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Policies & New Poll Show Out-of-Touch Administration

Education, taxes and poor leadership show how much Gov. Sam Brownback is out of touch with Kansans' priorities.  A new poll highlights the disconnect, Kansas Democratic Chair Joan Wagnon said Tuesday.

Only 36 percent of registered voters approve of the job Brownback is doing, a SurveyUSA poll reported. Sponsored by KWCH-TV in Wichita, the poll was conducted Jan. 19-24, 2012. Brownback's approval rating has dropped 19 points in a single year, tumbling from a 55 percent approval rating SurveyUSA reported in a Jan. 24, 2011, poll.

"Kansas Democrats believe in education, opportunity and responsibility," Wagnon said. "These are values and priorities that all Kansans share. But this administration's solutions for education are to slice funding to historically low levels and shift the burden of paying for schools to the backs of local property taxpayers.

Wealthy Corporations Favored in Tax Plans, Center Reports

The beneficiaries of tax overhauls proposed by Gov. Brownback and House Republications are likely to be wealthy corporations -- and not just small businesses that create jobs, The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities says in a report it just released.

The major beneficiaries of such a giveaway are unlikely to be the small businesses and job creators that Governor Brownback says he is intent on helping.  Instead, the benefits would flow in great measure to large, established businesses, some of which don't even have employees. 

80% Hurt by Tax Proposal, says Non-Partisan Research Group

The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy reports today that Gov. Brownback's proposed tax plan would increase taxes for the vast majority of Kansans, while cutting taxes for the richest of the rich. The Institute writes:

An ITEP analysis of the plan finds that the bottom 80 percent of the state’s income distribution would collectively see a tax hike under the Brownback plan, while the best off 20 percent of Kansans would see substantial tax cuts. For most middle- and low-income Kansans, the tax break from the income tax rate cuts would be completely offset by the loss of income tax credits and itemized deductions, as well as a higher sales tax rate.

Former Revenue Secretary Analyzes Brownback Tax Plan

Recently retired Secretary of Revenue Joan Wagnon said Tuesday that the tax plan proposed by Gov. Sam Brownback hurts working families and the poor by literally picking their pockets as it preserves tax credits for banks and wealthy corporations.

 Wagnon analyzed the list of tax credits the Brownback plan proposes to remove, and the credits it proposes to preserve. She determined that the Brownback plan overwhelmingly favored banks, wealthy corporations and other businesses over wage earners. In some cases, like the tax credit for historic preservation, the plan allows banks and corporations to keep that credit while taking it away from individual taxpayers.

Under the plan, individual Kansans would lose $180 million in tax credits, while banks and wealthy corporations would retain almost all of their credits and deductions

“The governor has said he’s not picking winners and losers, but he is; he’s choosing banks and wealthy corporations over people,” Wagnon said. “This isn’t even remotely fair, and it drains funding from education.”

State of the State Address

7:02 PM: We agree with the Governor - we're the people of Kansas, and we're not quitting. We're not stopping in the fight for good schools. We're not stopping to fight to restore education cuts.

House and Senate Democrats propose restoring education cuts and lowering property taxes

House and Senate Democrats today announced the Kansas Kids First plan to restore cuts in education funding, lower property taxes and make certain everyone pays their fair share.


"Cuts to Kansas schools have gone way too far in the last few years," said House Minority Leader Paul Davis of Lawrence.

Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley of Topeka said,  “Our proposal is a reasonable, multi-year plan that will restore education cuts incrementally without increasing the tax burden on local property taxpayers. In fact, we're going to give Kansans a much-needed property tax cut."

The Lawrence Journal-World has already called the Democrats plan “a stark contrast to Republican Gov. Sam Brownback's desire to rewrite the school finance formula and place more responsibility for education funding on local boards of education.”