Eagle Editorials

Kansas views (March 22)

Democratic leaders —An unusual chain of events has led Kansas to a state leadership situation that probably is unique in Kansas history and is unlikely to occur again anytime soon. With last week's appointment of Securities Commissioner Chris Biggs as the new Kansas secretary of state, five of the state's six top elected offices now are held by Democrats. Even stranger is that the only Republican in the group, Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger of Lawrence, also is the only official still serving in the office to which she was elected. A string of resignations and appointments by two Democratic governors has led to the current situation. On one hand, it's unsettling that so much power lies in the hands of people not chosen by the voters. On the other hand, it's comforting to know that our system of government allows such transitions to occur so smoothly that they go almost unnoticed by the state's residents.— Lawrence Journal-World