News from alternative media around Kansas for January 20, 2010.
Letter form the Newsroom — Tax Exemptions Edition
(State of the State Kansas) “This week we will also look at the issue of tax exemptions where we will hear from a number of people, including, Revenue Secretary Joan Wagnon, Representative Marc Rhoades (R) and the Kansas National Education Association.”
Republican Candidates For Congress In The 4th District Debate
(State of the State Kansas) “The Great American Forum hosted the first debate between the Republican 4th Congressional District Candidates Friday night. We put in a word from each of them here starting with ladies first in reverse alphabetical order.”
Investments alone won’t restore KPERS deficit
(Kansas Reporter) “LAWRENCE, Kan. – Better investment results alone will not pull battered government pension plans out of the financial ditch, according to some new research by a University of Kansas economist. Fundamental reforms will be needed in both how investment targets are calculated and how individual states determine what will be required to keep promises made to retirees.”
Don’t expect another $40 million from tax settlements
(Kansas Reporter) “TOPEKA, Kan. – Kansas legislators shouldn’t count on millions of dollars more from tax settlements to balance the budget, Kansas Department of Revenue Secretary Joan Wagnon told House Appropriation committee members Tuesday.”
Sales tax rates go up in Kansas, not down
(Kansas Reporter) There’s a danger in “temporary” tax increases: “TOPEKA, Kan. – What goes up in Kansas doesn’t always have to come down, especially when it comes to the sales tax rate, according to research on the history of sales tax increases.”
Gov. Sebelius assisted AFSCME-CCPT in unionizing child care providers in Kansas
(Kansas Watchdog) “Gov. Kathleen Sebelius helped the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) unionize as many as 7000 family child care providers.”
Spending limit proposal quietly makes the rounds
(Kansas Reporter) “TOPEKA, Kan. – With a projected budget deficit of nearly $400 million on the horizon, there is a lot of talk around the Kansas Capitol of a constitutional amendment to set up a rainy day fund to have money set aside for when the next recession arrives. But the most prominent proposal — introduced by state Sens. Jon Vratil, a Leawood Republican, and Laura Kelly, a Topeka Democrat earlier this month — is not the only one.”
Waiting lists for state services expected to grow
(Kansas Health Institute News Service) “TOPEKA – More than 5,700 Kansans with physical or developmental disabilities are waiting for Medicaid-funded services designed to help keep them out of a nursing home or state hospital. About 2,000 people on the waiting list are developmentally disabled children or adults who are receiving some government-funded services but are waiting for others for which they are eligible.”
Taxpayers Shouldn’t Be Burdened with Solving Government’s Spending Problem
(Americans for Prosperity, Kansas) “‘Considering that over a six-year time frame, from FY 2004 to FY 2009, spending increased by a staggering 40 percent, it was disappointing to once again hear Gov. Parkinson fail to identify excessive spending as being the real reason why Kansas is facing a budget shortfall,’ said AFP-Kansas state director Derrick Sontag. ‘The budget crisis we are currently experiencing is a direct result of our state government living beyond its means, thus it is simply unacceptable for Gov. Parkinson to call for tax increases on Kansas families and businesses.’”