Kansas views on economic report, voting rights
Economic report – No matter what you think about Gov. Sam Brownback’s economic program, we can all agree that accurate, comprehensive data is necessary for making sound decisions about public policy. This is why Kansans should be dubious of the Brownback administration’s recent decision to stop publishing its quarterly “Indicators of the Kansas Economy” – especially considering the unflattering assessments that have been presented in the reports over the past few years.
Adherents of the supply side economic approach likely have been bewildered that the indicators being monitored by Gov. Sam Brownback’s Council of Economic Advisors were moving in the direction they’d been promised would occur. Dramatic income tax decreases simply haven’t boosted the state economy. For the governor, the solution was simple: Scrap the quarterly report. That is a whole lot easier than having to answer questions about why things aren’t going as planned.
A spokesperson for the Kansas Department of Commerce said the quarterly economic report was confusing to some people – likely those who believed the governor’s plan was working. The reports regularly showed Kansas lagging behind its six state peers in the region, and the United States, all while Gov. Sam Brownback was trying to convince Kansans that the sun was shining all over the state.
Voting rights – In court after court, judges are being asked to protect the voting rights of thousands of Kansas citizens this year. And in case after case, the courts are coming down on the side of letting those Kansans participate in elections – despite the misguided efforts of Secretary of State Kris Kobach to keep them out of voting booths.
Kansas City Star
This story was originally published October 3, 2016 at 5:09 AM with the headline "Kansas views on economic report, voting rights."