Tag: Kansas state government
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Kansas Policy Institute to host economic development summit
A summit on local economic development will be held in Wichita in April.
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Cronyism in the tax code
How tax law is formed: “If you really want to understand the nature of our tax code, don’t ask yourself ‘Why are these provisions in the public interest?’ That’s not how taxes are passed. Ask yourself ‘Who benefits from these taxes, and how much political power do they have?'”
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Kansas may again resort to government art
Kansas may be ready to restore some state funding for the arts. But for reasons economic, human, and artistic, we ought to keep Kansas government out of art. Kansas should allow people themselves to decide how to spend their own money on what they think is important to them. To implement government funding of art…
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In Kansas, no E-verify, please
The hope that if we can somehow stop illegal immigrants from obtaining jobs, then unemployed Americans can go back to work, is a false hope. For that and other reasons, I can’t join with Kansas conservatives who support E-verify and other harsh anti-immigrant measures.
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Kansas and Wichita need pay-to-play laws
In Wichita, campaign contributions made to city council candidates often are not about supporting political ideologies — liberal, moderate, or conservative. It’s about opportunists seeking money from government. Pay-to-play laws can help control this harmful practice.
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Kansas STAR bonds vote a test for capitalism
An upcoming vote in the Kansas House of Representatives will let Kansans know who is truly in favor of economic freedom, limited government, and free market capitalism — and who favors crony capitalism instead.
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Kansas school establishment defenders: the video
A video criticizing the Kansas Policy Institute for placing a series of ads in Kansas newspapers claims KPI “conceals” and “ignores” facts and statistics. But I didn’t have to work very hard to find many gross and blatant mistakes, distortions, and coverups in the video — the same problems found in much of the communications…
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In Kansas, public school establishment attacks high standards
When a Kansas public policy think tank placed ads in Kansas newspapers calling attention to the performance of Kansas schools, the public school establishment didn’t like it. The defense of the Kansas school status quo, especially that coming from Kansas Commissioner of Education Diane DeBacker, ought to cause Kansans to examine the motives of the…
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Reform KPERS now for the future
Significant structural KPERS reform must happen this year. Our state cannot afford to put this off yet again, writes Kansas State Treasurer Ron Estes.
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Kansas rates low in access to records
A report by State Integrity Investigation provides detail on the weakness in the application of the Kansas Open Records Act.
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In Kansas, school reform not on the plate
Conventional wisdom this year is that Kansas is struggling with a plan for school reform. The reality, however, is that the state is merely considering a change in how to pay for its schools. No actual reform is contemplated.
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Kansas and Wichita lag the nation in tax costs
If we in Kansas and Wichita wonder why our economic growth is slow and our economic development programs don’t seem to be producing results, there is now data to answer the question why: Our tax rates are high — way too high.