By Juanell Garrett, Midwest Voices panelist 2008
Tomorrow is Independence Day, and we'll celebrate the anniversary of America's experiment in democracy. It's kind of doubtful that the Founding Fathers would recognize the bloated beast of a government that they started 232 years ago in Philadelphia.
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
Are you kidding me? Now the media want to spread a 1987 allegation involving John McCain? And all to show he has a temper? Hey, that's what many Americans like about him.
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
If the KCMO School District's top two board members -- Marilyn Simmons and Arthur A. Benson II -- are thrown in jail, that might help focus the district on resolving its property dispute with the Independence district.
By Mandy Earles, Kansas City Star Contributing Writer
With gas prices at $4 a gallon, many people may opt to stay home for this Fourth of July. Drinking a beer, shooting off a couple of inexpensive fireworks and cooking some hot dogs all in your own backyard, might be the way to go this Fourth of July.
By Nick Mangiaracina, Kansas City Star Contributing Writer
Ah, there’s nothing like the smell of $400 million in the morning. This is the amount Rush Limbaugh will be paid via Clear Channel for his continued service to this country -- not including an additional $100 million signing bonus. The deal continues Clear Channel’s quest to lower radio standards to the point where there will be only talk radio and Top 40 stations on the radio. On the plus side, Howard Stern still remains the highest paid radio personality of all time.
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
The private sector has come up with enough money to keep the fake "eternal" flame atop the Liberty Memorial lit. Thank goodness public money won't be wasted on this low priority any longer.
Bloody organized fights — sometimes with combatants battling inside a chain-link cage — are attracting big crowds across the Midwest and elsewhere, operating under the euphemisms of “Ultimate” or “mixed martial arts” fighting.
By Roger Merryfield, Midwest Voices panelist 2008
For decades, Ralph Nader-ites, environmentalists, and organized labor have heaped huge additional costs onto U.S. automakers. Conservatives and most economists warned that the domestic auto industry wouldn't be able to stay competitive with overseas companies that don't bear the burdens of similar government mandates.
Maybe it was Guy Bailey’s linguistics background that enabled him to communicate so effectively in Kansas City.
The departing chancellor of the University of Missouri-Kansas City brought peace to a troubled campus and won the respect of the community.
After years of planning, Kansas City officials still will have to make a mad dash this summer to give voters a needed light-rail proposal in 2008.
That means the City Council will have precious little time to closely review a multimillion-dollar project before placing it on the November ballot.
Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder’s suggestion that elected officials should be barred from working side jobs as political consultants is right on target.
But he certainly is late getting the shot off.
The United States and NATO appear to be losing ground in Afghanistan, where the Bush administration has failed to focus on the fight against the terrorist forces responsible for the 9/11 attacks.
The central problem is clear, as explained last week by our nation’s highest military officer.
By Roger Merryfield, Midwest Voices panelist, 2008
Let’s not abandon free-market capitalism in favor of socialist economics.
Despite its imperfections, capitalism has fueled the highest standard of living for the greatest number of people over the last century.
By Mandy Earles, Kansas City Star Contributing Writer
The effects of global warming can be seen by the ever increasing temperatures, especially now that these temperatures are affecting the lives of innocent bystanders. The Adelie penguins are slowly but surely becoming extinct because the warmer temperatures make it harder for them to breed.
By Denise Tiller, Midwest Voices panelist 2008
I've been offline this week because of computer problems and I couldn't believe Ross Balano's blog comment in the paper this morning, ridiculing Barack Obama for linking patriotism to service and sacrifice.
