Kelly Arnold: Brownback, GOP put Kansas back in game

Recent weeks have seen an increased level of vitriol from some Kansas editorialists about the commonsense reforms made by Gov. Sam Brownback and the Republican Legislature to get our state moving again. Such reactions are predictable whenever real change comes to an outdated system.

The left said similar things about former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. These Kansas editorials are just as wrong as Thatcher’s critics.

Here are some publicly available facts, submitted for open review:

These are the facts. This is the unsustainable status quo these editorials defend so vituperatively.

Just more than two years into the Brownback administration, here is the record:

And the fiscal proposals the governor has put before the Legislature in its upcoming wrap-up session will build on this progress – growing the economy, preserving hard-won responsible ending balances, and protecting core government services such as education, public safety and social services for our most vulnerable Kansans. A growing economy will make it possible to fulfill these obligations in a way the stagnant, outdated approach of the past decade did not.

As Brownback said in his recent GOP weekly address, states compete every day for people and businesses. Thanks to the work of the governor and the Legislature, the status quo is over in Kansas and our great state is back in the game.

This story was originally published April 16, 2013 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Kelly Arnold: Brownback, GOP put Kansas back in game."