Yesterday the right wingnut controlled Kansas Senate voted to increase regressive taxes. The Kansas House will take a look at it.

On Twitter:

Moderate Party of KS ‏@ModerateKS

The ends dont justify the means. The “cons” lied to get elected then passed tax hikes on to working poor #ksleg  10:34 PM – 7 Jun 2015

Yael T. Abouhalkah ‏@YaelTAbouhalkah

Johnson Countians: Your senators just passed largest tax increase ever in KS. (But you can afford it, right?) #ksleg  9:25 PM – 7 Jun 2015

KS Senate Democrats ‏@kssenatedems

The largest tax increase in the history of our state passed earlier this evening. Not a single Democrat voted in favor of it. #ksleg 9:05 PM – 7 Jun 2015

As if any voters will remember that at the next election.

Previously:

Inviting the leader of a sovereign state to speak in your capital city to tweak your elected leader (March 4, 2015)

If you radically defund state universities how can you expect them to field a basketball team? (March 22, 2015)

A sign for the times (April 3, 2015)

This is the matter with Kansas (June 7, 2015)

Blind ideology. No demonstrable understanding of objective reality. Meanness.

Senate punts tax debate; House goes home til Monday

Legislature, Brownback struggle to fill $400 million budget deficit

Posted: June 6, 2015 – 11:22pm

The Kansas Senate and House participated in separate versions of legislative paralysis Saturday night while trying to wiggle state government out from under the burden of a $400 million budget deficit.

Inertia was so troublesome that House Majority Leader Jene Vickrey R-Louisburg, adjourned the House until Monday.

The Senate was still scheduled to convene Sunday, but the chamber’s agenda was unclear….

[….]

And the rest of civilization understands why:

Justin Henning ‏@jjhenning

I see #ksleg antics made Doonesbury this morning. 7:25 AM – 7 Jun 2015

Governor Sam Brownback (r) [January 2015 file photo].

Yesterday via twitter:

Kent Bush ‏@Kentbush

Who would have ever thought that a bunch of ideologues would have so much trouble governing through a crisis of their own making? #ksleg 11:15 PM – 6 Jun 2015

Five minus two equals seven. There are people who believe that works in Missouri, too.

Previously:

Inviting the leader of a sovereign state to speak in your capital city to tweak your elected leader (March 4, 2015)

If you radically defund state universities how can you expect them to field a basketball team? (March 22, 2015)

A sign for the times (April 3, 2015)

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, “Four freedoms speech”, Annual Message to Congress on the State of the Union, January 6, 1941 [pdf]:

….For there is nothing mysterious about the foundations of a healthy and strong democracy. The basic things expected by our people of their political and economic systems are simple. They are: Equality of opportunity for youth and for others. Jobs for those who can work. Security for those who need it. The ending of special privilege for the few. The preservation of civil liberties for all.

The enjoyment of the fruits of scientific progress in a wider and constantly rising standard of living.

These are the simple, basic things that must never be lost sight of in the turmoil and unbelievable complexity of our modern world. The inner and abiding strength of our economic and political systems is dependent upon the degree to which they fulfill these expectations.

Many subjects connected with our social economy call for immediate improvement. As examples:

We should bring more citizens under the coverage of old-age pensions and unemployment insurance.

We should widen the opportunities for adequate medical care.

We should plan a better system by which persons deserving or needing gainful employment may obtain it.

I have called for personal sacrifice. I am assured of the willingness of almost all Americans to respond to that call.

A part of the sacrifice means the payment of more money in taxes. In my Budget Message I shall recommend that a greater portion of this great defense program be paid for from taxation than we are paying today. No person should try, or be allowed, to get rich out of this program; and the principle of tax payments in accordance with ability to pay should be constantly before our eyes to guide our legislation.

If the Congress maintains these principles, the voters, putting patriotism ahead of pocketbooks, will give you their applause….

Meanwhile, Kansas:

Tim W. Jones ‏@SpeakerTimJones

There’s the KC Red Star…then there’s facts: Gov. Sam Brownback: Tax policy growing Kansas [….] #moleg #ksleg @KCStar 4:02 PM – 1 May 2015

A reply:

Sean Nicholson ‏@ssnich

@SpeakerTimJones Help me understand how kansas is awesome 4:45 PM – 1 May 2015

An answer to the question:

Tim W. Jones ‏@SpeakerTimJones

@ssnich I measure success by how limited gov’t is, how much freedom people have & how low taxes are. Kansas rules. #ksleg 4:57 PM – 1 May 2015

Kansas ain’t all that.

