Monday, November 29, 2010

More Creekstone publicity

CNBC does a flattering video piece on Creekstone and their success into the fine dining market.

Ark City gets a little shout out, too.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Buffett on taxes

Warren Buffet sounds the horn again that the rich should pay more taxes. He doesn't buy the trickle-down theory of tax cuts for the wealthy raising all boats.

I think the reasonable thing to do on tax cuts would be to let them expire on the wealthiest now, to raise revenue to be put toward deficit reduction, and let them eventually expire on the rest of us, after growth gets back to full steam. This would be a serious effort toward deficit reduction and show real compromise - for Republicans who hate taxes, and for Democrats who shun deficit reduction (Republicans actually haven't been that big on it until recently)

Friday, November 19, 2010

Conservative sanity

Here's a great take on the vapidness of the Sara Palin by a deep thinking conservative.

Palin is, by and large, a media creation. The national political media, and nonpolitical media oftentimes, lustfully tosses out her twitters and facebook comments to create the tension and conflict that makes people pay attention. But it goes beyond responsible reporting and real political dialogue because she has no real standing to the degree the media uses her. She quit her job as governor, does not belong to any institution, and has never shown any real grasp of policies/issues that would make her a serious part of the discussion. She avoids questions and interviews except on Fox News. Except the accident of her being nominated by John McCain as his VP candidate, she would still be fighting for the bridge to nowhere as Gov. of Alaska.

She's got good looks, some personality, a weird but loyal family and is unafraid to attack others, which apparently makes for good entertainment. My guess is that by 2012, with her wining, celebrity chasing, and incessant Facebooking, the American public will experience Palin fatigue.

Her support will continue to narrow and she'll be mostly a sideshow, which is really what she is now if you think about it because, unfortunately, sideshows are now the mainshow.

Plaza concept - big picture

I'm glad the city is leaning toward the plaza design of the land around the new hospital. It is the design concept I would have picked — interconnectedness, community and all that — I'm a sucker for anything with the words "pedestrian-friendly."

The city and recreation officials also have plans to turn the McFarland Pond area into an area safe and open to fishing and other recreational activities. This kind of visioning is good government and I think Ark City is fortunate to have leaders that look to the future and are not afraid to make investments — hospital, school and ball field construction, street repair, overpass, hike and bike trail, and now the McFarland project.

Of course much of this has been in the works for years and ideas percolating now (Construction incentives for Goff Industrial Park, for example) will not bring benefit for probably years go come. But it all shows that local government must take a lead role in fostering growth and community building.

The Ark City City commission has suffered its fair share of personality conflicts and had some bitter disagreements, but if you take a step back and look at the big picture over the last decade or so, I think you'd have to say Ark City has momentum and is on the move. The recession of course slows things down, and there are plenty of problems - deteriorating neighborhoods, low income levels — but there is plenty to feel good about, too.

Annals of hilarity

James Carville, Bill Clinton's idiot savant, comes up with this doozy about Obama's, uhm, backbone?

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Bartlett lawsuit

Doesn't portend well for the city that the supervisor accused of wrongdoing in this lawsuit was fired about the time this lawsuit was filed.

But certainly there is more to the story that we can know on the outside looking in.

I found the comment from the plaintiff's attorney that they think the suit will go to trial because the city's defense attorneys get paid by the hour to be a shot across the bow to city commissioners, challenging them to make an enticing settlement offer.

Probably a well worn trick in confrontations like these...

The big question is whether this lawsuit by Mary Bartlett against a former department head is related much to the current turmoil inside city hall. The commission has been meeting in private to discussion personnel matters more than usual, and we know they have been discussing city manager Steve Archer's performance.

The Carnival Barkers

A great column by Thomas Friedman about how a lie/rumor makes its way into the mainstream media because it serves a political purpose - of course Fox News is easy prey for this kind of stuff.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Kobach's obsession

Looks like we have to put up with a Sec. of State whose going to fan the flames of immigration and alleged "voter fraud" in the Kansas.

He's going to push for having to show official ID at the polls and passports or birth certificates to register to vote.

Presenting an ID to vote sounds logical, but the fact is that a few people don't carry ID, or perhaps don't have one at the time. And we are going to deny them the most basic American right because they can't produce a piece a card or piece of paper? Ditto with passports and birth certificates.


