Mark Parkinson

Kansas texting, seat belt law passes

March 10, 2010

The Kansas senate passes a primary seat belt law that also bans texting while driving.

Read the full article →

Kansas Governor misleads Kansans on taxes

March 8, 2010

If President Reagan had attended Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson’s press conference last Friday, he likely would have said, “There you go again…” in response to Parkinson’s claim that $9 billion in tax cuts and exemptions over the last decade are to blame for the budget crisis.

Read the full article →

Strange happenings in Kansas at Washington Days

February 28, 2010

Lobbyists were talking about one of the stranger receptions that they’ve attended in recent memory: one organized by Parkinson to introduced lobbyists and political operatives to Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City, who is seeking the governorship

Read the full article →

State budget ‘gap’ is all about perspective

February 8, 2010

When businesses or individuals talk about cutting their expenses, it means they are going to spend less money that they did in the past. But when governments talk about budget cuts they often have a different perspective: they are spending less than they had hoped to but not necessarily less than the year before. For example, we often heard how Kansas schools had to cut their budgets last year but they still spent $12,660 per pupil, or 3.9% more than the previous year.

Read the full article →

Cause of Kansas budget gap is spending

January 28, 2010

Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson says Kansas has a $400 million budget gap, and he’s proposed increasing sales and cigarette taxes to close it. … If we could hold spending steady for next year — and remember that inflation is running at very low levels — we could get by without a tax increase. If the governor and the legislature would consider tapping some of the available Kansas fund balances, we could even increase spending without tax increases.

Read the full article →

Kansas news digest

January 20, 2010

News from alternative media around Kansas for January 20, 2010.

Read the full article →

Kansas governor proposes taxes, smoking ban, green energy projects

January 11, 2010

Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson‘s State of the State address Monday proposed two new taxes, a ecomprehensive statewide smoking ban, and a cabinet team to promote green energy projects. He didn’t propose closing tax exemptions, and he made no mention of a way that could help Kansas make it through a fiscal shortfall.

Read the full article →

Kansas news digest

November 30, 2009

News from alternative media around Kansas for November 30, 2009.

Read the full article →

Play Powerball for the good of the Kansas budget?

November 25, 2009

In an explanation presented to the Kansas House Appropriations Committee of how the Kansas state budget was balanced by Governor Mark Parkinson Monday, there’s a line item “Powerball income tax windfall.” The amount is $3.1 million, the result of a Kansan having won the multi-state jackpot not long ago.

Read the full article →

‘Efficiency Kansas’ introduced in Wichita

November 17, 2009

At stops in Topeka and Wichita, Kansas officials introduced the Efficiency Kansas loan program.

This is a program funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, better known as the stimulus bill. In Kansas, the State Energy Office, a subsidiary of the Kansas Corporation Commission, was awarded $38 million to foster energy efficiency for homes and businesses in Kansas. That office will manage the program.

Read the full article →

Josh Svaty named Secretary of Agriculture

July 14, 2009

Today Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson appointed Josh Svaty, a member of the Kansas House of Representatives as acting agriculture secretary. Svaty is a Democrat from Ellsworth.

Read the full article →

Watkins addresses Kansas budget, Republicans, schools

May 29, 2009

Speaking at at the regular weekly meeting of the Wichita Pachyderm Club on May 22, 2009, Kansas House of Representatives member Jason Watkins addressed the Kansas budget, Kansas Republicans, and school spending.

Regarding the budget during the past legislative session, which ended in May: Watkins felt there was an opportunity for reform that the legislature should have taken advantage of. The injection of federal stimulus money, however, reduced the urgency of the Kansas budget crisis, and no reform took place.

Read the full article →

Kansas tax policy facts from AFP

May 1, 2009

Americans For Prosperity — Kansas has prepared some information about Kansas tax policy.

This information is timely, as there are people — including our new governor Mark Parkinson — who want to “adjust” our tax system in ways that will harm the Kansas economy. The result is what’s termed “revenue solutions.”

Read the full article →

Steineger responds to critics. They’re not persuaded.

April 28, 2009

Kansas State Senator Chris Steineger, a Democrat from Kansas City, has reached out to the “other side” several times this year. He spoke at Americans For Prosperity’s Defending the American Dream Summit in Wichita in January (see Kansas Senator Chris Steineger on Redesigning Kansas Government.). On April 15, he spoke at the tea party protest in Overland Park.

Read the full article →

Articles of Interest

April 2, 2009

Wichita TIF development, Kansas coal, Carl Brewer on downtown, Dick Coe on crash and recovery, Fox’s Glenn Beck.

Read the full article →

Green energy policies causing harm in Europe

March 30, 2009

In their Washington Times article Lessons from Europe, Iain Murray, Gabriel Calzada, and Carlo Stagnaro warn us in the United States about “green” energy policies that have been implemented in Europe. These harmful policies are just like the ones we are considering here.

Read the full article →

Kansas Governor in 2010

March 19, 2009

Larry Sabato of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia has a great website and accompanying email newsletter. In its own words: “Larry J. Sabato’s Crystal Ball features analyses of presidential elections, Senate, House and gubernatorial races.” Here’s what he has to say about the gubernatorial race in Kansas next year: KANSAS — [...]

Read the full article →

Academic Study Challenges Projections of Green Jobs

March 17, 2009

Global warming alarmists often argue that transforming our economy to reliance on “green” sources of energy is good because millions of jobs will be created. These new green jobs, it is claimed, will drive our economy forward and create wealth.

Read the full article →

Mark Parkinson, Potential Kansas Governor

March 1, 2009

A few items, present and past, about Mark Parkinson, who may be the governor of Kansas before long:

Read the full article →