A Change in the Wind: 10 Reasons Kansas is Good News for the Country Right Now

In case you’re not familiar with the Kansas political scene–first of all, lucky you. And can I come to your house and stay there awhile? More to the point, I can sum it up for you real quick-like: it’s a disastrous experiment in Tea Party economics, and a testament to the power of big money (namely, the Koch brothers) to manipulate the democratic process. Our Governor, Sam Brownback, is in their pocket, and everyone knows it. He won his re-election by a VERY narrow margin, and has managed to repeatedly deflect the questions hovering speculations of election tampering. Nothing to see here. 

In the name of freedom and de-regulation, Kansas Republicans have made sweeping tax cuts that mostly benefit the wealthy (namely, the brothers Koch). They’ve nixed medicaid expansion, made cuts to programs that serve the most vulnerable, and–most concerning of all– effectively de-funded public education to the point of crisis. Schools in areas like mine (affluent suburbs) are doing ok, but in urban and rural areas, things are not so sunny.

You will not be surprised to know that the far-right Republicans who champion these efforts have built their political careers around the narrative of “family values.” 

These tax cuts have screwed the children and the elderly; robbed retired state employees (and veterans) of well-earned benefits; and stopped the wheels of progress in anything resembling environmentalism. Again, they can make all of this look good by claiming tax cuts help the middle class. Except, you know what? They have to make that up somewhere, which means that Kansas right now has the HIGHEST TAX RATE IN THE COUNTRY on food. You know who it hurts when you have to pay more for milk and bread? Hint: not the Koch Brothers.

Fast forward to the last few months. The people of Kansas are finally coming around to realizing that something is rotten, and the stench is coming from Topeka. So, last election, we came up with some more moderate voices to send over that way. The past few months have been a stand-down between the state House/Senate and the Governor. And while he’s still got his hold on many of our representatives, that margin of influence is shrinking.

Which brings us to this past week, when state leadership overrode Brownback’s veto of their latest tax plan, moving to add some of his cuts back into the state budget. This is MAJOR. Or it could be. And in our current political climate, it could be good news on a much larger scale.

The mantra of “cut taxes” and “de-regulate” set to the tune of “family values” has shaped Kansas politics lately, but echoed through our national elections as well. Giving the impression that the leanings of the dead-ass middle of the country created a ripple effect, shaping the tone of national discourse. If that is true (and I believe it is, at least in part) then this week’s vote in Kansas says some hopeful things about trends in our broader system. On that note–here are 10 reasons Kansas politics (I can’t believe I’m saying this) are a good sign for the rest of America right now.

1. The priority of education. Contrary to what the confirmation of Betsy DeVos says about us, most Americans still care deeply about the quality of education, and value teachers. Education was the primary platform of most of newly elected Representatives in Kansas, which should give us a clue about what’s on the table in 2018 primaries.

2. Resisting anti-intellectualism.

   Lately we’ve seen a rising tide of scorn for things like “knowledge” and “experience.” The recent progress in Kansas offers a hopeful sign of the public’s ability to push back against that tide. With actual knowledge and experience.  

3. Future focus. Rolling back some of Kansas’ irresponsible tax cuts, indicates an eye to the future; acknowledging long-term consequences of legislation and not just working in quick fixes and easy answers.
4. No all taxes are bad. The pervasive narrative of “tax is theft” gets a redux when legislators work to change that narrative. Taxation WITH representation is the heart of democracy.
5. A defeat for the Koch Brothers is a win for everyone else.  This week’s vote was a blow, however small, to the 1%. That’s good news for the other 99. Because of the influence of extremely wealthy families, we’ve been moving away from a democratic system and towards oligarchy for awhile now. Any voice of resistance against that trend is hopeful for the integrity of our system, nationwide.
6. Politicians with guts. They still exist! Who knew! It is so discouraging to see the flocks of sycophants that surround people like Brownback, and Trump. Leaders who remain committed to representing their constituents give hope to us all.
7. Even the most entrenched politicians have an expiration date. Even if they remain in office (like Brownback), their influence will diminish eventually. We’re looking at you, Mitch McConnell.
8. Checks and balances. We still have them. And sometimes they work. We’ll take it.
9. The economy is complex. As much as Tea Party economics claim to help the average middle class American by cutting some taxes here and there, it is really not that simple. And pretending it is, hurts everyone. (Exhibit A, the housing market crash of 2008). The news from Kansas this weeks shows that more Americans acknowledge the complicated, delicate web that holds so many things together, and we will not be satisfied with quick fixes that hurt the most vulnerable among us.
10. A change in the wind. let the great state testify to this truth: things can only tread so far to the right before the forces of nature and basic humanity swing them back to center again.

Dear baby Jesus, may that be so. Amen.