Kansas editorials
By The Associated Press
Here are recent editorials in Kansas newspapers:
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Dec. 1
The Wichita Eagle on federal stimulus money's mixed blessing:
For all its faults, the $787 billion federal stimulus package is keeping many public schoolteachers off the unemployment rolls, including 400 in Wichita. It's also directing dollars toward effective educational reforms, through the Obama administration's $4 billion "Race to the Top" grant program.
"We want to reward those states, those districts, those nonprofits that are willing to challenge the status quo and get dramatically better, close the achievement gap and raise the bar for everybody," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said recently on NBC's "Meet the Press."
"This is a huge step for this president to take," said Republican and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on the same show, praising the "Race to the Top" focus on accountability, transparency and charter school access. "Education is the No. 1 factor in our future prosperity. It's the No. 1 factor in national security, and it's the No. 1 factor in these young people having a decent future. I agree with Al Sharpton" -- another partner in the uniquely bipartisan initiative -- "this is the No. 1 civil right of the 21st century," Gingrich said.
But the stimulus education money has been a mixed blessing in states including Kansas, which has received $242 million so far and will apply for $121 million more this month.
The cash comes with many strings, limiting districts' ability to use it. States such as Kansas that are relying heavily on stimulus dollars to plug education budget holes rather than seed innovation will be at a disadvantage in applying for "Race to the Top" dollars.
Some of the "Race to the Top" requirements and priorities don't mesh with state law in Kansas' case, relating to charter schools and tying teacher reviews to student performance. And because of its own administrative budget cuts, the Kansas State Department of Education is finding it daunting to deal with the "Race to the Top" guidelines, application and deadline.
Stimulus money also puts state legislators in a bind: If they want to help craft a 2011 state budget by further cutting education below 2006 levels, where Gov. Mark Parkinson left them in last week's 2010 budget allotments, they would jeopardize Kansas' eligibility for stimulus education dollars. The same situation applies to higher education, where stimulus dollars have prevented layoffs and even higher tuition hikes. That means more cuts for the rest of the budget or more revenue sources.
And when the stimulus money runs out in two years, it will leave behind more budget chasms for all, unless the economy has had a miraculous recovery.
Still, the stimulus money already is working as intended in Kansas schools, helping them get through this downturn with as few classroom interruptions as possible. One-time money or not, Kansas schools shouldn't be shy now about doing whatever it takes to win more stimulus cash -- especially because the new thinking and learning it stimulates would be lasting.
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Dec. 3
The Topeka Capital-Journal on problem gamblers:
It's unfortunate that at least one northeast Kansas casino has announced it can no longer manage a growing list of problem gamblers who'd asked to be kept away from the gaming tables and machines.
The Golden Eagle Casino, near Horton, recently took that step.
For 14 years, the Golden Eagle allowed gamblers to voluntarily ban themselves from entering the casino. Those who did so agreed to allow the casino to arrest them for trespassing if they were caught trying to gain entry.
But last month, the establishment revealed it would no longer enforce the self-banning policy. Another gambling operation in the area, the Sac & Fox Casino, reportedly has also dropped its no-trespass list but has not returned several calls from The Capital-Journal seeking confirmation.
The Golden Eagle's general manager, Steve Dole, said the list of self-banned gamblers had grown to hundreds of people and had become unmanageable.
"It's a very, very difficult business to identify people," Dole said.
The explanation for dropping the policy is understandable, as it certainly seems plausible that the casino faces a growing degree of difficulty in enforcing the list. In fact, since casinos aren't required to check identification of all visitors, it's hard to see how the prohibition agreement could feasibly be honored in all cases at all times.
But the situation is troubling, as it points to a growing problem with gambling addiction, a problem casinos should continue to help combat.
It's a battle casinos can't fight alone, of course, as the real root of the cure lies in problem gamblers taking personal responsibility to get their addiction under control.
Self-imposed banning is a step toward that goal, and the Prairie Band Casino & Resort near Mayetta deserves credit for continuing to maintain its no-entry list.
