Kansas Economic Freedom Index
Yesterday the Kansas Chamber Political Action Committee, an arm of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, released its endorsements for the Kansas Legislature. In announcing its endorsements, Kansas Chamber Interim President and CEO Kent Beisner said "We are proud to endorse a group of candidates who demonstrate a pro-jobs approach to stimulating the Kansas economy and the personal leadership to form strong public policy. These individuals are committed to reducing government spending and growing jobs in Kansas.” The release also said that the Chamber PAC endorses exceptional lawmakers and candidates who support the tenets of free enterprise. The selection process focuses…
Partly due to Glenn Beck's interest, a book and its ideas is receiving increased attention. F.A. Hayek is the author, and The Road to Serfdom is the book. Personally, I find the book difficult to read. An example of Hayek's writing is from the jacket notes prepared by the author himself: "The economic freedom which is the prerequisite of any other freedom cannot be the freedom from economic care which the socialists promise us and which can be obtained only by relieving the individual at the same time of the necessity and of the power of choice: it must be…
If Jean Schodorf captures the Republican Party nomination for United States Congress from the fourth district of Kansas, the general election contest against likely Democratic Party nominee Raj Goyle might feature a reversal of commonly-held roles. That's because in this year's session of the Kansas Legislature, Schodorf, as a Kansas Senator, voted for the budget bill that increased spending and required an increase in taxes to support the spending. In this case, the main source of increased taxation is the one cent per dollar increase in the statewide sales tax that will go into effect on July 1. At about…
The Kansas Chapter of Americans for Prosperity has released its legislative scorecards for the 2010 session of the Kansas Legislature. These scorecards rank members of the Kansas House and Senate by the way they voted on selected legislation and amendments. AFP's scorecards use a different mix of votes than my Kansas Economic Freedom Index, although judging by just a quick glance, the results appear to be similar. Between the two tools Kansans should be able to get a good picture of where their representatives rank in terms of voting for issues of limited government, fiscal responsibility, and economic freedom. Past…
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.…
In the Kansas House of Representatives this year, Raj Goyle, a Wichita Democrat who is a candidate for that party's nomination for United States Congress from the fourth district of Kansas made a few votes that were out of character for him, based on his past record. In particular, Goyle voted against the bill that increased spending, mostly for schools and social services, and against the bill that raised the statewide sales tax in order to pay for that spending. These votes allowed Goyle to obtain the relatively high ranking of 67% on the Kansas Economic Freedom Index. In rankings…
The Kansas Republican Assembly blog reports on the withdrawal of Kansas House of Representatives member Bill Light from consideration for re-election. In the Kansas Economic Freedom Index for the 2010 legislative session, Light's score was 11%, meaning that he did not vote in favor of economic freedom very often. Only five Republicans scored worse than him. He definitely qualifies as a "left-wing Republican," to use a term coined by Kansas Liberty. State Representative Bill Light withdrew his candidacy for re-election to the Kansas House May 12. Light was facing a strong conservative challenge in the August primary by Dan Widder…
Now that the 2010 session of the Kansas Legislature is over (except for a largely ceremonial final day) and the important votes have been cast, I've updated the Kansas Economic Freedom Index. Most legislators ranked just about as expected based on their past behavior. But there is at least one notable exception, that being Raj Goyle, a Wichita Democrat who is seeking that party's nomination for the United States Congress. His rating for this year is 67%. No House Democrat scored higher than that, and 30 House Republicans scored lower. Goyle's votes this year are out of character with his…
A recent editorial prepared by the Kansas Republican Party concluded with: "Kansas Republicans are presenting a united front with sound plans to meet the challenges of a 21st century economy. Our philosophy centers on liberating the promise of the individual and family as the answer, not more government growth, on a path to prosperity." That's a fiscally conservative message. The practice of many Kansas Republicans, however, is far removed from this message advocating limited government. Kansas Republicans, especially the Senate leadership, are working to increase taxes in Kansas in a way that leads to more government growth at the expense…
A new Kansas Economic Freedom Index has been issued for both the Kansas House of Representatives and the Kansas Senate, based on new votes being recorded. See Kansas Economic Freedom Index.