Friday, April 30, 2010

Privatizing put off

Looks like hiring a private company to run the winfield vets home didn't get any interest. I had mixed feelings about it — good to save money but you wonder whether the responsibility and accountability would be there. You hear some horror stories about private firms running prisons, for example, but they can do well with other things the public must have — utilities, hospitals, etc., with enough oversight. The govt. doesn't exactly have a great track record with veterans facilities - ie. Walter Reed Hospital.

Read a story not long ago about cities privatizing utilities - trash, water and sewer, especially — services to save money. Seemed like a mixed bag there, too.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

HNB history?

Seems pretty clear that the bank will be sold soon. Hopefully the services and jobs it provides to the community will not go away.

Wine and wings?

Well what do you think of this, folks?

Sound pretty harmless to me. They've got good ideas for covering up the drinking area. (Not sold on wine and wings combo, buy hey, this ain't Central Park Manhattan, right?)

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

HNB for sale

Roger Brown is retiring from the bank board and the bank is looking for a buyer. Wow. End of an era. Banks were hit hard in the recession — three years ago we were writing about how successful local banks were. This is what everybody has been predicting, but confirmation didn't come until now.

I know HNB gets flack for trying to push its weight around and, frankly, the people behind it being targets of jealously, but the bank has been a tremendous contributor to local causes and events. It's role in the community can't be questioned. You might have disagreed with some of it - like not being a Cowley First funder — but the contribution to the community is there.

Hopefully, whatever happens, that will remain the case to some degree.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Tax ads

The Kansas Policy Institute is out with radio ads against statewide tax increases to solve the budget crisis. I heard one this morning on KKLE 1550 AM. They claim education spending has gone up 24 percent in five years, and can afford more cuts. This is a good argument, but of course the other side is that some believe they were very underfunded before the Supreme Court ordered more funding. The Kansas Policy Institute (KPI) was the conservative Flint Hills Center before it changed its name. The funders of the group are mysterious, but there is apparently a Koch Industries tie. The KPI, or the Flint Hills Center, has long been battling the notion that schools need more money. They put fort the rather superficial argument that schools had cash reserves or balances to get by the recession, when that money was actually spoken for in construction or personnel expenses.

This will be quite a battle in the coming weeks. The Ark City Chamber, of which I am a board members, stepped into the discussion by advocating for a balanced approach - tax increases as a reluctant option.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Oversold Tea?

I think this story from politico is about right. Tea Party has definitely had influence, but much of it is because of the media attention. The movement, if you can call it that, is an easy substitute for more complicated discussions, especially tv, cable and Web, because it fits into a nice narrative of opposition to the ruling leaders with good pictures, bad guys, good guys, etc...

Mayor movement

In the end, the commission followed tradition and voted in Patrick McDonald, the second highest vote getter in last election, the new mayor.

Hard to know exactly what motivated NOT changing. But I think McDonald's comments about Warren's ability to be a conciliator are accurate. He seems to have generated some good will among all the commissioners with his ability to listen and respect all sides and use mature language.

He's actually doing what he campaigned on - bringing some integrity and maturity back to the commission. Before Mell and his supporters attack this comment, I have to say it seems that Mell himself has brought been pretty diplomatic since the new commission was seated. In fact is seems like the two sides are getting along rather well! Disagreement on some issues, but working together on others. Sounds normal and healthy.

Warren's other campaign promise, to end micromanaging, has been less fulfilled. Not because they want to, however, but because they've HAD to. The problems with questionable information from staff, and with personnel issues, has forced them to get knee deep into operations. Hopefully this audit of the city and attention to the personnel issues will straighten this out.

I think Steve Archer, city manager, is growing into the job. He probably gave dept heads too much reign.

Taxes coming?

The joint-board of ed session with state lawmakers last week was quite revealing. Here's the top of the story. It's worth reading the whole story (in the paper). The comments sound like Kasha, Steve and Ed all on the same page as far as striking a balance between taxes and cuts to balance the budget. Of course Kasha and Steve have said they won't vote for any tax increases, and they are just informing people of what they think might happen. But it is interesting that Kasha predicts higher taxes. I would have bet against a tax increase when it was first proposed by Gov. Parkinson a few months ago. But he won support of some GOP moderates and now is apparently winning the debate.

Kasha and Steve also have made a good point of the state looking into selling off or renting some assets to bring in more revenue - state owned buildings, land, etc. This could be part of the mix and prevent deep cuts and a large tax increase.

Monday, April 19, 2010

HNB rumors

Lisa Roberts, of the marketing dept. at Home National Bank, stopped by Friday to answer questions about HNB and rumors that the Brown family, Roger and Trent, were no longer active directors of the bank.