But the measure isn't a cure-all. Besides the fundamental problems with enforcement, it wouldn't stop problem gamblers from traveling to casinos where they aren't on no-entry lists or logging onto online gambling sites.
Dole said there are options for dealing with gambling addiction that are more effective than no-trespass lists, and the casino has made gamblers aware of them.
We encourage casinos to keep looking for ways to help gamblers fight their addiction. The fact that no-trespass lists are growing underscores the extent of problem gambling.
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Dec. 3
The Hutchinson News on erratic fuel prices:
Once again, gas prices have revealed themselves to be fickle numbers that sway and dance at the slightest provocation and move with little regard for what's really happening in the world.
On Wednesday, the price of regular unleaded gasoline jumped 17 cents in the morning to $2.66 per gallon, before falling in the afternoon to $2.59 a gallon.
Officials at the American Automotive Association couldn't cite a reason for the erratic behavior of filling stations in Hutchinson. Representatives from the Kansas Petroleum Marketers Association couldn't be reached for comment and local gas station operators regularly decline to comment on such issues -- but then who would want to comment on an erratic target like gas prices?
The price of crude oil fell on Wednesday, and the U.S. Department of Energy announced that U.S. oil and gas inventories rose last week by 2.9 million barrels, in a week experts predicted a 1.3 million barrel decline in supplies, which according to any study of economics should result in lower prices at the pump.
But in the world of oil, fuel and energy, the basic laws of supply and demand that govern all other goods and services don't seem to apply. Today's price of oil, and by proxy gasoline, is determined more by speculators and the amount of fear or hope they have in the future than on real world numbers of usage and reserves.
In the world of energy, higher supply equals higher prices and low supply equals economy-crushing prices. Demand is always high, and equilibrium is something that only happens when a motorist has a half of tank of gas.
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Dec. 3
The Lawrence Journal World on higher education in Kansas:
Members of the Kansas Board of Regents deserve applause for their recent efforts to sell the state on the need to support higher education in Kansas.
In the last month, the regents have held a dozen meetings with business leaders across the state to talk about how higher education supports the state economy and how it can do an even better job of responding to the state's business and employment needs.
As they had done in other meetings in every corner of the state, regents outlined to a group of Lawrence leaders this week why higher education is important to the state's economic health. An educated population, they pointed out, supports the state tax base and makes fewer demands on social services. More directly, it provides the trained workers and researchers needed to support all kinds of businesses in the state.
The question then becomes, Regents Vice Chairman Gary Sherrer said, whether it is OK for the state to endanger the state's economic health by continuing to drain resources from higher education.
Clearly, the regents think the answer to that question is "no," but they haven't always done the best job of making that case to Kansans across the state. That's why it's great to see them stepping up their efforts to share information that backs up their claims about higher education.
They pointed out, for instance, that since 1988 enrollment in the state's seven universities (including Washburn), has risen by 13 percent while per-student funding from the state has decreased by 20 percent. Overall state spending on universities rose through fiscal year 2009, but it hasn't kept up with the rising number of students.
During that same time period, the percentage of the state budget dedicated to higher education has dropped from 21.1 percent to 17.1 percent. It's easy for today's legislators to chalk that decline up to the current economic crisis, but the greatest drops in this category actually occurred between 1988 and about 1995. For two decades, the state's financial support of higher education, as a percentage of its budget, has steadily eroded. Now, state university are facing major reductions in state support.
Do Kansans really agree with these funding reductions that stretch university resources and drive up tuition costs for Kansas students? When the facts and figures are put before them, many probably see the need to fight for more higher education support. Hopefully, they will share that opinion with their representatives in the Kansas Legislature.
Traveling across the state, sharing information and gathering input from local leaders is a great way to draw attention to both the contributions and the needs of the state's higher education system. In recent years, regents have taken a far too passive approach to selling the importance of higher education across the state, and university leaders have not done an effective job of outlining their needs.
It's good to see current members of the Board of Regents taking a more active role in building enthusiasm and support for state universities.
