January « 2010 « State of the State, Kansas

Budget Director Duane Goossen On This Year’s $106 Million Problem

Budget Director Duane Goossen talks about new information the state is short $106 million for 2010 and what should be done to fix it.

Opinion: A Brief History of Liberal Time

Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid promised to “drain the swamp” and rid the Capitol of corruption but Democrats now find themselves floating in an ocean of ethics problems.

Opinion: The Liberal Elites Are Losing It

The liberal elites in this country are losing their minds. Can you blame them? It’s been a tough couple of months.

Transportation Funding Debate Puts Kansas Roads On The Line

Kansas Secretary of Transportation Deb Miller debates funding with Kansas Policy Institute’s Dave Trabert in Wichita.

Opinion: “Screw You Guys, I’m Going Home” – The Retirement of Sen. Evan Bayh

Perhaps Sen. Evan Bayh should have thought about this before jumping ship for easier, greener pastures: Anything worth having is worth working for.

Feature Story: Health Care Reform

January 28, 2010

Members of the autism community and doctors who serve the poor worry about the state of health care reform.

Opinion: 2010 State of the Union Response – A Call to Action

There’s policy … and then there’s politics. But in his first State of the Union speech, President Obama reminded this country why we voted for him in the first place and exactly how hard he has worked since we elected him.

Representative Kevin Yoder Talks About Restoring Medicaid Reimbursements

Appropriations Chair Representative Kevin Yoder (R) says he believes Medicaid reimbursements must be restored and talks about how he plans to fund it.

Opinion: Obama, populist?

January 27, 2010

Unapologetic liberalism is so last year. Just ask President Obama who last week attempted to reinvent himself as a 21st century William Jennings Bryan by distancing his presidency from sky rocketing deficits and introducing legislation that will limit the size of certain financial institutions.

Kansas Bioscience Authority Invests $4.4 Million In Kansas Health and Energy

Former Governor John Carlin (D) and KU’s Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little announced Tuesday that the Kansas Bioscience Authority would invest $4.4 million in health and energy research.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Considered As Mitigating Factor In Trials

Adjutant General Tod Bunting and Rep. Tom Sloan (R) supported a bill to encourage judges to consider PTSD as a mitigating factor in sentencing battlefield soldiers.

Medicaid Reimbursement May Be Restored This Session

Governor Mark Parkinson (D) and Senate Public Health and Welfare Chair Jim Barnett (R) discuss the future of Medicaid reimbursement in Kansas.

Dispute Over Surplus Education Funding Aired

January 26, 2010

Dave Trabert from Kansas Policy Institute and Mark Tallman from Kansas Association of School Boards took opposing views on education funds for Kansas schools.

Public Dollars to Fund Litigation Against State Focus of Hearing

Supporters and opponents of public dollars to fund litigation against the state testified at Monday’s Senate Judiciary committee.

Legislators Speak at Energy Conference in Wichita

January 25, 2010

House Assistant Minority Leader Jim Ward (D) and Kansas Senator Carolyn McGinn (R) spoke at an energy panel hosted by City of Wichita’s Dale Goter.