Less than a week after Election Day, when the neighbors are starting to get a little terse in their questions about when you will take down the campaign signs, the real business of government starts.

That real business is the job of either Republican Gov. Sam Brownback or Democrat challenger Paul Davis to put together a budget for the fiscal year which starts July 1, 2015, and which will probably also involve the current fiscal year’s spending plans.

The Nov. 10 report of the state’s Consensus Revenue Estimating Group will be the official estimate of the revenues coming into the state that whoever is governor then will have to use to craft a budget for the fiscal year which starts July 1, 2015 — and get us out of the current fiscal year with the lights still on.

Because the CREG group of economists and fiscal experts is nonpartisan, it generally looks at just the hard numbers, which politicians then get to characterize however they want. But the CREG number is the basis on which the budget must be written, and the budget has to add up.

All this is quite a way removed from the campaign rhetoric we’ll be hearing this week. Whatever we have been told about school spending or highways or social service programs or nearly anything else during the campaign just fades away, and Kansans live with the programs and spending that the CREG-estimated budget will afford.

A couple numbers are already floating around. In April, CREG—which meets twice a year—figured that state revenues would be $5.96 billion, about 6 percent below last year, but up about $100 million from last November’s estimate. Already, revenues within this fiscal year are down about $20 million from that April estimate. And, that slippage may be accounted for on Nov. 10.

But the real issue may be whether this year’s April estimate of 6 percent slippage is the bottom of the well, or whether there is more significant year-to-year revenue dropping to be done.

If state revenues have hit rock bottom, that’s good news. It’s a base to start from while the state adjusts to massive income tax cuts and sees whether that “discretionary” spending which produces sales tax and liquor tax and all other sorts of specialized taxes tied to discretionary spending will rise. Remember, the theory is that as income taxes drop, businesses and people will spend the money they are saving on income taxes on other things, paying taxes on those purchases.

But we’re at the point in the state budget that if there aren’t some new revenues coming in, things get a little bleak. Programs are reduced, state employment continues to fall, and at some point, the state just doesn’t have enough money barring a tax increase or something similar to do much for Kansans.

That’s when the state starts looking for programs that local units of government—like cities and counties—have to fund, and likely increase property taxes to accomplish.

So, it’s really going to be the CREG estimate that most of us can use as a predictor of whether our property taxes are going up.

Almost a shame that the estimate won’t be made before the election, but then, it would just get portrayed however each candidate wants to spin it. What might be the most important announcement for the next couple years about where our government is headed would become unclear.

For whomever is governor or governor-elect Nov. 10, the spin cycle will be over.

Syndicated by Hawver News Co. of Topeka, Martin Hawver is publisher of Hawver’s Capitol Report. To learn more about this nonpartisan statewide political news service, visit www.hawvernews.com.

The Kansas Department of Transportation recently conducted a series of local consult meetings to receive input from the public on what highway projects should be considered for the future. I attended the meeting in Hays on Oct. 14 to advocate for improvements to Kansas 23 from Hoxie south to Grainfield.

Like many of the north-south highways in western Kansas, K-23 carries an ever-increasing amount of truck traffic. These highways also typically have very narrow shoulders and steep ditches. The problem has been addressed in recent years on other portions of K-23 through a process of “practical improvement” whereby the roadbed is cut down to a lower elevation and wider shoulders are added. But the section from Hoxie to Grainfield has not been addressed. The practical improvement approach will not work here, because this section of highway is quite hilly. A full-blown upgrade will be required, including acquiring more right-of-way and adding adequate shoulders to the existing roadbed.

There is urgency to this project as the road conditions and increased truck traffic have made this a very dangerous section of highway. There have been multiple fatality crashes on this road in recent years. I was pleased that a number of other area residents showed up in Hays to push for improvements on this road, and I am certain that we got the attention of the officials at KDOT. But here’s the thing: The current ten-year highway plan known as T-Works is fully developed and no new projects can be added. The current round of local consult meetings was to help develop priorities for the future “should additional money become available”. The best we can hope for is that the K-23 project gets placed on the list of projects that qualify for preliminary engineering studies. The very earliest that actual construction might take place would be in 2019 or 2020.