NOT TRUE, says Lisa. Both are still on the board and involved in the operations of the bank. She reiterated that the recent management change was voluntarily done by bank owners/managers to develop a new strategy (doesn't want to reveal that to competitors) and to get through the tough times. She thinks tough times for banks and economy in general will last until 2012. (Hope not). The regulators did not force the management change, but had to sign off on it. Operations in Ark City remain the same and no jobs have been cut, she said again.

So ...... this did not make the newspaper, because there's really nothing to base the rumors on, but the blog seems a good place to air her statements so that it might shed some light on the subject.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Don't do it, Derek

GOP Attorney General candidate is staking out a position opposite incumbent Steve Six on health care reform, saying Kansas should join other states lawsuit against the national health reform plan. Schmidt, who is a relatively, moderate Republican, doesn't use the inflammatory rhetoric that some do, but its too bad he takes this position because:

1) Most legal scholars think this suit has no merit
2) There's no reason for kansas to join because it's already being done by other states
3) The lawsuit is an obvious political ploy to harness GOP opposition to Obama/health refom.

I suppose election year politics motivates Schmidt to take this position. He has to find differences between him and the incumbent. But health care reform has gotten so tangled up in the partisan divide and been so distorted by conservatives that this lawsuit is awash in politics, not real concern for the constitution.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Lawmaker forum tomorrow

Below is the media release on the legislative forum tomorrow at the Brown Center before the Marketplace event. If it's as lively as the last forum, it could be interesting. This letter to the editor yesterday refers to the forum.






Joint Legislative Forum Tomorrow
Forum Precedes Market Place at Brown Center

A legislative forum takes place tomorrow at 9:00 A.M. at the Brown Center Auditorium at Cowley College in Arkansas City. State Representatives Ed Trimmer and Kasha Kelley, along with State Senator Steve Abrams, will comment on the legislative session and respond to questions. The event is sponsored by AT&T and the Joint Legislative Committee of the Arkansas City and Winfield Area Chambers of Commerce. It is open to the public.

The forum precedes the Cowley County Market Place, a tourism and local products fair that begins at 10:00 A.M. in the Wright Room at the Brown Center. The fair will feature locally made and grown products, and offer information about area events and attractions. The fair is hosted by the Market Place is hosted by the Cowley County Tourism Alliance and sponsored by the Legacy Community Foundation, Vision 20/20, Arkansas City Convention and Visitors Bureau and Winfield Convention and Tourism.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Tax facts

Before we all get too excited about tax protests on tax day — we should contemplate the FACT that the federal income tax rate is LOWER under Obama than Bush for most Americans due to the Making Work Pay tax cuts that were part of the stimulus bill. This link as a PDF download link that examining tax rates this year with 2007. Not to say people shouldn't be upset about taxes in general, nor that we will see other types of fed. taxes go up - bush tax cuts expire on the wealthy, taxes on insurance companies, wealth individuals, etc. to pay for health care.

But this should all be measured with the total pic. I do recall seeing my check go up after the stimulus bill was passed, and I remember my tax preparer showing my the credit on the return. It's real, folks.

Palin palooza

David Brooks of the NYTimes hits the nail on the head when it comes to the Palin phenonemon. She's basically a media creation who fuels emotions on both sides of the partisan divide, and little more. That's not necessarily bad, and its the horse-race obsessed media (cable/internet) that feeds her stardom.

Before you go bashing him because he writes for the times, he's a republican, albeit a moderate one. (they do still exist?)

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Once upon a time

National Republican Party leaders had ideas. Today, they just blast blindly away at whatever Obama does. This Weblog from the Eagle throws some cold-water reality on the health care debate. Obamacare is pretty close to what former Kansas GOP Senators pushed, and the Heritage Foundation espoused, and even what Jim Barnett when he ran for Gov. against Sebelius proposed four years ago. But now, it's socialist/takeover/radical/tyrannical, and all the other superlatives you can think of.

This health care reform isn't radical at all, which is too bad because the system is so sick it needs more radical change. Radical would be single payer system and getting rid of private insurance. This builds on private insurance. It doesn't do enough to control costs, as this article points out.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Crazy-alert

OK good people to the south, calm down. Just stop watching FOX news for a while and take a deep breath.

Ouch!

I get lots of mean, personal insults in the comments section, but this one just cuts to the core:

You can sure tell you are NOT from here and you evidently have NO respect for ACHS and/or the committee put together. Since you know soooooooooooo much and have such great ideas why didn't you give a suggestion to one of the committee members?

Seriously, why are you in this community when you obviously have to pride in it.



Sheesh. SEN-SI-TIVE. Guess you have to be from outside Ark City to come up with something creative or interesting.
:)

Actually, I don't mind the names. They work and are generic enough to last, as the latest story states. I personally would prefer something with more texture and history, but no big deal.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Pompeo

Finally met Mike Pompeo, a candidate for Tiahrt's 4th District seat, last Friday. He's a very nice fellow and articulates his ideas well. Here's the article about him. He also has the experience to back up his positions, as successful businessman, west point grad, and harvard law school grad. He does not have any elected experience, but that is probably a big benefit this election year.

