Government spending Archives - Voice For Liberty

Mar

Direct Expenditure by States

Direct Expenditure by States Current expenditures (such as salaries and supplies), plus any expenditures for capital improvements. Dollars per resident, adjusted for inflation. Shown as difference from nation-wide value. (more…)

May

By Bob Weeks

State government employees in Kansas

Kansas has more state government employees per resident than most states, and the trend is rising. (more…)

Apr

By Bob Weeks

Kansas school spending

Kansas school district spending, updated through 2020 and adjusted for inflation. What is the trend in Kansas school spending? This visualization presents several tables and illustrations of spending data. It is presented separately for each district, with a special district "State Totals - 999" being the sum of all districts. (more…)

Jan

By Bob Weeks

Kansas agency revenue

Data regarding State of Kansas agency revenue presented in an interactive visualization, with data through fiscal year 2020. The source of this data is KanView, the Kansas transparency portal, through its download center. Data from multiple years are combined into one database. Data starts with fiscal year 2011. (more…)

Jan

By Bob Weeks

Kansas agency expenditures

Data regarding State of Kansas agency spending presented in an interactive visualization. The source of this data is KanView, the Kansas transparency portal, through its download center. Data from multiple years are combined into one database. Data starts with fiscal year 2011. (more…)

Oct

By Bob Weeks

Local government employment in Kansas

Kansas has nearly the highest number of local government employees per resident, compared to other states. These are local government employees only. State and federal government employees are not included. The source of this data is the United States Census Bureau. I've gathered it and created an interactive visualization. Additionally, using each state’s population for each year, I’ve also computed the annual payroll on a per-resident basis and the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) employees per thousand residents. For all local government employees, Kansas had 50.55 employees per thousand residents in 2016, higher than all states (and areas) but the…

Kansas government employment and payroll by function

Oct

By Bob Weeks

Kansas government employment and payroll by function

Looking at the number of state government employees in proportion to population, Kansas has many compared to other states. Each year the United States Census Bureau surveys federal, state, and local government civilian employees. I've gathered this data and present it in an interactive visualization using several views and supplementary calculations. The Census Bureau collects both counts of employees and payroll dollars. Comparisons based on the number of employees are useful, bypassing issues such as differing costs of living and salaries in general. Considering all government functions and state government employees only, Kansas had 18.7 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees per…

Sep

By Bob Weeks

Deficit shrank in August, but …

The top takeaway of the Congressional Budget Office Monthly Budget Review for August 2020 is that the deficit for the month is smaller than last August. But there are details. Sometimes it pays to read the fine print. Otherwise, you may receive a false impression. Here is the monthly budget review for August 2020, which is the eleventh month of fiscal year 2020: The federal budget deficit in August 2020 was $198 billion, CBO estimates, $3 billion less than the deficit in August of last year. However, that comparison is distorted by shifts in the timing of certain payments in…

Kansas general fund spending and receipts

Sep

By Bob Weeks

Kansas general fund spending and receipts

The Kansas budget is volatile, with rising spending and a large deficit. Figures from Kansas financial reports show that state spending has risen. Based on that and shifts in revenue flows, deficits are large. The following tables and charts show actual data through fiscal year 2019. Figures for 2020 are revised estimates, and for 2021, the figures are from the approved budget. The primary source of data is Kansas Comparison Report: The FY 2021 Governor’s Budget Report with Legislative Authorizations. [2. Kansas Division of the Budget, Kansas Comparison Reports. Available at https://budget.kansas.gov/comparison-reports/.] The revised estimate of receipts is $826.9 million…

Aug

By Bob Weeks

Border wall procedures criticized

A government watchdog says the procedures for acquiring the southern border wall are inadequate, and the ability to maintain complete operational control is diminished. A report by the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security finds that U.S. Customs and Border Protection found the procedures for procuring the southern border wall inadequate for the task. Specifically, the IG found that CBP did not attempt to identify "the most effective, appropriate, and affordable solutions to obtain operational control of the southern border as directed." Instead, the IG described the methods as "outdated." The report found other deficiencies and…