In my opinion that is unacceptable. This project is not an isolated situation, and a recent report reveals that rural Kansas highways are significantly less safe than urban Kansas highways. The National Transportation Research Group reports that Kansas rural roads and bridges have high rates of deficiencies and traffic fatalities. The group also found that traffic crashes and fatalities on rural roads in Kansas occur at a significantly higher rate than on other Kansas roads. In 2012, non-interstate rural roads in the state had a higher traffic fatality rate than all other roads in Kansas.

In the past five years the Kansas legislature has transferred $611 million out of KDOT and into the state general fund for other purposes. And this is not a new phenomenon. In the last 20 years, nearly $2 billion has been raided from the “Bank of KDOT.” The Kansas Policy Institute, a conservative “think tank” with ties to the billionaire Koch brothers of Wichita, recently released a suggested five-year budget for the state of Kansas. They propose making the transfers of money from KDOT to the state general fund official and permanent by reducing the amount of sales tax money that goes to KDOT. They assert that the funds that have been transferred in the past are just surplus and can be put to better use elsewhere in the state budget.

Surplus? Really? Those transferred funds don’t feel like to surplus to western Kansans who have to face more dangerous driving conditions than their urban counterparts. They don’t feel like surplus to farmers and agribusiness of western Kansas who must use those roads to move their products to market. And they certainly don’t feel like surplus funds to the family members of those who have lost their lives on unsafe rural highways.

If those funds were truly surplus, then why did bonded indebtedness of KDOT increase $400 million from fiscal year 2011 to fiscal year 2013… the same time period when hundreds of millions were being stolen from KDOT for other budget priorities? Paying for current projects has been pushed off on future taxpayers while rural Kansans are forced to travel on unsafe roads. Such a policy is not conservative and it is not responsible.

Rep. Don Hineman is a Dighton Republican representing the 118th District in the Kansas House.

Submitted

ELLIS — Mud drips off the fender of his Ford pickup as he turns onto the asphalt highway. His camo cap is soaked from walking the lines of an Ellis County farm with the property owner on an abnormally warm fall day. It’s another day at the office for Adam Hann.

It’s Hann’s favorite time of year. Early fall is when deer hunters all over North America begin hitting the woods in search of a trophy to put on the wall and meat to fill the freezer. Avid hunters nationwide spend several months leading up to deer season daydreaming of their first sit in a stand and where they will go to hunt. Many choose Kansas and that’s why Hann is excited.

He and the other Land Specialists at Whitetail Properties are the industry leaders for selling recreational hunting land in Kansas. As Hann canvasses his territory – which includes Barton, Ellis, Ness, Pawnee, Rooks, Rush, Russell, and Trego counties – he knows his next phone call could be a future Kansas landowner.

Hann has a simple message for farmers, ranchers and other property owners in his territory.

“Kansas land is in demand,” says Hann. “Our state has become one of the top destinations for hunters and sportsmen. Many of the landowners in our area don’t realize the true market value of their property and that’s where I come in. I’m hear to help farmers and ranchers capitalize on the current market.”

Hann is quick to point out that he isn’t your average real estate agent and Whitetail Properties is not an average company.

“As a national real estate company, Whitetail Properties has built a nationwide network of buyers and sellers whose supreme interests are hunting, farm and ranch land – it’s our specialty,” says Hann.

Since its founding in 2007, Whitetail Properties has exploded into North America’s top place to buy and sell recreational hunting and farmland. This fact was cemented in 2013 with nearly a half billion dollars in sales and being named one of “America’s Best Brokerages” by The Land Report. The growing staff of Whitetail Properties real estate agents in 20 states are hard-working, knowledgeable and passionate hunters and land managers. The team currently averages a farm sold every day throughout the year.

Whitetail Properties reaches more than 45 million households with Whitetail Properties TV, an award–winning show on The Sportsman Channel that showcases the benefits of owning recreational real estate.

To contact Kansas Land Specialist Adam Hann for a free, no obligation market analysis of your property, call (785) 259-2469 or email [email protected].

To learn more about Whitetail Properties, visit WhitetailProperties.com.

Dear Dave,
My husband will be leaving his full-time job in a year so that he can go back to school full-time and finish his degree. We’ve both agreed this is what we want to do, but it means that we’ll go from a yearly income of $90,000 to $45,000. We’ll have tuition assistance from my job and his veteran’s stipend to help pay for things, plus we’re debt-free except for our house.

