Proper Perspective
So the election primaries are over, and we're on to the next round. Your next chance to vote comes Nov. 5.
Tim Shallenburger is the Republican choice for governor — and you have to wonder how much his snazzy blue signs, which were everywhere, factored into things.
Political advertising is a powerful, powerful tool. But it can also get pretty ugly, especially when it comes to television ads.
Maybe it's a good time now to take a deep breath and recover from the season of political ads and accusations.
It's time to remind ourselves of a fact that holds true, even as we're watching one ugly TV ad after another:
The truth usually lies somewhere in the middle.
Example No. 1: A TV advertisement ran by Wichita Mayor Bob Knight attacked fellow gubernatorial candidates Tim Shallenburger and Dave Kerr. The ad asserted that these two were the reason Kansas is in such a huge financial mess.
The ad called Kerr and Shallenburger "statehouse insiders who got us into the financial mess we are in today."
But the ad failed to mention that Knight's running mate, Kent Glasscock, could also be called one of those "statehouse insiders." Glasscock is the Speaker of the House.,
Example No. 2: A TV ad supporting attorney general candidate Dave Kline accused Phil Adkins of releasing criminals "back on the street."
The issue is a bill that Adkins supported, SB 323, which cuts back parole time for convicted criminals who have fulfilled their sentences.
But the goal of the bill, passed in 2000, was to reduce overcrowding in state prisons, not release dangerous criminals into the populous.
As we head into the home stretch of the election season, keep a level head when watching or reading the political ads that are bound to crop up on TV and radio stations and newspapers.
Look for the facts.
— JENNIFER WILSON
