The full story is here: Wichita School Bond Issue: Surrounding Districts Are Growing and Building New Facilities.
Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius at Earthjustice
Posted on June 28, 2008
Now that the permit has been denied and the Kansas Legislature failed to produce legislation that would survive the Governor’s veto, the activity of Earthjustice in Kansas, clearly a group with a radical environmentalist agenda, can be admitted. Read the full story here: http://wichitaliberty.org/kansas-government/kansas-governor-kathleen-sebelius-at-earthjustice/
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Kansas Blog Roundup for June 20, 2008
Posted on June 20, 2008
A Kansas blog roundup for this week is available at http://wichitaliberty.org/node/714.
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Is Boeing Tanker “Victory” Good For America?
Posted on June 20, 2008
“What’s really going on is a familiar scrum for federal cash, with politicians from Washington and Kansas using nationalism as cover for their pork-barreling”
The full story is here: http://wichitaliberty.org/node/713
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The Wichita Eagle’s Preference For Government
Posted on June 19, 2008
An article in the June 19, 2008 Wichita Eagle (Many businesses owners say they carry too much of local tax burden) provides an example of the frequently-expressed bias against individuality and markets, and in favor of government and its institutions.
The full article is at http://wichitaliberty.org/node/712
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Wichita Public School District’s Taxation Without Information
Posted on June 19, 2008
Taxation without information. I wish I could take credit for inventing this phrase that I recently heard someone use. It captures very well the key characteristic of USD 259, the Wichita public school district, and its campaign for the proposed 2008 bond issue.
The full article is here: http://wichitaliberty.org/node/711
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Wichita School Bond Issue: Surrounding Districts Are Growing and Building New Facilities
Posted on June 17, 2008
Supporters of the proposed bond issue for USD 259, the Wichita, Kansas public school district, say that Wichita schoolchildren deserve the same nice and new facilities that many of the surrounding suburban districts have been building. Typical is an editorial in The Wichita Eagle on February 10, 2008, stating “The [Wichita school] district officials kept returning to a bottom line: Don’t our kids deserve school opportunities comparable to those in Maize or Goddard or Andover?”
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Wichita School Bond Issue: Is Economic Impact Real?
Posted on June 16, 2008
The fact that government spends money does not mean it is spent wisely in ways that create wealth and makes people better off. Does a study the Wichita, Kansas school district relies on have an opinion about the wisdom of school district spending?
The full story is here: http://wichitaliberty.org/node/707.
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A Believer in Good Government Programs
Posted on June 13, 2008
An audio version of this post is available here.
A Mr. Greg Abbott of Clearwater, Kansas makes the case in the June 13, 2008 Wichita Eagle that there are many good government programs: the interstate highway system, the post office, the air traffic control system, police and fire departments, etc.
I believe the writer makes a huge error in logic by assuming that because these programs exist and have been provided by government, then they are good things to have, and that these things can only be provided through government. To make this conclusion requires a huge leap and a good measure of misplaced faith in the institution of government.
Many of the programs the writer cites as examples of good government programs are frequently criticized. The interstate highways in our nation’s cities are often congested to the point where loss of time spent stuck in traffic is a serious problem. Then there is the problem of safety of the nation’s highways, on which some 40,000 people die each year, and many more are seriously injured. Walter Block writes “As far as I am concerned, [these deaths are] taking place in spite of, not so much because of, the actions of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, despite their tendency to take credit for anything positive that happens on their watch, as do all statist agencies.” I recommend his article Deaths by Government: Another Missing Chapter.
The post office? Do many people rely on the post office for delivery of critical shipments when private alternatives such as FedEx and UPS are available?
As for flood control, the federal government’s flood insurance program, by suppressing signals that would be expressed in the price system as insurance premiums, if there was indeed a free market for such insurance, has lead to numerous deaths. Ask the residents of New Orleans how they feel about government levees and government flood insurance. See How Government Insurance Destroyed New Orleans.
Need I continue? Each government program Mr. Abbott mentions has severe problems, and most crowd out efforts by private enterprise to provide alternatives.
There is a truth in the writer’s letter in this sentence: “We need to wake up and realize that we all depend on the government.” That this is true is profoundly sad. Government, Mr. Abbott, operates through force and coercion. Wouldn’t it be better if we could solve problems and provide services through the voluntary cooperation of people?
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Kansas Blog Roundup for June 13, 2007
Posted on June 13, 2008
At The Kansas Meadowlark, read about a Kansas state representative’s use of franked mail: State Rep Rardin’s FOURTH franked piece to kick-start his re-election campaign. This post inspired a few rather heated comments.
At Right-Wing Agenda, Kevin Mark Smith write about risk and reward in choosing a career path in The demise of the American Dream began with the 40-hour work week.
The Joyful Cynic contributes two interesting and helpful articles for young people looking for a job: Advice to a Young Person Looking for a Job, Part 1 and Part 2.
