Voice For Liberty

Tag: Kansas state government

Articles about Kansas, its government, and public policy in Kansas.

  • More support for Proposition K in Kansas

    About the only people who don’t like Proposition K are people dependent on government for their revenues. Here, a press release from the Flint Hills Center for Public Policy tells of two organizations who have endorsed Proposition K. There may be some who note that these two organizations, being involved in the real estate business, benefit from lower property taxes. Two things: First Proposition K doesn’t necessarily mean lower property taxes. Instead, it means more predicable taxes, with decisions to increase the tax rate being made in the open and with public input. Presently, property taxes increase by stealth, as the appraiser drives by and decides your property is worth more.

    Second, many businesses, especially commercial landlords, are able to pass on increased property taxes directly to their tenants, which increases their costs and the prices they must charge consumers.

    Wichita Associations Endorse Proposition K

    (WICHITA) — Proposition K, the initiative to replace the Kansas system for assessing property taxes on real estate, continues to gain momentum as it is being studied by the Legislature. The Wichita Area Builders Association (WABA) and the Kansas chapter of Certified Commercial Investment Members (CCIM) have formally endorsed the proposed legislation.

    “The proposed Prop K legislation is long overdue,” according to Wess Galyon, President/CEO of WABA, “and should be supported by anyone who has a desire to see a methodology put in place that promotes predictability in terms of what a person can expect their property taxes to be in subsequent years, greater transparency and elected official accountability in relation to decisions made to increase taxes beyond the annual 2% that would be allowed by the legislation, and can provide a benchmark in relation to efforts to curb excessive and wasteful government spending.”

    Brent Stewart, President of the Kansas CCIM chapter, also cites serious problems with the current system. “We have long recognized the inequities in our present system of property taxation. Proposition K is a serious attempt to correct the problems of our present system and establish a system that is both predictable and provides that political leadership be more accountable to the voters when raising property taxes.”

    Proposition K, introduced this legislative session by Rep. Steve Brunk (R-Bel Aire) seeks to stabilize property taxes in Kansas and make local government budgeting more transparent for taxpayers. Yet Proposition K places no limits on the ability of elected officials to raise revenue or balance budgets.

    Dave Trabert, President of Flint Hills Center for Public Policy, a leading proponent of Proposition K, is “very pleased with the growing public support for Proposition K, not only from organizations like the Wichita Area Builders and Kansas CCIM but also from individuals who are visiting www.PropositionK.org and attending public forums. Most taxpayers want more predictability and transparency in their property tax system and we will continue our grassroots education efforts to explain how Proposition K can satisfy their demands.”

    Over the last 10 years (1997 to 2007), property taxes statewide have increased 83%. Residential property taxes are even worse, with a 119% increase in total collections. There simply is no good reason for these outrageous increases. It’s not driven by a need to serve more people; Kansas’ population has only grown 7% over that same period. It’s not inflation; the Consumer Price Index increased about 2.5% per year. It’s the appraisal process.

    The statewide average mill rate has increased 10% over the last ten years, but appraised values (on all property) have jumped 66%. These two moving parts of the current system have generated an 83% tax increase. Proposition K offers a viable alternative to the appraisal process that drives unpredictable property taxes.

    It’s a simple plan that will apply to all classes of real estate except agricultural land, which has its own set of rules under the Kansas Constitution. “Proposition K: A Better Property Tax System for Kansans” is the subject of a study conducted by Dr. Art Hall, Executive Director of the Center for Applied Economics at the University of Kansas and is published by the Flint Hills Center for Public Policy at www.flinthills.org. Proposition K is supported by the Kansas Building Industry Association, Kansas CCIM (commercial realtors), Wichita Area Builders Association, and Americans for Prosperity; several other organizations are expected to join the coalition in the near future.

    Proposition K uses 3 key elements to replace the tax-related appraisal system on real estate:

    1. On a specific date (January 1, 2010 in the legislation) current property values become fixed as the so-called “baseline value.” (Property owners will always have the ability to appeal.)
    2. Each property’s baseline value increases by 2% each year. Properties never revalue for tax purposes unless substantially improved or altered. Upon sale, the new owner inherits the annually-adjusted baseline value of the property.
    3. To preserve fairness and promote simplicity, the plan applies to new construction, substantial alterations to existing structural improvements and re-classified land the average per-square-foot annually-adjusted baseline values of nearby properties.

