Kathleen Sebelius Archives - Voice For Liberty

Jul

Happy Fiscal New Year, Kansas (not)

A Kansas public policy group celebrates tax increases. But it isn't enough, and more reform is required. Kansas Center for Economic Growth has promoted higher taxes in Kansas for many years, and this year it got its wish. Here are a few remarks based on its self-congratulatory article titled "Happy Fiscal New Year, Kansas." KCEG wrote: "Kansas is now better positioned to provide great schools" Wait a moment. I thought Kansas already has great schools. That's what the Kansas public school establishment tells us. And I think that the author made a mistake here. Instead of writing about "public schools,"…

Apr

By Bob Weeks

Which Kansas governor?

In Kansas, a governor is proud of savings and efficiencies. Can you guess which Kansas governor and administration did these things? Looked for future highway projects "where it seemed the amount of money set aside exceeded the need, or where the scope of individual projects had changed," and took credit for $278 million in savings. Took credit for saving $67 million by adjusting the inflation rates used in estimating future project costs. Took credit for $306 million in savings by spending reserve funds, deciding that money wasn't needed just "sitting in the bank." Refinanced bonds so that payments would be…

Dec

By Bob Weeks

Year in Review: 2016

Here are highlights from Voice for Liberty for 2016. Was it a good year for the principles of individual liberty, limited government, economic freedom, and free markets in Wichita and Kansas? Also be sure to view the programs on WichitaLiberty.TV for guests like journalist, novelist, and blogger Bud Norman; Radio talk show host Joseph Ashby; David Bobb, President of Bill of Rights Institute; Heritage Foundation trade expert Bryan Riley; Radio talk show host Andy Hooser; Keen Umbehr; John Chisholm on entrepreneurship; James Rosebush, author of "True Reagan," Jonathan Williams of American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC); Gidget Southway, or Danedri Herbert;…

Gary Sherrer and Kansas Policy Institute

Dec

By Bob Weeks

Gary Sherrer and Kansas Policy Institute

A former Kansas government official criticizes Kansas Policy Institute. I wouldn't normally use a Facebook comment in a public way, but the comment was left in public, to a post on my Facebook profile. Plus, the writer is a former Kansas government official. He's Gary Sherrer, who has been Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of Commerce, and Chair of the Kansas Board of Regents. Sherrer had criticized the truthfulness of Kansas Policy Institute, claiming he "could write an essay" on his criticism of KPI. Upon my suggestion for him to do so, he offered two criticisms. First, Sherrer wrote this: "They count…

Jul

By Bob Weeks

Kansas government ‘hollowed-out’

Is Kansas government "hollowed-out" even though spending is rising? In the Wichita Eagle, Burdett Loomis writes: "In 2011, Gov. Sam Brownback and a far-right Kansas House of Representatives began to hollow out state government, all in the name of smaller, more efficient, more private administration."[1. Loomis, Burdett. Kansas is becoming a hollowed-out state. Wichita Eagle, July 9, 2016. Available at www.kansas.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/article88555862.html.] Loomis doesn't define what he means by "hollow out" but the measure of the size of government is spending. Not taxation, but spending, because if government spends without taxing by the same amount, someone has to pay, eventually. Or,…

Inspector General evaluates Obamacare website

Feb

By Bob Weeks

Inspector General evaluates Obamacare website

The HHS Inspector General has released an evaluation of the Obamacare website HealthCare.gov, shedding light on the performance of former Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius. The Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services has released a report titled HealthCare.gov: Case Study of CMS Management of the Federal Marketplace. An excerpt from the executive summary holds the main points: What We Found The development of HealthCare.gov faced a high risk of failure, given the technical complexity required, the fixed deadline, and a high degree of uncertainty about mission, scope, and funding. Still, we found that HHS and…

The Kansas revenue problem in perspective

Apr

By Bob Weeks

The Kansas revenue problem in perspective

If we take the budgetary advice of a former Kansas state budget official, we need to be ready to accept the economic stagnation that accompanied his boss's tenure. Writing in his blog, former Kansas budget director Duane Goossen offers his advice for fixing the Kansas budget: "The state has a revenue problem that will not fix itself. Lawmakers have to face up to the fact that they must make revenue match expenditures. Unaffordable income tax cuts caused the problem. That’s the place to look for a correction." (Lawmakers Make It Clear: Kansas Has A Revenue Problem) Goossen has one thing…

As lawmakers, Kansas judges should be selected democratically

Feb

By Bob Weeks

As lawmakers, Kansas judges should be selected democratically

While many believe that judges should not "legislate from the bench," that is, make law themselves, the reality is that lawmaking is a judicial function. In a democracy, lawmakers should be elected under the principle of "one person, one vote." But Kansas, which uses the Missouri Plan for judicial selection to its highest court, violates this principle. A 2012 paper by Kansas University School of Law Professor Stephen J. Ware explains the problem with the judicial selection process in Kansas. The paper is titled Originalism, Balanced Legal Realism and Judicial Selection: A Case Study and may be downloaded at no…

Oct

By Bob Weeks

Kansas personal income grows

A recent spurt of growth of personal income in Kansas is welcome, considering the history of Kansas in this regard. Kansas personal income grew in the quarter ending in June, with the Wichita Business Journal reporting "Kansas ranked 14th among states for second-quarter personal income growth." The article also noted "According to data released Tuesday by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, personal income grew by 1.7 percent in the second quarter of 2014, faster than the national growth rate of 1.5 percent." Strong growth in personal income is good. But strong growth is not the norm for Kansas. The nearby…

SEC orders Kansas to stop doing what it did under Sebelius and Parkinson

Aug

By Bob Weeks

SEC orders Kansas to stop doing what it did under Sebelius and Parkinson

The Securities and Exchange Commission found that Kansas mislead bond investors. It ordered the state to implement reforms, which it has. According to a press release from the Securities and Exchange Commission, the State of Kansas "failed to disclose that the state’s pension system was significantly underfunded, and the unfunded pension liability created a repayment risk for investors in those bonds." This refers to a series of eight debt, or bond, issues in 2009 and 2010. Collectively they were worth $273 million. The SEC press release explains: According to the SEC’s order against Kansas, the series of bond offerings were…