Heh. The “Red” Star:

Jason Hancock ‏@J_Hancock

In the derogatory newspaper nickname contest, “Kansas City Red Star” will never be as funny as “St. Louis Post-Disgrace.” Sad but true. 5:02 PM – 1 May 2015

This past week:

Analysis: Republicans’ budget plans require creative arithmetic to add up

By RICHARD RUBIN, ERIK WASSON AND HEIDI PRZYBYLA

Bloomberg NewsMarch 19, 2015

WASHINGTON – Republicans in the U.S. House and Senate say their budget proposals add up. It takes some creative math and logic to make that true.

The plans unveiled this week call for the U.S. government to collect more than $1 trillion in taxes in the next decade that Republicans have little or no intention of collecting. Some of that revenue comes straight from taxes to pay for Obamacare – which they want to repeal….

[….]

…. The House proposal includes about $94 billion for a special war-funding account that isn’t subject to spending limits set by Congress in 2011. The Senate plan includes $58 billion in war funding, the same amount requested by President Barack Obama.

Price of Georgia would boost defense spending through something called the Overseas Contingency Operations account, which funds military activities in Iraq and Afghanistan, and which critics call a slush fund.

Such spending is exempt from budget limits because it is supposed to be for activities related to overseas conflicts. Price initially set a spending level $36 billion above the president’s request.

Earlier this month, 70 House Republicans signed a letter saying they would block the budget if military spending wasn’t increased. Representative Mike Turner of Ohio, a member of the House Armed Services Committee who organized the letter, said he would vote against Price’s reserve-fund approach and called it “funny money….”

[….]

The budgets also call for repealing the 2010 health care law known as Obamacare, which was funded by a capital gains tax increase, a tax increase on top earners’ wages and levies on medical devices, health insurers and pharmaceutical companies. The budgets assume the revenue will continue to flow in.

Republicans could replace the Obamacare revenue with a U.S. tax code revision they have been discussing for more than four years and haven’t brought to a committee vote.

“They’re committed to the policy of repealing the Affordable Care Act, but they need the revenue in order to make their budget balance,” said Rep. John Yarmuth, a Kentucky Democrat on the House Budget Committee. “So they’re just doing it and saying it makes sense. And it clearly doesn’t make sense….”

[….]

They won’t let actual math stop them.

Today, from Representative Vicky Hartzler (r):

Representative Vicky Hartzler (r): ….Thank you. Thank you very much, uh, chairman. Uh, you’re a, a wonderful chairman and have helped us, uh, pro, produce a, a wonderful, responsible, uh, budget. And this budget goes a long way to address the out of control spending problem and crushing debt the administration has fostered over the last few years. Unlike the President’s proposal, though, our budget contains pro growth economic reforms, repeals Obamacare, and it balances. Most importantly, Price two restores harmful defense cuts and provides the necessary resources our war fighters need. The threats facing this nation and the world right now are vast, real, and expanding. ISIL has proclaimed a caliphate in the middle east and it is now looking to expand into other countries. Russia is continually making headlines with aggression and invasions in the Ukraine and surrounding areas. China continues to build its military as it gains more and more power globally. And Islamic extremism continues to spread to more and more countries. We as representatives of the people are  charged with providing for the common defense. Given the size, reach, and increasingly brutal nature of the threats we face we should feel obliged to make sure that we create a budget that gives our military the tools necessary to address today’s threats and to be fully prepared to address the threats of tomorrow whatever they may be and wherever they may come from. As the only member to sit on both the House Budget Committee and the House Armed Services Committee I am proud that these two committees have came together, uh, come together for Price two to provide total defense funding above the President’s request. Missouri’s fourth congressional district is proud to be one of our nation’s most military intensive congressional districts, home of two major military installations, Whiteman Air Force Base and Fort Leonard Wood, and thousands of dedicated military families sacrificing so much to keep us safe. Providing our military the resources necessary to safeguard our liberties and protect our shores is one of the top legislative priorities I have. And I’m proud that these resources are provided in Price two. Again, I thank Chairman Price for his leadership on this committee and in this process and I urge my colleagues to vote yes on Price two….      

“…Most importantly, Price two restores harmful defense cuts…”

Inigo Montoya: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

“…Russia is continually making headlines with aggression and invasions in the Ukraine and surrounding areas…”

Uh, as far as we know, the occupation portion portion of the crisis currently only involves area within the Ukraine. Besides, we thought republicans were enthralled with Vladimir Putin. Go figure.