    A new web site at www.PropositionK.org explains the plan, provides downloads of Dr. Hall’s study and other information, offers a forum for citizen comments and includes a means for individuals to indicate whether Proposition K should be adopted.

  • Kansas Fed-Up with High Taxes

    Here’s a press release from the Kansas chapter of Americans For Prosperity reporting on the results of a poll about taxes and spending in Kansas.

    Interestingly, the poll found that a majority of lower-income Kansans are opposed to higher taxes on high income earners. This goes against the theme of some authors, including Thomas Frank, the author of the book “What’s the Matter with Kansas,” who argue that working-class people should vote their pocketbooks. Meaning, of course, soak the rich.

    Study Finds Kansas Fed-Up with High Taxes and Wasteful State Spending

    Lower-Income Residents Oppose Tax Hikes, Even if They Don’t Pay

    TOPEKA — A new survey by the free-market grassroots group Americans for Prosperity finds that 57 percent of Kansans believe the state’s taxes are too high, with 51 percent disapproving of the way the state legislature handles budget and tax issues. When asked to identify the most important issue in state budgeting, 43 percent identified wasteful spending on programs that do not work.

    “Kansas taxpayers have simply had enough,” said Derrick Sontag, state director of the Kansas chapter of Americans for Prosperity. “Legislators must work to address wasteful government spending before they even consider raising taxes on Kansas families and businesses.”

    The survey also finds that lower-income Kansans oppose higher taxes, even if they are not forced to pay them. A solid 60.3 percent of respondents earning under $30,000 rejected the idea of raising taxes on others.

    Respondents also rejected the idea of taxes that are paid for by working poor and lower income groups, with a decisive 91 percent opposing the taxes.

    The survey was conducted by Voter/Consumer Research, and is based on the responses of 613 registered voters across the state, conducted by telephone Jan. 28- Feb. 2 of this year. The margin of error is +/- 4 percent.

    The complete national and state results can be viewed at www.americansforprosperity.org/tax-survey.

  • AFP Day at the Capitol, 2009 edition

    AFP Day at the Capitol, March 9, 2009

    Yesterday about 125 citizen activists gathered in Topeka for Americans For Prosperity Day in Topeka. About 45 left from Wichita on a bus at 6:00 am.

    The morning and early afternoon sessions included speakers such as Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins, Earl Watkins, President & CEO of Sunflower Electric Power, Ray Merrick, Kansas House Majority Leader, Dr. Art Hall, Executive Director of the Center for Applied Economics at the University of Kansas, and Senator Tim Huelskamp.

    The afternoon rally in on the capitol’s south lawn started just as the rain did. (Click here for photos, or here for an automatic sideshow.) The rain didn’t dampen the spirits of the protesters. Even Jason Croucher of the Kansas Jackass blog attended.

  • Articles of Interest

    American Capitalism, Kansas budget, Phill Kline, corn

    Obama’s Radicalism Is Killing the Dow: A financial crisis is the worst time to change the foundations of American capitalism (Michael J. Boskin in the Wall Street Journal, by way of the Hoover Institution). “It’s hard not to see the continued sell-off on Wall Street and the growing fear on Main Street as a product, at least in part, of the realization that our new president’s policies are designed to radically re-engineer the market-based U.S. economy, not just mitigate the recession and financial crisis.” Starting wth overly-optimistic forecasts, President Obama’s budget has many problems. It does, however, dramatically expand the role of government, and that may be its true aim.

    New projections suggest Sebelius’ cuts not enough to balance the budget (Kansas Liberty) “New budget projections developed by Kansas Legislative Research may force legislators to either make deeper spending cuts, including possible education funding cuts, or raise taxes to ensure the state’s budget is balanced at the end of FY 2010. The new projections, unveiled late Wednesday, showed that spending cuts and other adjustments recommended by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius will not produce a balanced budget after all.” This is not too surprising, as the economy continues to deteriorate. The fact that Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius produces budget that don’t reflect economic reality is to be expected. See Kansas Governor Not Facing Reality of Budget Crisis.

