If Reason and Decency Can Happen in Kansas, They Can Happen Anywhere
Kansas Governor Sam Brownback is best known to us in the rest of the country as the ultra-right-wing boob who slashed taxes on the rich, only to generate a loss of $688 million in its first year of operation, sending the state into a financial abyss from which it may take decades to recover. From New York Magazine:
In 2010, the tea-party wave put Sam Brownback into the Sunflower State’s governor’s mansion and Republican majorities in both houses of its legislature. Together, they implemented the conservative movement’s blueprint for Utopia: They passed massive tax breaks for the wealthy and repealed all income taxes on more than 100,000 businesses. They tightened welfare requirements, privatized the delivery of Medicaid, cut $200 million from the education budget, eliminated four state agencies and 2,000 government employees. In 2012, Brownback helped replace the few remaining moderate Republicans in the legislature with conservative true believers. The following January, after signing the largest tax cut in Kansas history, Brownback told the Wall Street Journal, “My focus is to create a red-state model that allows the Republican ticket to say, ‘See, we’ve got a different way, and it works.’ ”
The problem: it actually doesn’t work. At all. ….
Revenue shortfalls have devastated the state’s public sector along with its most vulnerable citizens. Since Brownback’s inauguration, 1,414 Kansans with disabilities have been thrown off Medicaid. In 2015, six school districts in the state were forced to end their years early for lack of funding. Cuts to health and human services are expected to cause 65 preventable deaths this year in Sedgwick County alone. In February, tax receipts came in $53 million below estimates; Brownback immediately cut $17 million from the state’s university system.
Kansas has failed similarly on the energy front, succumbing to pressure from the fossil fuel industry and replacing its renewable portfolio standard with voluntary targets.
But there’s a happy ending: By last November, Brownback’s approval rating had fallen to 26 percent, the lowest of any governor in the United States, and earlier this week, he lost his re-election bid in the primary election by a landslide.
Maybe this will serve as a powerful reminder to all those who believe that the common American is just too stupid to understand what’s happening around him and to react accordingly. To the people of Kansas, the sunflower state: Good job. To all other Americans living far from the coasts: If reason can prevail in Kansas, it can in your state too.
Sadly it seems to have taken more than just reason in Kansas. It is the failed experiment that the state will now have to work to recover. Those who just lost a percentage of their wealth in this bid for economic efficiency will recover. Lost income will be more difficult as it also represents lost opportunities. But how does society respond to those who caused others to lose their lives. Voting them out of office seems a bit light.
I was a bit dismayed at some of the follow up to Brexit. Interviews with some people highlighted regrets with some saying, “I wish I could vote over again.” or “I didn’t think it would really pass.”
It seems that both politicians and voters are sometimes not considering their actions deeply enough.
In my view, the problem isn’t lost wealth; it’s injury done to people who depend on social services, like public education.
@ Breath on the Wind,
I don’t think you really understand the issues involved in Brexit, or the ultimate benefits for the British people.
If a vote was held to day the margin to leave would increase dramatically !
The world hasn’t ended in the UK, the doomsday scenario, emotionalism and passions aroused by the “remain” campaign have gone flat as most people realize they will finally be free of the bizarre organization that the EU has become.
In the forthcoming years the UK will embrace the wisdom of Boris Johnson as did the people of London when they got to know and understand him. Johnson can be a divisive figure, but he possesses considerable intellect, charm and charisma.
He still possesses enormous influence and considerable following in the UK, not always recognized abroad since most information comes from his portrayal in leftist media outlets.
Johnson is working hard to sell the advantages for a UK’s rapprochement with the old Commonwealth, in particular, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. These nations are more politically, legally and culturally akin to the UK than Poland, Slovakia or Greece etc.
Such a rapprochement would be very popular in Scotland and Wales, and give the UK access to NAFTA and Asian free-trade agreements agreements far outweighing the dubious benefits of EU membership.
Britain is not the only EU member alarmed at the increasing determination of (unelected) EU officials to acquire governmental authority over the domestic affairs of member states.
Another factor that has increased acceptance of Brexit in the minds of the British public is the decision by Nick Farage ( UK’s answer to Donald Trump) to stand down from public life. Many moderates were alarmed by the racist image stirred up by Nick Farage, and disassociated themselves from the “leave ” campaign.
With his departure, and nothing dramatic occurring, the majority of British people are eager to see what advantages Brexit will bring.
Marco, no doubt you are far more familiar with your “home town” issues than I can hope to be. But if you notice my comment was about regret in voting not specifically about the “yea” or “nay” of Brexit.
Craig,
Not all Governor Brownback’s policies lacked merit. The problem is that Kansas is only a state, not a country, so such major reforms are far more difficult to make work.
Governor Brownback’s policies were also far too radical, and incompetently implemented. It’s another example of ill-conceived, poorly thought through and badly administered policies, initiated for mainly ideological reasons.
Imposing any ideological controls on economic policy is inevitable recipe for disaster, not matter what part of the spectrum the ideology emanates.
The concept of reducing taxes to stimulate economic growth only works if it’s the tax schedule, not other factors inhibiting the economy, and if economic activity will rise to compensate for the loss in revenue.
Cutting unnecessary waste is always part of good government economic management, but there is a level of services which government must provide. There will always be an outcry when government programs are cut, but governments must be sure that programs are only cut to make services deliver more efficiently.
Retention or removal of programs and services can’t be assessed on an ideological basis, but on the basis of improving services.
Radical changes will always be rejected, unless the constituents can see real long term benefits.