With the new legislative season only a couple of weeks old, the first Eggs & Issues of the season had plenty of issues to be discussed.
Today’s Eggs & Issues featured local State Representatives Don Hill and Peggy Mast; and local State Senator Jeff Longbine. The event, which is co-sponsored by the Emporia Chamber of Commerce and The League of Women Voters, is held every spring and features local government officials.
Several issues came up during Saturday’s event. Longbine, a freshman senator, said he’s been busy his first two weeks of office.
“The first two weeks have been pretty productive for me,” he said. “I’ve figured out how to get from the parking garage to my office and found the nearest water rest room and water fountain. So my needs are taken care of.”
Longbine’s opening comment yielded some chuckles from the group. Following that comment, he touched upon some issues that have been tackled during the first two weeks in the senate. The budget is one of the hottest topics in Topeka right now, and Longbine talked about the budget, which takes care of the state’s $550 million deficit, he said.
“2011 has to be taken care of before we can take care of 2012,”Longbine said, of the cuts in the budget.
Hill later stated that the proposed budget for Kansas not only reduces the deficit but gives the state a $35 million surplus.
“Spending is going up by six percent and (Kansas) is not raising taxes,” Hill said. “I think it’s a reasonable start.”
During her opening comments, Mast said the state cannot spend more money.
“It’s going to be very, very difficult,” she said. “We’re really going to try to discourage anyone from spending any new money without finding a new revenue source to pay for it.”
For more on today's Eggs & Issues, see Monday's paper, which will feature highlights from discussion on specific issues such as education, KPERS, the arts and transportation.
Tell (anonymous) says...
Peggy we all know how difficult it is how about you come up with some solutions out of this mess.
January 22, 2011 at 2:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
REWBA (anonymous) says...
Tell, You should know that's not how it works. You are supposed to come up with a brilliant solution and write a detailed letter explaining the plan to your representative. They in turn write you a form letter thanking your for your well written proposal and explain how it isn't right for us at this juncture. At that point your legislature introduces your plan under his/her name and hands all the financially rewarding aspects of your plan to their friends and co-conspirators and sends the tax bill to you. In the mean time your representative is highlighting his/her brilliant plan as one other reason we should give them our vote.
January 22, 2011 at 2:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
wirewatt (Ken Bazil) says...
REWBA if you know how to get out of the problem we are in why don't you write an editorial to the paper, I'm sure if it will work the Kansas delegation will use your idea, and you can get credit for it. However until I see it, I am almost sure you don't have a solution to fix the problem.
January 22, 2011 at 3:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
REWBA (anonymous) says...
wirewatt,
A talented person is able to earn 100K per season just driving to KCI in a passenger van each Friday, picking up weekend guests, entertaining them for two days and returning them to the Airport Sunday evening. There's one idea! It's yours!!! Run with it and become wealthy.
The government can toss all the gold in the world at economic development but anyone sitting on their hands waiting for for that gold to fall from the sky will die waiting.
January 22, 2011 at 4:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
http://www.brownback.com/news/2010/oc...
January 22, 2011 at 5:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
http://geraldcelentechannel.blogspot....
January 22, 2011 at 5:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Tell (anonymous) says...
Mean while the capital building remodel go's on.
January 22, 2011 at 6:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
REWBA (anonymous) says...
The governor will grab all the credit he can for success while shirking any responsibility for problems. He's a politician seeking the white house. He will:
Showcase the mess he inherited, all the problems big and small,
Crow about his conservative goals, who it hurts? No worries at all.
Reject culpability for desaster, at the same time act concerned.
Enlarge his national immage, that's all that matters in this world.
Welcome political contributions, go to socials, drink champaign,
Use that public office for self political gain.
Say anything we want to hear, drive a pick up drink a beer,
Act as if he were a real person and not a horses rear.
Lie about his true intentions, mislead us on his goals,
Leave us for a Biger Better Deal after selling off our souls.
After his nomination is defeated he'll say there is no place like home,
Not to fear he will be back, in Topeka under a dome.
Determined to try again one day, President is what he craves,
Secure in his job as governor, of a state filled with his slaves.
Making big bucks and turning big deals, the rest we live hand to mouth,
It's already happening true as the big dipper helps find true south.
Laws will be enacted supporting the rich, trumpets will sound off in praise,
Economys will grow and the T.V. will tell us, yet none of the poor gets a raise.
January 22, 2011 at 6:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
wirewatt (Ken Bazil) says...
I think you have a lot of truth in your little blog, but we can remove him in four years if he can't get the job done. However I have one thing to say: The Dem's have been promising for twenty years to make the poor richer, have they got it yet? I think not!!!!
January 22, 2011 at 7:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
REWBA (anonymous) says...
The only difference between the rich and the poor is one is a seller and the other is a buyer.
Give a poor man a pot of gold, he'll be broke, in debt and abused, when the butcher, the baker and the candle stick maker make the sucker an offer that can't be refused.
BTW, Read the poem down the left for the simple truth.
January 22, 2011 at 8:12 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
REWBA, YOUR A POET, AND DON'T KNOW IT BUT, YOUR FEET SHOW IT.......NICE JOB
January 22, 2011 at 10:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
REWBA (anonymous) says...
That poem works for self serving democrats too. Just swap out conservative to liberal and there you have it.
We need to change the way we select leaders in this country. What we are doing now just draws the narcissists.
January 23, 2011 at 10:36 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
wirewatt (Ken Bazil) says...
There's not a problem with the way we select our leaders, people just don't do their home work, and turn out and vote. If we turn out and vote the bums out of office we wouldn't have the mess we have today. We have to do our duty as citizens and vote, they can't stay in if we don't let them.
January 23, 2011 at 6:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
REWBA (anonymous) says...
I think that we should just randomly select our legislature in the same manner we select jurors. Make it a duty of all citizens and not just a first class welfare program for career politicians.
January 23, 2011 at 6:46 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )