Kansas views on legislative leaders, jobless rate, Kobach, free tuition
New leaders – The 2016 election made clear that the voters aren’t happy with the direction the state is headed. The challenges are as big as they have ever been and will require compromise and collaboration to solve. It remains to be seen if newly elected House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., R-Olathe, and Senate President Susan Wagle, R-Wichita, can offer such consensus-building leadership in 2017.
Jobless rate – It’s discouraging that the state’s economists expect Kansas to have a higher jobless rate than the nation as a whole beginning in 2018, but it’s hardly catastrophic. That’s because both unemployment rates are expected to be below 5 percent, which is pretty darn good. The problem for Kansas is that it is losing jobs while the nation is adding them.
Kobach – Secretary of State Kris Kobach has long had a bizarre preoccupation with voter fraud, and his recent assertions about millions of undocumented immigrants illegally participating in the presidential election prove that it’s only becoming more extreme. There’s no evidence for this claim, and perpetuating it is an irresponsible exacerbation of unjustified suspicions that are already far too prevalent in American society.
Free tuition – Bethany College announced that it will offer free tuition – for a full four years – to any high school graduate from McPherson or Saline counties. It’s an exciting program, and one that very well could result in keeping some of today’s high school students in the area well past graduation – and preventing their skill, education and work ethic from being drained off to some faraway place.
This story was originally published December 12, 2016 at 5:05 AM with the headline "Kansas views on legislative leaders, jobless rate, Kobach, free tuition."