Kansas and Wichita quick takes: Tuesday December 21, 2010

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Steineger switches teams. Chris Steineger, a Kansas State Senator from Kansas City, has switched to the Republican Party. As a Democrat, Steineger had compiled a voting record more conservative than many senate Republicans. On the Kansas Economic Freedom Index for this year — recognizing that supporting economic freedom is not the same as conservatism or Republicanism — Steineger had a voting record more in favor of economic freedom than that of 15 of the senate’s Republicans.

Kansas school funding reform to wait. Incoming Kansas Governor Sam Brownback says that the Kansas economy comes first, and then school finance, Medicaid, and KPERS in a “year or two.” Tim Carpenter of the Topeka Capital-Journal reports in Revitalizing the Kansas economy is the governor-elect’s No. 1 priority.

Tax cuts in Kansas not likely, says new senate leader. Yesterday Kansas Senate Republicans elected Jay Emler of Lindsborg to be the majority leader, replacing Derek Schmidt, who will become Attorney General. As the Associated Press reports, Emler is not in favor of any tax cuts, including a repeal of the recent increase in the statewide sales tax.

McGinn to lead Ways and Means. Carolyn McGinn, a Kansas Senator from Sedgwick, will chair the Ways and Means Committee. This important committee handles appropriations — in other words, the actual spending of money. On the Kansas Economic Freedom Index for this year, McGinn scored seven percent, tying her with Senate President Stephen Morris as the Republicans most opposed to economic freedom. She also scores low in the Kansas Taxpayer Network/Americans for Prosperity ratings.

Kansas holds on to House seats. At one time it was feared that the 2010 U.S. Census might find Kansas losing one of its four seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. But Kansas will retain them. Texas picks up four seats, Florida adds two, while Georgia, South Carolina, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah gain one seat each. Ohio and New York lose two each, while Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, and New Jersey lose one each.

Rasmussen polls. As often, Rasmussen is the bearer of bad news. Like: What’s the deal with Obama? “For the first time since he became president, only 35% of voters say Barack Obama thinks society is fair and decent. That’s almost half as many as voters who hold that belief themselves. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds that 49%, on the other hand, say Obama thinks society is unfair and discriminatory.” See America’s Best Days: Fewer Voters Than Ever Say Obama Thinks Society is Fair and Decent. … Tea Party people skeptical of newly elected officeholders: “Most Tea Party members view the candidates they elected in November as agents of change from government business as usual, but non-members are a lot more skeptical. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone poll finds that only 34% of all Likely U.S. Voters think Tea Party candidates elected in November will remain true to their beliefs. See Most Tea Party Members Think Those They Elected Won’t Sell Out, Others Aren’t So Sure. … Others are pessimistic, too: “Just 23% of Likely U.S. Voters now say the country is heading in the right direction.” See Right Direction or Wrong Track.

Comments

4 responses to “Kansas and Wichita quick takes: Tuesday December 21, 2010”

  1. sheila

    McGinn and EMLER! Oh NO! RINOSSSSSSS! SAM??!!

  2. Sally M.

    McGinn is a really bad choice. I had supported her in 2 different elections. I won’t do it again. She is a self-centered, self-serving, habitual liar. She votes worse than most democrats in the state congress!

  3. The economic voting records of McGinn and KS Sen. Pres. Stephen Morris are very bad. Yet, I noticed that there was one Kansas Senator with a worse economic freedom voting record: the Democrat-who-wanted-to-be-Kansas’-Governor, Tom Holland, 0%!
    Big-government statism is still triving in Topeka!

  4. Wichitator

    Check out the new census numbers. KS is not losing a congressional seat, but Missouri is! The irony is that MO’s population growth was over 7 percent for the last decade while KS was 6 percent.

    This disparity was true of some of the other states (but not IA, NY, Mich, or PA to name four) that will be losing congressional seats after the 2010 census. Kansas will be moving up on the congressional seat “hit” list if current low population growth trends continue.

    Will it be 3 after 2020? Stay tuned for those of you planning to be around in 10 years.

    A bit of history: KS lost their 5th congressional seat after the 1990 census and this will be the longest time period between congressional seat losses in this state going back to prior to the 1930 census when KS had 8 members of the US house before that head count.

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