Gov. Mark Parkinson stirred concerns when he said recently that the long-term solvency of the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System is such an issue that “everything has to be looked at” — including possible changes to current benefits for retirees. Parkinson later regretted his words, writing on his blog: “Because I said that we would consider changes for people that are already in the system, I may have scared tens of thousands of retirees who are already receiving benefits, and even more current state employees who are counting on this fund for their future. I said it, but it’s not what I meant. What I should have said — and meant to say — is that we don’t want to cut any benefits and we are analyzing all our options.”
He attributed that and “other mistakes that day” to the four hours of sleep he’d had the night before because of “some pet issues” at 3:30 a.m. “I’ll try to not let that happen again,” he wrote.
Leaders of the Dodge City, Garden City and Liberal districts are expected to meet today with the Schools for Fair Funding attorneys to discuss recent K-12 spending cuts and what to do about them. “The Legislature cut funding to education by 22 percent, and more cuts are expected in the coming session,” Wichita attorney Alan Rupe, who won more money for schools in 2005 in the Montoy case, told the Dodge City Daily Globe. “Nobody wants to go back to court, but those kinds of cuts leave districts with no choice.” One option, of course, is further litigation. “They can either fight the Legislature now to increase funding, or shift the burden to individual school boards,” Rupe said. “And if that happens, those districts that simply can’t afford to shoulder the huge burden will have no choice but to raise taxes.”
Noting that state employees’ salary information is now available at the KanView Web site, Topeka Capital-Journal columnist Ric Anderson asked readers to guess the order of salaries, from largest to smallest, of Kansas State University president Kirk Schulz, Kansas Board of Regents president Reginald Robinson, regents vice president Diane C. Duffy, Kansas Lottery executive director Ed Van Petten and Gov. Mark Parkinson. “Correct answer: You’re looking at it,” Anderson wrote. The site lists Schulz’s salary at $350,000; Robinson’s at $193,000; Duffy’s at $139,124.96; Van Petten’s at $133,250; and Parkinson’s at $110,707.22.
“The next two years will make that look like child’s play.” — Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh (in photo), on the budget troubles of the 2009 legislative session
“I don’t know exactly how you define hypocrisy, but this may be close.” — Ellis County Democratic Party chairman Glenn Staab, on Sen. Sam Brownback’s touting the $1.7 million for a rail spur for the Siemens plant in Hutchinson from the stimulus package, which he voted against
“I thought the 11th Commandment might be, ‘Thou shalt not socialize.’” — North Newton resident Bruce Bradshaw, writing in the Newton Kansan about the talk of socialism at a recent Tiahrt town hall
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was asked by the Washington Post whether there should be some federal funding of abortions. “The president has made it pretty clear that Congress and the new health insurance plan will not provide federal funds for abortions,” Sebelius said. She also was asked what she thought about the archbishop of Kansas City, Kan., having told her when she was Kansas governor that she shouldn’t take communion because she was a pro-choice politician. “Well, it was one of the most painful things I have ever experienced in my life,” Sebelius said. “I am a firm believer in the separation of church and state, and I feel that my actions as a parishioner are different than my actions as a public official and that the people who elected me in Kansas had a right to expect me to uphold their rights and their beliefs even if they did not have the same religious beliefs that I had. And that’s what I did: I took an oath of office and I have taken an oath of office in this job and will uphold the law.”
“It’s become a game between two teams: the Republican team and the Democratic team.” — Rep. Jerry Moran, R-Hays, about the political struggle in Washington, D.C.
