By Steven O'Hern, Reader Advisory Panel 2008
While Warrant Officer Randell Hettinger is serving his country, his countrymen are helping themselves to his property. When Hettinger returns from Iraq, his farmhouse will be downwind from 4,800 hogs in an indoor hog farm a quarter-mile away.
By Barb Shelly, Kansas City Star editorial board
The jaw-dropping quote of the day comes courtesy of Steve Miller, spokesman for Sunflower Electric Power Corp., talking to The Star's David Klepper about this week's anticipated coal plant showdown.
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Board
As a mouthpiece for the ethanol industry, Gov. Matt Blunt made a big mistake last week: He underestimated the intelligence of Missourians.
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Board
Hope those Johnson County soccer moms are happy, the ones who spent lavishly to get tickets for their precious pre-teen daughters to attend Hannah Montana's concert last year at the Sprint Center.
Albert St. George, Reader Advisory Panel 2008
I’ve heard people comment recently that those who claim invading Iraq was a mistake are practicing hindsight. “Sure, you can say now that we shouldn’t have invaded Iraq. But that’s hindsight; based on what we knew in early 2003, it was absolutely the right thing to do.” Some even say based on what we know now it was the right thing to do, but we’ll save that for another discussion.
By Ross Balano, Midwest Voices Columnist 2008
Today the Supreme Court of the United States upheld Indiana’s voter identification law. In doing so it ruled that it is not unconstitutional to require a person to produce a photo I.D. in order to vote and that the state has a “valid interest” in deterring fraud.
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Board
The National Corn Growers Association is sick and tired of people saying ethanol leads to higher corn prices for Americans. But guess who's spreading that story right now: The National Corn Growers Association. Let me explain:
By Roger Merryfield, Midwest Voices Panelist 2008
Fighting terror is analogous to fighting a disease. How is "winning" or progress defined? What costs are “worth it”? If the virus mutates and we change our strategy accordingly, did we “lie about our original intentions”?
By Mary Sanchez, Kansas City Star Editorial Board
Both men proclaim a reverence to God. Both avow that faith is their guiding principle and stress the duty to follow the tenets of religion.
Patient confidence in the medical network depends on effective oversight of doctors and other providers. The public needs to know that complaints will be investigated promptly and fairly.
Unfortunately, that has not been happening in Kansas. Recent investigations by The Topeka Capital-Journal newspaper and state legislators have documented serious problems with the state’s Board of Healing Arts.
Who's to blame for the problems at the Kansas Board of Healing Arts? Leave your comments here.
Federal failures on the immigration issue have led state legislators in Missouri, Kansas and elsewhere to spin their wheels on the subject.
Too bad many of the efforts — both in this region and around the country — were not well thought out or effective.
