Monday’s polls put Gov. Sam Brownback and Rep. Paul Davis neck-and-neck in the race for governor. SOCIAL issues could help tip the scale further in Brownback’s favor.
Both are polling at 42 percent with Libertarian candidate Keen Umbehr with 6 percent.
Moderate Republicans will determine who wins.
If the issues stay centered on Kansas’ fiscal house — and not what happens behind closed doors — Davis should win.
Kansas is on track to be more than $670 million over budget for this fiscal year. For fiscal year 2014, the state was more than $300 million off the mark.
Staying the course will mean bigger cuts to education, transportation, social services and all other branches of government.
It didn’t have to be this way.
Brownback’s “experiment” of massive tax cuts for the wealthy has failed. Instead, we are staring into an abyss of starvation.
Which is not to say that cutting the fat from programs is not a good thing. Without supervision, government agencies tend to become unwieldy. That can happen when political favors are returned with governmental posts.
But Brownback’s cuts have come with consequences.
Take the Kansas Arts Commission. In 2011 Brownback cut $700,000 from the KAC budget, virtually eliminating its ability not only to launch programs but also fund those across the state. To add injury to insult, Kansas in turn lost more than $1 million in funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Mid-America Arts Alliance, which require minimal funding levels to qualify for national assistance.
Today, Kansas’ reputation as a leader in the arts is much diminished, which translates to lost jobs, reduced tourism, and fewer opportunities.
The same tack to slash budgets has been adapted for education, transportation, and social services.
The result is more in need of food stamps, rickety bridges that won’t be repaired and underfunded schools.
Perhaps because Kansas is so heavily Republican, Brownback thinks he can proceed unscathed.
Same-sex marriage, specifically, has a lot of Kansans off-kilter ever since the U.S. Supreme Court rejected several challenges to it last week.
Nationwide, only about 5 percent of Americans are estimated to be homosexual. That minority, however, is upsetting to a great many Kansans, though increasingly less so as time marches on.
Brownback has pledged to fight any legal battles that may pave the way for same-sex marriage in Kansas.
Davis, meanwhile, has remained mum, saying the governor’s race should deal with more important issues.
By his silence Davis is viewed as condoning same-sex marriage. Which would be correct. Davis voted against Kansas insisting marriage must be between only a man and a woman.
Social issues such as gay marriage rank disproportionately high as to why a candidate is supported.
It’s then that you have to question what the moral foundation of our state should be based on. If it’s good schools, fair taxation, strong courts and adequate services, then a single issue such as gay marriage should carry little weight.
We’ll find out the answer Nov. 4.
— Susan Lynn
State’s moral base affected by more than social issues
