Earnings Tax Fight Heats up in Kansas City

Earnings Tax Fights Heats up in Kansas City

Circuit Court Judge Jon Beetem ruled in favor of keeping Missouri Proposition A on the November ballot. Proposition A would ban cities in Missouri from collecting an income tax. The two cities that currently have an Earnings (income) tax - St Louis and Kansas City - would be required to have voters decide if the tax could continue. Next year would be the first such vote, and if the tax is continued, it would have to be voted on every five years. Kansas City Mayor Funkhouser said he was disappointed and would continue to try and educate citizens about the need for the earnings tax revenue in the city.

A large percentage of Kansas City's general budget is derived from the "E-tax" as it's called. The matter has not been brought to the voters in years. It has city officials terrified. The city has become dependent on this income - like a drug addict, it craves more and more money.

Many supporters of the earnings tax in Kansas City are geared to fight the statewide measure in November. They include the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, and of course Police and Firefighters Unions, The city of Kansas City (Mayor Funkhouser), and other government employee unions. Others - like St Louis Mayor Francis Slay - think the passage of Proposition A is a foregone conclusion and are instead gearing up for the local vote on the Earnings Tax next year. This approach makes more sense to me, the local voters should have a say when it comes to how they are taxed.

Browns Center Accuses Chief Defender of Hitting Below the Belt

Football is a physical game, but according to Cleveland Brown Center Alex Mack, Chiefs Defensive Lineman Shaun Smith got a little too physical in the Chiefs 16-14 win over Cleveland on Sunday. According to Mack, Smith grabbed the Center's private parts during the game.

Smith has denied any wrong doing, however the play ended up having big consequences for the Browns. Mack claims he was so irrate after the play, he commited a personal foul on Chiefs Linebacker Derrick Johnson. The penalty led to a long field goal attempt for Browns kicker Phil Dawson, who missed what may have been a game-winning kick.

Smith played for the Browns the past two seasons before the team cut him in the offseason, so he may have had a little extra motivation to get back at his former team. The Browns may only have themselves to blame for his antics; this article mentions that NFL players accuse the Browns of the most crotch-grabbing and eye-poking in the NFL. Mack is simply getting the same treatment that Brown's opponents have been receiving for the past few seasons.

The bottom line is that the NFL is a dirty game, and things like this happen on the field all the time. Smith is not mentioned as one of the dirtiest players in the NFL, and did something that the Browns have become notorious for. Maybe in the future Mack should just wear a bigger cup.

Chiefs Beat Browns, Move to 2-0

No that title is not a misprint, the Kansas City Chiefs have opened the season 2-0. Kansas City won a close road contest against the Cleveland Browns to remain undefeated and on top of the AFC West standings. While not thoroughly convincing, a win is a win, and the team has already matched half of its win total from last season.

After finishing what was yet again a terrible preseason, many thought that the young Chiefs were still at least a year away from contention. However, the league's weakest schedule and a few signs of life from the running game and special teams turned some fans into believers. After the first two weeks, many are starting to wonder if Kansas City can make a push for the playoffs.

Now before Chief fans get too carried away, lets not forget that even really bad teams can jump out to fast starts (Tampa Bay, anyone?) and then cool off. The Chiefs offense is still held back from subpar play from Matt Cassel and not getting Jamaal Charles the ball enough (despite his eye-opening stats).

The Chiefs have made obvious improvements, but still have a long way to go. With an easy schedule and weak division, there is no reason why the team shouldn't at least contend for a playoff spot. At the very least, the team may still be in playoff contention after week 8, which is a big improvement from the past two seasons.

Weekend Storms Wreak Havoc Over Kansas City Area

Weekend Storms Wreak Havoc Over Kansas City Area

Strong storms rolled through the Kansas City Area on Saturday evening accompanied by strong winds and large hail. Some of the worst damage was in the Northland where winds close to 90 mph tore through the area. As of this morning, KCP&L reports roughly 1400 are still without power North of the River. This is down from the nearly 20,000 that were powerless immediately following the storm. The utility will be handing out dry ice today to those without power, bring a cooler with you to the K-Mart parking lot on Vivian Rd.

Also hard hit was Smithville Lake. The storm did $500,000 worth of damage to G Dock at Paradise Pointe Marina. That dock was a total lose, and some damage was done to surrounding docks. Large trees were downed around the Lake, and power is not restored in that are either.

Large hail around town did significant damage including the Independence Center where a skylight was broken. The mall had to be partially evacuated. Cars and roofs were heavily damaged by hail up to SOFTBALL sized. Amazingly there were no injuries reported in any of the incidents across the Kansas City Region. More good news, no more storms expected until at least Wednesday, giving folks a chance to clean up.

Should KU Start Kale Pick?

Ah, the good old quarterback position. It all starts and ends there. We saw how Kale Pick started the season,Jordan Webb came in to lead KU to a surprise win over 15th ranked Georgia Tech, and then KU got smacked on the road by Southern Mississippi. While Webb has played somewhat well for a true freshman, perhaps KU is better off with Kale Pick.

First, lets take a look at KU's offense as a whole. So far, the only thing KU has really done effectively is run the ball. Webb has played pretty well, most notably he hasn't thrown a pick which has been big. My question is: if KU's offense is going to rely on the run, especially some zone reads, options, etc why not use Pick? Webb made a few plays with his feet but Pick could be deadly on the run. Maybe just go all in with a rushing attack with Pick and the RBs, and use the occasional pass?

The other reason I thought a switch could be possible is when KU isn't running and running and running, the majority of the team's passes are bubble screens and short throws. You are telling me that Pick couldn't execute the bubble screen? If the Jayhawks are going to handicap its offense no matter who is behind center and only throw screens and short passes, couldn't they at least try to get another threat/dimension out of the position?

My third point is for being the "better passer" of the two, I haven't been impressed really with Webb's throws more than 10 yards. Against Southern Miss, most of his passes that were even remotely downfield were way off. I know he is still young and has time to develop, but some of those passes were ugly. I also wonder about the quick switch at QB. Was Pick that bad against NDSU? He wasn't good, but was he that bad? The coaches said he was clearly the better QB during the spring and summer and earned the QB1 spot, was that just an attempt to give him confidence? I'm not sure, but if KU's offense continues to struggle, Pick should at least be given a second look.