. . . This week the legislature has been called into special session in Topeka by Democratic Governor Kathleen Sebelius (who also craves more spending) to comply with this court order. If the legislators do, they will essentially have handed the power of the purse and the power to tax over to six unelected and unaccountable judges.tat2kc wrote: can you post a couple exerpts from the editorial?
Thankfully, some of the Republicans in the state legislature are not inclined to be bullied by the court. One of them is Senator Tim Huelskamp who describes the court decision as a "judicial shakedown of the citizens of Kansas for higher taxes." The court counters that it is simply enforcing a provision of the Kansas Constitution that requires that the state provide "suitable provisions" for financing the schools. . . .
It is ironic that this fight has surfaced in Kansas, because in nearby Kansas City, Missouri, a judge ruled in a case that ended in 1997 that the school system had to spend more than $1 billion in added school expenditures to reduce financing inequities. The result of this deluge of money was further declines in test scores. In that case even the judge himself later admitted he had erred in thinking that more money would improve dismal schools.
Fully complying with the Kansas court ruling would require the legislature to increase the state budget by more than the entire state operating budget in 1972. To raise the money, the legislature will be tempted to spend down the state's $170 million revenue surplus. They could also be forced to triple school property taxes or increase income taxes by 50%. The Flint Hills Institute calculates that this could cost the state up to 20,000 jobs. . . .
