WICHITA, Kan. - Kansas is in a financial crisis, this is not news. However David Koch's group Americans for Prosperity (AFP) has the Kansas Legislature in fear of repealing tax exemptions and offering revenue enhancements that will solve this financial crisis. This extremist group attacks anything that may be perceived as threatening Koch industries profits.
David and Charles Koch are known for their generous contributions to the arts and cancer research, but the Koch brothers are also known to fund vicious attack campaigns. Such as the "No Stimulus" television and radio ads launched to stop President Obama's stimulus package.
We are coming up on an election year, and understandably members of congress want to be reelected. Our legislators are led to believe that repealing tax cuts from previous fiscal years will prevent them from being reelected, and this is simply not the case.
Kansas House Republican Dan Johnson has been quoted saying, "There is a 0% chance of the Kansas House doing anything other then cutting." These kinds of quotes have Kansans with disabilities, Kansas seniors, and our children's school teachers worried. These people do not have the money or the power to fund campaigns like the AFP does, and therefore are the first to suffer when the budget becomes tight.
The State of Kansas has reduced general property taxes by $4.9 billion in recent years. However, year after year human services are cut and these cuts cause devastation and human suffering. Kansas can not continue to cut taxes to benefit the rich, all the while continuing to cut human services to poverty stricken people, with no power and no resources to help themselves. Cutting taxes sounds great but when tax cuts mean people with disabilities or elderly individuals can't live it's too much.
Kansas Secretary of Revenue Joan Wagnon has said tax exemptions granted by state elected leaders since 1995 have shorted the state treasury $10.9 billion.
Associate Professor Bradley Borden of Washburn University School of Law has said with legislators present, "The state's numerous tax exemptions and credits have choked off revenue to pay for state services and increased the tax burden on everyday Kansans."
Basically, everyday Kansans (including the ones who participate in tea party events) are paying for the bulk of services in Kansas and therefore decreasing their "prosperity". While Billionaires such as Bill and Charles Koch receive tax exemptions and pay less of their fair share of the financial burden and therefore increase their "prosperity".
I would like to ask Americans for Prosperity, what does it say about Kansas values to cut services to elderly persons, and persons with disabilities? What does it say about our values when we proceed with the scheduled phase-out of corporate franchise and estate taxes, rather then putting revenue into human services?
Do Kansans believe that profits are more important then people? Kansas is not a high tax state, whether it is popular idea or not the reality is we may have to enhance revenue and repeal tax cuts. AFP what do you propose we do with our seniors and our people with disabilities? Throw them on the street? No more cuts.
Amen, sister! If we don't speak out for those unable to speak out for themselves, who will?
We're truly honored to welcome you to the Kansas Free Press, Christina. Welcome!
Americans for whose prosperity? Surely not working class folks like myself. Thank you for this article!
Those 'compassionate conservatives' like the Koch brothers (they give a pittance % of their wealth to charity) are mostly driven to conserve their position in the economic world. Their system will always maintain and increase the spread between the top and bottom share of prosperity.
The Koch brothers want government to be "BIG" for them, and small for others. Thanks for this article.