“I am interested in hiring you as my marketing agent. You are very good.” — Moran again, after his accidental introduction as “Sen. Moran” at a Lawrence event
“I was brainwashed.” — Lucero Costillo, an Emporia High School student, joking after President Obama’s school speech
“If we had a 4,000-person waiting list for kindergarten this year, someone would do something about it.” — Tom Laing, executive director of InterHab, decrying that more than 4,100 Kansans are on waiting lists for home-based services
Remarkably, considering the heat of the August town halls, Kansans may be feeling a little better about President Obama. In the late-August SurveyUSA poll, co-sponsored by KWCH, Channel 12, 45 percent of Kansans said they approved of the job he’s doing, up 4 percent since July. The approval ratings for Kansas Sens. Pat Roberts and Sam Brownback were 58 and 54 percent, respectively, and 49 percent for Gov. Mark Parkinson. Those numbers represented one-month gains of 9 points for Roberts, 4 points for Brownback and 8 points for Parkinson.
Like his predecessor, Gov. Mark Parkinson supports a statewide smoking ban in public places. He said this week that he also may push for an increase in the state’s 79 cents-a-pack cigarette tax. Both moves could help lower the yearly toll that smoking-related illness takes on Kansas, including 4,000 deaths and $200 million in Medicaid costs. And the statewide public ban makes sense, given the proven health risks of secondhand smoke. But with so many communities now having their own indoor clean-air ordinances, passing a statewide ban becomes more complicated. In Wichita, for example, some businesses that chose last year to continue to allow smoking spent money to create smoking rooms with separate ventilation. Will public health trump local control?
Kansas Republicans let their party split ruin their chances to elect a governor in 2002 and 2006. Every few days bring another reason to think they’ve learned their lesson for 2010, also bringing Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., closer to his goal of becoming governor. His campaign committees include the biggest GOP names in the state. On Monday Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger, a moderate Republican, endorsed the conservative Brownback, saying, “Sam will work diligently to promote job growth and high-quality education, the cornerstones of a vibrant Kansas economy.” And Thursday Brownback holds a public event with Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh, who recently scrapped his own gubernatorial bid, that has people speculating about a possible Brownback-Thornburgh ticket.
One month of slightly better-than-expected revenue collections does not an economic recovery make. And the new Business Conditions Index of the mid-America region released Tuesday warns that the economic recovery is subdued and fragile. Still, it was a relief that the state collected $6.9 million more in taxes than it estimated for August. July revenue was about $5 million below estimates, which means the state revenue is right on track so far this fiscal year — though delays in paying income-tax refunds in order to help cover last fiscal year’s shortfall mean that the state’s revenue this year is down by $29.3 million.
“If whoever did that were a student of mine, I would have failed him,” Kansas Board of Regents vice chairman Gary Sherrer said about what he called a “dim-witted” report issued recently by the Flint Hills Center for Public Policy. The report said that the state had $2 billion in unused funds that could be used to cover the state’s budget shortfall and cut taxes. Sherrer and regents chairwoman Jill Docking said that many university funds are designated and can’t be raided for other purposes.
“If Gary Sherrer runs for governor, I’ll run for lieutenant governor.” — Kansas Board of Regents chairwoman Jill Docking, kidding (we think) during a visit with former Lt. Gov. Sherrer to The Eagle
“I think you better calm down this argument between the mayor and us.” — Sedgwick County Commissioner Gwen Welshimer, to The Eagle, on the city-county confusion over a July 29 meeting
“We need taxes to support their protests.” — Rep. Dale Swenson, D-Wichita, about how Friday’s anti-tax tea party was held at the county-owned and taxpayer-supported Sedgwick County Park
“I’m on socialized medicine. It’s called Medicare. I never have to wait, I choose my own doctors, and I get excellent care. Why should younger people be denied the same thing?” — Dodge City school board president Dan Reichenborn, to Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., at a town meeting last week
A few days after one developer dropped out, the two others vying to build a Sumner County casino spared state officials from having to choose between Mulvane and Wellington, coming together on the Chisholm Creek Casino Resort at the Mulvane exit of the Kansas Turnpike. Lakes Entertainment joined Foxwoods Development in the Mulvane proposal, effectively ending Wellington’s long-held dream of being home to the casino and its economic development. That’s tough. But all of Sumner County will see revenues, jobs and other benefits from the casino (as well as some negatives, it should be said), and the casino’s best chances of success have always seemed to be in Mulvane. Of course, after 2½ years of big announcements followed by scrapped plans, many will believe in a Sumner County casino resort only when they see it.
