Thursday, March 31, 2011

Casino coming?

Will this casino near Wichita ever get built? It broke ground in February.

But some anti-gaming lawmakers want the state Attorney General to investigate the company that got the contract to build the casino near Mulvane/Wichita. But it hasn't gotten off the ground.

Here's the AP story:

Speaker Mike O'Neal says he doesn't know when the Kansas House will consider intervening in an Iowa company's plans to build a state-owned casino south of Wichita.

Debate had been scheduled Wednesday on a resolution directing the attorney general to challenge the state gaming commission's decision to let the project go forward. But the House canceled the debate when evening came.

O'Neal said it got too late for a long debate.

Iowa-based Peninsula Gaming plans to build the casino about 18 miles south of Wichita.

Critics note Peninsula and two executives face misdemeanor campaign finance charges in Iowa.

Peninsula says it expects the case to be resolved in its favor. Project supporters say the charges aren't serious enough to bar the firm from building its casino.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

The big vote

Voting day is Tuesday. County Clerk expects low turnout.

Voting should be extended to two days, or a weekend, to increase turnout. And now we're going to require IDs and birth certificates to vote. This will drive down turnout even more!

(Clarification: ID requirements will not be in affect for this election. Also, the birth certificate will be required for people registering to vote for the first time in Kansas, not at the polls.)

Dotty Smith is way ahead in our unscientific poll. She does seem to be running hard.

Here's the poll through Wed. at 4 p.m.

Who would you most like to see join (or rejoin) the City Commission?
Chad Giles
(76 Votes, 10%)
Ron Hirst
(198 Votes, 25%)
Joel Hockenbury
(83 Votes, 11%)
Dotty Smith
(261 Votes, 33%)
Jean Snell
(83 Votes, 11%)
Charles Tweedy III
(53 Votes, 7%)
I can't or won't vote.
(32 Votes, 4%)

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Fair fares fails ...

...to make the cut in the Kansas House Ways and Means committee. This is the subsidy to AirTrans to keep cheap flights out of Wichita. The Eagle had a big article on it. Rep. Kasha Kelley is quoted extensively. She is on the Ways and Means committee. The Senate will probably force restoration of some of the funds and the Governor had it in his budget as an economic stimulus to the Wichita region and the state.

This is one of those bitter pills in a way. Giving taxpayer funds or tax breaks to a major corporation just doesn't sit well, but the economic impact and stimulus that then benefits taxpayers makes it hard not to. Tax breaks/subsidies must be used to compete with other cities/states looking for the same economic benefit.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Obamacare turns 1

President Obama signed the health reform law a year ago today.

There's been a lot of press about the small business tax credits, which could help some small businesses provide insurance for employees, and lower taxes for those that already do.

A columnist in Forbes said the preliminary numbers are that it's working, although this AP story says its not going THAT great. You may have seen the Blue Cross Blue Shield ads in the papers promoting the small business tax credit.

I guess we'll know more after tax season.

I do know of one small business in town that got a nice credit under the program. Not ours, we have too many employees to qualify.

There is still a ton of fear and bombastic, wild claims that the law will crush the economy and put bureaucrats in charge of health care. Actually, it bolsters the existing system of private, employer based health care and by making everyone pay into it.

The best predictor seems to be what's happened in Massachusetts, where a similar system has been in place for five years and, while much less than perfect, has basically worked to get most people insured.

GOP agenda dies in Senate

Insightfulcolumn by Joe Aistrup about the political dynamics at the statehouse in Topeka.

The state Senate has stalled or killed much of the more conservative agenda, because it is still largely ruled by a coalition of moderate Republicans and Democrats. But just barely, and if more conservatives are elected in 2012, the Brownback and conservative agenda, including social conservatism, will have nothing to stop it.

Koch heart Pompeo

The Washington Post lays out ties between Koch Industries and Congressman Mike Pompeo. This is one of those deals where special interests and political decisions dovetail. Pompeo ran as an ultra conservative, anti-regulation candidate, so it should be no surprise that he's pushing that agenda, as he says. He's in the oil equipment business. The Koch's are in the oil business.

The fact that his first specific legislative efforts were on the list of Koch Industry goals does make you wonder how much he might feel beholden, or just close, to them.

With money in politics it always raises a spector of corruption, but that seems unavoidable in the system we have. The overall question of allowing unlimited corporate donations will only serve to deepen that spector, on both sides of the aisle although GOP will likely benefit the most.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Hill's separation agreement

The county released Heidi Hill's seperation agreement. It has a few details not stated publicly at the time it was signed and went into affect, namely $5,000 paid to Hill's attorney for her legal fees in the matter.

Sounds like Hill was saber rattling a bit during negotiations, but the details of why she was put on administrative leave and why she ultimately resigned are protected by the county's right to keep personnel records/info private.

Drill baby drill

Looks like Cowley County could be poised for more oil drilling with the new technology that goes horizontal instead of vertical.

Could be a boon to the county economically, although it is relate to higher oil prices, which lead to higher gas prices.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Good news for the arts commission

Senate voted to overturn Brownback's decision to disband the Kansas Arts Commission and create a private nonprofit organization to help support the arts in Kansas.

The Arts Commission will remain, although Brownback and others, including Sen. Steve Abrams, who voted to support Brownback, warn that funding might shrink over time.

From the start, this seemed like a bargaining chip for Brownback. He had to know this would generate a big fuss, and he might lose. So perhaps he could get leverage on other things by ceding this one.

The money involved is only $750,000, but it generated a large controversy. I suppose the opposite could be true. He put too many chips into this small budget item and looks weak by losing.

-da

To fund, or not ...

That seems to be the ongoing question these days as the state, county, and cities crimp budgets with less revenues coming in.

But the Ark City Commission cut Big Brother Big Sister funding in 2007, well before the recession squeezed things. It was a decision pushed by the commission that the city should stop funding nonprofit services and focus on "core services."

Now BBBS will ask the commission to restore the $10,000, noting that Ark City has the highest need of mentors, and that the county and winfield ante up.

It was a philosophical choice, more than a budget thing, to strip funding. I disagreed at the time and still do.

Now, however, it would seem the commission has the reasoning of tough financial times to deny this. But the commission will have at least one new member starting next month, possibly 3.

Feather in our cap....

The hospital is an impressive achievement. Hopes are high for added specialties and services, which is already happening. Whatever happens, we'll have a new building with improved conditions, equipment and space.

Certainly the longer drive for most of us is less convenient, and we leave an empty building near downtown (soon to be occupied, hopefully) but I'd say Ark City just stuck a nice feather in its cap.

Monday, March 7, 2011

The right to be offensive

The Supreme Court got it right in ruling in favor of the Westborough Baptist Church in the funeral protest case. The court voted 8-1, with liberals and conservatives united, except for Samuel Alito

As repugnant as the Phelps clan's claims are, restricting political speech starts a slippery slope. What might be next — signs of Obama as Hitler, or Bush before him. This case was a bit tricky because they target a funeral of individual military soldiers. But the Phelps are smart, and they don't violate local rules against picketing and they don't target the individuals per say, but America and the military in general.

We have the right to be offended. We are a big country and can take it. The neat thing about our open society is that others also exercise their rights by gathering to block the protestors from view. The problem, in a way, takes care of itself by protecting the general individual rights to speech and assembly.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Abrams vs. arts

Ellen Snell, director of the Arkansas City Area Arts Council, took after Steve Abrams for not voting to repeal the Gov.'s order to defund the Kansas Arts Commission. Here's the story. Abram's provided comment this afternoon and it will be in the paper. This issue I don't think resonnates hugely among the general public, but is very intense for a certain segment of it.

To me, the amount of money saved $750,000 over two years, is not worth the potential reduction in arts funding to area arts groups like ours, or the message that it sends that Kansas as a state doesn't care much about investing in the arts.

Population gain?

Census info shows that Cowley County actually grew in population by 20 residents from 2000 to 2010. This reverses a population loss from previous decade, and defies expectations that we had lost population. The reason? You guessed it, Hispanic population has exploded, more than doubling in 10 years. Here's top of the story. More details are on the census web site..

This will likey trigger a bit of debate about the benefits of the immigrant community and creekstone's presence in town. I find it hard to argue with the overall benefit of increased population, which means better chances at more state and federal grants, funding for schools and other government services, and the added jobs and increased labor force that stimulates the local economy.

Certain there are downsides — nationals of other countries send money back home and some of these folks are illegal, operating underground and avoiding obligations to society. Hard to know how many, though.