Monday’s Gazette editorial came from the Salina Journal with the title of: Bleed, Kansas, bleed.
It drew a reference back to the “Bleeding Kansas” days when Kansas became as famous as any state could be in those times because the battle to decide if Kansas would support slavery was raging. Those battles often ended with bloody results and many lives lost.
Our current political mess in Kansas is also bringing a lot of publicity to Kansas and much like the 1800’s most of the attention is not positive. While lives may not have actually been lost due to the current leadership in our state – lives certainly are being changed by these questionable policies.
Governor Brownback leads a group that controls our state and has implemented tax policies that so far have been nothing but a disaster! The results have created massive shortfalls in revenue even to numbers that had already been adjusted downward!
Despite the obvious gap in funding our Governor pushes forward. Last week he appeared at a gathering in Missouri actually touting the success of his tax plans in Kansas. His answer to questions about the results which are hard to avoid was “we just need more time.”
Meanwhile public school, universities and other Regent institutions make plans to survive with less money and higher tuition (note Flint Hills Techical College’s recent tuition announcement). Farmers fear a major shift in property taxes and our excellent high way program continues to be raided to help make ends meet for our governor’s pleasure.
Governor Brownback is using his power in many areas making changes that defy imagination. Human rights, moving election, the judiciary, selection of judges and currently the funding methods for public education. He has the power and is wielding it without caution.
Kansas is famous again and much like the 1800’s when the publicity wasn’t all that flattering Kansas is once again a national joke!
The part of this sad story that is so hard to accept is that we not only elected this guy, but we re-elected him despite knowing his tax plans were putting our state in the poorhouse.
How and when will this all end?
The editorial writer suggested the legislature needs to pay more attention to the budget deficit – suggesting “the cuts are just starting.”
And he ends his editorial with “Or, maybe Kansas just needs to bleed some more.”
Bleeding Kansas, same song second verse! Heaven help us.
