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Hard times for Kansas and its schools as economic 'experiment' creates gaping budget

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Geist-

Member
foreshadowing for the rest of the country.
Definitely a majority of states. How many states right now have a republican controlled legislature and governorship? The only thing holding back a lot of those states from disaster was the federal government and now that safety net is about to disappear. The richest states (mostly Blue states and Texas) will probably be fine for 4 years though.
 

ezrarh

Member
foreshadowing for the rest of the country.

Meh. If they reduce federal taxes - there's no reason why states can't raise taxes to make up for the shortfall. It'd bring a little more local control. Oh wait...GOP controls like 35 state governments.
 
This article is interesting but it fails to take into account the huge benefit of making Australians irrationally happy.

the problem was that the tax breaks weren't big enough.

The problem is Obama was behind the veil keeping Kansas down. With Obama gone, things will get better after a few more tax cuts.
 

Kettch

Member
“A lot of people were confused” by the reports, said Nicole Randall, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Commerce.

Haha. People were confused as to why the state was falling apart after the governor promised his tax cuts would turn Kansas into a paradise? I guess that's one way of putting it.

The state would thrive, he pledged, because the tax cuts would help keep businesses and smart, young Kansans in the state, not fleeing “to Houston, or Dallas, or Chicago or somewhere else.”

“It will pave the way to the creation of tens of thousands of new jobs, bring tens of thousands of people to Kansas, and help make our state the best place in America to start and grow a small business,” Brownback wrote in 2012. “It will leave more than a billion dollars in the hands of Kansans. An expanding economy and growing population will directly benefit our schools and local governments.”

I'm sure smart, young people just love living in a state with rundown schools, highways and medicare. Along with skyrocketing sales tax. Oh, and having to live in Kansas instead of a modern city. Once they get their small business going, it'll all be worth it!

Maybe the governor misspoke and meant that all the dumb, young people would stick around.
 

jmood88

Member
So let me guess - Democrats are going to take over briefly at some point, forced to raise taxes and solve problems, then everybody gets pissed and boots them out because the problems aren't fixed quickly enough and taxes got raised? Although the more likely option is they keep voting in Republicans.
And the Democrats won't even try to defend themselves but will instead try to argue that they aren't as liberal as their republican opponents are painting them. Rinse and repeat.
 

Zukkoyaki

Member
Hopefully we'll start seeing this sort of push-back against hardcore conservative economic policies nationwide, especially against the Trump administration. Though some states like Kentucky and Mississippi are a lost cause thanks to social issues.
 

watershed

Banned
When you don't properly fund education and don't give public education the dedicated focus it deserves, don't be surprised when you end up with an poorly educated population with limited economic viability. Defunding education is never a sane approach to improving education. Only republicans think or say "the best way to improve public education is to spend less on it." They sure as hell would never say that about the military.
 
I'm sure smart, young people just love living in a state with rundown schools, highways and medicare. Along with skyrocketing sales tax. Oh, and having to live in Kansas instead of a modern city. Once they get their small business going, it'll all be worth it!

Maybe the governor misspoke and meant that all the dumb, young people would stick around.

To be fair, Kansas does have half of a modern city. Kinda.
 
As far as I know, deep tax cuts for the rich has never been a driver for growth. It's one of those boondoggles that is trotted out and never works.

That money isn't reinvested by many, it's saved.
 

DarkKyo

Member
Hopefully we'll start seeing this sort of push-back against hardcore conservative economic policies nationwide, especially against the Trump administration. Though some states like Kentucky and Mississippi are a lost cause thanks to social issues.

Of course by "social issues", I'm sure you mean things that were decided by the moral and social curve of America decades ago that pockets of backwards sub-cultures will never be able to get over even if it means keeping their families in the poorhouse.
 

Link

The Autumn Wind
When you don't properly fund education and don't give public education the dedicated focus it deserves, don't be surprised when you end up with an poorly educated population with limited economic viability. Defunding education is never a sane approach to improving education. Only republicans think or say "the best way to improve public education is to spend less on it." They sure as hell would never say that about the military.
Uneducated people vote Republican. It's not a bug, it's a feature.
 

