Kansas State Board of Education member Steve Roberts of Overland Park was apparently trying to make a bizarre point about political correctness when he used the N-word during a state board meeting last month. But using the vile word as a prop was inappropriate and offensive, and the fact he can’t grasp that is equally disturbing.
Wichita got a great, well-timed boost with Wednesday’s news that McConnell Air Force Base will be the main active-duty operating base for the KC-46A tankers, emerging the winner in the 54-base field. The Air Force’s faith in McConnell is well-placed, and the community must do all it can to support the effort.
South-central Kansans are focusing their prayers, thoughts and charity on the devastation that visited Moore, Okla. When “the monster returned” Monday, as the Oklahoman newspaper said in comparing the storm to one that struck 14 years ago, it looked familiar in these parts, too, both from experience and our nightmares.
As revenues ebb under the income-tax cuts, state leaders are looking at everything as a potential place to cut spending. But why look at the National Center for Aviation Training, which is the sort of business-driven educational facility the state’s economy will need to grow and Wichita will need to remain a planemaking powerhouse?
Core services – The current cost-cutting efforts of state government should spur serious conversation about what Gov. Sam Brownback often calls "core government services." Are some of the services being cut really not worthy of tax support, or is that rationale just a way of pushing more government responsibilities onto a different set of taxpayers at the local level?
After the 2012 election put the entire Legislature under conservative Republican control, Gov. Sam Brownback touted Kansas as a “red-state model” for the nation. By Friday that model was looking a bit black and blue, though, as House and Senate leaders traded blame over their inability to agree on taxes and the budget.
The questions about reviving passenger rail through Wichita still start with “if” rather than “when,” but hopes surged last week when Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett and Kansas City, Mo., Mayor Sly James formally joined Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer in advocating for connecting the cities via passenger trains.
The National Baseball Congress hasn’t struck out, but its financial struggles and those of its current manager have put it behind the count.
This week Kansans variously have heard that the private talks on taxes involving Gov. Sam Brownback and top GOP lawmakers are going well and at an impasse. Such important fiscal negotiations should be held with a broad, bipartisan range of legislators participating and the public watching. While we wait in the dark, though, here are some hopes for what will and won’t happen in the session’s remaining days:
Politics have no place at the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS’ abuse of power in targeting conservative organizations demands more than the outrage the president exhibited Monday or the apology the agency issued Friday.
Sales tax – The idea of voting to extend the sales tax likely has caused considerable angst on the part of many state representatives in recent weeks, but it is something they should do. The simple truth is all levels of government are responsible for funding some services that cannot be ignored.
Lobbyists serve a valuable role in the legislative process, often providing needed expertise on complicated issues. But they shouldn’t have undue influence, particularly if it comes from wining and dining lawmakers.
As lawmakers wrap up this year’s legislative session, they should wrap their heads around the challenges facing school districts and many Kansas families. And how little lawmakers have done to help.
The days of needing to protect the fledgling Internet are long gone, and online retail sales should be taxed the same as sales at local brick-and-mortar businesses.
Legislative leaders should keep the veto session that starts Wednesday focused and brief by concentrating on four important issues – taxes, the budget, Medicaid and KanCare – and avoiding last-minute shenanigans.
With the clock running out on this year’s legislative session, it appears as if Gov. Sam Brownback and state lawmakers may put off until next year the decision on whether to expand Medicaid. Though delaying would be better than blocking expansion, it still would be costly, especially for Kansans who need health insurance.
Higher ed – Gov. Sam Brownback toured many of the state’s colleges and universities recently, telling supporters that holding higher education funding steady is essential to Kansas’ economy. Colleges are full of smart people, however, and the mixed message of Brownback’s tour escaped no one.
Kansas lawmakers were warned about the constitutional problems with the Second Amendment Protection Act. Yet they passed it overwhelmingly and the governor, an attorney, proudly signed it.
Last spring the Legislature failed spectacularly at its once-a-decade job of redistricting, so paralyzed by GOP infighting that three federal judges ended up redrawing the maps. This week Kansas got a bill for that humiliating display – $389,000 the judges say it must pay for attorneys’ fees and expenses stemming from the resulting lawsuit. Consider it a fresh reminder of the need to do something as a state to reform redistricting for 2022, 2032 and beyond.
If Gov. Sam Brownback persuades the House next week to hang onto the higher sales-tax rate after June 30, he may avoid budget cuts to higher education, help offset last year’s income-tax cuts and further drive down the state income tax. As always, though, such action in Topeka could have ripple effects on local governments, including what it would do to their ability to use local sales taxes for local needs.
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