But in this scenario, once we complete Baby Step 3 should we move directly to Baby Step 4 or continue saving?
Erin

Dear Erin,
I think this is a good plan, as long as the two of you are on the same page and you’re willing to save like crazy for the next year and beyond. Even with help from your employer and his stipend you’ll still have some expenses, so you’ll have to be ready.

Once you complete Baby Step 3, which is having three to six months of expenses set aside as an emergency fund, Baby Step 4 is usually starting to invest 15 percent of your income toward retirement. In this case, while he’s finishing his degree, you’re not investing for retirement directly but you are investing in your husband and your future together. That’s a great investment, by the way. As long as he’s studying something that has marketplace application, you’re setting the stage for him to make back the money put into his degree and much more.

If that’s the plan, and he’s not off pursuing a Ph.D. in something like German polka history, you two are making a great investment. So work hard now, cut all the corners you can and pile up money so you two can get through his time in school!
—Dave

Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted voice on money and business. He has authored five New York Times best-selling books: Financial Peace, More Than Enough, The Total Money Makeover, EntreLeadership and Smart Money Smart Kids. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 8 million listeners each week on more than 500 radio stations. Follow Dave on Twitter at @DaveRamsey and on the web at daveramsey.com.

No, I am not referring to Thomas Frank’s famous book with the same title.  Frank was clearly opposed to Kansas becoming a red state.

That being said, I, like so many others a few years back went from blue to red – from Democrat liberalism to Republican conservatism.  What caused us to change?  There’s a simple answer to that question.  We decided to do our voting based on the facts, not emotion.  It’s that simple.

Unfortunately for this country, the Democrat Party has succeeded in capturing a lot of votes based on propaganda that has no factual basis.  Media, which is largely liberal, is complicit in that propaganda.  As a voter Nov. 4, don’t be taken in by half truths!  I am appalled at some of the current ads that completely distort the truth. Buyer beware!

Republicans are not racist.  And no they are not bigots nor homophobes. A good case can be made for all the “hate America” coming from the other side.

Reps are for the rich and Dems for the poor is an oxymoron. Under Democrat Obama the rich have become richer and the poor poorer, especially in the black community.  The war on poverty of the FDR era as compared to today has shown no success with the percentage in poverty remaining the same. Buying votes with taxpayer money through welfare hasn’t really helped get the poor out of poverty.  Good jobs that are not being created by this admin gets people out of poverty and all those part time jobs unrealistically bringing down unemployment numbers don’t help.

The Dem propaganda of Reps having a war on women is ludicrous. Let’s not forget, half of the 50 some million babies aborted since Roe vs. Wade by liberal pro choicers are probably female. Did you know that in the Obama administration women are not paid the same as men and that includes for the same job.

What about Kansans?  If voters look at the facts, the Brownback and Roberts re-election should be a landside, not even close. What are some Kansans thinking?  It is my understanding that states with a Republican governor (and there are presently 29 of them) are doing much better fiscally, with job creation and with taxes than states with a Democrat governor.

Barack Obama’s approval poll numbers are in the tank. Three fourths of the people polled say this country is headed in the wrong direction and it’s all about liberal agendas.  There is one scandal after another, ISIS and Ebola the latest.  Our economy is not improving, if it is, it’s at a snail’s pace.  The unemployment figures put out by our government are a joke.  The real number is 10% or above.

Kansans need to get real.  Paul Davis and Greg Orman are liberals.  That’s how they have voted in the past and that’s whom they have contributed to in the past.  Orman running as an Independent is one of those half truths. He’s a liberal Democrat who will vote Democrat in the U.S. Senate if elected.  With Kansas being primarily a red state he knew he could not win as a Democrat.  What he says he will do in D.C. and what he will actually do can be two different things.  Pat Roberts has a record to prove how he will vote.  Now is not the time to push for term limits!

Ironically, Democrats up for re-election across the country do not want to be seen with Obama as they campaign, even though they voted with him on everything.  If re-elected, nothing will change when they vote again – same old, same old.

Liberalism has a six year record nationally of not working under Obama.  It will not work in Kansas either.  The proof is there for all fair-minded and informed voters to see.  If “hope and change” was ever needed, this is it!