He is, I would say, arch conservative when it comes to governing philosophy. Almost libertarian from the sound of it. Fed. govt. should focus strong defense and get out of the way on economics, and pretty much everything else.

That sounds good until you remember that getting out of the way led to the biggest recession in 80 years, on the economic front. He's for even more tax breaks and lower rates on businesses, including large businesses, to spur growth. And it was pretty gusty of him to say he thinks retirement age should be raised to help Social Security and portion of it privatized. This will haunt him in the general election if he gets there.

He also thinks markets should drive health care and consumers should know more about what they are buying to control costs. While I agree that consumers need to know - you can't force that. Also, as I've said before, health care is NOT a commodity that should be driven by supply and demand and the flow of capitol. That fact that we let it be subject to the whims of the private markets has created the sick, dysfunctional system that we have.

Name calling

A nine-member committee came up with "Arkansas City Sports Complex" and "Bulldog Stadium" for the new sports facilities.

I could gotten the same answer from my 12-year old within 10 seconds. (Just kidding. Sometimes you have to just let the sarcasm escape.)

Anybody have any other ideas on naming the facilities?

How about Sally's Sanctum?
(Again, I love alliteration and I thank the reader for pointing out that I botched the spelling of that word few days ago)

Testy Tiarht

Tiahrt is using the L word on Moran. Yeesh. Before this campaign, both of these guys would probably be in a prayer group together at the C Street Christian brotherhood house. But it's silly time. Below is Tiahrt's latest press release. I can't find Moran's press release that Tiahrt is attacking, but they have been going back and forth on who is the biggest spend-thrift and I'm guessing that Moran is attacking Tiahrt for bringing home too much bacon. This attack probably works well on a national level, but (and this is one of the hypocracies of voters) people like it when fed. money comes back home and boosts their community.

The other thing to remember is that Tiahrt is the underdog and needs to soil Moran as much as possible to bring his numbers down. Moran now is being more aggressive at attacking Tiahrt to keep his numbers down.

TIAHRT CAMPAIGN RESPONDS TO LATEST LIE FROM MORAN

WICHITA, KS - Congressman Todd Tiahrt's U.S. Senate campaign issued the following response to Jerry Moran's press release regarding 4th District candidates and their support of Todd Tiahrt.

"Jerry Moran's hypocrisy is the problem." said Tiahrt Campaign Communications Director Michelle Schroeder. "Jerry Moran may not be as effective as Todd Tiahrt in securing federal dollars for his constituents, but he sure tries - including the more than $17 million in earmark requests this Congress. Did Moran also forget about the McPherson Opera House earmark he requested and, without the slightest hesitation, accepts credit for securing? Perhaps Jerry Moran is distorting the truth to keep people from looking at his record of raising taxes."


"As Kansans work to meet the tax filing deadline, Jerry Moran probably doesn't want people to know he voted against the Bush tax cuts of 2003, has voted for numerous tax increases, voted for a $400 million bailout for the travel industry and voted against tax rebates for working Americans, seniors and disabled veterans."

"Whether it is hiding from his own record on earmarks in Wichita, deceiving people about receiving the Kansans for Life endorsement in Leavenworth or running from various fights in Washington, Jerry Moran cannot be trusted to represent the people of Kansas in the United States Senate."

"It appears Kent Bush of the Augusta Gazette gave the Moran campaign too much credit when he described the campaign as 'loosely honest.'"

For the complete article from the Augusta Gazette, Tiahrt - Moran Race Heating Up, please go to http://www.augustagazette.com/opinions/columnists/x1176902960/Kent-Bush-Tiahrt-Moran-race-is-heating-up.

Friday, April 9, 2010

You wish

Thought I'd give some my critics a little cat-nip here...

I noticed that the play at the Central Christian Church, Murder in Reserve, has a character with the last name of Seaton. Not a big deal, except that Mr. Seaton, a retired teacher, lays murdered in the first scene of the play. I haven't seen the play and don't plan to, but here's the written transcript...

Enjoy

Municipal mayhem

OK, that's a huge overstatement, but I liked the iliteration. But it's hard not to try to connect dots here. Esp. after Randy Leach, a fire dept employee and the chief for six years, mysteriously resigns and gets no kudos from his supervisors or the commissioners. In fact city officials wont even say whether he was terminated or resigned. There's employee confidentially, but there's also interest in informing your bosses - the taxpayers - of what's going on. Right now it tilts too far in favor of secrecy because people are afraid of lawsuits. But that secrecy breeds distrust, and I don't think govt. bodies HAVE to keep everything so quiet. They can inform the public about certain personnel issues if they feel there is an overriding interest to do so.