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Dec. 7
The Hays Daily News on hotel inspections:
As a result of recent budget cuts imposed by Gov. Mark Parkinson, institutions throughout the state of Kansas are scrambling to make ends meet. What 2010 and beyond brings will be up to the Legislature once lawmakers return to Topeka next month.
For now, though, state departments are just making do. Some actions likely won't be noticed by the public. Others, we sincerely hope, are.
Take for example, Thursday's announcement by Kansas Department of Agriculture Josh Svaty. The newly appointed Ag boss said the state temporarily is suspending safety and sanitation inspections of hotels. Of the 825 hotels, motels, lodges and bed-and-breakfasts currently licensed statewide, Svaty said every one of them has been inspected and is in good standing.
While we tend to believe the secretary's assessment overall, an onslaught of negative reviews regarding the Ramada Hays Convention Center makes us leery of this particular facility not being inspected in the near future.
According to Jana Jordan, director of the Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau, complaints have been pouring in from overnight visitors passing through town as well as associations that hold conventions and meetings there. The complaints focus not on the meeting spaces or food service, but on the sleeping accommodations.
"We have had many complaints about cleanliness, service, front desk attitude, key mix-ups, mold and multiple people being assigned to the same room," Jordan said Friday.
With the Ramada, formerly the Holiday Inn, being the only self-contained convention facility in Hays, the thought of the Ag Department not inspecting them for the foreseeable future concerns us greatly. Others as well.
"I am very sad to hear that," Jordan said. "(The Ag Department) was about the only mechanism in place to get things changed there."
We have not been made aware of any other hotel in the area having the kind of complaints this one receives. And they're not just made at the CVB. There are numerous online sites where unsatisfied customers have posted their thoughts about their night at the Hays Ramada.
A full 85 percent of reviews at tripadvisor.com do not recommend staying there. Twenty-eight of the 41 reviews rated the hotel as "terrible." Travelpost.com has 11 out of 48 calling it "horrible." Similar tales are told at yahoo.com, expedia.com, kayak.com and almost every other online review site. We have heard the same story personally from overnight guests.
George Lavigne, general manager of the Ramada, acknowledged the spate of complaints when contacted Friday. He said some of the problems were caused by a faulty key system that was placing guests into rooms yet to be cleaned or that were already occupied by others. He said some cleanliness and attitude issues were the result of his own staff. He also said there were mold problems because of the inappropriate placement of the pool in the middle of the rooms.
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Dec. 3
The Garden City Telegram on state's first historic byway:
A slice of historic terrain in western Kansas is about to make history in another way.
A 105-mile strip of highway from Scott City to Oakley to Sharon Springs is in line to become the state's first historic byway.
Nearly two years ago community leaders from Logan, Scott and Wallace counties agreed to seek scenic byway designation for the route. Others saw the route's attributes in another light, and urged the western Kansas group to consider historic byway designation.
The Western Plains Historic Byway was born, and with approval from the Kansas Department of Transportation's byway committee will become the first such byway in Kansas.
For those not familiar with the geography, the byway heads north out of Scott City on U.S. Highway 83, taking a short diversion along Kansas Highway 95 about 10 miles to the north.
Motorists today cover territory traveled by settlers heading west, and encounter such notable sights on K-95 as Battle Canyon, site of the last Indian battle in Kansas, and picturesque Scott State Lake.
Monument Rocks and Keystone Gallery on U.S. 83 at the Scott-Logan county line and a larger-than-life Buffalo Bill on Oakley's west side are among sights along the way.
The route has plenty of features that should be known to and understood by travelers. Historic byway designation would do just that, with the state providing at least one information kiosk. Supporters of the byway designation also envision making details available in such ways as brochures, signs and even a CD that serves as an electronic tour guide.
Having a route on its way to becoming the state's first historic byway is positive recognition in a part of the state that's often overlooked, and on the receiving end of jokes by outsiders who perceive the region as dull and uninviting.
The recent attention proves something many western Kansans already know, although some take for granted: This region does indeed have its share of interesting sights that are worth a look due to their natural beauty and historical significance.
Soon, with official byway designation, more will know the same.