Dear Editor,
Half of our state general fund is for education. The major responsibility that we have and the largest work that we do in our state government are educating our children. As a teacher, principal and superintendent Mary Jo Taylor has lived this reality, one child at a time, benefiting generations of students over 30 years time.
Those who are currently in political control of the state are working to change education from an obligation to our future generations into whatever money is left over after we keep an ever-increasing proportion of wealth for ourselves through the income tax cuts and the trigger mechanism.
The Kansas Legislative Research Department has estimated that the state income tax cuts will decrease revenues for education and public services by $7 billion over seven years time. The revenue cut increases every year, partially because as our wealth and economy grow, the trigger mechanism cuts income tax rates further to ensure education does not grow. The share of our wealth we dedicate to education shrinks in perpetuity.
Mary Jo Taylor is seeking election as Senator for the 33rd district to reverse this course.
Paying for the income tax cuts has robbed close to $2 billion from our highway funds, imposed $ 1.4 billion of bond debt on our children and cut funding for essentially every public service. The future impact on education will increase beyond the current block grant funding restriction which has left the students of Great Bend schools with 10 fewer teachers over the past two years. It has reached into every corner and aspect of public services in Kansas.
Mary Jo Taylors primary opponent has chosen the gorilla in the room position on the income tax cuts. However fine an individual Larry Salmans may be, he has taken the same line as Mitch Holmes and the political groups that are endorsing Salmans. Every other issue has a comment, but nothing to justify the inequality of the income tax cuts. The major political issue in our state simply doesnt exist.
Please honor our heritage and provide the same education to our children that our parents and grandparents provided us. Vote for Mary Jo Taylor on Aug. 2.
John Sturn
Ellinwood