To the editor:
Kansas is currently faced with a budget deficit of historic proportions. Proposals to close the deficit are:
- Additional deep cuts to education;
- Raise state revenues;
- Gov. Parkinson’s proposal.
Gov. Parkinson’s proposal includes smaller cuts to state programs and increases in state revenues. It is well thought out and well researched.
This proposal currently does not have the support of the majority of state legislators. Why? Because they refuse to listen to their constituents! Because they refuse to listen to research and data that support the governor’s proposal! Because they express extreme distrust for public schools and make misstatements about district budgets.
Kansas is being hijacked by these legislators!
Many legislators claim they have not heard from their constituents who support raising revenues. This is not true! People across the state have contacted their legislators to support the governor’s proposal, Republican and Democrat, rich and poor, rural and urban.
So what can we do if our legislators refuse to listen? Go public!
My public statement is this. I want my legislators to:
- Support Gov. Parkinson’s budget proposal to raise state revenues;
- Support the sales tax increases proposed by the governor;
- Do not make deeper cuts to education or other vital state-funded programs including early childhood, mental health, support for elderly or support for the disabled.
Thank you to those legislators who are listening and researching the solutions!
Cammie Braden,
Lawrence
Comments
oldenoughbutno2 3 years, 2 months ago
Well said,Cammie braden! I couldn`t agree more.
Brent Garner 3 years, 2 months ago
No more taxes! Live within your means! My budget can't afford to be cut anymore than the gov'ts, but no one will bail me out!
Paul R. Getto 3 years, 2 months ago
Good points. If legislators had the guts, the best approach would be to repeal all tax breaks given to those who know how to game the system, start over with a wider base, lower everyone's rates, then start over. If, in the future, a group or individual is given the 'right' to avoid taxes, put a sunset clause in the law and require them to return in 5-10 years to reargue their position. Those who granted the tax breaks in the name of 'good biddness' would also be required to revisit their argument and prove the exception to paying taxes had the desired intent. We are reaching a tipping point, and taxes will probably be raised sometime in May. In the meantime, hang in there and write letters to your representatives.
cato_the_elder 3 years, 2 months ago
How fascinating to read a letter which posits the notion that legislators refuse to listen to their constituents. Having observed exactly that from most Congressional Democrats this previous weekend, the irony is palpable.
avoice 3 years, 2 months ago
I get the feeling that the constituents who want taxes raised either mistakenly think that those taxes will somehow, miraculously, only affect the "rich," or are somehow, for some reason, themselves not expecting to be directly affected by said tax increases. Cammie and others, if you want to provide more money to schools or some other entity and you have looked at your family budget and found that you have $XX available that you could comfortably pay in extra taxes, please do not hesitate. Go ahead and give that money to the entities you support. Maybe if you all put your money where your mouths are, through direct contributions, there will be no need to strap financially burdened Kansans for more taxes.
vertigo 3 years, 2 months ago
Paulette is vying for the position to replace Merrill as the resident spam-bot.
DougCounty 3 years, 2 months ago
Vertigo: Spam is useless crap that clogs the internet for personal gain.
Paulette provided cogent, relevant statistics that showed a shift in taxation patterns over the years. She also provided more cogent, relevant statistics about job losses and economic shifts, followed by relevant examples of our community responding to urgent needs.
You, in contrast provided some cutesy character assasination swipe.
The winner(loser) is clear: the spam-bot crown belongs to vertigo!
Now for the rest of us, we can try for some civil discussion? It's clear that taxation is both a burden and an asset as far as our collective ability to meet our needs. We would not have roads, sewers, drinkable water, electricity and a host of other things without taxes. We can each come up with an equally long list of things we wish we weren't paying for and consider a waste of our taxes. We can think of things that we'd love to fund but would bankrupt us if we did, and can think of other things that we cannot afford NOT to fund even if it does bankrupt us.
The "things" on your list are probably different than my list, and there very few folks who would agree on everything. So it comes down to transparency and the ability to get things on and off that tax roll. How in the heck we can do that is up to our collective efforts at electing officials and hiring workers who know that. Not any different than the private sector, by the way.
vertigo 3 years, 2 months ago
DougCounty- Take a look at these links of Paulette's postings over the past weeks. Notice anything familiiar?
