Republicans Continue Quest in Kansas to Become as Counterproductive as Possible

It’s official: The hard right in Kansas has sacrificed common sense on the altar of political ideology. By refusing to consider any form of revenue generation that might be seen as a tax increase, the members majority party in Topeka have willfully chosen to turn a blind eye to the consequences of their own inability to act outside of an self-inflicted set of principles so rigid that not even facts can permeate them.
This is particularly true in terms of Kansas public education where state spending has the greatest positive economic effect. It’s no secret that quality public education raises personal income and increases local employment. The choice of the Republicans in Topeka, however, runs exactly counter to this logic.
Their plan, perhaps owing its genesis to fear of a backlash from organizations like the “Kansas Club for Growth,” is to resist any effort (other than deeper cuts) to balance the budget—a stance that, in effect, forces public schools to shed hundreds of teachers, custodians, secretaries, cooks, and bus drivers. This, of course, is compounded by school consolidations, which have increased due to cuts made to public education funding.
It seems absurd, but the idea from the Right seems to be that increased unemployment, fewer economically viable small Kansas communities, and a generation of students who are less academically well-prepared is good for the state. Without swift and direct opposition to such an absurd agenda, Kansas risks—according to the Kansas Association of School Boards—a future population who are much likely “to live in poverty” and “require public assistance.” The choice is simple: a few extra cents on purchases now or thousands spent in the future to fix problems that we all saw coming.