Capital Journal blog:

The fixation on global economic distress may have to take a back seat this weekend to another uncomfortable story: North Korea’s launching of a ballistic missile that will raise more questions about the kind of nuclear threat it could pose one day.

And if the testing happens, the question immediately will become: What should President Barack Obama do about it? He will have plenty of people suggesting he respond one way or the other, but at least one foreign-policy analyst with friends in the Obama administration is advising something else: Keep your cool.

The North Koreans have been signaling for weeks that a test is coming, and preparations on the ground suggest it could be coming Saturday.

Redstate:

This Politico story has been making the rounds - see here and here and here and shoot, Memeorandum in general - and it’s mostly because of the passage below, in response over attempts to explain salary bonuses:

But President Barack Obama wasn’t in a mood to hear them out. He stopped the conversation and offered a blunt reminder of the public’s reaction to such explanations. “Be careful how you make those statements, gentlemen. The public isn’t buying that.”

“My administration,” the president added, “is the only thing between you and the pitchforks.”

Really?

Oh, I know that Americans are “outraged” over this issue: Gallup told us so, after all. Gallup also told us that there’s no consensus on how to get that money back, not to mention the fact that the Democratic Congress got almost a low a grade on how they handled this as AIG did. Which is fair, because it’s because of the Democrats - and President Obama - that those bonuses were distributed in the first place. Still, you can look at that and at Rasmussen and conclude that the American people want the money given back. Fine.

TimesUnion.com:

The the state board’s Web site posted the latest unofficial results Friday afternoon, showing Tedisco and Democrat Scott Murphy with 77,225 votes each - a political anomaly about as rare as a two-headed calf. Unofficial results election night gave Murphy about a 60-vote lead.

Friday’s tally almost certainly won’t stand because of the ongoing recanvass of the machines used on Election Day. While many smaller counties had completed the task, larger ones such as Saratoga County were still midway through the process.

The Star looks at the endorsements for JCCC candidates:

Ben Hodge, who is seeking another term on the board, has garnered the endorsements of two conservative lawmakers_ House Majority Leader Ray Merrick, a Stilwell Republican, and Rep. Mike Kiegerl, an Olathe Republican.

Hodge is well known among conservative activists and is expected to get a lot of support from conservative, pro-life voters. He also has the endorsement of Kansans for Life, although it is doubtful the board of trustees will ever vote on an abortion issue.

The faculty association at the college has endorsed four candidates, Melody Rayl, Peter Jouras, Stephanie Sharp and Bob Drummond.

The Kansas City Star recently endorsed Rayl, Jouras, Sharp and Miguel Morales.

The faculty association may be having second thoughts about Drummond. They are concerned about reports that he referred to homosexuality as a disorder and that as a member of the Olathe School Board he supported the removal of the book “Annie on My Mind” from school libraries.

Hodge is also endorsed by The Gardner News and Hope for America Coalition’s Steve Shute.

Cato:

The “education president” remained silent when his congressional Democrats essentially killed the Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) in the city where he now lives and works.

Of the 1,700 students, starting in kindergarten, in this private-school voucher program, 90 percent are black and 9 percent are Hispanic.

First the House and then the Senate inserted into the $410-billion omnibus spending bill language to eliminate the $7,500 annual scholarships for these poor children after the next school year.

A key executioner in the Senate of the OSP was Sen. Dick Durbin, Illinois Democrat. I have written admiringly of Durbin’s concern for human rights abroad. But what about education rights for minority children in the nation’s capital?

HT Greg Mankiw:

News from K-State media:

TO VIEW AND PRINT INDIVIDUAL NEWS ARTICLES, please go to http://www.k-state.edu/media
———————————————–
In today’s news from K-State for Thursday, March 19, 2009:

1) TIMELY: At the African Issues Symposium: K-State Researcher to Discuss Work with University in Ghana to Create Biofuels from Seeds of Trees Native to Ghana

2) TIMELY: Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing and Effectiveness Topic of Presentations by K-State Veterinarians for Upcoming International Conference at K-State

3) MANHATTAN interest/ TIMELY: Geographer Blake Gumprecht, Author of ‘The American College Town,’ to Present Lecture About Evolution of Aggieville

4) MANHATTAN interest/ TIMELY: K-State Women’s Studies to Present Women of Color Film Screenings (more…)

Sunflower Club:

www.sunflowerclub.org

SUNFLOWER REPUBLICAN CLUB MEETING

THURSDAY, APRIL 09, 2009

UNDERSTANDING AND PARTICIPATING IN THE NEW MEDIA

INVITED SPEAKER:

EARL GLYNN

Earl will guide us through the intricacies of Blogging, types of Blogs, Face Book, Twitter, commenting on blogs, etc., with a power point presentation you won’t want to miss!

THURSDAY, APRIL 09, 2009
6:00pm - 9:00pm

SMOKEHOUSE BBQ

7121 W 135th Street

(SW corner of 135th and Old Metcalf)

Overland Park, KS

Join us for dinner (on your own) at 6:00pm. Meeting starts at 7:00pm.

Paid for by the Sunflower Republican Club. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. Alice Hansen, Treasurer.

