Wichita Liberty

News from Wichita Liberty: November 25, 2008

Bob Weeks — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 20:04:55 +0000

Just Say It: We Need to Raise Taxes in Kansas

Rhonda Holman’s Wichita Eagle editorial today (State budget pain must be shared) makes the case for raising Kansas taxes without directly saying so. It’s actually quite artful the way she dodges actually saying what she wants Kansas legislators to do.

Click here for the full story.

Wichita School District Employees Comment on the Bond Issue

Here at the Voice For Liberty in Wichita, I wrote many articles about the USD 259 (Wichita school district) bond issue that district voters passed a few weeks ago. A few people took issue with what I’d written. Taking advantage of my policy that allows anonymous comments, they left some comments. It turns out that some of these commenters had something in common with each other, something they chose not to reveal.

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Some Wichita Teachers Can’t Win Gracefully

Helen Cochran, who was the spokesperson for a group that opposed the recent Wichita school bond, received a few email and telephone messages as part of the campaign that were a little over the top. In one set of messages, a Wichita High School East English teacher (we’ll call him “Kurt”) carried on the legacy of former superintendent Winston Brooks, who called an opponent a racist just because he didn’t support the bond issue.

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Introducing Economics in One Lesson

Every widespread economic fallacy embraced by pundits, politicians, editorialists, clergy, academics is given the back of the hand they so richly deserve by this author: that public works promote economic welfare, that unions and union-inspired minimum-wage laws actually raise wages, that free trade creates unemployment, that rent control helps house the poor, that saving hurts the economy, that profits exploit the poverty stricken; the list goes on and on. Exhilarating.

No one who digests this book will ever be the same when it comes to public-policy analysis.

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Bryan Derreberry and the Chamber’s Goals for Wichita

When the head of a chamber of commerce speaks or writes, it pays to listen or read carefully. While chambers are nominally pro-business, that’s a long way from saying they’re pro-liberty. Instead, they increasingly exist to serve a narrow interest. Using words and language like “pride,” “community,” “investment,” and “economic development” - all words that people can agree with, their flowery messages hide their real agenda.

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Kansas Blog Roundup for August 29, 2008

Bob Weeks — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:29:17 +0000

Kansas bloggers were hard at work again this week, covering a wide variety of topics. See Kansas Blog Roundup for August 29, 2008

Kansas Blog Roundup for August 22, 2008

Bob Weeks — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:29:24 +0000

In Kansas this week, some blogs are quiet, but others pick up the slack with some worthwhile posts. See Kansas Blog Roundup for August 22, 2008.

Kansas Blog Roundup for August 15, 2008

Bob Weeks — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:10:27 +0000

No overarching theme emerged this week in Kansas blogs. Follow-up from the August 5 Kansas primary and Wichita school board action proved popular with readers. See Kansas Blog Roundup for August 15, 2008.

Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer Saves Us From Covered Wagons

Bob Weeks — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:04:56 +0000

At a recent meeting of the Wichita City Council, Mayor Carl Brewer delivered remarks that I found … well, I’m still trying to find the words that fully describe my astonishment. See Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer Saves Us From Covered Wagons.

Reverend Kevass Harding’s Wichita TIF District: A Bad Deal in Several Ways

Bob Weeks — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 11:47:30 +0000

I’m tempted to ask this rhetorical question: Why don’t we strip away all the confusion and obfuscation surrounding TIF districts and just give the developers $2.5 million? See Reverend Kevass Harding’s Wichita TIF District: A Bad Deal in Several Ways

How to Pass the Wichita School Bond Issue

Bob Weeks — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:51:51 +0000

Confusion over who is in charge of formulating the Wichita school bond issue plan and running the campaign harms the district’s reputation. There is a solution that would give the pro-bond group needed transparency and leadership. The full article is How to Pass the Wichita School Bond Issue.

Maryland Previews Kansas Climate Change Panel

Bob Weeks — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:20:09 +0000

See http://wichitaliberty.org/kansas-government/maryland-previews-kansas-climate-change-panel/

Questions Wichita Reverend Kevass Harding Will Not Answer

Bob Weeks — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:56:07 +0000

A Wichita minister and school board member seeks a large benefit for his real estate development, but will not answer questions posed by a constituent. See Questions Wichita Reverend Kevass Harding Will Not Answer.

Wichita School Bond Issue Opponents: Driving What? And How?

Bob Weeks — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:21:55 +0000

A Wichita Eagle columnist complains that in spite of all the advantages that Wichita school bond issue proponents have, the opposition is somehow driving the issue.

The full story is here: Wichita School Bond Issue Opponents: Driving What? And How?