Many are claiming this election may be our last chance to get back on the right track. Your vote could make or break this country for years to come.  Please be a responsible voter!  God bless America!

Les Knoll resides in Victoria and Gilbert, Ariz.

Good Thursday morning, everyone!

Wow! This week is almost over and it feels like it just began! I hope you all are having a productive and exciting week. I’m sure many of you have either been to, or are getting ready to go tonight, to Parent-Teacher Conferences. First, Thank You for attending those conferences and taking an active role in your child(ren’s) education! It really does mean a lot to both the teachers and your kids that you attend and know what is happening in their daily lives at school.  As a side note to this, please don’t forget the extra help after school that is available at the Ellis Public Library. For more information and availability, please check with Steve at the Library, or with Janetta Heronome.

Even though I’ve missed several days this week already, there is no shortage of things going on.  Here we go …

Tonight is the final night of P-T Conferences at St. Mary’s School. Again, thanks for attending those!  Also, if you have an Ellis football player (Junior league to EHS) and have not made reservations with Chandra Pfeifer for Saturday’s FHSU Tiger Football Game, please do so today! It’s the last day to RSVP. All Ellis football players that RSVP will be able to attend the FHSU Game free, in support of EHS Alumnus Matthew Erbert #66.

Tomorrow (Friday): NO School! However, the Junior High Basketball teams will be having practice. Please check with your student athlete, the Grade School, or the coaches for times and locations. The EHS Football team will be at home taking on Sublette with a game time of 7pm.  After the game, 5th Quarter will be held at is usual time, however the location has been moved to the Ellis VFW Post Home at 813 Jefferson (just down the street from the city office).

Saturday finds many activities underway. Good Luck to the Ellis Cross Country Team as they travel to Regionals in Lincoln! If you are looking for EHS Volleyball Action, head to Plainville for Sub-State play beginning at 2pm.  EHS will be featured in the 2nd match!  Good Luck Railers! From 11am – 1:30pm, the Ellis United Methodist Women will be hosting their annual Fall Fest. Get your Christmas shopping kicked off in great fashion, eat a tasty lunch, and put your bid in on many of the silent auction items offered.  All of this takes place in the basement of the Ellis United Methodist Church at 1201 Washington.  The FHSU Tigers will kick off at 2pm against NW Missouri State. Good Luck to Matt Erbert and all the Tigers!  Get ready to get your scare on! From 6-9pm, the Walter P. Chrysler Boyhood Home & Museum will be escorting guests on a Haunted Tour of Walter’s Home and the Boy Scouts Haunted Train will be rounding the tracks.  Don’t forget the Pizza Specials at Arthur’s Pizza & Mexican Foods!

Sunday’s Fried Chicken Dinner, hosted by the St. Mary’s CYO group, will be running from 10-1pm or until the food is gone at the K of C Hall. After you eat, cross the street to Big Creek Floral & Gift for Haunting Halloween Savings! (Click image above for more.)  This is a one-day only sale that runs from 10am-5:30pm! You will find savings store wide as they prepare for the Christmas Season. Halloween items will be 40% off, along with many other specials. Don’t miss this Boo-tiful event!

On Sunday, from 5-7pm, please join the Kids of Christ Cookin’ to Kick Cancer at the Christ Lutheran Church! The Sunday School children invite everyone to join them at a Soup Supper to help raise funds for Browynn Birdsong. Browynn is the nephew of Jerry and Tara Birdsong and has been recently diagnosed with a State 4 Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor. Browynn and his family have a long road ahead of them, but they are ready for the fight. Please get behind this family and attend the free-will offering soup supper.

Next Tuesday (Oct. 28) is the Community Service Day for all EHS Students. If you have a project or need help, contact Leonard Shoenberger or Cory Burton at EHS to get on the work list.  This is a great project getting our students involved with our community and it spread a lot of community pride! Thanks EHS!

I will update next week for all the Halloween activities and places that will be open for Trick or Treaters in the afternoon. If I’ve missed something, just let me know and I’ll get the word out.

Let’s all make this a great day! Share a smile with your neighbor, it’ll make them wonder what you’re up to!

Dena Patee

Did the First Amendment ever have a more stylish defender — and one who made more effective use of it — than Ben Bradlee?

