Kansas Democrats

13
Jan
By Bob Weeks

Kansas spending is the problem

While Kansas Governor Sam Brownback has some good ideas in his State of the State address and tax reform plan, there are two important points that need to be made. First, the governor has said that tax reform is designed to be revenue neutral. That goal means that if one person pays less, someone else has to pay more. It also means that the state's thirst for spending is not quenched. It is continued spending that prevents us from dramatically reducing or eliminating income tax rates in Kansas. Critics of lowering income tax rates point to the advantages that states…
Read More
11
Jan
By Bob Weeks

Kansas and Wichita quick takes: Wednesday January 11, 2012

A legislator would do this? In his At The Rail column, Kansas statehouse reporter Martin Hawver speculates that even routine procedural votes, as well as votes in committee, may be material for campaign ads and mailers in this election year. "You’ve seen the mailings in election years, you know, the ones with a photo of a few lines apparently ripped from the official journal of the House or Senate. The scrap is always tilted a bit to make it more visually interesting. And, by gosh, that bit of an official document almost always shows -- usually with a swipe of…
Read More
06
Dec
By Bob Weeks

Kansas and Wichita quick takes: Monday December 6, 2010

Cato scholar to speak on economic freedom. Friday's meeting (December 10) of the Wichita Pachyderm Club features noted Cato Institute scholar, Principal Attorney at the Pacific Legal Foundation, and author Timothy Sandefur. He will discuss his recent book The Right to Earn a Living: Economic Freedom and the Law. A description of the book at Amazon.com reads: "America's founders thought the right to earn a living was so basic and obvious that it didn't need to be mentioned in the Bill of Rights. Yet today that right is burdened by a wide array of government rules and regulations that play…
Read More
03
Jun
By Bob Weeks

Kansas Democrats described as ‘imploding’

Larry J. Sabato, who is director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, is a respected national political analyst who publishes Sabato's Crystal Ball, an informative look at campaigns and races around the country. In the most recent issue Sabato takes a look at 2010 gubernatorial races and concludes that "There’s now no question that the gubernatorial turnover in November will be historic." He estimates that Republicans will add six or seven states to the count of those states with Republican governors. In Kansas, Sabato is pointed in his criticism of Kansas Democrats and Governor Mark Parkinson: Kansas: Gov.…
Read More
22
Apr
By Bob Weeks

Tillman story may leave wrong impression of Wichita tea party

The Wichita Eagle news story Democrat Tillman enters race for 4th District seat may give its readers an incorrect impression of the Wichita tea party protest held on tax day. In the story, the reporter quotes Robert Tillman as saying "Confederate flags (were) flown at the Republican tea party." The first half of this statement is true, but hardly indicative of the sentiment of tea party protesters. I have about 360 photographs that I took at the tea party. Looking at them, I saw one confederate flag. I called Robert Tillman, the subject of the story and whose quote appears…
Read More