KMBC:

RICHMOND, Va. — The federal Department of Labor is accusing former NFL star Michael Vick of illegally withdrawing more than $1.3 million from a pension plan. The department filed complaints Wednesday against Vick in federal district and bankruptcy courts in Newport News. Vick attorney Mark Lichtenstein declined to comment on the complaints. The department said Vick made a series of prohibited transfers from a pension plan sponsored by MV7, a celebrity marketing company owned by the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback.

Computerworld:

March 20, 2009 (Computerworld) Earlier this month, Apple completed a round of hardware updates to its Mac Pro, iMac and Mac mini lines, offering up modest speed boosts, some pricing tweaks and — most importantly — the Nvidia 9400M chipset for graphics.

Best of all for iMac fans, Apple also made the 24-in. version of its popular all-in-one configuration a more tempting proposition by making it less expensive. Smart move in the middle of a recession.

For those who’ve waited almost a year for an iMac update, the latest round of changes has made all of Apple’s computers Snow Leopard-worthy, putting in place hardware that can best handle Mac OS X 10.6, due out later this year. More about the Snow Leopard implications in a minute.

Lenexa:

www.ci.lenexa.ks.us | News NEWS RELEASE 3/31/2009

Resident Information
Utilities, licensing and permits, school districts

Lenexa’s Rain to Recreation program aims to reduce flooding, protect water quality and natural habitat and provide educational and recreational opportunities. Administered by the Watershed Division of the Lenexa’s Public Works Department, the program offers stormwater solutions, advice and assistance to residents, businesses and professionals. For more information, visit www.raintorecreation.org. (more…)

Redstate:

Wisconsin’s Eau Claire County lost 800 full-time jobs and a $50 million investment that was to be rolled out over the next five years because of the Democrat’s Card Check bill. And it wasn’t just a single county in Wisconsin that lost this multi-million dollar development. It was the whole U.S.A. that lost this project.

Thank you Barack Obama. Some help with economic “stimulus” and jobs you are.

Announcing this loss, Brian Doudna, executive director of the Eau Claire Area Economic Development Corp., said that the project was abandoned because the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) would make the project unprofitable and unmanageable. Because the legislation would force binding arbitration on the corporation, eliminate the secret ballot and strangle the right of business owners to speak to employees about unions, it was determined that conditions would be too costly and unstable to go ahead.

Doudna also said that because of the EFCA, the project would not be built anywhere in the U.S.

KC Business Journal:

Olsson Associates has opened an Olathe office, the engineering firm’s 23rd office.

The Olathe office provides field services including geotechnical, special inspections, survey and construction services, the firm said in a release. The office, at 1802 E. 123rd St., has 19 employees and a full service geotechnical and testing lab for the Kansas City area.

Olsson also has area offices in Overland Park and Kansas City.

Scout.com:

China Springs, Tx kicker James French to take preferred walk-on approach to landing a scholarship and starting spot in the Kansas State kicking game. Bonus 10 Spot included!

From KU:

KU NEWS 3/17: Design innovator to give Spencer lecture; Law professor testifies on arbitrationToday’s News from the University of Kansas
——————————————————————–
FROM THE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY RELATIONS  |  http://www.ur.ku.edu

Headlines:

* Design innovator Bruce Mau to give this year’s Spencer Memorial Lecture
http://www.news.ku.edu/2009/march/17/mau.shtml
Mau charted the strange and challenging new terrain of the 21st century in his groundbreaking 2004 book “Massive Change,” which has become nothing short of a design cult movement.

* KU law professor testifies before U.S. senators on arbitration
http://www.news.ku.edu/2009/march/17/drahozal.shtml
Chris Drahozal served as chair of the Searle Civil Justice Institute Consumer Arbitration Task Force, which released a report last week detailing its study of consumer arbitrations.

* Business leader to give annual Vickers lecture March 24 at KU
http://www.news.ku.edu/2009/march/17/vickers.shtml
Jack DeBoer was a pioneer for the all-suite hotel concept. He designed and built the first Residence Inn all-suite hotel in downtown Wichita in 1975.

* KU to honor 36 high school seniors from four south-central Kansas counties
http://www.news.ku.edu/2009/march/17/khpanthony.shtml
Jonathan Earle, associate director of the Dole Institute of Politics, will speak to the students and their parents and guests. Hometown interest: Barber, Harper, Kingman and Pratt counties

FULL TEXT OF STORIES BELOW (more…)

JCCC:

Third Thursday • Visiting Artists’ Presentation

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art at Johnson County Community College is continuing the popular new program, Third Thursday • Visiting Artists’ Presentations, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Thursday, April 16, in the museum’s Hudson Auditorium with special guest artists Davin Watne and Deanna Dikeman, and moderators Larry Thomas, JCCC professor, fine arts, and Tom Tarnowski, JCCC professor, photography. The program is free and open to the public. No tickets or reservations are required. (more…)

Heritage:

The new Bolivian constitution-written by President Evo Morales and approved by voters in late January-is an assault upon the universal ideals of individual and economic freedom.

