Kansas views on budget hole, job losses, child care, KSU football
Budget hole – The immediate priority for lawmakers in the 2017 session is dealing with a $350 million hole in the state budget. Next up will be fixing a $500 million revenue shortfall projected for the 2018 fiscal year, which begins July 1. Rather than being worried about the lack of state senators who are attorneys, perhaps the greater concern is that the Senate doesn’t have a practicing accountant among its members.
Revenue reports – The November and December revenue reports should make lawmakers more comfortable as the 2017 legislative session gets underway. Make no mistake, the revenue challenges haven’t changed, but at least lawmakers have an accurate idea of how much revenue the state will have this year.
Job losses – Gov. Sam Brownback ran for re-election on a pledge to grow jobs at a significant pace. Instead, Kansas had 3,900 fewer jobs this past November than in November 2015, a sorry statistic that left the Sunflower State ranked fifth worst nationwide in employment growth at minus 0.3 percent. Yet Brownback somehow sees a success story.
Child care – There are free-market solutions to many problems, but the market has failed to provide reasonable options for young families as they raise the next generation of Kansans. A system that places unreasonable economic burdens on families, pays workers poverty wages and places young children at risk is not sustainable. Our state must tighten lax regulation of day care providers and be willing to subsidize quality child care for the benefit of all Kansans.
Football success – Kansas State football fans ought to be proud of their team’s 2016 season, capped by a solid win over Texas A& M in the Texas Bowl. The team’s hallmark was the way it simply kept battling.
This story was originally published January 9, 2017 at 5:24 AM with the headline "Kansas views on budget hole, job losses, child care, KSU football."