Kansas voters deserve the truth. But they may have to wait until the Nov. 4 general election is over to get it. BROWNBACK doesn’t look, sound or act like a conservative. WHEN REVIEWING the Aug. 5 primary ballot, picture which candidates seem truly troubled over the current state of affairs.
According to Gov. Sam Brownback, Kansas is witnessing a surge in new jobs.
“We’re seeing a record number of new citizens and new jobs,” he said recently on the MSNBC news channel.
That runs contrary to the recent posting by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to the non-partisan office, job growth in Kansas is at 3.8 percent, almost half the national average. In fact, Kansas is losing jobs. According to the report, Kansas has fewer jobs today than it did seven months ago.
Massive tax cuts enacted in 2012 were to have spurred industries to expand.
So far all they’ve done is reduce revenue by $700 million to the point we are forecast to spend down our savings to zero by the end of the fiscal year. In one year’s time the state budget has lost more than during the entire three years of the economic recession ending in 2009, when Kansas witnessed a $600 million decline in revenues.
That doesn’t sound like a conservative government.
In May, Moody’s investment house downgraded the state’s bond rating because of its bleak economic future.
That’s not a conservative picture.
By not taxing private business, Gov. Brownback’s tax plan has flimflam man and his dog scrambling to form private corporations — many of the “new” jobs Brownback claims — to qualify for the tax break. Free lancers and fly-by-night outfits all of the sudden have that all-important LLC tacked onto their business cards.
Conservatives consider that unsavory business practices.
Instead of putting Kansas on sound financial footing, he and Republican legislators are breaking the bank to curry favors of the wealthy.
Under current tax law, the state’s 1 percent will enjoy a 2.2 percent reduction in their state income taxes. Meanwhile, the bottom 20 percent of income earners will see a tax increase of 1.3 percent in addition to the loss of critical tax credits, including the food sales rebate for the elderly and disabled.
Unconscionable.
Time was, being conservative meant having your fiscal and moral house in order.
Good signs to look for: bloodshot eyes, a furrowed brow, an anxious wringing of hands.
If the candidate seems relaxed; steer clear.
— Susan Lynn
Signs of a good candidate: furrowed brow, bloodshot eyes
