Opinion: What, exactly, was the IRS thinking?

Selective outrage ... The IRS under the Bush-Cheney regime heinously targeted taxpayers based on both ideological bases and in a punishment (those that went to Iraq to protest before the invasion). They tended to allow the 1% to get away with massive tax fraud, spiriting vast sums out of the US into tax shelters such as UBS and the Caymens while targeting lower income families.

Churches and conservative groups have long blatantly abused their tax protected status and finally the IRS looks where it should be looking and in the end takes no action - that's literally zero action - against these groups that strongly deserve much closer scrutiny and now Obama, ever the middle of the road apologist, is giving legitimacy to this bloviating outrage by even acknowledging it much less agreeing to pursue it. Listening to Orin Hatch say "well if the gubmint can do THAT well there's no END to it" when he approved and stood by during all the real abuses by the IRS in the prior administration and his party led the way in gutting so many of our constitutionally guaranteed freedoms in those years following 911.

May 16, 2013 at 7:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Faith Forum: Why does God allow events that kill innocent people, like the recent Texas fertilizer plant explosion and Boston bombings?

I don't like the second essay - it seems to say "don't blame God when bad things happen" but of course God is always thanked when good things happen. It's a contradiction.

Now, I do believe there is intrinsic value in thanking God in general for what we have, out of a sense of gratitude. But I think it's kind of silly when you look at in in context to say don't blame God for this because he's not that involved but if something good happens people go out of their way to ostentatiously thank God for having his finger on the lever and his hand upon the wheel.

May 16, 2013 at 7:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Higher education officials say concealed carry on campus probably inevitable in the future

I don't want a bunch of testosterone-laden very young adults with little life experience "defending" themselves against a perceived or even an actual threat by firing weapons into crowded classrooms, concourses, sidewalks, auditoriums thinking that it's like every cop show, movie, video game they've seen or played, which do not reflect the reality of these situations and the incredible level of training required to manage a firearm in a live conflict situation with other people around.

Between this initiative and the one to gets loaded guns into bars where people get drunk and emotional and lose the ability to make rational decisions, any kind of common sense is being thrown out the window.

May 16, 2013 at 7:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

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

they've always gutted H2020 whenever necessary - I'm not sure why we even have a controlled growth plan ...

May 16, 2013 at 7:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Day after city's bid opening for recreation center, relief and a few questions

Why wasn't that bidder barred from the process? He effectively stole millions of dollars from Geary county by welching on this tax obligations and that was on top of saddling them with colossal debt.

He also has a contract for this rec center in Lawrence that was covered up initially containing all sorts of fine print that reveals that in essence Lawrence taxpayers will be footing an investment in a private profit-making enterprise by this bidder that on many fronts trumps the city needs in favor of his pet enterprise. The city helps fund it but doesn't have a say in how it works or in the profits.

May 16, 2013 at 7:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Budget provision would block state funding for Common Core standards

How medieval are things going to have to get before Kansans wake up and quit tolerating wasting our taxpayer's investments in so much nonsense when there are serious and critical problems to be solved. Unbelievable.

May 16, 2013 at 7:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Revenue secretary says tax cuts are working

Talk about grasping for straws - we've got the kids on tricycles running a state economy.

Let's look at the actual numbers: They conflated revenue from tax cuts with the new sales tax, actually proving that raising taxes is what's necessary (though of course the highly regressive sales tax hurts the majority of Kansans while having little effect on the elite minority) - but even if you look at the revenue gained, they are actually out there touting an increase of only $1.35 million over this month last year in the face of a staggering and reckless annual revenue reduction of $450 million.

There is simply no way the modest increases from regressive taxes on Kansans who actually work for their wages is going to offset that catastrophic shortfall in order to nab money from most Kansans and route it to the relative handful of the ultra-wealthy.

May 5, 2013 at 1:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Editorial: Budget blunders

We truly have children minding the store. I can't fathom who elected the radicals that allowed this power shift or what they possibly could have been thinking (or not thinking).

March 25, 2013 at 8:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

City set to finalize curbside recycling program to begin October 2014; monthly rate $2.81

I had the same concern. I don't like the idea of legalizing monopolies. For now, the program would generally help the local economy in off-setting ways but once that monopoly is encoded into law or ordinance, it's so easy for it to be sold off to a Deffenbaugh or even something more remotely where the lion's share of the cash flows out of our local economy.

I also don't like the fact that this approach effectively punishes those individuals and small businesses that have been managing their own recycling for years now. It's still cheaper and more convenient for me to have my few small recycling tubs on shelves in my garage that don't take up much space and make a monthly or bi-monthly run to a local recycling business when it's convenient for me rather than to find more non-existent space in my own garage for another city container that can only be used exactly how the city says it can be used, has to be out on certain days, can get fined if it ever accidentally gets deployed with non-approved content in it, and somehow I don't have the option to opt-out even though I've been recycling for years.

I see this as turning into yet another line item on the monthly bill that now has the ability to just keep escalating year after year even though wages are stagnant or dropping.

March 22, 2013 at 12:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Mirth Cafe closing Monday, moving to new location downtown

It makes me wonder if there some issue other than just safety. How is it possible this was never an issue in all the years the Mirth has been operating and the city never bothered them when the Teller's owner owned Mirth. I've been eating at that location since it was the Harvest (many iterations ago) and have never gotten sick and never heard of a major incident there.

Now, out of the blue, the situation is so dire they must cease operations almost immediately? Or is there more to the story than that.

Am hopeful the move works out for them but will miss the ambiance of the older structure compared to something as bland and blah as the old Pepperjacks location. Have been eating at restaurants in that wonderful space forever.

I wonder if another more established business interest than the current owner leaned on someone to nudge Mirth out because they want the space?

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