Author: Bob Weeks
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Wichita pension plan report
First, the good news: The condition of Wichita Employees’ Retirement System is nowhere near as dire as Kansas Public Employee Retirement System, or KPERS.. But the city is having to make much higher contributions to keep the plan funded. These contribution rates are likely to increase, as the plan relies on unrealistic assumptions.
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Hauser’s law, or raising taxes won’t work
Hauser’s law illustrates that raising tax rates doesn’t generate more revenue.
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Taxes are expensive
It’s very expensive to comply with the federal tax code, requiring the equivalent of 3,500,000 people.
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Thinking beyond stage one in economic development for Wichita
It’s hard to think beyond stage one. It requires considering not only the seen, but also the unseen, as Frederic Bastiat taught us in his famous parable of the broken window. But over and over we see how politicians at all levels of government stop thinking at stage one. This is one of the many…
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Southfork TIF should, again, be rejected
The Wichita City Council should reject the formation of a new tax increment financing district in Wichita.
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Kansas Policy Institute to host economic development summit
A summit on local economic development will be held in Wichita in April.
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Federal grants increase future local spending
Not only are we taxed to pay for the cost of funding federal and state grants, the units of government that receive grants are very likely to raise their own levels of taxation in response to the receipt of the grants. This creates a cycle of ever-expanding government.
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Cronyism in the tax code
How tax law is formed: “If you really want to understand the nature of our tax code, don’t ask yourself ‘Why are these provisions in the public interest?’ That’s not how taxes are passed. Ask yourself ‘Who benefits from these taxes, and how much political power do they have?'”
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In Kansas, planning will be captured by special interests
The government planning process started in south-central Kansas will likely be captured by special interest groups that see ways to benefit from the plan. The public choice school of economics and political science has taught us how special interest groups seek favors from government at enormous costs to society, and we will see this at…
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Kansas school superintendents defend low standards
Sedgwick and Butler county school superintendents argue for low student standards and misuse test data.
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Federal, United Nations planning imported to Wichita
The Sedgwick County Commission has decided to give a consortium of South Central Kansas governments and organizations broad control over community planning funded by a federal grant and based on a United Nations agenda.
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Sedgwick County should reject planning grant
For many reasons, Sedgwick County ought to reject participation in a planning grant.