Government spending

Kansas candidate briefings
17
Jul
By Bob Weeks

Kansas candidate briefings

Recently Kansas Policy Institute, along with Americans for Prosperity and Kansas Chamber of Commerce, held a series of briefings for candidates for the Kansas Legislature. The presentations in Wichita were recorded, and are available as follows: What Was Really the Matter with the Kansas Tax Plan. KPI President Dave Trabert spoke on the reality and myths of the state's tax plan. Click here to view at YouTube. Kansas K-12 Education Spending and Achievement. KPI President Dave Trabert spoke on K-12 education spending and achievement. Click here to view. Medicaid Expansion. Melissa Fausz, a senior policy analyst with Americans for Prosperity,…
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Kansas government employees
14
Jul
By Bob Weeks

Kansas government employees

Kansas has a lot of government employees when compared to other states, and especially so in education. Considering all government employees -- state and local -- Kansas has 68.35 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees per thousand residents. Only two states and the District of Columbia have more. For total elementary and secondary education employment, Kansas has 30.64 such employees (full-time equivalent) per thousand residents. Only two states have more. Looking at nearby states and some Plains states commonly thought to be big spenders (Iowa and Minnesota), Kansas has more employees and more education employees, again on a per-resident basis. This data…
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State and local government employee and payroll
16
May
By Bob Weeks

State and local government employee and payroll

Considering all government employees in proportion to population, Kansas has many compared to other states, and especially so in education. 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. [1. For details and to access the visualization, see here: https://wichitaliberty.org/visualization-state-and-local-government-employment/.] 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 employees, Kansas…
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State highways
08
May
By Bob Weeks

State highways

Kansas has a lot of highway miles compared to its population. Interactive visualization included. Kansas has nearly 100 lane miles of highway per thousand persons, a value exceeded by only five states, with two of those barely higher than Kansas. This figure is for total lane miles, urban and rural, using data reported by the Federal Highway Administration for 2016. [1. Federal Highway Administration, Office of Highway Policy Information. Available at https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm.] Besides a graphic table of population, total lane miles, and lane miles per thousand persons, there are three scatter plots. These plot each state's population, area, and population…
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WichitaLiberty.TV: Congressman Ron Estes
04
May
By Bob Weeks

WichitaLiberty.TV: Congressman Ron Estes

In this episode of WichitaLiberty.TV: United States Representative Ron Estes discusses trade, FAA reauthorization and his amendment, entitlement reform, and spending. View below, or click here to view at YouTube. Episode 195, broadcast May 5, 2018. Shownotes Representative Ron Estes Congressional Website Website: Ron Estes for Congress Washington Examiner: Rep. Ron Estes: Why some Democrats are rooting for the Chinese on trade H.R. 5489: Hope Act
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WichitaLiberty.TV: United States Senator Dr. Tom Coburn
18
Apr
By Bob Weeks

WichitaLiberty.TV: United States Senator Dr. Tom Coburn

In this episode of WichitaLiberty.TV: United States Senator Dr. Tom Coburn wrote the foreword to the book “What Was Really the Matter with the Kansas Tax Plan –- The Undoing of a Good Idea.” He’s here to tell us what went wrong, and what we need to do. View below, or click here to view at YouTube. Episode 193, broadcast April 21, 2018. Shownotes Book: What Was Really the Matter with the Kansas Tax Plan -- The Undoing of a Good Idea Tom Coburn author page at Amazon Tom Coburn at the Manhattan Institute Tom Coburn on Facebook Tom Coburn…
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WichitaLiberty.TV: Kansas Senator Ty Masterson
13
Apr
By Bob Weeks

WichitaLiberty.TV: Kansas Senator Ty Masterson

In this episode of WichitaLiberty.TV: Kansas Senator Ty Masterson, a Republican from Andover, joins Bob and Karl to update us on happenings in the Kansas Legislature. View below, or click here to view at YouTube. Episode 192, broadcast April 14, 2018. Shownotes Senator Ty Masterson at Kansas Legislature Ty Masterson campaign website SB 424: AN ACT concerning education; establishing the office of education inspector general within the office of the state treasurer; providing the duties and functions thereof. SB 393: Legislative committees; all votes of each legislator on motions or other action recorded in minutes. SCR 1611: Making application to…
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Wichita baseball consulting contract extension may have no discussion
06
Apr
By Bob Weeks

Wichita baseball consulting contract extension may have no discussion

The City of Wichita proposes to extend a baseball consulting contract without public explanation or discussion. Wichita city leaders want a better baseball team, not to mention a new stadium. To help find a minor league baseball team, the city engaged a consultant last October. [1. Weeks, Bob. A consultant to help Wichita’s confidence factor. Available at https://wichitaliberty.org/wichita-government/consultant-help-wichita-confidence-factor/.] That contract called for a spending limit of $50,000. [2. "MiLB Baseball Consultant Contract." Wichita City Council Agenda packet for October 24, 2017. Available at http://www.wichita.gov/Council/Agendas/10-24-2017%20City%20Council%20Agenda%20Packet.pdf.] You may have noticed that there has not been an announcement of a team. It also…
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Kansas highways set to crumble, foresees former budget director
02
Apr
By Bob Weeks

Kansas highways set to crumble, foresees former budget director

Duane Goossen, former high Kansas government official, says the state's highways are in trouble. What is his evidence? In a recent op-ed, Duane Goossen laments the lack of spending on Kansas roads and highways. [1. Goossen, Duane. Trouble coming for Kansas highways. Garden City Telegram, March 30, 2018. Available at http://www.gctelegram.com/opinion/20180330/trouble-coming-for-kansas-highways.] His focus is his claimed lack spending on maintenance, which, he says, will lead to much larger repair bills in the future. "But now the Kansas road system is truly threatened." He raises the common "Bank of KDOT" criticism, writing "The highway fund became a convenient source of cash."…
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Kansas and Iowa schools
31
Mar
By Bob Weeks

Kansas and Iowa schools

Should Kansas schools aspire to be more like Iowa schools? The Kansas Association of School Boards lists Iowa as an "aspirational" state, that is, one that Kansas should consider a role model. I've gathered some data from both states. The United States Census Bureau collects data from the states as part of its Annual Survey of School System Finances program. [1. U.S. Census Bureau. Annual Survey of School System Finances. Available at https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/school-finances.html.] Data is available through fiscal year 2015. The National Education Association also gathers data. [2. National Education Association. Rankings of States and Estimates of School Statistics. Available…
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