Featured Archives - Page 150 of 151 Voice For Liberty

Feb

The purpose of high tax rates on the rich

"The purpose of high taxes on the rich is not to get the rich to pay money, it's to get the middle class to feel better about paying high taxes." This is what Jim Pinkerton, the journalist, Fox News contributor, and co-founder of the RATE (Reforming America’s Taxes Equitably) Coalition told an audience at a conference titled "The Tax & Regulatory Impact on Industry, Jobs & The Economy, and Consumers" produced by the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity. Pinkerton was referring to the economist F.A. Hayek. Others have also noted that changes to marginal tax rates often have…

Wichita’s legislative agenda favors government, not citizens

Feb

By Bob Weeks

Wichita’s legislative agenda favors government, not citizens

This week the Wichita City Council will consider its legislative agenda. This document contains many items that are contrary to economic freedom, capitalism, limited government, and individual liberty. Yet, Wichitans pay taxes to have someone in Topeka promote this agenda. I've excerpted the document here, and following are some of the most problematic items. Agenda: Existing economic development tools are essential for the continued growth and prosperity of our community. First. The premise of this item is incorrect. We don't have growth and prosperity in Wichita. Compared to a broad group of peer metropolitan areas, Wichita performs very poorly. See…

Kansas school employment: The statistics and the claims

Feb

By Bob Weeks

Kansas school employment: The statistics and the claims

Claims made about Kansas schools don't match the state's statistics. Responding to the State of the State Address delivered by Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, Kansas House of Representatives Minority Leader and gubernatorial candidate Paul Davis provided figures regarding Kansas public schools, telling Kansans: "On top of that, public school class sizes are growing, [and] teachers have been laid off by the thousands." Statistics from Kansas State Department of Education, however, show that school employment has rebounded, both in terms of absolute numbers of teachers and certified employees, and the ratios of pupils to these employees. The story is not the…

Kansas school test scores must be evaluated considering demographics

Feb

By Bob Weeks

Kansas school test scores must be evaluated considering demographics

When comparing Kansas school test scores to those of other states, it's important to consider disaggregated data. Otherwise, we may form an inaccurate and unfounded impression of Kansas schools. Kansas school leaders are proud of Kansas schools, partly because of scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), known as "The Nation's Report Card." Kansas ranks pretty high among the states on this test. It's important, however, to examine the results from a few different angles to make sure we understand the entire situation. An illustrative video is available here, or at the end of this article. Data for…

In Hungary, the rise of nationalism and racism

Feb

By Bob Weeks

In Hungary, the rise of nationalism and racism

Zoltán Kész will speak at the Wichita Pachyderm Club on Friday February 21. The public is welcome to attend. For more information on this event, see Hungarian activist to address Pachyderms and guests. In Hungary, nationalism and racism are rising problems. The Free Market Foundation of Hungary, co-founded by Zoltán Kész fights against these problems. Last November Kesz was in Wichita and I visited with him and a small group. I asked about economic freedom in Hungary, noting that according to the economic freedom of the world report, Hungary was about in the middle of the European countries, although it…

Kansas Open Records Act and the ‘public agency’ definition

Feb

By Bob Weeks

Kansas Open Records Act and the ‘public agency’ definition

Update: The bill has been referred to another committee, and the February 19 hearing is canceled. Despite the City of Wichita's support for government transparency, citizens have to ask the legislature to add new law forcing the city and its agencies to comply with the Kansas Open Records Act. Open records laws allow citizens to ask government agencies for records. While these laws are valuable, we find that in practice governmental agencies find many ways to avoid filling records requests. Because the City of Wichita does not live up to the standards of open government -- even through it proclaims…

Feb

By Bob Weeks

WichitaLiberty.TV February 16, 2014

In this episode of WichitaLiberty.TV: The controversy surrounding the residence of a long-time senator from Kansas raises issues of term limits and the ability of citizens to exercise the power of initiative and referendum. Then, the seen and the unseen applied to economic development in Wichita, and why do we rely on certain experts. Episode 31, broadcast February 16, 2014. View below, or click here to view at YouTube.

Economic development in Wichita, steps one and two

Feb

By Bob Weeks

Economic development in Wichita, steps one and two

Critics of the economic development policies in use by the City of Wichita are often portrayed as not being able to see and appreciate the good things these policies are producing, even though they are unfolding right before our very eyes. The difference is that some look beyond the immediate -- what is seen -- and ask "And then what will happen?" -- looking for the unseen. Thomas Sowell explains the problem in a passage from the first chapter of Applied economics: thinking beyond stage one: When we are talking about applied economic policies, we are no longer talking about…

Feb

By Bob Weeks

Viewing the seen and unseen

The lesson of the book "Economics in One Lesson" by Henry Hazlitt is this: "The art of economics consists in looking not merely at the immediate but at the longer effects of any act or policy; it consists in tracing the consequences of that policy not merely for one group but for all groups." (The Ludwig von Mises Institute has published an edition of this book which is available at no cost at its website; click here. Amanda BillyRock has illustrated most of the chapters in video. Click here for the playlist.) Looking beyond what we see at first glance,…

Feb

By Bob Weeks

Open Records in Kansas

Kansas has a weak open records law. Wichita doesn't want to follow the law, as weak as it is. As citizen watchdogs, I and others need access to information and data. The City of Wichita, however, has created several not-for-profit organizations that are largely funded by tax money. The three I am concerned with are the Wichita Downtown Development Corporation, Go Wichita Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Greater Wichita Economic Development Coalition. I have asked each organization for checkbook-level spending data. Each has refused to comply, using the reasoning that they are not "public agencies" as defined in the Kansas…