To be or not to be: the choice we face every day
I once shared this with a small circle of friends and received positive response. Hence, here’s for a wider audience. Around late-July last year, I found it hard to stay awake in the morning. I thought I needed to do something to make me feel more energetic. I tried to …
The endangered bell curve
“With great power comes great responsibility”. For many, this oft-quoted maxim paints a picture of judicious use of physical, financial, or social muscle. I would include “information” on that list as well. Humankind’s ever-increasing access to all types of information is surely a good thing. But with information arguably holding … Read More ⇒
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Simple fact: Vaccines save lives
Recently, a group of Kansas parents lobbied state legislators to opt out of the required vaccinations for their children. Parenting is sometimes finding a balance between parental instincts and advice from other sources. Parents who avoid vaccinations are turning upside down their instincts to protect their children. Can you imagine … Read More ⇒
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Shhh! Governor and lobbyists hard at work
Is it soup yet? When is a clearly legislative meeting not a legislative meeting? According to Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, when food is served. Last month Brownback was slinging a lot of hash for Kansas lawmakers. He hosted seven informal, social gatherings. Only members of certain legislative committees were invited … Read More ⇒
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Jay Nixon has big lead (yawn)
OK, not exactly earth-shattering news, but Missouri’s pay-no-attention-to-me-because-I’m-not-really-doing-much-right-now governor has a huge lead in a new poll out Friday. From Public Policy Polling: “Missouri Governor Jay Nixon continues to look like an overwhelming favorite for reelection. He leads announced opponents Bill Randles and Dave Spence by margins of 18 and … Read More ⇒
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Don’t hate Romney for being a high-rolling player, hate the game
People should ease up on Mitt Romney for his seemingly insensitive comments about not caring about the very poor. The GOP presidential front runner said this week when speaking with CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien after his win in the Florida primary: “I am not concerned about the very poor because … Read More ⇒
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Jobless report boosts Obama’s prospects, but economy could fade later in year
The government reported an excellent job-creation number this morning — 243,000 new jobs for January. The champaign corks were no doubt popping in the White House. I certainly liked watching the market zoom up in reaction, but it pays to remember that unemployment is a lagging indicator. The leading indicators … Read More ⇒
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Komen loses, Planned Parenthood and women win
Congratulations to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization for backing down and deciding it will continue to fund breast-screening grants for Planned Parenthood. But check this out: The war of words between supporters and detractors of Komen’s original decision to cut off the grants has generated reported $1 … Read More ⇒
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Obama must be smiling as more people go to work
President Barack Obama has to have picked up a little more pep in his step today with the release of the unemployment numbers for January. The unemployment rate dropped for the fifth straight month. Employers in a traditionally slow month added 243,000 new jobs — 100,000 more than expected, Labor … Read More ⇒
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What were Susan G. Komen officials thinking?
Susan G. Komen for the Cure officials are finding out the hard way that it’s not nice to mess with Planned Parenthood. Actually the nuclear bad press fallout hitting Komen this week is just the beginning. Komen made the mistake of cutting hundreds of thousands of dollars in breast-cancer screening … Read More ⇒
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Mizzou attacks vulgar MIZ-ZOU chant
KU basketball coach Bill Self knows the vulgar chants will be coming Saturday when his basketball team plays Missouri in Columbia. But Self said Thursday he doesn’t think the epithets will bother his club, mostly because it’s going to be so loud at Mizzou Arena. Still, Missouri officials responsibly are … Read More ⇒
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Planned Parenthood laughing all the way to the bank
Talk about irony. And unintended consequences. Planned Parenthood is making lots of extra money thanks to the decision by the Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s decision - after years of successful cooperation - to cut off funding for the organization. Planned Parenthood appears to be on the way to … Read More ⇒
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Groundhog, Trump…and nuclear weapons
Today were the two big announcements; the groundhog that came out and saw his shadow and Donald Trump’s big GOP endorsement. Both have taken up major amounts of news coverage. Both do not change how I live my life in any way. Winter has been a walk in the park … Read More ⇒
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An Open Letter to Mitt Romney
Dear Mitt, I hope you don’t mind if I call you Mitt, and I don’t think you will because I believe you’re that kind of a guy. I know The Reverend Al Sharpton calls you Willard, maybe because that’s your first name and there was that movie Willard about a … Read More ⇒
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Missouri warming up to Obama?
On the cusp of next week’s interesting but essentially meaningless primary in Missouri comes an interesting but probably ephemeral poll that shows Barack Obama essentially tied with Mitt Romney in the Show-Me state. Public Policy Polling has found the president has closed the gap with the GOP frontrunner. Both polled … Read More ⇒
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‘Big 5’ off to an encouraging start
Lots of small things have to happen for the “Big 5” to succeed in improving this region. So far, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce officials are making good moves to promote the five ideas they selected last year to build stronger neighborhoods and attract more jobs to the region. … Read More ⇒
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A $1.2 billion mystery
With the investigation into the collapse of MF Global still dragging on, thousands of farmers and ranchers around the Midwest are wondering whether they will ever recover their lost money. This is the case of the commodities brokerage run by former New Jersey Gov. John Corzine, who admitted to Congress … Read More ⇒
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Strike back against Susan G. Komen’s shameful decision
How can you send a message to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure over its shameful decision to halt its partnership with Planned Parenthood? For starters, don’t participate in the 5k races that Komen puts on across the nation, raising millions of dollars each year. I’m a runner who’s … Read More ⇒
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Mixed signals on illegal immigrants in Kansas
Duck if you’re headed into the state of Kansas. Mixed signals are flying fast. On the subject of undocumented immigrants, officials are all over the place. The secretary of agriculture wants to put them to work. The secretary of state wants to deport them. The governor vows to eradicate child … Read More ⇒
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Romney’s rich follow a different strategy
Fitzgerald: “The rich are different than you and me.” Hemingway: “Yes, they have more money.” This famous, but fictitious, exchange between F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway suggests something more than just money. One fundamental difference may be strategy. Wealthy people view financial moves as a chess game. Winning means … Read More ⇒
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Romney had better be concerned about the poor
Mitt Romney is right to implore that his “I’m not concerned about the poor” remark be taken in context. What he actually said in a CNN interview yesterday was, “I’m not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs a repair, I’ll fix it. … Read More ⇒
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Kobach keeps riding immigrants’ backs
One day Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach will decide he has had enough of riding the backs of immigrants to try to attain a national stature. But that may take a few years. Kobach told The Associated Press that he is serving as an unpaid adviser to Mitt Romney … Read More ⇒
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Dissolve the Kansas City Missouri School District, keep the schools
We’re witnessing the end of centralized governance in many institutions. Large has run its course. While we long for a better model, the model forms before our eyes; a product of diminishing resources and human capability to manage more than they can measure or understand. Debates may offer varying perspectives, … Read More ⇒
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Claire McCaskill’s re-election in big trouble
Claire McCaskill’s ability to win re-election later this year is in big trouble. Essentially, the Democrat is in a tight race with several Republican challengers. Here’s yet another wake-up call for McCaskill, this one from Public Policy Polling The germane paragraph: “If the Republicans had a candidate who was setting … Read More ⇒
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Eleven reasons why private military contracting is a quiet issue
Contracts are confidential and there’s a business culture of romantic secrecy 2. It’s (boring) business news few business writers wish to tackle 3. The profitability (which is very lucrative) is awkward 4. The US military wishes to purvey their own public relations narratives 5. The business has complex relationships: … Read More ⇒