Public airs questions over $92.5 million school bond issue

Sounds like Jim Mullins knows a thing or two about getting a bad education. Maybe he should have interviewed some local high school students while at some of the coffee shops around town to see how their literacy skills are coming along.

March 26, 2013 at 11:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Realtors rally to oppose Brownback's plan to eliminate homeowner tax deductions

Assuming a couple had $70,000 in post-standard deduction income last year, their tax bill was $3750. If their income stays the same this year, they'd pay $2998 (including the fact that the standard deduction went up by $3000 for them). If they paid $9000 in mortgage interest last year ($150,000 @ 6%, or $200,000 @4.5%), their tax bill was reduced by $580.50, meaning their total state tax bill went from $2,989.50 last year to $2,998.00 this year (assuming the mortgage deduction goes away). An increase of $8.50.

I keep hearing that everyone wants a simpler tax code. Well, for a significant number of middle-class homeowners, the tax bill is about the same, and its computation is simpler. I'm a home-owner, and the break is nice, but it's certainly not fair to my co-workers who rent to have to pay more tax than I do. Maybe instead of discouraging home ownership, it will help renters save up for a down payment (having lower rates, few deductions/exemptions). That was my challenge starting out, not whether my mortgage was getting subsidized or not.

The worse of a deal you negotiate on your mortgage, the more subsidy you get...kind of a perverse incentive.

February 13, 2013 at 5:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Moran says he has enough votes to become chair of National Republican Senatorial Committee

Cornyn cannot run for a third term, couldn't run the committee during his second term. Don't forget Nevada and Delaware in 2010, what an avoidable mess! The NRSC wants to stay out of picking winners in primaries, but at some point they are going to have to decide if they want to avoid starting fights in primaries, or if they want a majority in the Senate. I don't blame Cornyn for losing MA and ME though, I think those loses are on Mitch's minority leadership.

November 7, 2012 at 5:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

GOP colleagues: Yoder's nude swim breaches trust

Seriously, who DOESN'T get naked on a fact-finding trip to Israel.

August 20, 2012 at 5:21 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Obama’s public approval ratings hard to explain

I read this column on the internet. Would Mr. Simons have me believe he developed this platform for his news outlet on his own? A guy who bangs out his weekly column in his father's newspaper, using his two index fingers and an old typewriter, got a LOT of help along the way.

July 21, 2012 at 3:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Remove politics, and redistricting map falls in line

Put Riley County in the 1st, have their voters help elect a new rep for the district, problem solved, everybody is happy except the current incumbent.

May 28, 2012 at 2:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Brownback signs bill blocking use of Islamic law

Does this law impact covenant marriage? Just for certain religious groups?

May 25, 2012 at 11:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Day 90: Legislature attacks Sharia law, United Nations Agenda 21, but no resolution on budget, redistricting

Whew! We nearly ended the legislative session without affirming that courts should use federal and state laws to guide their decisions. That was close!

If two consenting parties agree to use rock paper scissors or a coin toss to settle a dispute, would this be opposed by Wagle, or can these methods be considered domestic rather than foreign? She can have my scissors when she lops them off my cold dead arm.

May 12, 2012 at 1:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Should parents have to pay the difference in cost between half-day and full-day kindergarten?

They also developed a system of express roads that gave Ike the idea of our interstate highway system. So what.

The German language gave us the word we use for kindergarten. Once again, so what.

5 or 6 years old is a little too young to "go Galt", and kindergarten is a pretty lame topic to go validate Godwin's Law.

April 29, 2012 at 1:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Sound Off: Does the bus system track the times, places and the amount of times the buses have no rid

Disclosure: I ride the bus frequently, and voted for the tax to support it.

I was surprised the tax passed (maybe from putting too much stock in the general consensus on this board), but was really surprised that afterwards that there wasn't a noticeable change I could see in ridership. People are willing to pay for something they don't have any intention of actually using. Weird.

I'm also frequently struck by how many people will never ride because they can't figure out a bus timetable, which ain't rocket science...oops, starting to drift into the bashing our educational system thread from earlier in the week.

January 14, 2012 at 4:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )