Voice For Liberty

Tag: Kansas state government

Articles about Kansas, its government, and public policy in Kansas.

  • Kansas Tax Increase Not Ruled Out

    The Kansas Liberty story Lawmakers start looking for ways to meet deficit tells us that tax increases may be forthcoming in Kansas: “Both Senate President Steve Morris, R-Hugoton, and Vice-President John Vratil, R-Leawood, have not ruled out raising taxes.”

    These two gentlemen, fresh from their victories in their senate leadership races, will play important roles in the upcoming legislative session. Their lifetime ratings from the Kansas Taxpayers Network — 32.5% for Morris and 18.2% for Vratil — tell us that neither of these leaders shy away from tax increases.

  • Hard to believe, but not everyone in politics wants a free lunch

    Writing in the Wall Street Journal (Governors Against State Bailouts), the governors of Texas and South Carolina argue against bailouts: “It is also taking our country in a very dangerous direction — toward a ‘bailout mentality’ where we look to government rather than ourselves for solutions.”

    Unfortunately, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius doesn’t agree. She’s very much on the gravy train. In fact, she’s driving. As reported in the Kansas Liberty article Bailout-mania spreads to the states, “Sebelius leads call for hand-outs from the new Obama administration.”

  • Bailout-mania spreads to the states

    Bailout-mania spreads to the states, and Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius is at the forefront. As reported in Kansas Liberty:

    Sebelius , a Democrat and vigorous Obama supporter who is rumored to be a candidate for a cabinet appointment, formally presented Obama with a request on behalf of the National Governors Association for $40 billion to help fund health care assistance for the poor.

    “President-Elect Obama made it clear that he wanted input and ideas from governors about the focus and size of the stimulus package which he plans to propose to help get the economy back on track,” Sebelius said in a statement issued after the meeting.

    Read the whole story at Bailout-mania spreads to the states.

  • Kansas highways influence, for better or worse

    Kansas Department of Transportation Secretary Deb Miller wrote a Wichita Eagle editorial in which she states:

    One of the studies examines the K-96 northeast Wichita bypass. The study found that since it was finished in 1993, the bypass has dramatically influenced the region’s development patterns. Much of Wichita’s job growth between 1994 and 2006 has occurred along the K-96 corridor.

    No doubt this is true. But what are the consequences? Highways like K-96 enable and encourage growth in the outer fringes of Wichita and in suburban towns like Andover. Then, there’s a reaction.

    Officials of USD 259 complain that there’s a “doughnut” and that urban schools are being underfunded. Much taxpayer money will be needed to fix this, they say.

    Politicians like Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer still want to have a vibrant downtown, even though people have moved away. To achieve this, they’ll propose spending hundreds of millions of taxpayer funds to lure people back downtown. At tomorrow’s meeting of the Wichita City Council, more of this will be proposed.

    The corker, though, is the global warming alarmists who don’t want people driving carbon-emitting automobiles on these roads. But since we’re doing that, they want us to undertake expensive and job-killing measures to mitigate these carbon emissions.

  • Susan Wagle for Kansas Senate President

    Tomorrow, the Kansas Senate meets to select its leadership. Senate Republicans could do Kansans a favor by electing Susan Wagle of Wichita to be senate president.

    Part of the reason why a Wagle victory would be good for Kansas is her opponent, current senate president Stephen Morris of Hugoton. His political leanings are not right for Kansas as our state enters a tough budgetary period. His lifetime rating from the Kansas Taxpayers Network is 32.5%. There are many Democrats with better ratings. In a New York Times article from earlier this year (One Hand on Her Job, the Other Across the Aisle ), he was quoted as saying “But that’s the only major disagreement we’ve had since she took office,” referring to the expansion of the Holcomb Station coal-fired power plant. Someone who rarely disagrees with Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius is certainly someone who shouldn’t be in charge of leading the Kansas Senate.

    Susan Wagle, on the other hand, disagrees with the governor on many things. She’d be a great leader of the Kansas Senate.

  • Just Say It: We Need to Raise Taxes in Kansas

    Rhonda Holman’s Wichita Eagle editorial today (State budget pain must be shared) makes the case for raising Kansas taxes without directly saying so. It’s actually quite artful the way she dodges actually saying what she wants Kansas legislators to do.

    Using language like “Nobody ever wants to raise taxes …” and “Lawmakers also must not forget that they played a role in bringing Kansas to this point … without adding new revenue and by cutting taxes” she makes the case for tax hikes without actually saying the word. She did say this: “But cuts won’t be enough.” That’s pretty close, I guess.

    My question is this: Rhonda, why won’t you just say in plain language that you believe we need to raise taxes in Kansas? Just say it, if you believe it.

  • Broad-based Economic Development Will Work Best for Kansas

    Alan Cobb of Americans For Prosperity — Kansas argues that instead of micro-management of economic development efforts, Kansas should aim for a businesses climate that’s good for everyone. See Yes, but it’s only $1.3 billion.

    We should heed this advice locally in Wichita.

  • Wichita Chamber of Commerce values

    Here’s a message that Bryan Derreberry, president of the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce, sent to Chamber members. Note that this message doesn’t mention the role its political action committee played in the third Sedgwick County Commission district. In that race, the PAC spent some $19,000 of its $48,000 in an effort to elect Goddard mayor Marcey Gregory. Her opponent, longtime taxpayer advocate Karl Peterjohn, is just the type of candidate you’d expect chambers of commerce to support.

    But that’s changed. Stephen Moore in the article “Tax Chambers” published in The Wall Street Journal on February 10, 2007 wrote this: “In as many as half the states, state taxpayer organizations, free market think tanks and small business leaders now complain bitterly that, on a wide range of issues, chambers of commerce deploy their financial resources and lobbying clout to expand the taxing, spending and regulatory authorities of government. This behavior, they note, erodes the very pro-growth climate necessary for businesses — at least those not connected at the hip with government — to prosper.”

    Mr. Derreberry’s letter mentions “pro-business values.” At one time this meant something approaching free-market values. But now, Ronald Reagan’s prediction is being fulfilled here in Wichita: “What is euphemistically called government-corporate ‘partnership’ is just government coercion, political favoritism, collectivist industrial policy, and old-fashioned federal boondoggles nicely wrapped up in a bright-colored ribbon. It doesn’t work.”

    November 18, 2008
    Dear Chamber Members:

    This election cycle was a resounding success for the candidates supported by the Wichita Area Business Political Action Committee (WABPAC) as we raised more than $48,000 to support pro-business state and local candidates. The Chamber’s political action committee identified and supported 39 state legislative candidates and three Sedgwick County Commissioner candidates winning 36 of the 39 races in which WABPAC was involved (93% elected).

    The litmus test for the PAC’s engagement and support was whether a candidate had demonstrated an ability to listen and work with the business community to assure that your company, or organization, had the most competitive environment possible in which to excel. WABPAC’s Board of Trustees wants to thank every Chamber member who reviewed the PAC’s support recommendations and voted accordingly. The reason behind this appreciation is that the Chamber’s collective voice has its greatest impact when business members engage themselves in the election process and elect candidates who embrace pro-business values and understand the challenges you face daily.

    A strong, collective pro-business vote is also an outstanding way to support incumbent state legislators and local elected officials who have successfully advanced our region’s top priorities. Bottom line – we need to effectively support the business-attuned elected officials who support us. Our South Central Kansas state legislative delegation has been an adept and courageous partner in advancing our metro area’s top policy and program goals. Your combined voice, in supporting the PAC and re-electing a majority of this delegation, assures the return of legislators to Topeka willing to champion our most important business priorities.

    Respectfully,
    Bryan Derreberry

  • No Kansas subsidy to Northern Flyer

    When it comes to government money, there’s no shortage of people who have ideas on how to spend it. One group that has grand ideas of how government should spend your money is the Northern Flyer Alliance. This group promotes passenger train service in our area. Currently they’re promoting extension of rail service from Oklahoma City to Wichita.

    The problem with this group, as alluded to above, is that they seek to accomplish their goal by using government. As reported in the Wichita Eagle (Group seeks support for train service through Wichita), “The director of a group seeking expanded passenger rail service through Wichita today asked City Council members to pass a resolution urging the state to include in its upcoming transportation plan a new Amtrak line stretching from Oklahoma City to Wichita and on to Kansas City.”

    So this group is asking Wichita (and many other towns and cities) to apply pressure to the State of Kansas to subsidize this rail line. This group is another example of political entrepreneurship in action. Instead of practicing market entrepreneurship — that’s where you develop and deliver services and products that people actually want enough to pay for — this group seeks to accomplish its goals by influencing politicians and bureaucrats. They were successful in Oklahoma.

    If we want passenger train service that is truly successful, this group should work to raise private capital rather than seeking government subsidy. This is the only way we’ll know whether this train service is something that truly adds value, or whether it is just another “amenity” the government provides by taxing one person to subsidize someone else.