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I'M GOING TO BE PACKING MY SUITCASE RIGHT AFTER THE SHOW. HOW MUCH CHANGE CAN HAPPEN
IN JUST ONE WEEK? WHEN THEY SAY GOVERNMENT CAN MOVE SLOWLY, LOOK WHAT'S
HAPPENED IN KANSAS IN THE LAST 7 DAYS. DRUG TESTING FOR WELFARE
RECIPIENTS AND EVEN THOSE RECEIVING UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS, SENT TO THE GOVERNOR'S DESK.
A HERB M YOU ARE ALLOWING THE GOVERNOR TO HAND PICK FUTURE COURT OF APPEALS JUDGES JUST
SIGNED BY THE GOVERNOR. LAWMAKERS PREPARE TO SEND BROWNBACK A SWEEPING
ANTIABORTION BILL DEFINING LIFE AS BEGINNING AT FERTILIZATION. AND MONDAY GOVERNOR BROWNBACK
SIGNS A UNION BUSTING BILL THAT NOW MAKES IT ILLEGAL FOR TEACHERS AND PUBLIC EMPLOYEE
UNIONS TO DEDUCT MONEY FROM MEMBERS PAYCHECKS TO HELP FINANCE POLITICAL ACTIVITIES.
JUST SOME OF THE WHIRLWIND OF LAWS BEING GREEN LIGHTED IN KANSAS AS STATE LAWMAKERS
PREPARE TO HEAD HOME FOR A LONG BREAK BEFORE THEIR WRAPUP SESSION IN MAY.
ARE THESE THE CHANGES VOTERS HAD IN MIND WHEN THEY ELECTED SAM BROWNBACK GOVERNOR IN 2010,
SCOTT PARKS? PROBABLY, SOME OF THEM. I KNOW IT MAY COME TO A SHOCK, I
AM NOT IN FAVOR OF DRUG TESTING WELFARE RECIPIENTS AND THOSE RECEIVING UNEMPLOYMENT.
PARTLY BECAUSE IF YOU DO TEST POSITIVE, YOU WOULD HAVE TO ENROLL IN DRUG COUNSELING AND
YOUR BENEFITS ARE CUT OFF UNTIL AND UNLESS YOU PASS A SUBSEQUENT DRUG TEST.
I UNDERSTAND PEOPLE ARE FRUSTRATED. THEY SAY IF I HAVE TO TAKE A
DRUG TEST TO GET MY PAYCHECK, YOU SHOULD HAVE TO PASS ONE TO GET YOUR WELFARE BENEFITS.
BUT WHO IS THIS REALLY HURTING? MY CONCERN IS THAT THE PEOPLE WHO WILL REALLY BE HURT ARE
CHILDREN OF PEOPLE ON WELFARE WHO HAPPEN TO FAIL A DRUG TEST. I AGREE WITH SCOTT.
I'VE BEEN ON UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, AND THE NOTION THAT YOU HAVE TO PEE IN A CUP TO
GET UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS IS OUTRAGEOUS TO ME. BUT IF YOU'RE GOING TO DRUG TEST
EVERYBODY, LET'S DRUG TEST EVERYBODY. IF YOU HAVE A CONTRACT WITH THE
STATE OF KANSAS, IF YOU'RE BUILDING ROADS OR BUILDING BUILDINGS FOR THE STATE OF
KANSAS, LET'S DRUG TEST THOSE PEOPLE, TO. MERITS ASIDE, THE POLITICS OF
THIS WERE PRETTY CLEAR A YEAR AGO OR IN NOVEMBER WHEN THE ELECTION TOOK PLACE.
NO ONE SHOULD BE SURPRISED. THIS IS THE TYPICAL AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE EXCHANGE COUNCIL
AGENDA. YOU SEE THIS IN OTHER STATES. THE BIG, BIG CONFRONTATION IS
YET TO COME ON THE BUDGET AND SCHOOL SPENDING AND TAXATION AND SALES TAXES, AND THAT WILL COME
LATER IN APRIL. THAT'S WHAT EVERYBODY NEEDS TO FOCUS ON.
LET ME JUST ASK YOU. WE JUST HAD AN ELECTION LAST FALL IN WHICH THERE WERE
LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS. CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICANS DID INCREDIBLY WELL AT THOSE
ELECTIONS. ARE THEY REINFORCING THIS AGENDA OF SAM BROWN BACKS.
HASN'T THIS AGENDA BEEN REINFORCED IN THE STATE OF KANSAS?
YES. I'VE COVERED THE LEGISLATURE IN KANSAS FOR THREE DECADES NOW.