Custer, writing at The Kansas Republican, takes on Phill (there are two l’s there) Kline and his ego in deciding to run for reelection as Johnson County District Attorney in Phil Kline is Not Pro-Life. In Fact, He’s Planned Parenthood’s Dream. Wild Bill spots inconsistencies in Nancy Boyda’s claims and her actions regarding fundraising in Despite Claiming She Stays Out of “Whole Fundraising Shtick,” Boyda Banks Washington Lobbyists’ Cash. Wild Bill also reports on claimed plagiarism by Boyda in Boyda’s Plagiarism Mentioned In DC’s Politico. Still No ‘Mystery’ Press Release. Comments to this post claim to “out” a comment-writer as Shanan Guinn, Boyda’s Chief of Staff. I think these comment wars over exposing the identities of posters or comment-writers are unfruitful. On the Wichita Eagle blog, sometimes entire threads consisting of perhaps hundreds of comments are devoted to just that, so I guess they must be fun for some people. But when the authors of a blog are anonymous, as are the authors of this blog, I guess we can’t expect comment-writers to identify themselves.
Also: commentary on a Washington Post article on Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius and her limitations as a possible vice presidential candidate: Sebelius’ National Security Credentials Slammed in Washington Post.
The Kansas Trunkline/a> wonders about Kathleen Sebelius’ travel schedule in What’s the Governor trying to hide?
The Kenig Konnection reports on a campaign stop by Nick Jordan in Nick Jordan’s grassoots campaign, Ryun’s “positive” pledge…
The Kansas Republican Assembly Blog reports on a couple living in Lawrence who plan to travel to California to marry, and then seek recognition of that act in Kansas: Lawrence residents to ‘wed’ in California, seek recognition in Kansas.
The Quite Conservative comments on a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Elevating Enemies of the State to Favored Status.
The mysterious “Boondoggler” at Wichita 259 Truth contributes some fine analysis of a situation in the Wichita public school district in Wichita School Board - “Go Along to Get Along”
The Voice For Liberty in Wichita (that’s me) was largely quite this week due to the author taking a few days of vacation and attending a conference.
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Kansas Blog Roundup for June 6, 2008
Posted on June 6, 2008
At Voice For Liberty in Wichita, guest author James Barfield contributes Wichita City Manager Search: Look Before You Leap, urging Wichita to be wary of the presumptive new city manager, Pat Salerno. Mr. Barfield has done some investigation on his own, and uncovers some troubling facts. An abridged version of this post was printed in The Wichita Eagle.
The Kansas Meadowlark continues coverage of the controversy surrounding the visit of notorious abortion doctor George Tiller to Cedar Crest, the home of Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius: Did Gov. Kathleen Sebelius violate Kansas ethics laws by donating auction items and not reporting them? No, not if they were personal donations. At The Kansas Republican, Will Bill contributes Sebelius, Tillergate, Communiongate, Hyperion, NBAF, etc.
The Kansas Meadowlark explores the wisdom of appointing district court judges in Johnson County (rather than electing them as we do in Sedgwick County, but that has its own list of problems) in Political Profile of Tenth Judicial District Nominating Committee and Gov. Sebelius appoints new District Court judge — one of her political contributors.
Also the Meadowlark reports on some problems with voters potentially voting in both Kansas and Missouri in Prominent Kansas City Star staff member, registered to vote in Missouri, can still vote in Kansas thanks to Gov. Sebelius’ veto of voter ID law. (Someday I must speak to the Meadowlark about these lengthy post titles!)
At The Joyful Cynic, Sharon DuBois reports on being a delegate to the Libertarian Party national convention: Conventioneering and Conventioneering Odds and Ends. Also: Is it depressing to belong to a political party that doesn’t have a chance of winning the presidential election? The answer is here: Throw the Libertarians to the Lions.
At Right-Wing Agenda, Wichita lawyer Kevin Mark Smith reports on a trip to a convention of home schoolers: Guess what? You are probably more qualified to teach your kids than their “government” school teachers.
At The Kansas Republican, Custer reflects on the state of the Kansas Republican Party in The Kansas Republican Party- a Time for Reflection. Some of the comments to this post are worth reading. Will Bill offers some coverage of Kansas campaigning and some fishing news in Slattery and lobbyists, Jenkins Kick Off, Six, Tiahrt and Bass Fishing.
At The Kansas Trunkline read about Jim Slattery’s lobbying activities (really the lack of knowledge about them) in Slattery: Concealing Facts Kansans Deserve to Know. Also Moore and Boyda: How bad on taxes are they?
The mysterious “Boondoggler” at Wichita 259 Truth exposes the several problems with a letter from a Wichita school bond supporter printed in The Wichita Eagle in the post BOE Meetings and Letters.
Wichita Eagle reporter Brent Wistrom reports on some seemingly-lavish spending by Wichita when it entertained presumptive city manager Pat Salerno in City spent thousands welcoming Salerno.
At Voice For Liberty in Wichita, these posts may be of interest: Support the Wichita School Bond Issue For Our Community, The Smoking Ban in Wichita, Tax Abatements in Wichita, and Wichita School District Economic Impact, which reports on defects in an economic impact study that the Wichita school district relies on.
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