Allergic to tax hikes — and proud of it

It will surprise no one who follows the Statehouse that the Wichita-area delegation includes some of the Kansas Taxapers Network’s best-loved legislators. In the Wichita-based group’s 2005 legislative ratings, perfect 100 percent scores were accorded Republican Sens. Phil Journey of Haysville and Peggy Palmer of Augusta. The House standouts, with ratings of 105, included Reps. Bonnie Huy of Wichita, Dick Kelsey of Goddard, Steve Huebert of Valley Center and Bill McCreary of Wellington. The area is also home to one chamber’s worst scorer, Sen. Greta Goodwin, D-Winfield, who earned a 5 percent rating. Check out your legislator’s 2005 and lifetime ratings — and answer this: Is the capacity to stand fast on taxes in the face of real and competing needs really the legislative trait to be prized above all others?
Posted by Rhonda Holman

7 Comments

  1. Emily
    Posted September 2, 2005 at 6:08 am | Permalink

    Agreed, Rhonda. It is fool-hardy to laud legislators who mindlessly say no to tax increases just to keep being elected. I’m not anxious to pay more taxes. I whine about imposed drains on my pocketbook. But there are times (example: the school finance fiasco) when a tax increase is not only okay, it’s necessary. What we need are elected respresentatives to Topeka who are THINKERS, not just knee-jerk respondents. We need representatives who can truly do the people’s business for us, not just blindly say no to taxes no matter what shape they come in. We need Intelligent Design in the legislature in the form of Intelligent Representatives.

  2. Joe Williams
    Posted September 2, 2005 at 6:20 am | Permalink

    It’s funny! The legislators who have the 100% or more rating, did not just vote against any tax increase, some just refused to vote, but I guess that is the same aas saying “NO” to taxes, but in a politically safe way.

    Bonnie Huy for instant did not vote at all during the special session to allocate more money for school. She then can tell everybody she opposes taxes and government spending, but she can also defend herself if confronted about funding schools by saying I didn’t vote.

  3. dan newland
    Posted September 2, 2005 at 7:58 am | Permalink

    Screw em. Let em eat cake. Ya ain’t getting any of my tax cuts. Just pay me your $5.00 @ gallon and shut up ! signed, Dick Cheny

  4. Anon
    Posted September 2, 2005 at 2:35 pm | Permalink

    We have people in Topeka who would still vote no if they lived in New Orleans and the tax was to build better levies.

    It’s all politics and getting re-elected. Who cares about the fact that sometimes the state does in fact need more money.

  5. sbp
    Posted September 2, 2005 at 7:38 pm | Permalink

    Any idiot can vote against any new taxes. The problem is, though, that money is needed in certain key areas. Let’s see the non-taxers take the meat axe to the state government bureaucracy and wasted money. Now that would make my day. Let’s grade legislators on that issue and see what happens.

  6. KSMeadowlark
    Posted September 2, 2005 at 10:52 pm | Permalink

    Kansas Income Tax a Model for Texas?www.saljournal.com/blogs/?p=96

  7. ProudMan
    Posted September 4, 2005 at 12:08 am | Permalink

    Why is it people always focus on the income side of the equation? We all need to take a hard look at what government is funding and square away that column as well.

    No More Corporate Welfare!