THERE HASN'T BEEN A SINGLE YEAR WHERE THEY HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT FURTHER RESTRICTIONS ON ABORTION
OR OTHER CLAMP DOWNS ON WELFARE. IT MAY BE MORE AGGRESSIVE IN THE PAST, BUT WE'RE USED TO IT.
AGAIN, THESE COME UP EVERY YEAR. THEY'LL PASS, BECOME LAW. IT'S IMPORTANT, BUT THE REAL
SHOW IS THE BUDGET. THE OLD ADAGE IS ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES, AND KANSAS IS
REAPING WHAT IT SEWED IN THE LAST ELECTION. SAM, YOU BROUGHT US A FULL
REPORT ON THIS PROGRAM BY EFFORTS BY THE GOVERNOR TO CHANGE THE WAY JUDGES ARE
SELECTED. NO YOU -- NOW IT'S NO LONGER TALKED.
IT'S HAPPENED. THERE WAS A CONTS -- CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT, AND
THEY COULDN'T GET THAT AMENDMENT THROUGH THE HOUSE. IT CAME THROUGH THE SENATE.
SO THEY ENDED UP CHANGING THE LEGISLATION. SO NOW THE GOVERNOR CAN APPOINT
WITH THE STATE SENATE AFFIRMING APPEALS COURT JUSTICES. THE REASON FOR THAT IS THAT'S A
LEGISLATIVE CREATION AS OPPOSED TO THE STATE SUPREME COURT, WHICH IS A CONSTITUTION AT
CREATION. Y.M.C.A.'S IN RAYTOWN, INDEPENDENCE AND KANSAS CITY,
KANSAS ARE SCHEDULED TO BE CLOSED NEXT WEEK, AND THOUSANDS OF MEMBERS ASKED TO FIND
ALTERNATIVES TO KEEP HEALTHY AS PART OF A CONTROVERSIAL PLAN BY THE NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF
THE Y.M.C.A. OF GREATER KANSAS CITY. COST SAVINGINGS WILL ALLOW THE
NONPROFIT TO BUILD A BRAND NEW 40 MILLION-DOLLAR FACILITY IN DOWNTOWN KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.
YOU CAN'T JUST CLOSE THIS PLACE. WE'VE SPENT OUR LIVES HERE.
I'VE SPENT MORE TIME IN THAT POOL THAN I HAVE STUDYING BOOKS, CRUNCHING NUMBERS OR WHATEVER IT
IS I DO IN MY SPARE TIME. I'VE BEEN COMING TO THIS POOL SINCE 20th OF FEBRUARY OF '05.
AND I HAVE ARTHRITIS AND ENJOY WALKING THE TRACK AND GETTING IN THE POOL AND SWIMMING, AND I
THINK IT'S JUST A WHOLE BUNCH OF MALARKEY. I JUST THINK IT'S POLITICS.
I JUST FIND OUT LAST WEEK ON FRIDAY BY A TELEPHONE CALL FROM MY PARTNER.
I WAS OUT OF TOWN, AND HE SAID, THEY'RE CLOSING OUR Y. I'M HEADING OVER THERE RIGHT NOW
TO SEE WHO CAN SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT AT ALL. SOME PEOPLE THINK, THOUGH,
THAT THIS IS JUST AN EFFORT TO HELP WHITE COLLAR EMPLOYEES DOWNTOWN KANSAS CITY GET HELP
WHILE ALL OF THESE OTHER SUBURBAN Y'S ARE BEING CLOSED DOWN.
DAVE HELLING. WELL, YES, AND OBVIOUSLY CHANGES LIKE THIS AFFECT A LOT
OF PEOPLE, AND BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT REALLY POLITICAL DECISIONS THAT INVOLVE PUBLIC POLICY
MAKERS COMPLETELY, THERE IS SOME FRUSTRATION AND ANGER, AND IT'S POSSIBLE, NOT LIKELY, BUT IT'S
POSSIBLE THESE PLANS COULD BE ALTERED TO A DEGREE, PARTICULARLY SINCE PEOPLE ARE
WORRIED THAT THE DOWNTOWN Y IS TAKING PRECEDENCE OVER THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND THE KCK ONE HAS NOW BEEN SAVED THANKS TO AN EFFORT BY THE UNIFIED GOVERNMENT.
THEY'RE GOING TO KEEP THAT OPEN FOR ANOTHER YEAR. THAT IS IT FOR THIS WEEK'S
KANSAS CITY WEEK IN REVIEW. OUR THANKS TO OUR NEWS REVIEWERS, LYNN HORSLEY AND DAVE
HELLING OF THE KANSAS CITY STAR, OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT SAM ZEFF AND 50% OF DANA AND PARKS.
THE BETTER HALF. ON 98.1 F.M. SCOTT PARKS.
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