians
  • Worrying about hangers, not women’s safety

• State of the State KS ($):  American Soy Association Explains Reality About Cap and Trade
• WE Blog:
  • Deporting illegals in Kansas’ prisons could help but may not work
  • Praeger backs ending subsidy to private insurers
• Air Capital Insider:  Cessna to rehire 200 people
• Prime Buzz:  KS Dems have a candidate for guv. Is it Olathe resident Tom Wiggans?

• Kansas Free Press:  Liberal? Conservative? On What Issue?
• Forward Kansas:
  • Anderson Still in Republican KS-04 Campaign, Though “Anything’s Possible”
  • Will Kansas Schools Race to the Top or Sink to the Bottom?
• GPACE:  No Coal Plant is Unstoppable [Meadowlark:  Coal plants are being killed by by government regulation and coercion (i.e., tyranny). "Base load" must be generated from reliable energysources, like coal or nuclear, if we want lights/heating/cooling during peak periods of demand. If we can't provide peak load with reliable sources, power brownouts or black outs are inevitiable.  If we must have reliable generation for peak demand, all "renewable" energy sources only add cost.  There will not be any savings.]

News

• Dodge City:  Army Reserve training center expected to provide economic boost
• Johnson County (Sun):  House Majority Leader Merrick:  “I’m running again”
• Kansas City (Biz):  Foreclosures rise in Missouri, fall in Kansas
• Kansas City (KCK):  Kansas to launch “Efficiency Kansas”
• Kansas City (Star):
  • Newspaper: Stimulus brings few private-sector jobs “Close inspection reveals flaws in the claims and raises doubts about the mammoth spending bill’s impact to date.”
  • History of Kansas takes shape on 10-piece mural [Meadowlark: "(Schiel) expects to spend 2,300 hours painting the mural, plus his research time and time spent on the road raising money for the $230,000 project."  But that's $100/hour for the project?]
• Lawrence (J-W):
  • Sales tax boosts research, education efforts “Though returns from a Johnson County sales tax are suffering from the recession, Kansas University projects benefiting from the tax remain on track.”
  • Legislators to meet this week to discuss underfunded state pension system
  • Recession intensifies Generation X discontent at work
• McPherson:  Cobb announces bid for 1st District seat
• Topeka (C-J):  Feds give record loans to farmers
• Topeka (KTKA):  Kansas unveils official holiday ornament [Meadowlark:  An "ornament" for the "Kansas tree"?  But no one can say "Christmas tree"?]
• Topeka (WIBW):
  • Attorney General, Cox Communications Team Up
  • Kansas Senator Says Health Care Reform Needed In Steps
• Wichita (Biz): Foreclosures fall in Kansas
• Wichita (Eagle):  Petition seeks aid for hurt children

• CattleNetwork:  Federal Reserve Says Midwest Farm Economy Weakens
• U.K.:  Climate change ’sceptic’ Ian Plimer argues CO2 is not causing global warming

Twitter

• @cacardinal: Great article on Retweeting (RT) and its value http://cli.gs/4YgNhV 11/13/2009 01:17 PM
• @NorthWestKansas: Schools for Fair Funding group puts off decision to sue state: http://is.gd/4Uqox 11/13/2009 01:46 PM
• @FWKS: Kansas Democrats Have a Candidate for Governor? http://bit.ly/VvAY2 #fwks #p2 11/13/2009 02:13 PM
• @kckansan: Sen. Haley to speak with Schlagle students: Kansas Sen. David Haley will speak to government students next Mond.. http://bit.ly/4tCmKu 11/13/2009 05:41 PM
• @fox43ktmj: Horton High School Student Helps Search for Missing Woman: A freshman at Horton High School is trying to help f.. http://bit.ly/2zZKAW 11/13/2009 06:31 PM
• @skyecoleman: @csteiniger talking about what he’s doing — not making a run for Gov. — looking at Secretary of State. #jocodems 11/14/2009 08:48 AM
• @CatoInstitute: Bush is complaining that gov’t is too big? Here are 9 ways Bush increased the size and role of gov’t http://bit.ly/22hQLw #p2 #tlot 11/14/2009 05:07 PM
• @KansasWatchdog: VP Joe Biden to attend fund raiser in Las Vegas at Atomic Testing Museum later this PM. Rain checks given for those to see museum. 11/15/2009 02:34 PM
• @KansasWatchdog: Tom Arpke, Salina city councilman, speaking now on Kris Kobach’s show on KCMO 710 about stimulus spending by cities 11/15/2009 06:10 PM
• @KansasWatchdog: Ron Ryckman from Olathe on KCMO with Kris Kobach telling about proposal that cost $500K stimulus for wind energy with $8k/yr pay back 11/15/2009 06:28 PM
• @RyanGigous: What happen to investigative journalism? Where are the reporters in America? 11/15/2009 06:42 PM
• @HutchNews: State woes make tax debate inevitable http://tinyurl.com/ykkjdcn 11/15/2009 11:04 PM