Comments by bluekansas / LJWorld.com

The long-awaited groundbreaking occurred last week in Manhattan for the first phase of the $1.2 billion National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, which will be a big win for the state and national security. But a commentary in the San Antonio Express-News warned about the “folly of building a federal research lab handling the most dangerous pathogens on Earth in the heart of Tornado Alley,” calling the choice of Manhattan a case of “politics trumping safety.” John Kerr, who had chaired the effort to try to lure the lab to San Antonio, concluded:

“Proponents of the Kansas site blandly insist that the NBAF has been redesigned to withstand a tornado. The images of destruction from Oklahoma suggest that unless the entire 500,000-square-foot facility is built underground, at a cost running into the billions, it could not withstand even an EF-3 tornado. Building it in Kansas is the equivalent of playing Russian roulette with Mother Nature.” When such concerns were raised in 2009, Kansans noted the Texas county vying for NBAF historically registered more tornadoes than Kansas’ Riley County and that Texas led the nation in tornadoes and came in second for hurricanes.

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June 5, 2013 at 6:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Editorial: Tax impacts

Congrats to Charles and David Koch, who made out like bandits during the 2013 KS legislative session. Just a few of their many accomplishments: 1) passing a $777 million tax increase on lower and middle income Kansans to get their own income taxes reduced, 2) slashing unemployment benefits, 3) subjecting TANF and unemployment benefit recipients to drug testing, and 4) stifling the political voices of Kansas teachers by disallowing automatic payroll deductions to their KNEA PAC.

Given the Koch's stranglehold on the KS Legislature, just thought I'd pass along an updated version on how a bill REALLY becomes law in Kansas. Enjoy!

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June 4, 2013 at 6:54 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Analysis: 2013 legislative session over; results will be judged by Kansas voters

Congrats to Charles and David Koch, who made out like bandits during the 2013 KS legislative session. Just a few of their many accomplishments:

1) passing a $777 million tax increase on lower and middle income Kansans to get their own income taxes reduced,
2) slashing unemployment benefits,
3) subjecting TANF and unemployment benefit recipients to drug testing, and
4) stifling the political voices of Kansas teachers by disallowing automatic payroll deductions to their KNEA PAC.

Given the Koch's stranglehold on the KS Legislature, just thought I'd pass along an updated version on how a bill REALLY becomes law in Kansas. Enjoy!

http://www2.ljworld.com/users/photos/...

June 4, 2013 at 6:47 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Bill sought by opponents of Common Core standards before the Legislature

Kansas Republicans want to raise your taxes.

Sounds crazy, right? It is, but it's also true.

Below is a list of Kansas House members (all Republican) who voted to raise taxes by $857 million on hardworking Kansans. It’s time to stop hiding the facts and face the truth. The tax plan that these public servants are trying to pass would raise taxes on lower- and middle-income Kansans while it would create even more tax breaks for the richest Kansans.

So how are taxes going up? Here is a breakdown of what this plan would mean for you:

Reduce itemized deductions such as charitable contributions and the home mortgage interest deduction.
Slash standard income tax deductions for families by almost one half, a move that will primarily harm low- and middle-income Kansas families.
Raise sales taxes from 5.7% to 6%.

You may be asking yourself: why do so many Kansas Republicans want to raise my taxes?

Here's why: for the past year Gov. Brownback and the Kansas GOP have worked tirelessly to give tax breaks to big business and millionaires. Now, they are working just as hard to raise your taxes so they can pay for those reckless tax breaks. Because of tax breaks for the rich, middle class Kansas families like yours will have to carry the burden and support our schools, prisons, and highways.

Gov. Brownback and Kansas Republicans are robbing working-class Kansans blind so billionaires don’t have to pay their fair share. It’s time we let them know we’ve had enough. Click on a name below to tell your House member why they should stop trying to raise taxes on Kansas families.

http://www.ksdp.org/blog/does-your-re...

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June 1, 2013 at 8:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

House rejects another tax increase, negotiations to continue

Jeff Melcher Really Worried That Grocery-Tax Cut Means People Will Never Buy Anything But Groceries

A Republican state lawmaker in Kansas says that he opposes cutting the taxes on groceries because it would be a form of "social engineering" that encourages people to buy food over other items.

The Kansas Senate on Thursday voted to cut the state sales tax on food from 6.3 percent to 4.95 percent, but Sen. Jeff Melcher (R) led opposition against the measure, arguing that it would lead to people eating more.

"It seems to me we are encouraging the behavior of purchasing food and discouraging the behavior of purchasing anything else," Melcher reportedly told his colleagues.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05...

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May 31, 2013 at 7 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

House rejects another tax increase, negotiations to continue

Kansas lawmakers play $45,000-a-day joke on taxpayers

The Kansas House met for about an hour Wednesday, then abruptly adjourned until the members meet again on Thursday. And voila! That’s another $45,000 or so in taxpayer funds down the drain.

The lawmakers got to this point because they spent far too much time earlier in the session approving unconstitutional bills on guns and trying to gut the Kansas court plan that’s working perfectly well.

Sure, the Legislature has some important jobs still left to do.

The members haven’t passed a budget yet.

They haven’t decided what the sales tax rate will be after July 1.

When the decisions eventually are made, they could affect how hundreds of millions of dollars are spent in the future and how high the tax burdens will be on people when it comes to income taxes and sales taxes.

May 31, 2013 at 6:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

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