I loved watching Gov. Laura Kelly give her State of the State address Wednesday evening.
While her pedantic style of delivery was somewhat underwhelming yes, she should have studied drama in high school her message was nothing short of inspiring.
Perhaps its her lack of theatrics that helps keep the focus on her words.
Last year was a great start, she said, but theres still lots to do.
One year of progress cant erase a decade of damage, she said, referring to the slow and painful recovery from the 2007-2009 Great Recession which necessitated $1 billion in spending cuts only to be followed by Gov. Sam Brownbacks disastrous supply-side income tax cuts in 2012 and 2013.
Instead of serving as a shot of adrenaline to the state economy, as Brownback predicted, his march to zero on income taxes plunged state revenues, severely delaying our recovery from the recession.
In 2017, a bipartisan two-thirds majority of legislators overturned Brownbacks veto of future tax cuts and began to restore the most reliable of revenue-making mechanisms the income tax.
When Kelly took the reins in 2019, Kansas was on life support, she said, but beginning to gain ground.
Among her first challenges as governor was to veto yet another Republican tax cut and keep the focus on education.
By sessions end, a majority of legislators agreed to increase funding for K-12 education, bringing to an end a decades-long battle on school finance.
None of the teachers who attended the bill signing cared if it was a Democrat plan or a Republican plan, she said. They cared only that their schools would be funded. That it might help improve Kansas teacher salaries, which rank 41st in the nation. They cared that it would ensure educators have what they need to serve Kansas children well.
IF SCHOOL finance was the goal for 2019, then Medicaid expansion is that for 2020. With a bipartisan bill already in the works, hopes are high legislators will make Kansas the 37th state to enroll in the successful federal-state program that will provide an additional 150,000 Kansans with health insurance.
Like the school funding drama, legislators have made expanding Medicaid a partisan issue, ignoring who and what is being hurt in the process. Its passage will close the door on wasted time and funds and open up access to health care and guaranteed funding that will help grow the Kansas economy and keep our rural hospitals solvent.
IF ANY TAX cuts are on the horizon, Kelly wants them to go for food and property.
Because everyone needs to eat, the sales tax on food the highest in the nation is especially punitive to the poor, who pay a disproportionately higher share of their income on food than those with means.
