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‘Robin Hood in reverse’

Kansas isn’t much of an Occupy Wall Street-type state. But Gov. Sam Brownback’s tax-reform plan, which raises taxes on the poor while cutting taxes on the wealthy, might turn it into one.

Help for the homeless

Congratulations to United Methodist Open Door for its spacious new place dedicated to meeting a range of needs for the homeless, and thanks to the donors and volunteers who made the $5.4 million campaign a success.

Medicaid plan unsettling for developmentally disabled

The Brownback administration’s sweeping overhaul of Medicaid into a privately run managed-care system called KanCare mustn’t sweep individuals with developmental disabilities over the edge. As it is, there is a good argument for exempting the vulnerable population from such a sea change.

King’s life, legacy

This Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the first since a towering, powerful chiseled portrait of the civil rights icon took its proud place among the national memorials in Washington, D.C. Twenty-seven years in the fundraising and making, it is a historic and appropriate honor for the “black preacher with no official rank or title who somehow gave voice to our deepest dreams,” as President Obama called King at the memorial’s October dedication.

Promising new life

The price may not seem right to everybody, given the gap between the $1.5 million sales price and an outdated $22 million valuation. The no-bid process was no model either. But Sedgwick County’s sale of the Kansas Coliseum complex to Wichita developer Johnny Stevens invests the dated facility with a promising new life while keeping a public promise.

Good goals; details needed

Speaking to Kansans Wednesday night from the House chamber, Gov. Sam Brownback could point to a landmark achievement of his first year in office – the end of the budget crisis – as he set some huge and worthy goals for his second.

Cluster still strong

Losing Boeing won’t keep Wichita from aggressively pursuing a future for itself in aircraft and other kinds of manufacturing. That was the important message sent Tuesday in conjunction with Bombardier Learjet’s expansion and Wichita State University’s federally funded work on advanced materials.

Support mentally ill

It’s not only service providers and family members who are concerned about the struggling mental health system in Kansas. So are law enforcement officials.

Kansas Views (Jan. 9)

Boeing – Boeing officially broke its promise to Kansans, announcing that it will end 84 years of history in the state after 2013. Beyond the loss of 2,160 good jobs and $1.5 billion a decade in lost wages, this announcement is a betrayal.

What happens now?

As shock over Boeing’s bad news for Wichita settles into pained resignation, locals and all Kansans are left to wonder what went wrong and, more important, what happens now.

Still need answers

Boeing abandons Wichita and its 2,100 employees after eight decades, taking hundreds of promised tanker jobs with it. The Air Force favors a Brazilian-built light-air support aircraft while excluding Hawker Beechcraft’s bid, and won’t even say why. As a still-fuming Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Wichita, put it during a Thursday meeting with The Eagle editorial board: “Happy New Year.”

Boeing decision stings

Boeing blames labor costs, federal budget cuts and global competion for its plan to leave Wichita. But the decision stings like a betrayal – one eliminating 2,160 local jobs, breaking promises of tanker-finishing work, and bringing a mutually beneficial 80-year relationship between the city and the company to a bitter end.

DUI deaths sobering

If you find it discouraging that Kansas had the nation’s second-largest increase in drunken-driving fatalities in 2010, as such deaths declined 5 percent nationally, think of how the survivors must feel. Most important, think before taking the wheel while drunk.

Legislature not representative

It is difficult for the demographic makeup of legislatures to match the overall population. But as Kansas lawmakers work this coming session on drawing new legislative districts, they need to strive to make the Legislature more representative, not less.

Kansas Views (Jan. 2)

Capitol dome – In what has become an annual routine, members of the state’s Capitol Preservation Committee agreed to move forward with a project to spend $10.3 million to replace the Capitol’s copper dome and $11.3 million to replace copper sections of the roof.

Happy, hopeful new year

The past few years have necessitated that south-central Kansas make its own luck, as it builds on its heritage as a place where aircraft, businesses, careers and dreams are made. Here’s hoping that in 2012:

2011 in editorials

Here is a look back at 2011 with excerpts from some of The Wichita Eagle’s editorials:

Hawker deserves answers

Hawker Beechcraft’s AT-6 still seems like the natural choice to meet the Air Force’s need for new light attack aircraft, a contract potentially worth nearly $1 billion and 800 Wichita jobs. But if not, the company deserves to know exactly why not.

Casino starting strong

Like the studies and Sumner County vote that preceded it, the crowd of thousands greeting the Kansas Star Casino’s opening Monday signaled a strong pent-up area demand for a destination casino. And there is no disputing the need for its jobs.

Data on kids is sobering

The recently released county-by-county specifics of the 2011 Kansas Kids Count data were sobering for Sedgwick County, identifying areas where improvement would be welcome in the approaching new year.

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