Kansas views on budget shortfall, state hospitals, school consolidation, dress code
Budget shortfall – Gov. Sam Brownback and others recently have pointed to concerns that low oil prices will worsen Kansas’ ongoing budget crisis. This fear is well-placed – but only to a degree. Receipts from severance tax levied on the value of oil and natural gas extracted do not make up a significant part of the state’s budget. By far the biggest contributors to the state’s horrible financial situation are the individual income tax cuts that took effect in January 2013.
The state is broke, yet the governor won’t admit his mistake. He’s content to mislead Kansans as the damage escalates. Kansas must change course, and soon. We may be stuck with the incumbent governor a few more years, but at least voters can stall the Brownback agenda by ousting ultraconservative state legislators who’ve helped him drive the state toward financial ruin.
State hospitals – Recent reports and testimony about conditions at the state’s only two hospitals for people with serious mental illness paint a disturbing picture. Osawatomie State Hospital has lost its certification for Medicare reimbursement. Osawatomie and Larned state hospitals are facing staffing shortages so severe that they likely threaten both patient care and employee safety. And, at least at this point, it seems that the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services doesn’t have a good understanding of the problems or any solid plans to help resolve them.
School consolidation – Kansas legislators have the right idea in trying to whittle down the number of school districts in the state, but we’re not convinced that their reasons are in the best interests of our children. What’s suspect about the latest attempt to consolidate school districts is a motivation that seems more aimed toward putting money in the state’s pockets than improving education.
Dress code – Sen. Mitch Holmes, R-St. John, chairman of the Kansas Senate Ethics and Elections Committee, is tired of the distraction caused by provocatively clad females at the Statehouse. But blaming a woman for being the object of his attention is classic misogynistic behavior.
This story was originally published January 31, 2016 at 6:06 PM with the headline "Kansas views on budget shortfall, state hospitals, school consolidation, dress code."