The legendary managing editor of The Washington Post who died Tuesday at 93, Bradlee’s 23 years at the helm were marked by landmark collisions between a free press and government, from the Pentagon Papers to reporting on Watergate. He also weathered criticism that he was too close to one-time Georgetown neighbor John F. Kennedy to be an objective journalist, and too removed from a story by a young reporter, Janet Cooke, that resulted in a returned Pulitzer Prize.

With style and wit, and without apology, Bradlee championed a free press as a watchdog on government.

“Obviously the First Amendment is the cornerstone of our business and of democracy,” he said in a 2006 interview at the Newseum. “It isn’t something that I commit to memory and say like my prayers, but it has a place in my day-to-day life. It is the freedom that allows us to do good work. It allows us to be important in society.”

Americans generally take their First Amendment rights for granted, Bradlee continued. I know they do … and that’s great. That means we’re doing something right.”

Even so, Bradlee said, there was strength in his belief that “freedom of the press is ingrained in American society. A president comes and tries to do something, and in the process, tramples on the First Amendment. He gets brought up short and doesn’t make a fuss about it. They all cave. And that’s good. The Pentagon Papers was a once-in-a-lifetime fight over the First Amendment. But it was worth the fight. You got to draw the line, and you can’t let them cross it.”

Bradlee’s courage in holding government accountable is the stuff of myth — and fact. After reviewing a particularly significant bit of reporting by Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein that implicated Attorney General John Mitchell and President Richard M. Nixon in Watergate wrongdoing, Bradlee recounted the high stakes involved, and then reportedly said, “You had better be right.” As it turned out, they were.

His gruff manner, aristocratic bearing and journalistic independence grated on some, to be sure. But his career embodied what the founders must have had in mind in building into the basic laws of this nation such a strong protection for a free press: An unflagging, unabashed passion for finding the truth, and an enthusiasm and commitment to telling it to one’s fellow citizen.

And for all of that, thank you, Mr. Bradlee.

Gene Policinski is chief operating officer of the Washington-based Newseum Institute and senior vice president of the Institute’s First Amendment Center.  [email protected]

By RON WILSON
Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development

Prestwick, Scotland; Jinjiang, China. A U.S. aerospace company opened repair facilities here. A key person in developing this venture is a woman from rural Kansas. Not only is she a leader in the business world, she is a remarkable volunteer in her community and state as well.

Carolyn Harms is now retired as vice president of aftermarket customer support for Spirit Aerosystems in Wichita. She has made a lifetime of serving, achieving, and giving back.

Carolyn grew up on the family farm near Asherville in Mitchell County. She was the second oldest of five girls, which meant she was very involved with the farm work. The girls were active in school, church, and 4-H. Carolyn took 4-H projects such as foods and clothing and also showed hogs and cattle.

“I was my dad’s combine driver,” she said.

After graduating from Beloit High School, she went to Brown Mackie Business School in Salina, then took a job in the Department of Economics at K-State. She earned a degree in business management at KSU and met and married her husband Allan. He graduated in construction management.

When his career took them to Wichita, Carolyn applied to various companies. “Boeing was the only company which would offer me anything other than a secretarial position,” Carolyn said. She joined Boeing as a procurement buyer. The year was 1978.

Carolyn worked her way up through the corporate ranks at Boeing. The company went through various changes. Today the business in Wichita is known as Spirit Aerosystems.

Carolyn moved up to become director of procurement and ultimately to be the vice president of aftermarket customer support. At home, she and Allan had two boys and a girl. Being in the Wichita area, their childhood was different from Carolyn’s upbringing on the farm.

“I got my kids involved in 4-H in Sedgwick County, and I found it is just as good for urban kids as rural,” Carolyn said. Her kids had great 4-H experiences and went on to excellent careers. One is with an engineering consulting firm in Denver, another is a family practice physician doing residency in Grand Junction, Colorado, and the third is a teacher in Junction City.

“Our 4-H club was active in community service,” Carolyn said. “We learned the importance of giving back.” She continues to model that principle.

Carolyn got elected to the county 4-H program development committee and ultimately served as chair of the county extension executive board. She serves extensively in various volunteer positions. These include the K-State Business Management Advisory Board, Kansas 4-H Foundation Board of Trustees, KSU Foundation Board of Trustees, State Extension Advisory Council, and the Kansas Agriculture and Rural Leadership Board of Directors.
These volunteer causes are close to her heart.

