Kansas views on campus carry, tax policy, Medicaid expansion
Campus carry – Four years ago, the Legislature decided that state universities and colleges would be safer if people were allowed to carry firearms on campus. Fortunately, a temporary exemption allowed universities to stave off compliance. But with a July deadline for campuses to comply looming, a showdown is on the horizon. Now is the time for lawmakers to revisit the issue and heed the guidance of universities that don’t want concealed handguns on their campuses.
Kansas is one of just eight states that allows concealed carry on campuses. Twenty-three others leave the policy up to the colleges and universities and 19 ban it outright. Kansas should return to the latter group. The Personal and Family Protection Act won’t protect people on Kansas college campuses. It will unnecessarily put them in danger.
When thousands of young (often drunk) people are crammed into confined spaces, such as dorms, bars, fraternities and sororities, the chances of a catastrophic accident increase dramatically with the introduction of firearms. In most states, this is common sense – but not in Kansas.
Tax reality – Gov. Sam Brownback keeps trying to avoid the reality of his tax cut plan, but there’s no getting around the reality. His efforts to protect the tax cuts for his wealthiest friends in Kansas have cost everyone else in the state through increases in a variety of other taxes.
Medicaid expansion – It’s good that a bill to expand Medicaid in Kansas has been introduced in the Legislature. It’s past time to put the politics of Obamacare aside and look seriously at what federal Medicaid expansion might do to help Kansans.
This story was originally published January 30, 2017 at 5:05 AM with the headline "Kansas views on campus carry, tax policy, Medicaid expansion."