Posted on 01/16/2015 7:57:51 PM PST by Olog-hai
Kansas would nearly triple its cigarette tax, raise taxes on alcohol and slow down promised income tax cuts to balance its budget under proposals Republican Gov. Sam Brownback outlined Friday.
Brownback presented detailed recommendations to the GOP-dominated Legislature for eliminating projected shortfalls totaling more than $710 million in the current budget and for the fiscal year beginning July 1. He also presented a spending blueprint for the fiscal year beginning in July 2016 designed to leave the state with some cash reserves.
The state’s budget problems arose after lawmakers aggressively cut personal income taxes in 2012 and 2013 at Brownback's urging to stimulate the economy. Brownback’s budget-balancing plans would make those reductions more gradual, without abandoning his long-term goal of eliminating income taxes. The aggressive cuts had cemented Brownback’s reputation in conservative circles and he has promoted them as something other states could emulate. …
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They could try spending less....
He must be talking with Tim Pawlenty...
Yep! I guess the problem is that the shortfall will happen this year and it is too late to cut the budget?
The operative word here, is "try". Government offices never spend less unless they are forced to do so. I used to work in local government and saw a lot of waste. There was a lot of hand-wringing when the mayor ordered city departments to cut ten percent of their budgets. Ordered them to cut, not asked them to try spending less. Result was, a lot of empty unfilled positions were cut (that managers were holding onto to artificially inflate their budgets), and workers consolidated tasks that were to be given to contractors (who were paid many times the going rate of regular workers). End result was no people were let go, business went on as usual, and the city easily got by on ten percent less money. Lots of waste out there that is purposely hidden. Bureaucrats will always demand more money even though they're rolling in reserves and waste.
Small problem.
For almost 15 years the state has been embroiled in a school funding conflict. It goes like this:
1. Our state constitution guarantees children will get a ‘proper’ education.
2. School districts use taxpayer money to pay LOBBIEST and LAWYERS to sue the state with a claim that the state is not providing a ‘proper’ educatiin
3. Eventually a liberal state supreme court agrees and turns our system of governance upside down - dictating by decree how much miney should be spent on education.....completely circumventing the will of the people and their elected representatives.
Brownback and the legislature recently tried to reduce funding...but no go...
RATS at work. Sebelius and the teachers’ union blew up the budget, and Brownback has been trying to fix it and boost the economy. KS is a large oil producer, and the recent drop in oil prices is a setback. Naturally, the RATS blame Brownback for the crisis they created.
The view is always simple from the peanut gallery, eh?
It’s the conservative view on a conservative forum, the “peanut gallery” would be something else.
Private school vouchers sounds like a reasonable solution.
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