Haly

One day I realized that sadness is just another word for not enough coffee.
As far as I know, deep tax cuts for the rich has never been a driver for growth. It's one of those boondoggles that is trotted out and never works.

That money isn't reinvested by many, it's saved.

So the problem was never the tax cuts... but saving?

Ban saving, cut taxes to zero!
 
You mean like the Trump tax cut plan?
No, I mean like Obama's tax cut plans or George W Bush. Trump still has time to change course and not make the same mistake. The GOP could really pull of something special if they did more for the little guy and less for people like me who are doing much better than the rest. Why they refuse to do this and sellout is something I don't understand because they would crush Democrats if they were willing to do the right thing.
 
No, I mean like Obama's tax cut plans or George W Bush. Trump still has time to change course and not make the same mistake. The GOP could really pull of something special if they did more for the little guy and less for people like me who are doing much better than the rest. Why they refuse to do this and sellout is something I don't understand because they would crush Democrats if they were willing to do the right thing.

The entire point of the GOP is to screw the lower and middle class. Helping out the people you speak of is an anathema to their doctrine.
 

Link

The Autumn Wind
No, I mean like Obama's tax cut plans or George W Bush. Trump still has time to change course and not make the same mistake. The GOP could really pull of something special if they did more for the little guy and less for people like me who are doing much better than the rest. Why they refuse to do this and sellout is something I don't understand because they would crush Democrats if they were willing to do the right thing.
Yeah, those are called Democrats.

Makes me wonder what your reasons for voting for them are.
 

Measley

Junior Member
When you don't properly fund education and don't give public education the dedicated focus it deserves, don't be surprised when you end up with an poorly educated population with limited economic viability. Defunding education is never a sane approach to improving education. Only republicans think or say "the best way to improve public education is to spend less on it." They sure as hell would never say that about the military.

They're actually talking about INCREASING military spending while cutting education, medicaid, and environmental protections.

Their excuse for the latter getting cut is that we're broke and have massive debt. The excuse for the increase in military spending is because our "military sucks and we need to make it great again!".

This fucking country man.....
 
No, I mean like Obama's tax cut plans or George W Bush. Trump still has time to change course and not make the same mistake. The GOP could really pull of something special if they did more for the little guy and less for people like me who are doing much better than the rest. Why they refuse to do this and sellout is something I don't understand because they would crush Democrats if they were willing to do the right thing.

Because the GOP is in the pockets of the ultra-wealthy. Their donors fund them with the express purpose of receiving massive tax cuts.
 

Suikoguy

I whinny my fervor lowly, for his length is not as great as those of the Hylian war stallions
Because the GOP is in the pockets of the ultra-wealthy.

Not quite that simple, I think a good chunk of them actually believe in Trickle Down Economics, others just use it as a good excuse.
 
As far as I know, deep tax cuts for the rich has never been a driver for growth. It's one of those boondoggles that is trotted out and never works.

That money isn't reinvested by many, it's saved.

There are times when tax cuts for the rich WOULD work -- this is not one of those times. In no place in the USA would it work currently, because the problem isn't one of overburdened with taxes businesses, it's under-burdened with business businesses.
 

Brinbe

Member
And to think, What's the Matter with Kansas came out 12 years ago. So any hoping that they'd ever learn, doesn't seem like it will happen.
 

Dryk

Member
As far as I know, deep tax cuts for the rich has never been a driver for growth. It's one of those boondoggles that is trotted out and never works.

That money isn't reinvested by many, it's saved.
Yeah but since it sounds fair and reasonable everyone falls for it over and over again.
 
As a reminder Kansas was already several hundred million under when Brownback was re-elected. Hard to feel bad for the people who voted for him again. It's been a continuous disaster since literally day one.

As far as I know, deep tax cuts for the rich has never been a driver for growth. It's one of those boondoggles that is trotted out and never works.

That money isn't reinvested by many, it's saved.

Yes it's commonly believed by a good majority of economists that you hit a point of diminishing returns and further tax cuts will not boost the economy enough to make up for the lost revenue. Tax rates are already some of the lowest since the federal income tax was implemented. Obviously there is a good balance, wherein you don't want to overtax, but arch-conservative idealogues like brownback don't subscribe to pragmatism.
 
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