KCMO Morning Show Blog

Despite a national poll done just over a month ago by Gallup showing the unprecedented personal happiness of Americans, the New York Times came to Kansas City seeking out the downtrodden, disheartened, and depressed.

Stigall put out an all-call for the featured sad-sacks in the column, and one called in immediately. After talking with Raymond Dixon, Chris coaxed him out of his depression. Listen on our podcast page.

A fascinating interview today with former Iraqi Air Force General Georges Sada, author of "Saddam's Secrets." From what happened to the WMD's to plotting attacks on Israel, Sada's personal insight into the former dictator is eye-opening. Listen to the interview on our podcast page. Sada speaks at the Kansas Republican Assembly's annual dinner in Topeka, Kansas January 25th.

We were amused to FINALLY read the Falling Star's admission: Kansas City's citizen satisfaction is low. Really low. Of course the survey omission was explained away as were the dismal results - all designed to deflect and distract. This story came only after people began to wonder why KC was left out of a recently published 19 city profile of citizen satisfaction surveys across metro suburbs. Mind you this was only online. It was left out of their publication.

The results of this survey, combined with their own editorial today regarding the inflated, inside copy services contracts is more evidence of city manager Wayne Cauthen's failure in office. Yet coverage of Funkhouser's attempt to move on with a new manager was met by this same paper before Christmas with great disdain and charges of racism. One might also ask how responsible Kansas City's former mayor may be for the dismal findings?

A brand new smoking ban study from a leading Missouri economist at the Fed in St. Louis calls more attention to the financial devastation that befalls small business when government steps on them.

Our friends at the Show-Me Institute released a study on light rail in Kansas City. They're not fans. We talked with Crosby Kemper and the study's author yesterday. Listen to it on our podcast page.

Better late than never. Our friend John Landsberg recaps this saga perfectly. A full day after breathless coverage of Governor Matt Blunt and Frances Semler calling it quits, the Falling Star decided to fill you in on a critical story. The news came out Tuesday, but you didn't read about it until today. A second officer has now been cleared and ordered reinstated after being railroaded by the bureaucrat PC establishment and trashed in local media. It's another enormous blow to the folks that wanted to bash cops and race-bait.

Another judge sides with free speech. We'll be watching Missouri's Attorney General Jay Nixon now. Will he fight this judge or the judge that recently ruled language banning affirmative action was welcome to the ballot? Will he challenge any of these rulings for fear they'll draw conservatives to the polls this fall?

A remarkable point is made in this story today from the Associated Press about Martin Luther King Jr. The very people that use his name to score points or bolster their stand on an issue ironically do his legacy more harm.

Our thanks to listener Nancy who alerted us to some very well written letters to the editor in Sunday's Kansas City Star. Couldn't say it better ourselves.

Race, KC politics
I am convinced we will continue to have racial tensions in this city. That is, if black political activists masquerading as ministers keep up their tactics of intimidation.

When will the African-American community tell the Kansas City school board that enough is enough? Ever since I came to this town more than 30 years ago, that school board has been a disgrace and a laughingstock. Hiring and firing. Hiring and firing.

And now the Rev. Nelson “Fuzzy” Thompson and his ilk are trying to strong arm the mayor into complying with their political agenda (1/16, Local, “SCLC leader threatens boycott; Charles Steele Jr. calls for all civil rights organizations to stay out of Kansas City if Funkhouser doesn’t fire Semler”). I say, let the Southern Christian Leadership Conference take its bigotry elsewhere.

Abraham Reddekopp
Kansas City

I am quite disturbed by the direction taken with the statements used by many to support Wayne Cauthen. Many of these supporting statements start off with a comment complaining about Mayor Mark Funkhouser trying to fire “Wayne Cauthen, the first black/African-American city manager.”

Excuse me, but I thought people should be judged by their actions, not the color of their skin. If we as a society are ever going to bridge the racial divide, we need to eliminate the racial overtones in both directions and start looking at people based on their qualifications.
Unfortunately, any arguments supporting Cauthen because of his proven job performance have been overshadowed by those who are complaining the loudest about the firing of “an African- American” by pulling conventions, etc.

Many of the statements supporting Wayne Cauthen are clearly racially motivated. I simply cannot understand why, when African-Americans espouse racial bigotry, it is acceptable — even encouraged — in a society where we are supposed to be racially unbiased.
The “race card” has two faces, and it is about time that the African-American leaders and groups representing African-Americans understand that taking racist stands and espousing racial bigotry in support of African-Americans undermines their efforts to eliminate racially motivated actions against them.

Rob Stitt
Lee’s Summit

We finally have a mayor willing to look beyond downtown, including the inner city, and the NAACP and Southern Christian Leadership Conference have a meltdown over Frances Semler and Wayne Cauthen. When does intimidation ever have a positive outcome? I’m hoping common sense will make a comeback and our black community sees the possibilities.

Karol Grutz
Kansas City

That's what it seems Kansas City media is now saying. The SkillsUSA convention, the city's largest annual convention is pulling out of KC. Why? Lack of space. LACK OF SPACE!?

What was all the talk of downtown revitalization? What was all the talk of the brilliance of Wayne Cauthen and Mayor Barnes? How did they not know years ago the pace at which this convention is growing?! Huge TIF deals, for which the city's taxpayers are still on the hook. No anchor tenant at the shiny new Sprint Center.

Bottom line: Cauthen and the Barnes administration blew it. They cost the city its 15-million dollar a year convention and built a glitzy new downtown on a wing and a prayer. Throw in two scandals tied to Cauthen's office subordinates, his questionable handling of travel expenses, and a stinging audit of his backdoor deals with certain council members - and it's fairly clear why Funkhouser wanted to part ways with him. Even more amazing, Cauthen leaves town to interview with the City of Austin, TX and leaves his pervert assistant in charge! Austin passed on him, by the way.

I guess the better question now is - why would 9 council members still want him here?

We're subjected to weeks of hand-wringing coverage of the "racist," "stubborn" Mark Funkhouser supposedly bringing the city to financial ruin because we lost two inconsequential minority conventions. Yet, when Kansas City ACTUALLY loses a meaningful convention, with a huge fiscal impact - the story is a fleeting mention.

ANOTHER HUGE VICTORY AGAINST THE CITY'S RACE BAITERS!

We congratulate attorney Steve Bukaty and his legal team for successfully defending a good officer from a pandering public relations persecution. We're watching for a similar victory next week.

Be sure to take the poll attached to this story. Let the "Falling Star" know you're not duped.

You'll note, missing in this story about Ms. Salva (the media darling...er, victim) are the facts:

Salva had ten warrants out for her arrest.

Both officers in question had been tailing Salva in a liquor store parking lot several minutes prior to the stop.

Salva was stripped of the custody rights to her existing children.

Salva was witnessed applying a fraudulent temporary tag in her rear car window prior to the stop.


The truth continues to pour out of downtown. If you're not listening to the KCMO Morning Show with Chris Stigall, you're not going to get it. See you next week.

After a months-long crusade by Mac Tulley and the Kansas City Star's editorial board to convince you Frances Semler and Mark Funkhouser were costing the city convention business...

The front page of this morning's paper features this story by Matt Cambell. Ironically, they ran this story just a day after an extensive profile on Funkhouser's "missteps" in his first months in office. One of those missteps they continue to demand he fix is removing Semler from the parks board to save future city business. Truly amazing. Maybe Mr. Campbell didn't get the memo from his boss Mr. Tulley. Remember - we're "losing" conventions.