Kansas views on school funding, retaining justices, highways, budget mess
School funding – The governor’s request for public input on a new school funding formula is insincere and designed to take pressure off lawmakers facing tough re-election races Nov. 8. Kansas voters need to pay close attention to which lawmakers are allowed to return to Topeka in January. Every incumbent, regardless of party, who has been complicit in the K-12 finance formula debacle does not merit re-election. As the fictional Forrest Gump used to say: “Stupid is as stupid does.”
Retaining justices – In the Nov. 8 election, four Supreme Court justices and four Court of Appeals judges are being targeted by groups that want to oust them. The stakes are high because if any or all of the jurists are not retained, Gov. Sam Brownback will have an opportunity to nominate new justices and judges who share his approach to Kansas government. In short, at issue is the governor’s attempt at a power grab to control all three branches of state government.
Highway funding – In a Sept. 9 news release, the Kansas Department of Transportation announced that 96.7 percent of interstate miles and 91.7 percent of non-interstate miles are in “good” condition. After this information was made public, Gov. Sam Brownback said, “Kansas has a history of outstanding roads, and I’m proud to continue that tradition.” However, if his administration keeps taking money from KDOT to sustain the state general fund, our “history of outstanding roads” might be coming to an end.
Budget mess – It’s well past time to end the fiscally irresponsible decision-making stemming from the governor’s self-inflicted budget mess, especially when a better way to address persistent revenue shortfalls exists – namely revising his radical tax policies.
This story was originally published September 19, 2016 at 5:08 AM with the headline "Kansas views on school funding, retaining justices, highways, budget mess."