Tax revenue in April dropped 45 percent from a year ago, the Kansas Department of Revenue announced

[Katashi_itto]

Pulling Back the Curtain on Sam Brownback's Kansas Financial Meltdown

Let's review, shall we? First there was the bad news from Kansas:

TOPEKA -- Tax revenue in April dropped 45 percent from a year ago, the Kansas Department of Revenue announced Wednesday.
The state's revenue for the year is $92.9 million less than projected earlier this month....
Personal income tax revenue has decreased by $508 million compared with this point last fiscal year. That category also accounted for the discrepancy between Wednesday's numbers and estimates released earlier in the month. Income tax revenue was $89.6 million lower than expected.

This huge and escalating shortfall occurred after Kansas's right-wing Republican legislature and governor, Sam Brownback, enacted huge and foolish tax cuts, the result of which was--as Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley (D-Topeka) explained--to transfer the tax burden from the rich to the middle and lower classes. The revenue shortfall also led Moody's to downgrade Kansas's debt, something that will cost its citizens even more money over the coming years as they borrow to make up the lost revenue.

So, are Brownback and his fellow Republicans willing to say, "Oops, my bad!"?
(Three Guesses)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ian-reifowitz/sam-brownback-kansas_b_5310331.html

[Archae]

1. Heck no. Brownnose blames Obama.

[tridim]

2. Brownback and his fellow Republicans won't say oops, because they know..

that the same, non-thinking Kansas voters will keep voting Republican no matter what. It's a reflex.

[Katashi_itto]

3. Agree, Kansans will continue to vote against their interests even after they start starving.

And then they will blame Dems for it.

[madokie]

4. Same here in Oklahoma

[lobodons]

19. Same here in Missouri

Even worse, our State legislature overrode our D Gov. on their similar budget. So even with a sane Gov. we here in MO are going to suffer the same credit down grade and budget shortfalls. (eyes roll)

[LiberalArkie]

5. "If only those damn poor people and the damn middle class would work more hours or

get a third or fourth job, we would not have this shortage of revenue"

[n2doc]

6. Benghazi!

That's the cause of it!

[mountain grammy]

7. Makes you wonder if the people in Kansas know there are states doing well..

without cutting taxes and spending. Brownback good, Obama bad. That's about it.

From the OP's link:
"For the people of those states, and for all 50 of our states, the question is this: When you go into the voting booth, do facts matter? Will you compare the record of conservatism and liberalism, and vote accordingly? It's up to progressives to make the case as strongly as we can. I believe that if we do, the voters will respond"


They have found one new stream of revenue.. stopping cars from Colorado and busting people for pot possession. Yeah, that'll help, going to war with your neighboring states...

[essaynnc]

8. In the same boat in NC

Almost exactly. The R. leaders of the state decided on tax cuts, now they're wondering why we have a $450M shortfall this year. And they're promised the teachers a raise that will cost $250M. How's that gonna work out, boys?????

[packman]

14. Simple answer to that raise issue

Don't give it. Let the teachers bitch. Reps will convince the voters that they are educated, liberal snobs who get 3 months off in the summer and make, for the most part, above min. wage anyway.

This whole thing is a ridiculous cycle-Dems get in, have to increase taxes to hold things together, people get pissed with tax increases, vote Dems out, vote Reps in. They reduce taxes, everyone is happy for awhile until bridges fall down and crime goes up. They get pissed, vote Dems in who raise taxes to hold things together, etc., etc., etc.
The circle of politics.

[toddwv]

30. Well, the answer is easy.

Benghazi!!!!!

[okaawhatever]

9. Gov Christie also had his state downgraded. I wonder if this can be a campaign theme for '14?

Vote for Democrats the party of real fiscal responsibility.

[riqster]

10. It's a powerful message, and one we can back with facts.

[okaawhatever]

12. I don't know if people would understand, but the Republicans have done nothing more than force

people to "pay more, get less" or even "pay more, get the same" due to their machinations. The gov't shutdown (still one of the biggest hits the gop had to their popularity) the money spent for Benghazi investigations and ACA repeals, and the state gov's having their bond rating downgraded for no good reason, forcing state residents to pay more on interest for state debt. It all tells the same story, the gop is spending money and getting absolutely nothing in return except campaign donations for their dog and pony show.

[riqster]

15. They are working for themselves and their party.

Devil take the constituency.

[NightWatcher]

11. Hey Kansas, you know who has 100 million more in taxes this year? Colorado

So time to take a big ol bong hit and enjoy the boost to the economy

[KansDem]

13. .

[Ed Suspicious]

18. Yes please.

[Lex]

16. "huge and foolish tax cuts"

The Republican tax plan.

[Ed Suspicious]

17. Republican, haters of government, cannot be trusted to run government.

[blur256]

20. I live in Kansas City

And I choose to live on the Missouri side because of this guy. He gives huge tax breaks to corporations enticing them to move to the Kansas side, but he couldn't give a shit about the people actually living there. Oh, and he believes in creationism. He's a real piece of shit in my humble opinion.

[EEO]

21. What universe are these Republicans living in?

Clearly somewhere math is not valued.

[Ikonoklast]

22. Kansas and other states run by Teapublican extremists are verging into some real, actual fiscally

disastrous territory.

All you tax-hating libertarians, please take note.

This is what you get when you get what you want, economic ruin and destruction of a state's economy.

If these fuckers get bailed out by the taxpayers of my state through the federal government, I would see that as theft. Brownback gave that money to corporations, will want to steal taxes paid by those living in other states to run his state.

[corkhead]

23. He must be a Koch addict

don't they reside in KS?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

24. Here in Minnesota there was a huge surplus. Guess who controls the government?

Democrats, that's who. After they passed a tax increase on the highest earners last year, there's now a $1.2 billion budget surplus, of which $550 million will be refunded to taxpayers.

[santamargarita]

25. Well this Brownnose asshole needs to raise taxes on the poor.

[tclambert]

26. "YAY! WE CUT TAXES! (The state's going bankrupt . . .) "

"BUT WE CUT TAXES! (Not your taxes. Taxes for corporations and rich people . . .) BUT WE CUT TAXES!"

[progressoid]

27. What? How can that be?

If you cut taxes, then tax revenue drops?

[Old and In the Way]

28. This is how you make government "not work".

Has there ever been an example where drastic tax cuts increase revenue? It's all about privitizing the profits and socializing the risks. This is how "free lunch" Republican economic theory operates.

[bullwinkle428]

29. Baggers bound and determined to turn America into a third-world country

in my lifetime (I just turned 50).

K&R.

[DallasNE]

31. Surely They Had Projections During The Legislative Process

Showing a range of outcomes from the proposed legislation so did they simply ignored them?

Did they think businesses would flock to Kansas to take advantage of low tax rates and the would grow the economy and offset the tax losses? Betting on the unknown and unproven is never a good idea.

What does Brownback propose as a correction to this obvious problem, push for those Keystone XL jobs? Those 75 temporary jobs should fix everything.