Senate approves bill banning use of tax dollars to advocate for gun control

Yep-- but that "freedom" goes to the highest bidders. And if you can't be part of the auction, you'll have to live with the results of a corprofascist state that couldn't care less about you.

May 18, 2013 at 9:26 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Opinion: Accusations paralyzing government

There's absolutely no good reason my post was removed.

May 17, 2013 at 5:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Budget provision would block state funding for Common Core standards

"There is a general resistance to the federal government imposing on our schools,"

No, this is just more ideologically driven drivel and holding of breath in childish tantrums because willful ignorance never produces good policy. Sadly, that's what the Republican Party, particularly in Kansas, has devolved to.

May 16, 2013 at 8:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Bid for recreation center comes in about $10 million lower than expected; questions grow over other cost estimates

Every project is different. It's quite possible that yours could have been any easy bid. It's also possible that the company with the high bid was booked up solid, and didn't want the job unless it was a sure moneymaker. He could (and did) make that bid without doing much homework at all.

But the low bid doesn't always work in the customer's favor, either, if the bid is so low that the company can't complete the work for that kind of money, and they grind to a halt at some midway point.

May 16, 2013 at 12:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Planning Commission to debate Menards project Monday amid signs momentum may be turning

"“Menards is a great example of that,” Farmer says. “Our comprehensive plan says no, and the community seems to be saying it doesn’t want more housing there.

“I look at that and say ‘gosh, a Menards would be great in bringing some commercial taxes to a community that is going to have shrinking property tax revenues.'”"

There's no real reason to believe that this will lead to any new commercial taxes collected (see Average's post above with regards to property taxes, and there will likely be little in the way of increased sales taxes.)

These sound to me like weasel words that really mean there will be no updated comprehensive plan, and H2020 will just be amended willy-nilly however commissioners see fit at any given moment.

May 16, 2013 at 11:55 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Opinion: What, exactly, was the IRS thinking?

What vertigo said.

May 16, 2013 at 9:45 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Opinion: What, exactly, was the IRS thinking?

I stated no opinion here about it, but you're more than willing to post as if I had.

I think the whole 501C4 thing is a corrupt mess that's destroying any vestige of a democratic electoral process, and I have no doubt that many of the groups that the IRS identified this way are major players in that corruption.

But the way to address that is to investigate/audit all those who file 501C4, not just "tea party" groups.

May 16, 2013 at 9:44 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Opinion: Benghazi, IRS: Son of Watergate?

My comments were about Republicans only. Please don't read that as any sort of comment about either the Democratic Party as a whole, or Obama in particular.

That said, while Democrats are nearly as corrupt as Republicans, the percentage of Democrats with integrity and honesty is certainly much higher than the percentage of Republicans who can claim that. Sadly, the percentage is still way too low for Democrats, as well.

May 16, 2013 at 9:38 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Opinion: America forgetting Watergate’s lesson

"Liberals, whose unvarying agenda is enlargement of government,"

Straw man.

May 16, 2013 at 9:22 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Bid for recreation center comes in about $10 million lower than expected; questions grow over other cost estimates

Some projects just can't be bid, unless that bid is so high that it covers all potential surprises along the way. This is especially true of work on older structures, and very especially with clients who want the ability to change their minds a lot along the way.

But with new construction, bids should be firm, and only changed when the design and/or materials are changed mid-project, especially if that entails significant undoing and then redoing.

One problem subcontractors have is a general contractor who isn't doing their job well, which causes additional labor and material costs for the subcontractor, and too many GC's tend to be narcissistic, and rarely want to cover additional costs that they create.

May 16, 2013 at 8:55 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )