News > Election 2008 > Local & State Elections

Posted on Fri, May. 01, 2009

e-mail	print	RSS	reprint
AIM	Digg it	del.icio.us	Facebook

Parkinson calls for shared sacrifice

BY JEANNINE KORANDA

Eagle Topeka bureau

TOPEKA - Gov. Mark Parkinson addressed Kansas lawmakers for the first time Thursday, repeating many of the same themes he mentioned when he was sworn in earlier this week.

Parkinson, a Democrat, touched on Kansas' economic struggles -- including a looming $328 million budget deficit -- and urged the idea of shared sacrifice to fill the gap. He pointed to budget cuts and a delay in some tax cuts as solutions.

The cuts would be painful but not crippling, delayed tax cuts could be survived, and no one's taxes would increase, he said. He added it would be a mistake to raise taxes.

"I am confident that you will rise to the occasion and show both the leadership and courage to make the votes to balance the budget," he told a joint session of the Legislature.

Parkinson also emphasized a theme of shared struggles and overcoming adversity.

"Today, I've come to tell you all that this common bond will always be stronger than any of our differences," he said.

The mood was different from the mood during then-Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' state of the state speech in January. Her remarks were frequently met with silence from Republicans. Parkinson received a standing ovation.

Rep. Jason Watkins, R-Wichita, vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said the speech was one of the best he had heard from a governor, and struck the right tone.

But he and other Republicans criticized Parkinson's call to delay promised business tax cuts and to "decouple" the state's tax code from the federal code so Kansas won't automatically adopt federal tax breaks.

"There has already been plenty of sacrifice by business. That's how we got here in the first place," he said. "It was business that was losing money and laying people off that led to the downturn in the Kansas budget profile."

Sen. Susan Wagle, R-Wichita, equated the tax delays and decoupling with a tax increase. "Revenue enhancement is a tax increase, period," she said. "That is the absolute worst way to deal with a recession."

The only way to balance the budget without a tax increase is if K-12 education shares in the cuts, she said. So far, in earlier budget cuts, public education's budget has been decreased less than 1 percent.

House Speaker Rep. Mike O'Neal, R-Hutchinson, said decoupling from the federal tax code "sends such an anti-business message, and this is not the time or place to be sending those types of message."

Democrats were more supportive.

Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau, D-Wichita, said Parkinson had laid out "an attainable vision" for the state.

The burden could not be shifted to just one group, she agreed. "I just thought he had all the answers to this budget problem."

"Gov. Parkinson hit just the right tone, which was fiscal discipline, shared sacrifice and working across party lines," said Rep. Raj Goyle, D-Wichita.

In addition to balancing the budget, Parkinson said the state needed to add jobs using federal stimulus money and by retaining programs such as the National Bio and Agro Defense Facility.

Texas has said it intends to sue because the federal government chose Kansas for the project.

Parkinson vowed to fight to keep the program in Manhattan.

"My message to Texas is simple: If you interfere with NBAF, not only will we mess with Texas, we will crush your frivolous attempts to take it away," he said to loud applause.

Contributing: Dion Lefler of The Eagle