Kansas views on gun bill, sex bills, school funding, professors bill, court storming, fantasy leagues
Gun bill – The idea is preposterous that any Tom, Dick or Jane does not need training or a permit to carry a concealed weapon. The gun lobby and its political champions said we needed not fear concealed-carry because there was training and permitting. Now the gun lobby says we do not need training or permitting. Which is it? And what are we to believe from the gun lobby next? The Legislature should kill the so-called constitutional carry legislation before it does the same to innocent Kansans.
Sex bills – Sex seems to be on the minds of lawmakers so much this year, one might call this session “50 Shades of the Kansas Legislature.” While the state faces a crippling budget deficit and needs to make some important decisions about managing the state’s affairs, there has been a steady stream of legislation introduced in Topeka that focuses on the sex lives of Kansans. Someone in Topeka needs to explain how so much involvement in the private lives of Kansans meets the definition of that limited and smaller government lawmakers talked about ad nauseam during the election season.
School funding – While seeking re-election, Gov. Sam Brownback made a promise he wouldn’t keep. He said he would support public schools. Instead, he’s already stripped away more than $44 million intended for K-12 public schools and higher education to fill a gaping state budget hole. More cuts are imminent. His goal in attacking the formula is less public school funding and elimination of the equity that protects rural schools in particular. They’ll face more job losses, program cuts and harder looks at school closings and consolidation.
Thin-skinned – Reps. Virgil Peck, R-Tyro, and Joe Seiwert, R-Pretty Prairie, don’t like it when college professors insult their intelligence or otherwise disparage them in letters to the editor or other opinion pieces in newspapers and then have the audacity to attach official titles to their names on the offerings. Peck and Seiwert apparently would prefer that readers not know the barbs were penned by educated people who might know what they’re writing about. The legislators should grow thicker skins.
Court storming – There’s no tradition of storming the court in Allen Fieldhouse, both because Jayhawk fans expect to win there and because of fieldhouse security measures. The same restraint isn’t practiced at Memorial Stadium after a rare football win. It’s easy to see how the scene at Bramlage Coliseum could have gotten ugly if Jamari Traylor and perhaps some other players hadn’t shown admirable restraint. The Big 12 and the NCAA shouldn’t wait for injuries to occur and lawsuits to be filed before addressing this potentially dangerous situation.
Fantasy leagues – It’s hard to quibble with state legislatures when they legalize things that most people assume are lawful already. And so, a hat tip to Rep. Brett Hildabrand, R-Shawnee, for introducing legislation to legalize participation in fantasy football and baseball leagues. Let’s hope the rest of the Legislature acts quickly. After all, spring training has already begun.
This story was originally published March 1, 2015 at 6:07 PM with the headline "Kansas views on gun bill, sex bills, school funding, professors bill, court storming, fantasy leagues."