State Budget Director Duane Goossen asked state agencies last week to look for an additional $250 million in future budget cuts. Some GOP lawmakers think the deficit next fiscal year could be twice that size. Either way, it will be difficult to trim that much out of the state budget when many programs and services already have been cut. And if everything is really on the table, as officials often say, then lawmakers also should consider revenue options, such as delaying the phase-in of tax cuts and eliminating some sales-tax exemptions.
Perhaps the downturn has Kansans, like many other Americans, unusually down on their leaders this summer. The SurveyUSA approval rating for Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., dived to 49 percent last month from 61 percent in June, while Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., dipped 4 percentage points to 50 percent in July. Gov. Mark Parkinson’s approval ratings declined over the summer, too (from 52 percent in late May to 41 percent in July).
When state health officer Jason Eberhart-Phillips briefed the Kansas State Board of Education on the H1N1 virus last week, board member Kathy Martin of Clay Center asked him whether human embryonic stem cells were being used in the vaccine’s development, suggesting that people might refuse vaccinations if that were the case. He assured her the vaccine is being developed using chicken eggs. A Kansas Department of Health and Environment spokeswoman later told The Eagle editorial board in an e-mail: “Current supplies of seasonal influenza vaccine are manufactured by growing the influenza virus in eggs. The novel H1N1 virus has been reported as growing well in eggs, and the same manufacturing techniques are being used as with seasonal influenza vaccine.” Although the research on some vaccines has involved components derived from human fetuses, to the consternation of the Vatican, that’s not the case with the vaccines for either seasonal or H1N1 flu.
Forecasters at the Kansas Department of Labor badly underestimated the demand for unemployment benefits, as did many other economists. But one reason Kansas’ Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund is running out of money is that businesses haven’t consistently paid into the fund in recent years. Because it believed the trust fund had an adequate balance, the Legislature halted unemployment taxes from 1995 through 1999, saving employers an estimated $556 million in taxes. Reduced tax rates have also been in effect the past three years, which saved employers an estimated $286 million. Such reductions seemed like good policy at the time, as no one expected the economy to contract so severely and so quickly. And lower taxes might have helped some businesses employ more workers. It’s also worth recalling that many GOP legislators were initially opposed this past session to a minor law change that enabled the trust fund to draw down nearly $70 million in federal stimulus dollars.
“In the end, reason will prevail. The Gitmo detainees will not come to Kansas on my watch. Write it down.” — Gov. Mark Parkinson, on his blog, where he also asks, “Is it just me or are the comedians not as funny as they were when Bush was president?” and “Is there a food on the planet better than Baskin-Robbins Chocolate Mousse Royale?”
“Thank you for having happy faces.” — Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., noting the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce crowd was a welcome difference from the “town maulings” other lawmakers are experiencing on health care
“I don’t want to give an opportunity to people who want to put on a show to put on a show.” — Rep. Dennis Moore, D-Lenexa, defending his decision not to hold town hall meetings
“It’s one good thing about being old.” — Jason Eberhart-Phillips, state health officer, noting that 80 percent of Kansas H1N1 cases have involved people younger than 35
With Kansas Democrats still without a gubernatorial candidate for next year, the only thing standing between Sen. Sam Brownback and the governor’s mansion is history: Kansas voters have yet to elect a conservative Republican as governor. “That’s the hurdle that Brownback has to overcome,” Joe Aistrup, political science professor at Kansas State University, told the Lawrence Journal-World. “That is what is depressing the Democrats. There is a conservative from the (Kansas) Republican Assembly side of the party, and it looks like in all likelihood he is going to win.”
