Finance reports

Final campaign finance reports are in from the Nov, 4 election. Apparently the hospital and city were suppose to file reports, and disclose how their ads were paid for.

Look for story on money donated state and local candidates in coming days.

All the candidates

Should be some good races for area city and schools boards.

Kudos Abrams

Steve Abrams' approach to state budget woesdoes not tow party line and is more moderate than one might expect from his campaign message and past history

See today's Traveler for his explanation on why he voted for the Senate's compromise bill

Overboard

Here's our editorial on the city's new water policy:


Water policy goes overboard

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The city has gone too far in its new water bill policy.

Starting next month, you'll have to pony up $100 if your water gets shut off for late payment, and you want to restart it.

That's $50 for a "shut off" fee and $50 for a reconnection fee.

"Shut off" fee?

Does it really cost the city $50 in labor and expenses to shut somebody's water off?

Worse, the new ordinance allows the city to shut off your water just five days after the due date, if you haven't paid the bill.

Five days? Everybody should pay their bills on time, but we all know there are decent reasons why somebody might be a few days late.

We can't think of another business that cuts off your service if your payment is just five days late. City officials say you can call for a reprieve. That's nice, but not enough.

We are all for the city cracking down on delinquent water customers. There's been no reconnect fee; creating one makes sense. So does shortening the cut off time from three months after the due date.

About 300 people are routinely late on their water bills. These new rules target them, but others could get caught in the crossfire.

We also have a problem with the lack of public involvement in making this big change. It required changing an ordinance, but no public hearing was held.

No doubt this will be an election issue this spring.

Five days?

We wrote about this in the paper but for some reason it's just now hitting me. Five days late and the city will shut off your water?
Isn't that a bit heavy handed?

Crash tax

Good overview article of this national trend that has hit ark city.

Can Thurber get a fair trial?

The Eagle takes a close look at this looming question.

Big names

Pat McDonald wants four more years (or two) Jean Snell and Jay Warren throwtheir hats into the ring.

Whither Scott Margolius and Joel Hockenbury

Obamaism

This quote seems to pinpoint what makes Obama different from other politicians (beyond the obvious)

"It's not just that Obama is black, it's really his ideas, his vision, his ability to not be threatened by different opinions and belief systems," Susan Bremer Parks, former Topeka student.

It's the last part of this, not being threatened, angered, defensive and tribal about other worldviews, and in fact taking them seriously and being open to them, that stands out. To consider the opposite mindset, think Hillary Clinton. We'll see how this approach plays out, of course -- Bush was going to make Washington more civil, remember.

It's from this AP story

Cold water

Gushing hoopla has its place, but time for reality

The "L" word

From Ben Smith's blog .....

It is, apparently, safe to call yourself a "liberal" again in Washington D.C.

Though the word appears to have lost its sting after years of Republican attacks, most of those on the left of the Democratic Party prefer the word "progressive," the one Hillary Clinton embraced when asked about her political identity.

But at a concert hosted by the New Republic last night, Rahm Emanuel -- amid a stream of praise for Rep. Barney Frank, also in attendance -- embraced the word.

"[Frank] is -- to all of us who are liberals -- our congressman," Emanuel said.

Is this possible?

From Obama Washington Post interview ....Beyond the symbolism of his historic achievement, Obama said, he hopes to use his presidency as an example of how people can bridge differences -- racial and otherwise. "What I hope to model is a way of interacting with people who aren't like you and don't agree with you that changes the temper of our politics," he said. "And then part of that changes how we think about moving forward on race relations. Race relations becomes a subset of a larger problem in our society, which is we have a diverse, complicated society where people have a lot of different viewpoints."

Full article here

Socialist!!!!!!

Some on the right are lit up by Obama's appointment of Carol Browner as top energy and environment advisor because she sat on a committee on climate change set up by a group called Socialist International.

Got the world "Socialst" afterall. That can't be good!

There may be more complexity to this hot button charge than meets the eye.

Inauguration parties?

Anybody having an Inauguration Party or doing anything special for the event? We're looking to localize the story.

Tiahrt spin on SCHIP

I understand the fiscal responsibility argument, but does Tiahrt really believe that expanding SCHIP will hurt poor children?r Having private health insurance doesn't mean you are properly insured and can afford the co-pays, premiums and out of pocket expenses, as we all know. Tiahrt is being proactive to fend off inevitable criticism. He got blasted last time he voted against expansion. Course it didn't hurt him in the election.

Abrams, Kelley

Nice to hear Steve Abrams say education funding should remain intact, if possible. Americans for Prosperity spent so much money on him, though, that he'll inevitably be tied to their dogmatic call for less government and lower taxes.

Kasha Kelley, also, would like to shrink government. I find contradiction, though, in the call to be fiscally responsible and keeping tax cuts in place (this goes for Democrats, including Gov. Sebelius, too) The business machinery tax exemption has really hurt cities/counties and what evidence is there that it helped the economy?

More God, Guns and Less Government

Will the GOP ever return to its mainstream Eisenhower roots? Conservative columnist Kathleen Parker got flayed for calling Palin unqualified and betraying the religious/cultural base of the party, as did several other conservative thinkers. But it's what drives people like Morrison, Parkinson and Parker away. The Dems have figured out that you have to move center. Obama, as liberal as he might be, used a GOP principle — tax cuts — to help get elected. If the GOP would, say, call for universal health care — perhaps on moral grounds trumping the anti-government philosophy, at least in this case, it would probably rise again.

Neat story

Our next president has direct family ties to Cowley County

Good Gawd

Atheists sue to stop "So help me God" phrase.

This age old debate never stops.

Democrats in disarray

Parkinson was the Democratic heir to Sebelius. I again say Dennis McKinney might run. He's a farmer/rancher from Western Kansas who is a Democrat because he thinks government can help people, but has conservative credentials on guns and fiscal policy. Plus he wears cowboy boots and a cowboy hat around Topeka. :)
Still, seems like Brownback will be hard to beat with his name recognition and his "culture of life" mantra that he expands to all policy, not just abortion. But as somebody asked the other day, what has he actually DONE as a Senator.

Third hand smoke

Continuing the topic ....

Smoking ban

How about Ark City pursuing a smoking ban in honor of former Commissioner Janet English?