The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has again determined that the federal health care law will reduce the deficit, contrary to the rhetoric of many Republicans. What’s more, it calculated that Republican legislation to repeal the law would increase the deficit by $109 billion from 2013 to 2022. That’s not to say that there aren’t serious concerns about the law, including that it doesn’t do enough to control costs. But it won’t create large deficits, at least not during the time period examined by CBO. The law also is lowering some costs for consumers. A new federal analysis found that Kansans on Medicare have saved more than $41 million on prescription drugs since the law was enacted ($3.9 billion saved nationwide). Just in the first half of 2012, Kansans saved an average of $576 on prescriptions that used to be in the Medicare “doughnut hole” coverage gap.
Sedgwick County Commissioner Karl Peterjohn isn’t shy about saying that he has voted three times against the county participating in a $1.5 million federal sustainable planning grant. But he stressed during a meeting with The Eagle editorial board that he never mentioned “Agenda 21.” Some have tried to link the planning grant to an obscure two-decade-old, nonbinding United Nations document that they think could force us to ride bicycles and live in high-rises. Peterjohn didn’t seem to want to be associated with such conspiracy talk. Yet a campaign mailer Peterjohn gave The Eagle noted how he voted against “Agenda 21 grants.”
One big difference between the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and some local chambers is education, the Kansas City Star reported. For example, the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce devotes almost half a page of its legislative agenda to K-12 education. It calls for “adequate and equitable funding” of schools and opposes additional education budget cuts. The chamber also supports increased funding for higher education, seeing education as a key to economic development. In contrast, the Kansas Chamber of Commerce does not address education in its legislative agenda and is targeting for defeat moderate GOP lawmakers who have strongly supported public education. The Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce’s 2012 agenda lists three items related to education: Funding decisions should be the sole discretion of the Legislature and not the courts. Funding should continue for the National Center for Aviation Training. And “competitive and innovative educational approaches” should be encouraged.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has again determined that the federal health care law will reduce the deficit, contrary to the rhetoric of many Republicans. What’s more, it calculated that Republican legislation to repeal the law would increase the deficit by $109 billion from 2013 to 2022. That’s not to say that there aren’t serious concerns about the law, including that it doesn’t do enough to control costs. But it won’t create large deficits, at least not during the time period examined by CBO. The law also is lowering some costs for consumers. A new federal analysis found that Kansans on Medicare have saved more than $41 million on prescription drugs since the law was enacted ($3.9 billion saved nationwide). Just in the first half of 2012, Kansans saved an average of $576 on prescriptions that used to be in the Medicare “doughnut hole” coverage gap.