Attorney General Steve Six was prudent in declining to devote additional state resources to defending a 2006 law placing limits on the size and content of signs for sexually oriented businesses along highways. Similar laws have been struck down in at least three states, including Missouri, making Kansas’ law a long shot as well. “It would be fiscally irresponsible to continue litigation that has very little chance of success,” Six said in a statement. “This agreement avoids unnecessary litigation costs and prevents taxpayers from being on the hook for the plaintiff’s attorney’s fees.” The attorney for the Lion’s Den Adult Superstore, which is along I-70 in Abilene and brought the federal lawsuit, estimated Six’s decision will save taxpayers $150,000. Legislators behind this attempt to curb adult businesses’ signs — even when, as in this case, they contain words and no pictures — should think twice before trying again next session. Even such businesses are entitled to the broad protections of the First Amendment.
“This is no way to run a government.” — Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., on rumors and leaks about Obama administration plans for relocating Gitmo detainees
“Maybe he’d offer me a beer.” — Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., saying he’d like a chance to sit down with President Obama and persuade him not to close Gitmo
“I don’t live in Washington, D.C. I live in Kansas.” — Rep. Jerry Moran, R-Hays, asked by a constituent to “explain” his weekday residency since 2003 at the much-discussed C Street house
“We can manage with creative cash management.” — Gov. Mark Parkinson, finding relief in July’s $5 million dip in tax revenues
“Kansans of yesteryear didn’t whine when the feds shipped Nazi prisoners of war their way in the 1940s,” wrote Kansas City Star columnist Mike Hendricks. “Trainloads of German soldiers and sailors came. Many were the products of Hitler youth camps and a philosophy as scary as anything hatched in a militant madrassa. That’s why it’s embarrassing to watch the state’s political leaders of today stamping their little feet on rumors that the Gitmo detainees might end up in Leavenworth.”
It’s good to see the Kansas Board of Regents and the Kansas State Department of Education working together to share and compare data in a way that tracks Kansas student achievement long term and measures the effectiveness of education programs. Gov. Mark Parkinson furthered the collaboration with a June executive order “supporting a seamless education system.” As Parkinson later put it: “What we want to know is — are we preparing our kids for college? The best way to find that out is to look at the big picture, and compare students’ success in college to their success in public schools.”
“Call me a liar, but people up north appreciate me.” — Sedgwick County Commission Chairman Kelly Parks (in photo, of the northern Wichita suburb of Valley Center), on the confusion over whether he and Vice Chairwoman Gwen Welshimer “requested” or just “talked about” an executive session to discuss the county manager’s firing
“I know there are a lot of patriotic Americans who are deeply concerned about this, but I am convinced that President Obama is a natural-born citizen of the United States; additionally, his mother and her parents were born in Kansas.” — Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan.
“It’s the Republicans who are running the same old names, not us.” — Larry Gates, chairman of the Kansas Democratic Party, arguing that the party’s bench is young and strong, “with tremendous potential”
“I love going to Wichita because it’s where I grew up and I’m just always in a good mood when I’m there.” — Gov. Mark Parkinson, on his blog
“She looked like a million bucks and seems to being doing well.” — Parkinson again, on seeing his predecessor, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, at a recent meeting of governors in Mississippi
Waiting for the stock market to heal itself won’t be enough to guarantee the long-term solvency of the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System, according to its experts. As 2008 ended, the system’s unfunded actuarial liability was at a record $8.3 billion, up $2.7 billion from 2007 — and not that far from equaling the fund’s $10 billion in assets. The KPERS board and staff are doing an analysis of the system’s funding status and how state leaders might respond to it. They plan to provide the governor and legislative leaders with the results this fall, so the 2010 Legislature can act. If the state’s next budget is anything like the current one, the pressure will be great to think about KPERS another day. But as our editorial today argues, leaders need to get going on a plan of attack, so public employees and retirees can trust they’ll get what’s coming to them.