This seems like going after a problem that isn't there. Kobach has been unable to provide real proof of voter fraud, asthis story shows you.

He's also apparently working in other states to deny citizenship to people born in the U.S. to noncitizen parents - a direct contradiction to the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. No matter, anything to keep those brown people from coming here.

Brownback's agenda

Capital Journal interview with Gov. elect Brownback is pretty interesting. His tone is pretty moderate and he avoids any of that "culture of life" stuff, at least in this interview.

Sounds like his big push will be to reduce state income taxes to help with economic growth, but the interview doesn't really ask him how to offset those revenues or what services would be cut. The state already faces a $500 million hole.

He does say he wants to protect investments in public education. (let's hope he means it) And his idea for low-cost health clinics at community colleges sounds pretty good.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Cinderella wins again

LaDonna Lanning pulled off YET ANOTHER UPSET and will become the next District Court Judge in Cowley County. This has surprised just about everybody I've talked to. I yelled "holy ...." last night when I checked the results on the computer. Not only that but she won by 10 percentage points 55 to 45 (exact opposite of my lame prediction, which included several lame predictions about Goyle being closer to Pompeo and two Democrats - McKinney for Treasurer and Six for Attorney General - winning statewide races. They both lost soundly.)

In Krusor's case, goes to show you that money and prominence don't automatically make you a political winner. And that voters may not be that interested in what the other attorneys have to say.

Course Lanning benefited from the GOP wave. You have to wonder what the result would have been in a Democratic year, or an average year.

But Lanning ran a good campaign with a good message - fair, compassionate and independent. Helped that she was the outsider in a year a huge change election. She also knocked on doors and women related to her taking her on what is perceived as a boys club.

Wave, tsnumai, landslide, etc ....

The GOP took back the House, with a vengance, and Kansas became even redder.


Of course everybody is debating exactly what this means - validation of Republican philosophy of less government and spending? repudiation of Democrats bigger government and more spending? Anger at those in charge for not turning the economy around?

This article at swampland.com, I think, sums it up well: voters have voted for seismic change in three straight elections, hoping for some change to leadership and direction of the country. The first two times they voted for Democrats, this time for Republicans in a huge way.

As long as the parties fight the same old ideological battles, making no discernible improvement in the lives and feelings of American people, the same will happen in two years .....

Monday, November 1, 2010

Election day predictions

Here's my best guess on how things will shake out tomorrow. Nationally and statewide, Republicans will be as happy as Democrats were two years ago.

District Court Judge
Krusor 55
Lanning 45
Krusor's money and reputation is too much to overcome

78th House District
Trimmer 56
Alley 44
Winfield likes Democrats and Trimmer has proven himself.

4th Congressional District
Pompeo 54
Goyle 46
This one is going to be tighter than some people think. Goyle had a bunch of money and has somewhat effectively defined Pompeo has an elite businessman who won't fight for Kansas jobs. But its a conservative area in a conservative year and Pompeo has an organization and an effective basic message.


State wide races, Republicans pretty much sweep except for AG and Treasurer. Six has done a pretty good job and so has McKinney. Both are in positions where ideology doesn't really come into play.

Brownack 60
Holland 40

Attorney General
Six 51
Schmidt 49

Sec. of State
Kobach 54
Biggs 46


Treasurer
McKinney 53
Estes 47

U.S. Senate
Moran 65
Johnston 35

Amtrak derailed?

If Brownback becomes governor, which is about as likely as wind in Kansas, it doesn't look like he'll push for extension of the amtrak line from Oklahoma to KC, which would pass through Ark City.

Not surprising, considering that it would take major investment from the state and federal funding get this rolling. Brownback's fiscal conservatism prevents him from embracing government investment/spending for something like this.

I don't think the rail project is going to get much energy as long as the budget and economic troubles dominate the discussion in Topeka. But a study has shown that it would pay off in economic development, and there is also a certain value-added identity that having passenger rail would bring to Kansas. It appeals to both nostalgia and green-minded travelers.

Again, it would be nice if our area reps - Kasha Kelley and Steve Abrams - would throw their weight behind it as a benefit to Ark City and Cowley County.