Kansas is becoming a hollowed-out state

Drawing upon substantial scholarly work, there is little question that Kansas 2016 reflects a “hollow” state, where basic functions of government have been farmed out, cut back and diminished, to the point that in many policy domains the state will not or cannot govern.

For many decades, Kansas and its government did govern effectively and prudently, often harking back to Gov. Robert Docking’s standard of “austere, but adequate.” To be sure, penny-pinching austerity went by the board in the 1970s and 1980s, in part because the state benefited from federal programs like aid to education and Medicaid, which raised the standard of living for the poorest Kansans, to say nothing of agricultural subsidies.

In 2011, Gov. Sam Brownback and a far-right Kansas House of Representatives began to hollow out state government, all in the name of smaller, more efficient, more private administration.

To be sure, there are many legitimate arguments over the size of government, and Kansas politicians vigorously engaged in these discussions over the years. Maybe arts funding, even a tiny amount, is just a frill, and perhaps any number of state regulations may hinder entrepreneurial activity. These are debates worth having.

But the value of a stable, reliable state government that delivers core programs in education, transportation, health and social services remains a bedrock element of most successful American states.

But since 2011, and especially in the wake of 2012 income tax cuts, the reality in Kansas has changed overwhelmingly. The state – per the wishes of the far-right faction that governs – serves fewer and fewer Kansans. Moreover, the alleged benefits of smaller government brought about by tax reductions have consistently advantaged the wealthy and the privileged.

In addition to cuts to state universities, mental health services and other programs and raids of the highway and children’s initiative funds, the hollowing out occurs in a host of ways – the privatization of core services; the loss of many veteran governmental professionals, who simply will not participate in gross programmatic reductions; and more stringent eligibility requirements, to make qualifying for services such as welfare increasingly difficult, even as benefits decline.

Over the past few years, much of the political discourse has focused on shrinking revenues from tax cuts and threats to K-12 education. These remain extremely important issues, but emphasizing them obscures the profound, continual hollowing out of state government and its negative implications for most Kansans, especially the most vulnerable.

This story was originally published July 9, 2016 at 12:07 AM with the headline "Kansas is becoming a hollowed-out state."