“One of my loves is 4-H,” Carolyn said. “4-H helped me gain confidence and leadership and public speaking skills,” she said.

As immediate past chair of the KARL Board, she praised the leadership development which is accomplished through that program. “It’s a great model for networking and international exposure,” she said.

Carolyn and Allan love to travel. She is active in her church, especially the ministries for women and for children. She and Allan volunteer for a local food service called The Lord’s Diner. They also mentor two young people through Youth Horizons. Back home, Carolyn’s mom is now 81 and still on the farm, serving as a 4-H leader.

“You have to have a servant heart,” Carolyn said. “We’ve been given certain gifts. It’s vital that we give back to help others, to make this world a better place.”

This philosophy was formed in childhood near the rural community of Asherville, population 28 people. Now, that’s rural.

Prestwick, Scotland; Jinjiang, China. It’s time to say farewell to these aviation facilities operated by Spirit Aerosystems. It is interesting to learn of the role played by a rural Kansas woman in developing these facilities, and it’s especially interesting to see how she is giving back to her state and community. We salute Carolyn Harms for making a difference with her good skills in business and her good works in life.

Much national attention has portrayed the upcoming election for Kansas governor as a referendum on the efficacy of tax reform, but that really isn’t the issue. The real issue is whether government should spend whatever it wants or provide quality services at a better price in order to keep taxes low. Unfortunately, some people simply aren’t going to allow that cultural shift to happen – even if it means distorting the truth.

Conservative governors are condescendingly being warned against blithely peddling tax cuts to boost economic growth. They are admonished for daring to reduce taxes because government needs every dollar to nurture growth. One can almost envision the elites angrily chastising conservatives for not being obedient disciples of their big-government teachings. “Hey, you didn’t build that! Have you forgotten everything we taught you? How dare you rob government of its due.”

They falsely decry “draconian” spending cuts while Kansas is setting a new spending record this year. They rail that per-pupil education expenditures have been “devastated” when in reality, per-pupil expenditures set records each of the last two years and will set another new record this year at $13,268 – up from $12,330 in 2010.

If trailing national economic metrics is a sign of failure, where was the outrage in Kathleen Sebelius’ first term? Private sector jobs in Kansas grew a dismal 1.3 percent between 2002 and 2006, while the nation grew 4.9 percent. Kansas’ long tradition of economic stagnation is actually the reason for tax reform and reversing that trend won’t happen in a year or two.

The early signs, though, are encouraging. The private sector only added 2.3 percent more jobs between 1998 and 2012 while our income-taxing peers gained 3.4 percent; Kansas was only 68 percent as good as our peers in the past. But since December 2012, Kansas is at 88 percent of our peers’ growth, growing 2.5% versus 2.9 percent. Private sector GDP growth beat the national average last year and Kansas had the fourteenth best personal income growth rate in the second quarter of 2014. Creighton University’s Mid-America Business Conditions Index has Kansas leading a nine-state region for September.

So how does a state rationally reduce taxes? James Carville might say, “It’s the spending, stupid.” Every state provides education, social services, highways, etc. but the low-tax states provide those services at a better price. In 2012, the states that tax income spent 49 percent more per-resident than those without an income tax. Kansas was 37 percent higher.

Kansas does have a structural budget issue because of bi-partisan resistance to reducing the cost of government when taxes were reduced. Fortunately, the budget can be balanced without any service reductions or tax increases by making better use of existing resources. Our 5-year plan identifies large, unnecessary cash surpluses that could be returned to the General Fund. A half billion dollars of sales taxes are annually sent directly to the Department of Transportation without being budgeted, and some of that money results in surplus balances; annual transfers can be reduced without impacting highway projects. Placing new hires in a 401(k) plan would save $147 million in the first four years.

Implementing these and a few other opportunities would more than resolve the structural issue and leave very healthy ending balances. And even if revenue estimates decline, state government would only need to operate less than 5 percent more efficiently under our plan.

Kansas and other states can reduce taxes by providing the same or better quality service at a better price. Legislators and media just need to remember that government is supposed to work for citizens.

Dave Trabert is president of the Kansas Policy Institute.