It’s not often that a governor steps before a state Legislature and asks it to disregard politics and simply do the right thing.

Perhaps that’s why Rep. Tom Sloan, a Lawrence Republican, said Democratic Gov. Mark Parkinson’s speech Monday night was the most inspiring State of the State speech he had heard in 16 years as a legislator.

As inspiring as his words were, however, some of the concrete proposals he outlined also inspired some strong opposition.

In his 30-minute speech, impressively delivered without notes or a teleprompter, Parkinson spoke eloquently about the efforts of generations of Kansas leaders to support public schools, higher education and human services, and build the state’s reputation in such areas as animal health, aviation and cancer research.

While doing that, Kansas leaders also have been able to keep the state’s tax burden below the national average, he said, but now, the need to “protect what we have,” requires additional taxes. His proposal to raise the state’s cigarette tax by 55 cents per pack had been expected; his plan to raise the state’s sales tax by one cent for the next three years was more of a surprise.

The sales tax proposal was greeted by silence — no applause — by the legislators gathered for the speech. Parkinson invited legislators to come up with a better way to find $400 million to maintain vital state services at their current level, but said after spending many hours looking at the budgets, he found no responsible way to make cuts of that size. “I am open to all options,” he said, but the cuts that would be necessary without new revenue are “simply not acceptable.”

Those cuts may not be acceptable to Parkinson, but Republican legislative leaders have not reached that conclusion. In the Republican budget message, which was recorded before Parkinson’s speech, House Speaker Mike O’Neal dismissed any suggestions of tax increases. The two men agreed that Kansas is near the end of the worst of the recession, but while Parkinson urged the state to “protect what we have built,” O’Neal was more concerned about the effect any tax increase would have on business recovery in the state.

A sales tax wouldn’t affect business as directly as some other taxes, but it also wouldn’t be the first choice of Democratic legislators because it affects Kansans in all economic classes. The fact that Parkinson is calling for the increase to run for 36 months — long enough, he hopes, to see the state into brighter economic times — is a big plus, but the increase is a dramatic step. Parkinson may be retiring as governor after this year, but he still understands politics. Perhaps, his proposal of a sales-tax increase will make any other tax increases or canceled tax exemptions conjured up by the Legislature look moderate by comparison.

What set Parkinson’s speech apart from others in recent memory was his willingness to put forth plans — including a statewide public smoking ban, increased emphasis on wind energy and creation of a rainy day fund — based not on political expediency but on what is best for the state. It’s something many other Kansas governors have chosen not to do, even in the last year of what they knew was their last term.

We agree with Sloan. It’s inspiring to see a political leader willing to stand on principle. Legislators may be able to disagree with Parkinson’s specific budget plans, but it’s hard to question his commitment and vision for Kansas.