Things keep getting worse in the Koch-dreamland of Kansas

January 9, 2015

Kansas Is Totally Screwed.” That’s the Mother Jones headline from this week for their story documenting the latest in what’s been a fierce downward spiral for the Sunflower State ever since Governor Sam Brownback implemented his massive Koch-inspired tax cuts.

The article paints a stark picture of just how dire the situation in Kansas really is. Brownback will need to trim $279 million from the budget by this summer, an additional $650 million for fiscal year 2016, and on top of everything else, the Kansas Supreme Court claims that student funding is already so low that it’s threatening the “state’s constitutional guarantee of an adequate education.”

In sum, Brownback that promised his extreme tax overhaul would provide “a shot of adrenaline into the heart of the Kansas economy.” It appears instead, it just shot the Kansas economy in the heart. They’ve already been tagged with a slew of credit downgrades, and things are continuing to get worse and worse. And all thanks to the exact kind of tax cuts that the Kochs salivate over.

The economic catastrophe all sort of makes you wonder if Brownback even had a budget director when he began implementing his radical plan. Well, he did. It was Americans For Prosperity consultant, Steve Anderson. Kochonomics 101: How to tank a state economy while making the rich richer.

Paid for by American Bridge 21st Century Foundation