Why is the Legislature putting the gay-marriage amendment on the fast track while school funding lags?
Can someone explain to us why the Kansas Legislature feels it is more urgent to push through an amendment to ban gay marriage than it is to figure out a solution to the school-funding problem?
The marriage amendment is on the fast track to be voted on at the April 5 local elections while the latter issue likely won't be solved during this session, according to the so-called leaders of the House and Senate.
Perhaps the answer is as simple this: The marriage amendment represents a politically "safe" initiative that is almost guaranteed to generate positive political points toward reelection, while the latter issue is bound to irritate one group or another-and probably most Kansans in general.
And yet we can't help but think that the urgency for action lies in adequately funding the education of our children and not in an initiative that feels more reactionary than redeeming in its intent.
Perhaps figuring out the formula for adequately funding our schools is as complicated as our legislators suggest it is. But then let's give the process of figuring out that formula our priority energy. -DR
