Note: For current KansasLiberty coverage of the Tiller murder, please go here.

FINANCES: The budget that was made to be broken. With only $17 grand in the bank, Kansas again hovers on the brink of a deficit.

State receipts fall short of estimates again

According to information obtained by Kansas Liberty, the fiscal year 2010 deficit for Kansas is continuing to grow, with the state general fund's tax receipts for the month short $137.7 million. [Read more...]

So much for the 'balanced' budget produced by Democrats and 'moderate' Republicans.

State revenues miss mark by $100 million

The official state revenue numbers are in — and Kansas' general fund’s tax receipts are more than $100 million below what had been estimated for the month of May. The largest chunk of the $103.5 million gap comes from individual income tax, which is $82.4 million below the estimate. [Read more...]

Declining revenues and an absent Legislature calls for the governor to take action

Parkinson addresses additional budget shortfall

Gov. Mark Parkinson has confirmed that Kansas' fiscal situation has worsened, and said in a statement issued last night that he intended to make budget adjustments to offset the additional debt. [Read more...]

POLITICS: Former state GOP chair declares for Thornburgh's job.

Kobach announces for secretary of state

Tuesday was a busy day for those who are interested in filling Ron Thornburgh's office, regardless of whether the GOP secretary of state decides to leave it to run for governor. [Read more...]

Kris Kobach: 'There is no doubt it is a very real problem in Kansas.' But Dems, Wichita Eagle echo Thornburgh: it's all a myth.

GOP secretary of state candidates line up on vote fraud

The debate of whether voter fraud exists has been revived over the last week, first when Gov. Mark Parkinson discredited the argument that it is a problem in Kansas, followed by the Republican candidates for the position of secretary of state, who sounded off on their firm convictions that it is in fact a reality influencing our elections. [Read more...]

Twenty-year classroom vet says Lawrence High School feared he was conservative. 'I teach my government classes straight down the middle.' Teachers' union no help.

Lawrence teacher says he was fired because of his politics

A Lawrence high school teacher believes his teaching contract was not renewed because of his conservative political views. [Read more...]

Brownback: 'The role of a justice is as an umpire, not a policy maker.'

State Republican congressional delegation dubious about Sotomayor's activism

A Kansas Liberty survey of the state congressional delegation shows that Republicans in the U.S. House and Senate agree that Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor has a compelling life story, but they have severe reservations about her videotaped comments that courts are where public policy is made. [Read more...]

LOCAL GOVERNMENT: Like pulling teeth. 'If they're not in the 21st Century, it's time governments get with it. No matter what the excuse, it's still a violation of the law.'

Preparations for a Lawsuit Slowly Extract Public Data

Kansas' local governments seem to be waging a war against the state's sunshine-type regulations. Intended to open the processes of government, they seem to be causing some government officials difficulty in meeting the requirements of the law, as the Flint Hills Center for Public Policy has discovered. [Read more...]

ABORTION POLITICS: Governor's claim that Planned Parenthood must be funded by taxpayers isn't in the law.

KDHE refuses to back Parkinson claim on Planned Parenthood

Gov. Mark Parkinson line-item vetoed a provision of the budget bill last week that would have reprioritized federal funds earmarked for comprehensive family planning, sending money to community health facilities rather than to Planned Parenthood, which operates four clinics in Kansas, including one clinic that performs abortions and is under investigation. [Read more...]

BUSINESS: The additional cost, if any, isn't known.

Stimulus construction sites face increased safety measures

Construction projects fueled through federal stimulus dollars may be a little safer, thanks to the U.S. Department of Labor. [Read more...]

While theory gains traction, some Kansas Chrysler dealers say politics were not the motive

Are Chrysler closings 'an episode of gangster government'?

A theory that the Obama administration hand picked Chrysler dealerships to be closed based on political donations or affiliations of dealers is gaining steam in the media. [Read more...]

LIFE SCIENCE: Therapeutic stem cells could be derived from a ‘swab of the mouth or a scraping of the skin’

Breakthrough could inspire shift away from embryonic stem cell research

A research scientist at Kansas State University says a breakthrough in stem cell research announced Thursday could hasten a movement away from controversial embryonic stem cell research. [Read more...]

COMMENT: The government, points out Bill Wyckoff, knows all about politics, and nothing about fairness. If you want proof, just ask a Dodge dealer - or try to squeeze politeness from a 'public servant' working for the TSA.

Let them eat trucks

Sometime we forget just how great it is to be an American and how we should all give thanks on Memorial Day, not just for the sacrifices of our countrymen and -women, but for all that this country has to offer, including the lessons we learn from each other. [Read more...]

COMMENT: Only one in three Kansas public school 17-year-olds can read at grade level, says John LaPlante. The other two will grow up and be convinced to vote to 'improve' education by throwing even more money at it.

Lesson No. 1: In education, money matters less than how it's spent

If your blood test comes back with bad results, do you address the problems it reveals—or do you blame the doctor who interprets the test? [Read more...]

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