“…we should feel obliged to make sure that we create a budget that gives our military the tools necessary to address today’s threats and to be fully prepared to address the threats of tomorrow…”

Uh, the United States spends the greatest amount of money on the military (by far) than any other nation on the planet.

Wait a minute, who is that in the background on the video? Why, yes, it’s Representative Joe Wilson (r).

Representatives Vicky Hartzler (r) and Joe Wilson (r) in Warrensburg, Missouri on September 18, 2012 [file photo].

We half expected him to yell something from the floor of the House.

Previously:

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r) and Rep. Joe Wilson (r) in Warrensburg on defense sequestration (September 18, 2012)

Best quote of the day comes from economist Jared Bernstein’s blog:

House Republicans released their budget today, and I found it to be…um…how can I put this nicely?…orthogonal to reality

“Orthogonal to reality.” And here I thought we’d exhausted all the ways that there were to describe GOP delusions. Bernstein amplifies his remarks:

The policies put forth in this document suggest that America’s main problem is that the poor have too much and the wealthy, too little. The budget plan “corrects” this perceived imbalance by deeply cutting programs that help low- and middle-income people, and cutting taxes on those with high incomes, capital gains, multinational corporations and “pass through” business income.

Of course, as he notes, GOPers claim that this recipe results in growth that floats all our boats. Sadly, as Bernstein observes after pointing out the rather obvious problems with this logic:

I too believe in the American people and growth but I don’t believe in magic asterisks or tax cuts that pay for themselves. It’s great to have faith, but math is good too

Read the entire piece – it’s quite brief. And remember that part about the importance of math. I think that the observation is pertinent to the budget Missouri’s Republican-dominated legislature wants to impose on us. Something on the order of what is sinking Kansas, Wisconsin and a whole host of states with like-minded legislatures. That’s where the phrase “orthogonal to reality” becomes relevant to us as well. Just think, Scott Walker is destroying Wisconsin with this same mumbo-jumbo and, as a result, he’s a front-runner for GOP presidential candidate.

Jake: ….Honest… I ran out of gas. I… I had a flat tire. I didn’t have enough money for cab fare. My tux didn’t come back from the cleaners. An old friend came in from out of town. Someone stole my car. There was an earthquake. A terrible flood. Locusts! It wasn’t my fault, I swear to God!

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback (r) [file photo].

Yesterday, in the Kansas City Star:

Gov. Sam Brownback puts blame for Kansas budget deficits on GOP lawmakers

….cuts, which Brownback signed into law, have resulted in the state facing hundreds of millions of dollars in budget deficits. The Legislature is working on the 2015-2016 budget now.

“What I got from the Legislature was a naked tax cut with none of the pay-fors,” he said. “I took it because it was the best we were going to get….”

Apparently Governor Brownback (r) never had the opportunity to inform the Kansas Legislature of his concerns.

Think we’ll hear the same thing for Missouri? From The Wall Street Journal in 2012:

Meet One of the Super-PAC Men

His name isn’t Adelson or Koch, but he’s spending millions on politics, hoping to roll back taxes and reform education.

By Naomi Schaefer Riley

Oct. 26, 2012 6:36 p.m. ET

….This year he spent more than $2 million collecting signatures to eliminate the state’s corporate and personal income taxes and replace them with a sales tax capped at 7%. Mr. Sinquefield decided to postpone the initiative until next year because it wasn’t polling well.

Then again, he says, smiling, he may not need to put the initiative on the ballot in 2013 after all-because of some unexpected help from Missouri’s next-door neighbor. Earlier this year, Gov. Sam Brownback signed into law a significant tax cut, reducing the Kansas income-tax rate to 4.9% from 6.45% and eliminating taxes on 190,000 small businesses.

“Unbelievably brilliant,” Mr. Sinquefield says of the Kansas approach. He expects that businesses, especially S corporations and limited liability companies, will flock across the border. “You go into Kansas City and you stand on State Line Road, right in the heart of the metro area,” he says, and watch businesses jump from the Missouri side to Kansas. “The doctors are going to move. The lawyers are going to move. It will be a little harder for manufacturing to move, but they’ll move too. There will be a cloud of dust at the Missouri-Kansas border.” No surprise: Mr. Sinquefield bankrolled-he won’t say how much-a group called Kansans for No Income Tax that helped get the law passed…..

Unbelievably brilliant.

Missouri is next.