Higher fines, lower speed limits?

Sebelius' energy council recommendations target drivers

The Kansas Energy Council, a volunteer group formed by  a 2004 executive order by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, is calling for a doubling of fines for speeding on highways.

If that recommendation becomes law, a person caught going 20 mph over the speed limit on a highway would pay a fine of $180 instead of the current $90 fine.

In addition, a convicted speeder would be subject to court costs that vary from county to county. In Johnson County, court costs on a ticket for going 20 mph faster than the speed limit is $75. [ Read more...]

Sebelius looks for new highway and bridge projects, even as state faces budget shortfall

Governor announces state transportation plan task force

A task force announced Thursday by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is charged with the unenviable task of recommending a new transportation program that will guide highway and bridge projects in the next decade.

The current 10-year plan expires next year.

"We know transportation is critical to seizing economic opportunities and creating jobs to stimulate our economy," Sebelius said in a written statement. "With our state's 10-year transportation program coming to an end, now is the time to begin planning for the future to ensure we keep our infrastructure in good shape and put our state in position for economic growth. I've asked task force members to create a vision that is mindful of our money, recognizes the needs of both rural and urban Kansas and uses the strength of all transportation modes." [ Read more...]

Moran's former press secretary had accused Ryun and Kline of KKK ties

State GOP statement condemning racism charges 'retracted'

A Kansas Republican Party statement chastising a controversial Kansas political group for accusing two Kansas Republicans of being linked to the Klu Klux Klan is itself generating some controversy.

The Kansas Traditional Republican Majority issued a press release Aug. 1 claiming Phill Kline, the incumbent Johnson County district attorney, and Jim Ryun, a former U.S. representative, were linked to the KKK because of an association with a political activist at the Family Research Council.

The activist had been accused by a liberal weekly political magazine, The Nation, of purchasing a mailing list from white supremacist David Duke in 1996. The activist and the Family Research Council denied the charge. [ Read more...]

If Sebelius is chosen, Parkinson could become Kansas' longest-serving Governor

VP speculation heats up as Democratic National Convention nears

It's a long shot, but if Gov. Kathleen Sebelius leaves office early to become Barack Obama’s running mate, Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson would move up to complete the final two years of Sebelius’ term - then be free to seek election to two complete terms as Kansas Governor.

Parkinson, a former chair of the Kansas Republican Party and a GOP liberal, switched his party affiliation two years ago to run as Sebelius’ lieutenant governor.

If Parkinson ran twice and if he won both times and if he then completed both terms, he would become the longest serving Governor in Kansas history. [ Read more...]

Not much movement but Roberts' margin over Slattery shrinks

Kansas in August: McCain still leads Obama

The gap between Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama and Republican nominee John McCain narrowed slightly in Kansas last month, but the Arizona senator's lead is still a commanding one.

According to Rasmussen, McCain holds a fifteen point lead over Obama in the latest state poll released yesterday. Obama now trails McCain 37 percent to 52 percent.

Nationally, the two candidates are statistically tied, with Obama enjoying a two-point lead. [ Read more...]

Critic says 'research triangle' is not a 'core function of government'

Conservative Senator to co-chair JoCo sales tax campaign

As a conservative Republican who often opposes tax increases, Sen. Karin Brownlee agrees she might seem an unlikely choice to co-chair an effort to persuade voters to approve the so-called Research Triangle Tax in Johnson County.

But Brownlee said her aversion to taxes was trumped by the economic and health benefits that will come with the construction of a new Kansas State University campus in Olathe, and with improvements to the KU Edwards Campus and the KU Cancer Center in Westwood.

While she has heard some criticism from conservatives, she said she was surprised but heartened by an informal vote during the annual Republican Party picnic in Olathe. “This is a pretty conservative group, and they voted something like 110 to 10 in favor of the Research Triangle Tax,” Brownlee said. [ Read more...]

Tax-freedom day has come and gone. But tax awareness is a 365-day proposition. As neighboring states lower their taxes to attract better jobs and more investment, will Kansas fall behind? Jonathan Williams investigates.

Outwitted by Sooners and 'Huskers?

Have you ever wondered how long you work during the year to pay your taxes? Recently, the Washington, D.C., based Tax Foundation provided the answer for that very question. According to the Tax Foundation's new study, America's Tax Freedom Day fell on April 23 this year. Tax Freedom Day represents the day that Americans have finally earned enough to pay Uncle Sam for the year.

This means the average American worked almost four entire months in 2008 to pay their tax bill. To put this figure in proper comparison, Americans work longer to pay their taxes than they work to pay for food, clothing and shelter combined.

In 2008, Americans worked an average of 74 days to pay federal taxes and an additional 39 days to pay state and local taxes. If converted into an eight-hour workday, we spend roughly 2 hours and 30 minutes to pay tax obligations -- before even starting to earn wages for ourselves. [ Read more...]

The Week on the Web

The anti-energy Veep? Progressive Buttons Blog is among the zillion or so bloggers suffering from the Sebelius strain of Obamafever. Why is Sebelius his dream veep? "She’s got executive experience, and a strong progressive record, standing up against wacko Creationists and big oil corporations alike. Sebelius has a strong presence that could attract a new kind of voter to pay attention to the presidential election." That would be progressive button-wearing voters.

Links galore. Reliable political coverage is hard to come by if all you do is go to the usual McClatchy sites. According to Rasmussen Reports:

Voters overwhelmingly believe that politicians will “break the rules to help people who give them a lot of money,” but most say there’s a bigger problem in politics today—media bias. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 55% believe media bias is more of a problem than big campaign contributions.

Of course, in Kansas, it's two sides of the same coin. Balancing the mainstream media's view of the world with something more realistic isn't impossible. For example, KCNewswatch makes covering the political waterfront easy - and that's no mean feat in Kansas.

Black-and-white - and big. Brian J, the blogger at SpiralPocus, is not only "an impossible husband, dad, son, teacher, music lover, and techno-guru dude," he's also a kind of entry-level web-philanthropist. This week, for example, he's giving away a completely free link to the beautiful black-and-white photos of Kansas taken by Alex Hawley. If you think that's not worth much, click and see for yourself what Hawley does with some of those old school houses in the Flint Hills. (And for a big splash of color as a chaser, take a look at Surface & Surface's hypercolorful vision of the state.)

No road-kill please. Florence and Winfield are going at it in the Route 77 BBQ Championship, coming up on Labor Day. Here are the details. And here's an investment tip: Buy stock in Handi-Wipes.

A Preview of the Coming Week

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