    Are the ‘ethics charges’ against Kline a justice’s revenge? (Kansas Liberty) No ethics complaint, no charges, no complainant, no time frame — does this add up to revenge by Kansas Supreme Court Justice Carol A. Beier? Freelance journalist Bud Norman‘s first piece for Kansas Liberty explains.

    Where the Obesity Grows (Washington Post) George F. Will explains the problems that corn has caused for the American diet. Does the fact that Iowa plays an important role in presidential politics (through its early caucus) have anything to do with this? Now Iowa’s former governor is secretary of agriculture.

    Mystery surrounds release of letter from Kansas Attorney Disciplinary Administrator (Kansas Meadowlark) Intrigue surrounds former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline. Earl Glynn explains, but tells how he was stymied in his attempt to obtain documents.

  • You picked a fine time to leave us Kathleen

    Musical commentary about Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, recently nominated by President Obama to become Secretary of Health and Human Services. Kansas Representative Bill Otto performs.

  • Another inept Kansas smoking analogy

    In today’s Wichita Eagle, Wichita busybody Charlie Claycomb makes another inept analogy in an attempt to press his anti-smoking agenda statewide.

    A while back he tried to compare a smoking section in a restaurant with a urinating section in a swimming pool. This is ridiculous to the extreme, as I show in the post It’s Not the Same as Pee In the Swimming Pool.

    Now in today’s letter in the Eagle, Claycomb says that although the United States Constitution gives us the right to bear arms, since that right is heavily regulated, government has license to regulate smoking, as smoking isn’t mentioned at all in the Constitution.

    Here’s why this is another ridiculous analogy (without conceding the regulations on arms are justified or effective): A person in, say, a bar that’s carrying a gun can’t be detected as you enter the bar. You just can’t tell upon entering an establishment whether someone has a concealed gun and intends to cause harm to patrons. This is the case even if there’s a law prohibiting carrying guns into bars, and even if the bar has a “no guns” sign.

    But you sure can tell if people are smoking.

    Smoking ban supporters might argue that since there may be smoking in some establishments, my rights are being infringed since I can’t patronize those places without exposing myself to harmful smoke.

    That’s true. But there’s definitely no right in the Constitution to be able to go everywhere you want on your own terms.

    By the way, did you know that Claycomb is treasurer for Wichita city council candidate Janet Miller? Expect more nonsense like this if she is elected.

    “Mankind are greater gainers by suffering each other to live as seems good to themselves, than by compelling each to live as seems good to the rest.” — John Stuart Mill

    “Whenever we depart from voluntary cooperation and try to do good by using force, the bad moral value of force triumphs over good intentions.” — Milton Friedman

  • Articles of Interest

    Budget woes linked to how justices are chosen (Kris W. Kobach in the Wichita Eagle). Explains how with a better method of selecting Kansas state Supreme Court justices, the Kansas budget might not be in such a mess. “The Montoy decision represented a court determined to advance judicial power and the liberal policy of limitless spending on education. Which brings us back to the current fiscal crisis. The reckless decision of the court in Montoy is taking its toll. Kansas’ current budget crisis is largely due to the extraordinary increases in spending ordered by the court.”

    Pitchfork Time (Human Events). “We are there” says Pat Buchanan about our journey down the road to socialism. The article explains.

    The Public Mischief Of Public Unions (Richard A. Epstein at Forbes). Explains the need for pension reform in the public sector. Tim Carpenter of the Topeka Capital-Journal explains the problems as they relate to KPERS, the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System in the article KPERS problems compound: Stock market, past decisions strain retirement system. “The economic recession and a legacy of costly mistakes leave KPERS with more than $6 billion in unfunded obligations to future retirees. Current contributions by employers and employees are insufficient to sustain the fund over the long haul.”

