Kansas City government, by committee
Kansas City Mayor Sly James has passed the midway point in his first term, and the grades are pretty good. But he walks a path that was paved by others.
Does education’s future wear Google glasses?
All kinds of ideas float around when educators and entrepreneurs meet to talk about wearable technology.
The IRS, the tea party and money in politics
The way the IRS has targeted tea party groups feels like something from Nixon era. The problem, at root, is money in politics.
Christie weight loss feeds political buzz
New Jersey governor and prospective Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie’s struggles to lose weight have become part of his public persona.
Taxes, high and low
Kansas Citians pay a lot in taxes, but in so many ways, it’s hard for them to get angry.
Tony Rizzo | We must step up if we think a child is at risk
Falling through the cracks.
What the Oregon experiment says about Obamacare
The Affordable Care Act may change the way we get health care, but it won’t fix what’s really wrong.
Austerity could be a cure or a toxin
A 2010 research paper by a pair of Harvard professors said too much public debt seriously undermines growth. But now a school of thought gaining momentum by the day suggests that going lean is the wrong way to go.
Congress faints at sight of cuts
How can Washington ever fix Medicare or Social Security if it can’t handle complaints from travelers facing a slight airport delay?
Religious disputes heading to court
Arguments over whether Nativity scenes can be displayed on town squares have given way to battles over whether some forms of expression are appropriate in religious and nonreligious contexts alike. Nearby courts recently have taken small bites at this very large pie.
Curfew debate has decades-old roots, no real solution
The argument over tougher curfews has quickly become entangled in issues of race and class — an old Kansas City story.
Ann Murguia's gesture less than gracious
Ann Murguia missed Thursday’s swearing-in of Mark Holland, the man who defeated her in the Wyandotte County mayor’s race.
The media battle of speed vs. accuracy
Think of news sources as a pyramid, with social media at the top, then blogs, websites, broadcasters and then the printed newspaper. The closer we get to the top, the faster the information comes, but the more skeptical we should be about its accuracy.
Physician, heal thyself
The problem of belligerent doctors has long been recognized and was revisited recently in a disciplinary action taken against an obstetrician-gynecologist by Missouri’s medical licensing board.
The car wash follies
U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, by choice, is a public figure. And public figures trade some privacy rights for the ability to make the laws the rest of us have to follow. So Cleaver should release the agreement he made with Bank of America over his debt for the purchase of a car wash.
Cambodian shoe factory deaths are the lastest in overseas labor accidents
Labor protections for foreign workers who supply the U.S. with goods will be among the greatest human rights struggles of this generation. And it’s not an easy problem to address.
