| In the News... |
| Meeting George W. |
| The office of the U S Presidency is awe inspiring, regardless of its occupant. Given the laborious process we use to select the chief executive, the primaries, the contest of opinion, the detailed scrutiny of every uttered word or expressed idea and the sacrifice of all personal privacy, the necessity to withstand irrational attacks and atavistic contempt, all requires a strong character. Those who submit to this selection ought to be commended and admired. These were some of my thou... Read More |
| Kansas City needs a better transportation plan |
| The much ridiculed attempt by Clay Chastain to promote a light rail system for Kansas City is back in the news. Although city voters approved Chastain's latest scheme, it is doubtful, however, that it will ever be built. It makes no economic sense and does not address the true transportation challenges facing not only the city but the entire metropolitan area. The problem is that his approach is not bold enough. As a matter of fact, the community as a whole would greatly benefit from ... Read More |
| The Sound of Silence |
| Lack of hearing ,whether acquired at birth or later in life is a very serious problem for those suffering from it. For children it is not without danger.The scenario of a deaf child unable to hear an approaching threat is bone chilling. lt also poses great difficulties in providing a solid fundamental education necessary to develop into productive adults. Educating such children is complicated and costly,requiring exceptional teachers who are not only experts in their academic specialty but also... Read More |
| The DMV and its atrocious service |
| If you meet the citizenship and residence requirements for concealed firearm carriage you may proceed with a rather slow and laborious process to apply. You fill in the necessary forms, pay $140 to the sheriff get fingerprinted and photographed, pay another $150 for a KBI investigation of your suitability and take an 8 hour course on gun safety, the law and self defense. Then you must demonstrate your ability to shoot by hitting a target from various distances. (The target is actually sent to th... Read More |
| Olathe Medical Center |
| Monday June 6th, Zachary Kiegerl, age 11, set his alarm clock for 4 a.m. so he could meet his Opa at the Olathe Lung & Heart Center where Opa was scheduled for open heart surgery. Zachary had prepared a card which brought tears to the old man's eyes. "I love you so much Opa that I thank God for you every day" it said. After a few more words of love and affection, Zachary added "Be nice to the nurses." He couldn't have imagined what those very nurses were about to do to his Opa during the next 4... Read More |
| Class-action lawsuits a threat to America |
| "Schadenfreude" is an ugly German composite noun which combines the terms for misfortune and joy. It refers to the vicarious pleasure people feel when someone else runs into bad luck. This is not a charitable emotion and strong characters will resist it. When assessing recent events in France, the riots in the streets, which ended with Prime Minister De Villepin's humiliating defeat, it is hard even for the virtuous not to feel a little pleasure. Who can forget his insufferable arrogance when he... Read More |
| Straight talk from Mike Kiegerl: The Need for Medicaid Reform |
| Next to education Medicaid is the largest single expense in the Kansas budget. Those two items make up 80% of total state spending. Cost have been rising at double-digit rates during the past few years while fraud and abuse take an alarming share of every Medicaid dollar spent. I serve on the House/Senate Committee charged with addressing the problems the Kansas Medicaid program is facing and we held several weeks of hearings to do so. To begin with it must be understood that Medicaid insures th... Read More |
| Straight Talk from Mike Kiegerl: Do Party Labels Matter in Elections? |
| In our Democracy different levels of government make important decisions, which affect each of us directly. The municipal/county government has the task to assure police protection, garbage collection, and provision of proper utility services, park maintenance and the like. Party affiliation for County or City officials is therefore of marginal importance and, indeed, most city council elections are non-partisan. Things are different on the Federal and State governing bodies whose dec... Read More |
| Straight talk from Mike Kiegerl: State Ethics Commissions |
| The Watergate scandal in the early 1970's was impetus for the passage of ethics laws at all levels of government. State governments, in particular, began to create an ethics infrastructure that included stronger laws, training courses in ethics, and oversight entities to ensure compliance by public officials. Thirty nine states including Kansas, exercise oversight through an ethics commission which has some jurisdiction over legislators and the executive branch. The commission consi... Read More |
| Straight talk from Mike Kiegerl : On Immigration |
| As a legal immigrant who left war-ravaged Europe for a better life in this country I can appreciate why so many are attempting to come to look for the same opportunities. When they do so legally, that is to say with proper visas, background checks, health certificates and a local sponsor they will be welcome additions to our melting pot. But what are we to do about those who flaunt our laws by crossing our borders illegally, so that we have no idea who they are (for all we know they could be cri... Read More |
| Minimum Wage Legislation |
| In the last election Missouri voters approved an increase in the minimum wage in that state and legislation was introduced this week in the Kansas House to follow suite. On the Federal level the Democrats are also pushing hard for a higher floor under wages. The purported reason given by proponents for these measures is to lift the deserving working poor to a better standard of living. This is certainly a noble notion which soon acquired status of political correctness spouted with increasing... Read More |
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