Yael T. Abouhalkah
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Yael T. Abouhalkah writes about Kansas City metropolitan issues and his columns are published on Thursday. To reach him, write in care of the Opinion desk at 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108, call (816) 234-4887 or send e-mail to abouhalkah@kcstar.com. |
RECENT COLUMNS
Now's the time to brag about Raytown schools
May 26, 9:25 PMI understand how Raytown High and the district often get lumped into the list of “troubled” school districts in the metropolitan area. But it’s also incredibly important for parents, educators and taxpayers never to give up on providing the best possible education for all the students in these urban districts.
Race for KC mayor will get more exciting (trust me)
May 19, 9:11 PMKansas Citians are less than a year away from choosing their next mayor. Can you feel the excitement building? Um, not yet. But just wait, because this could be a wild, fun race.
GOP-fueled sales tax increase boosts Kansas near top 10
May 12, 8:38 PMThis week’s decision by the GOP-controlled Kansas Legislature to boost the regressive state sales tax by 1 percentage point to 6.3 percent will place it near the 10 highest rates in the nation.
Advice for Cleveland also could help KC move ahead
May 5, 9:40 PMA recent issue of the libertarian magazine Reason outlines a handful of reasonable tactics to help revive Cleveland. All could be applied to other struggling big cities. With that in mind, here’s how Kansas City measures up in following some of these steps toward a brighter future.
Future of earnings tax will be up to Kansas City voters
Apr 28, 8:52 PMWe will know in a few months whether a statewide election will be held this fall, but it’s safe to say that the clock is ticking on the future of the earnings tax — and perhaps on the future of Kansas City.
Election to renew sales tax should wait for a tighter KC police budget
Apr 21, 9:36 PMBefore the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners decides whether to ask voters to renew the public safety sales tax, it ought to review how the current quarter-cent sales tax was placed before voters in 2002.
Thoughtful responses called for after incident on the Plaza
Apr 14, 8:14 PMAs crucial as it is to react to the scattered violence that occurred last weekend on the Country Club Plaza, it is also necessary not to overreact.
KC is taxing people more, but City Hall is not bloated
Apr 7, 9:10 PMIs local government really that much smaller or less expensive than it was, say, 10 years ago? Not exactly. Taxes are higher, and the city has more employees. But the budget hasn’t exploded, largely because of the recent economic crisis.
All benefit if Kansas City’s schools make progress
Mar 31, 9:50 PMAs the Kansas City School District’s future hangs in the balance, voters have an easy call next Tuesday. They need to strongly support Superintendent John Covington and what’s best for 17,000 district students.
KC police chief impersonates someone who will change
Mar 24, 9:10 PMSorry, but Kansas City Police Chief Jim Corwin's request to spend tens of millions of dollars for new public safety capital improvement projects isn’t worth discussing at City Hall until Corwin and the City Council work out a way to consolidate some functions.