    Will Obama Stand Up for These Kids? (William McGurn, Wall Street Journal). Illinois Senator Dick Durbin has introduced legislation that will kill the Washington D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program. This piece highlights two children who attend the same exclusive private school that the Obama children do, thanks to this program. “And it points to perhaps the most odious of double standards in American life today: the way some of our loudest champions of public education vote to keep other people’s children — mostly inner-city blacks and Latinos — trapped in schools where they’d never let their own kids set foot. This double standard is largely unchallenged by either the teachers’ unions or the press corps. For the teachers’ unions, it’s a fairly cold-blooded calculation. They’re willing to look the other way at lawmakers who chose private or parochial schools for their own kids — so long as these lawmakers vote in ways that keep the union grip on the public schools intact and an escape hatch like vouchers bolted.”

  • AFP Kansas Statehouse Rally

    Here’s a message from Derrick Sontag of Americans For Prosperity – Kansas, regarding a rally in Topeka next Monday. There’s a free bus from Wichita to this event. It leaves Lawrence Dumont Stadium parking lot at 6:00 am, and will return to Wichita around 7:00 pm. Contact John Todd, john@johntodd.net or (316) 312-7335 or Susan Estes, sestes@apfhq.org or (316) 269-4170 to make a reservation on the bus.

    Hundreds of you have taken part in local tea party rallies in different parts of the state. Let’s keep the momentum going, and continue to spread the message to our legislators and other elected officials that Kansas taxpayers have had enough wasteful government spending.

    I encourage you to join us in Topeka on Monday, March 9 for AFP Day at the Capitol. Now is the time for our policymakers to enact meaningful budget reform in Kansas. Two years ago we had nearly $1 billion in the bank and we now face a $1 billion shortfall, not because our revenue stream has dried up, but because of how much we spend.

    Confirmed speakers at AFP Day at the Capitol include Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins, Sunflower Electric Power Corporation President and CEO Earl Watkins, Executive Director of the Center for Applied Economics at the University of Kansas Art Hall, Senator Tim Huelskamp and Representative Jason Watkins.

    Following their presentations, we’ll carry our message right to the south lawn of the Capitol where we’ll hold a rally to encourage our elected officials not to rely on federal bailout money to balance our state budget.

    • AFP Day at the Capitol
    • Monday, March 9th
    • 9 a.m. Information session at Dillon House (404 SW 9th St., Topeka), including continental breakfast and lunch
    • 2:30 p.m. rally on the South Lawn of the Kansas Statehouse

    There is no cost to attend, but we encourage you to register online so we can accommodate everyone.

    I hope you participate in all or part of AFP Day at the Capitol. Even if you cannot attend the morning session, I strongly encourage you to attend our rally at 2:30 pm on the South Lawn of the Statehouse. Bring your homemade signs and help us send a message to Kansas elected officials that we’ve had enough wasteful government spending, and that taking a federal bailout isn’t the solution to our budget shortfall.

  • Political influence possible at Kansas SRS

    An article at Kansas Health Institute News Service (Special funding arrangement questioned) starts with this:

    “Late last year, as most other programs for people with disabilities were bracing for likely state budget cuts, the head of the state welfare department quietly approved $712,000 in ‘extraordinary’ funding for a Lenexa-based program that specializes in caring for people with severe disabilities.”

    This lengthy article describes the process where one organization providing services to disabled clients — of Lenexa — was able to navigate the system in a way that other similar organizatins can’t in order to receive this funding. Don Jordan, secretary of the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services made the funding decision, according to the article.

    The organization that received the extra funding has at least two few prominent Democrats on its board, including Larry Gates (chairman of the Kansas Democratic Party and a confidante of Gov. Kathleen Sebelius) and Dan Biles (recently appointed by the governor to the Kansas Supreme Court).

    These funding decisions can stir up emotions. Comments left to two posts on this blog (Invisible Kansans Tell Their Stories and Advocates for Invisible Kansans Comment, Not One “Thank You”) provide examples.

    The Kansas Meadowlark has more about this when you click Gov. Sebelius, KDP Chair Gates in questionable Medicaid funding arrangement.