Inside the Beltway

“It’s essential to shore up the vulnerabilities to our nation that inevitably occur during transitions, and it is unrealistic to believe that our new president will be ready to govern on day one without aggressively preparing for that possibility today,” noted Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service.

Heading an organization that works to revitalize the federal government, Mr. Stier co-penned an open letter to both candidates urging them to begin transition plans now instead of “treating transition planning like a championship trophy they’re afraid to touch.”

TRUCE FROM TRAGEDY

The friendly rivalry that exists between Kansas and Missouri extends far beyond the collegiate football fields and basketball courts, reaching back to pre-Civil War days when the neighboring states fought over whether or not Kansas would allow slavery.

(Kansas won the right to be an abolitionist state, but not without bloodshed and the destruction of the city of Lawrence, home of the University of Kansas).

This week, whatever bad blood persists between the “Show Me” and “Sunflower” states was put aside when the Kansas State Society and Missouri State Society, both based here in Washington, came together on Capitol Hill to raise money for the victims of recent tornadoes in Kansas and flooding in Missouri.

“Peace and harmony and lots of beer ruled,” participant Ladonna H. Curzon tells Inside the Beltway, who thanked the benefit’s sponsors, which included Husch Blackwell Sanders, Kansas City Southern Lines, Sprint Nextel and Union Pacific.

• John McCaslin can be reached at 202/636-3284 or jmccaslin@washingtontimes.com.