Bagyants:

Obama is too smart to have made this mistake, so I can only assume that he deliberately misrepresented the question to make it seem like a kooky idea. And then he goes on to mock the people who asked the questions in the first place - this, from a President who has admitted to doing drugs. Here’s what the question actually was:

“With over 1 out of 30 Americans controlled by the penal system, why not legalize, control, and tax marijuana to change the failed war on drugs into a money making, money saving boost to the economy? Do we really need that many victimless criminals?”

Obama knows that the thrust of the question had nothing to do with economics (though legalization would save and generate billions). The point was that our drug policy has failed by every measurable standard. I’m not saying Obama has to agree with that view, but he should give it the courtesy of a hearing, and a debate. This policy has made criminals out of thousands of Americans - half of us admit to past marijuana use - has swallowed billions of dollars, and created a dangerous, unregulated black market for a substance less dangerous and addictive than cigarettes and alcohol.

Obama prides himself on being above politics. A good way to demonstrate that would be to begin educating the public about the need to reform our marijuana laws, instead of hiding behind jokes and the same old rhetoric.

LJworld:

The increased rates would take effect June 1.

Proposed fares for the K-10 Connector:

• $3 for a one-way ride, an increase from $2.50.
• $27 for a 10-ride pass, up 80 percent from the current $15.
• $100 for a monthly commuter pass, or $95 for an employer-subsidized monthly commuter pass, both new offerings.

The Star:

JEFFERSON CITY | Veteran lawmakers said Monday that an FBI investigation into the General Assembly was long overdue because the ethical culture in the state Capitol had eroded.

“I certainly believe that money became (in 2007 and 2008) an overriding interest in how policy is driven in Jefferson City,” said Rep. Brian Yates, a Lee’s Summit Republican.

Now in his fourth term, Rep. Trent Skaggs, a Kansas City Democrat, said he had been disgusted by what he saw.

“I don’t know how some of these guys go to sleep at night personally,” Skaggs said.

Aircraft Management Technology:

SALINA, KS — Kansas State University’s Aviation Department has established the K-State Aviation Flying Club for aviation enthusiasts to support the university’s competitive aviation teams. K-State at Salina, a top-five aviation program, has students who participate competitively in the FlightTeam, the Women’s Air Race Team, and the SkillsUSA Maintenance Team.

“These students receive one of the best aviation learning experiences in the world, and their involvement in competitive activities around the country reinforces their commitment to the industry and Kansas State University’s commitment to providing them with stimulating educational activities,” says Dr. Dennis Kuhlman, dean of Kansas State at Salina.

The competitive programs help students develop flying and industry skills in addition to leadership, teambuilding, and networking opportunities.

From Congressman Tiahrt:

U.S. Capitol Update
March 20, 2009

Dear Friend,

Welcome to this week’s U.S. Capitol Update.

AIG Executive Bonuses Scandal an Outrage
Americans are rightly outraged at the way the Obama Administration and Democrat leaders have allowed AIG to give its corporate executives $165 million in lavish bonuses this year. This comes after taxpayers took on enormous debt to bailout AIG with $182.5 billion. Just last month Democrat leaders and this Administration worked to pass a bill with a provision allowing AIG executives to get millions in bonuses. Once the million-dollar bonuses became public, Democrats this week tried to pass a legislative cover-up. (more…)

Club for Growth:

Larry Kudlow won’t challenge Senator Chris Dodd. His explanation for not doing so was a thoughtful one. We’re glad he’s staying with CNBC to promote capitalism and freedom to his broad audience. We desperately need him there.

JCCC:

DOLLARS FOR SCHOLARS SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 24

JCCC’s Dollars for Scholars, an annual fund-raiser for student scholarships, begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 24, at the Ritz Charles, 9000 W. 137th St. The auction, with a birthday theme in honor of JCCC’s 40th anniversary, is open to the public, alumni, faculty, staff and students.

The evening features live and silent auctions, buffet dinner, beverages, raffle, games of chance and entertainment. Tickets are $25 a person, $15 for students with a JCCC ID or $240 for a reserved table of eight. Tickets can be purchased on line at http://www.jccc.edu/foundationonline by clicking on events.

Included in the auction are hundreds of items, ranging from certificates to restaurants and services, vacation getaways and sports memorabilia.

Tom and Mary Martha Carrico, Leawood, are the honorary auction co-chairs. The Carricos are members of the Foundation board of directors who have volunteered for the auction for several years.

The 2008 auction raised more than $50,000 with the help of 200 volunteers made up of alumni, students, faculty, staff and community friends.

To volunteer, make reservations for the auction or donate an item, contact Kristin McDaniel, auction coordinator, JCCC Foundation, 913-469-3835, kmcdanl@jccc.edu.

From Sen. Mary Pilcher Cook:

This week wraps up the regular legislative session this year and will be composed primarily of conference committee meetings. Last week we were on the floor three days all day, debating and voting on bills. Beginning next week, the Kansas Legislature will be off for a little over three weeks before returning for “veto session” at the end of April.
The stomach flu hit me pretty hard a few weeks ago and I have been trying to play catch-up ever since. At least I only missed one day of voting but I’m sorry I haven’t kept up with the legislative newsletters. (more…)