Anyway, Leach's departure occurs just after another dept. head, Gary Baugher, resigns with no fanfare, and while the city is undergoing an operational audit to see where costs could be saved and efficiencies found. AND, the city commission has been in lots of closed sessions to talk about personnel. You also have to throw in the commission's frustration at city staff for the confusing information about water billing payments and the questionable sales effort to purchase a new computer system, which made upper management look pretty bad.

To the average person is seems like wholesale changes are afoot, but nobody's saying so. I would encourage elected officials to be more forthcoming about the overall strategy and goals here. If there isn't an overall strategy, and these things are all separate incidents, which is possible, then somebody should write a letter to the editor or make more public statements about it. Because right now it appears that sweeping efforts to change personnel and organization is afoot. If that's the case, then citizens need to know WHY? Not knowing what's going on leads to rumors, mistrust, and a disconnect between the city and it's citizens, which is already a large problem, esp. in Ark City.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Perception vs. reality

This is an interesting lesson in perception versus reality. Conservative Fox and radio commentator Sean Hannity lists Kathleen Sebelius as one of the "radicals" working for Obama. She's the Health and Human Services Secretary.

Huh?

You don't get elected Gov. in Kansas as a Democrat, twice, being radical. Hannity says her record on abortion makes her a radical. But with folks like Hannity, if you don't share their puritan views, you are labeled and categorized and reason and truth aren't relevant.

Green shoots

A nice bit of local economic news. And who new Volvo made plan parts?

Ah the days when manufacturers couldn't find enough local workers to keep up with the work. That was only a couple years ago, but seems like a lifetime.

Monday, April 5, 2010

The conservative elements of health reform

My editorial in Sat. paper pointing out that "obamacare" contains conservative principals and isn't anything like the govt. take over of health insurance like some conservatives claim, and like most liberals wanted.

And thankgoodness we have an attorney general who's not caught up in trying to score political points and waste taxpayer money on fighting the new law. If the fed. govt. can make me pay taxes and pay into Medicare, Social Security, it can make me buy health insurance. In fact, mandating health insurance was part of the GOP proposals in the past. But because the Democrats embraced it, now the political opposition calls it unconstitutional.

Tea party in Cowley County?

We haven't seen any organized Tea Party effort in Cowley County and really don't know of anybody who is active in the tea party cause. Of course there are many people who align with the general tea party agenda - anger at government control, taxes and spending.

The point made that the party leadership of the Kansas GOP is pretty much tea party before tea party was cool, makes sense. The Kansas and local Republican Party establishment is pretty absolutist on less government, lower taxes, etc.

One difference might be the social conservatism of the Kansas and local GOP, which doesn't necessarily jibe with the Tea Party movement. It seems more libertarian in general. And the tea party activists seem to be people not attached to traditional parties but who rose up after the govt. failures to stop the recession and now govt. expansion under Obama. Although I still maintain that much of the anger stems from generalized fear about the economy and cultural fear that somebody not like them is in charge. That fear is misplaced onto things like health care reform and stimulus spending. If this is wrong, then we would have seen tea parties during the run-away deficits the GOP caused during the Bush years - in fairly good economic times.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Health care hyperventalition

It's amazing to me the mental and emotional twists some opponents of health care reform get themselves into: Here's an anonymous reader comment:



Well since your so happy! How do you feel about supporting ABORTION with your tax dollars and healtcare payments! (Nevermind Obama's E.O. it as worthless as his campaign promises!)
Thats OK you'll get yours in the end! When they decide your not worth spending any more money on to keep you going - in your old age! (maybe even before).
Its going to be so nice when we get to the point that "life" is all about money - who has it and who doesn't - and the Government makes those decisions - even worse then it is today!
Then about all that debt we Owe?
With that very real potential for Hyper-Inflation?
Simply doesn't matter - we'll just file bankruptcy and walk away!
The problem with Liberals like you - It always feels GOOD until it HURTS! Then its usually too late!


Somewhere the narrative that the federal government is trying to control, nay, end peoples lives crept into this debate and stuck on the hardcore right. And since I support the reform, I will be punished by early death. Ouch.

What planet ...

Spending hypocracy

is worth reading. If conservatives screaming about over spending right now, such as Todd Tiahrt, had done so when the GOP controlled Washington, when they supported medicare drug entitlement expansion and wars budgets that were not paid for, their message would have more credibility. And now we see that, at least in the case of office spending, he doesn't walk the talk, and as a pretty lame excuse for it.

Here's a really interesting article that interviewed Tiarht. He admits to being a tea-partier and really lays into Moran. It's over a month old but very revealing. Tiahrt sounds desperate and for some reason, apparently, thinks Kansas is ground zero for the radical right, when if fact Kansas is more of a practical, conservative-leaning place where some hard cores break through on occasion - Phil Kline, for instance.

Let's home Tiahrt does become one of them.