If it looks like spam, smells like spam, and is copy and pasted over multiple stories for multiples days...
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/mar/19/parkinson-gop-budget-cuts-irresponsible/#c1186430
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/mar/17/house-republicans-propose-more-school-cuts/#c1185485
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/mar/17/house-republicans-propose-more-school-cuts/#c1184966
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/mar/16/about-thousand-show-school-budget-rally-topeka/#c1184565
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/mar/17/statehouse-live-hundreds-arrive-oppose-soda-tax/#c1184560
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/mar/15/kansas-senate-committee-considering-whether-levy-s/#c1182683
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/mar/15/business-leaders-protest-proposal-hike-states-sale/#c1182676
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/mar/14/tax-brackets/#c1182059
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/mar/12/kansas-senate-approved-budget-would-lead-deficit-u/#c1180431
You can take your foot of your mouth and your head out of your arse now.
kansasmom 3 years, 2 months ago
I've told my local rep and senator - NO MORE TAXES! Live within your means!!!!
commuter 3 years, 2 months ago
A nice letter but I have a couple of disagreements. Just because you want them to raise taxes doesn't mean that other people are telling them not to rasie taxes. I personally feel we need to totally revamp our education system here in Kansas. There are too many programs that get lumped in with education budget and the should be broken out seprately. The budget should be divided by Higher Education, K-12 Education, Preschool (High Risk Students), GED, and other programs.
Based on the SONS group fighting so hard to keep small schools open, I have a hard time telling my legilstaures to fund education more with out saying, to keep our small schools open.
independant1 3 years, 2 months ago
Alexander Hamilton started the U.S. Treasury with nothing, and that was the closest our country has ever been to being even. (Will Rogers)
oneeye_wilbur 3 years, 2 months ago
hey, camie, you can pay more property tax in lawrence too while you are at it, just vote Yes for the library expansion, go ahead and spend yourself broke. Better yet, got a better idea. every old person in Lawrence, like say, 60 years and older should vote yes for every proposal that comes along and then put the expense on the entitltlement generation, those 48 years and youngers, I say go for broke , stick them with the bill, let them feel the pain while they are young, I hope this editorial writer is past 48,, cause she is going to feel the pain. go for it girl, go for broke.
KSManimal 3 years, 2 months ago
cato_the_elder (anonymous) says… "How fascinating to read a letter which posits the notion that legislators refuse to listen to their constituents. Having observed exactly that from most Congressional Democrats this previous weekend, the irony is palpable."
Just because the right-wing rhetoric say's people don't want health care reform doesn't make it so. The right-wing rhetoric also includes other lies about the health care bill: "government takeover", "tax-funded abortion", "death panels", "rationing of medical care", and a plethora of other lies.
The latest polls show most folks approve of the bill as passed. I'll assume, though, that the right-wing lie machine will keep right on running as usual.
Jimo 3 years, 2 months ago
"I've told my local rep and senator - no more taxes! Live within your means!!!!"
I wish I could place a bet at the casino that this speaker doesn't pay enough taxes to cover her own government welfare. Where else are you going to get odds that favorable?
none2 3 years, 2 months ago
Jimo (anonymous) says… "I've told my local rep and senator - no more taxes! Live within your means!!!!"
I wish I could place a bet at the casino that this speaker doesn't pay enough taxes to cover her own government welfare. Where else are you going to get odds that favorable?
I concur.
That being said, I personally agree that there are WAY too many government employees and a lot of waste in government. However, until they can cut the fat without cutting the meat, they may need a bit more revenue. Sales tax is preferable over income or property as it is primarily optional where as income and property taxes are not.
cammieb 3 years, 2 months ago
I knew my letter would draw out all the negative newspaper blogger comments. As it is rather late, I feel compelled to post a few comments in reply to the personal accusations. I'll keep the numerical format to make it easier for most to read:
Go for it - have fun blogging. I'm going to bed.
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