Life after DRUMPF, there's plenty more crap left: Take Sam BROWNBACK (please)

[UTUSN]

********QUOTE*******

http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-kansas-economy-20161031-story.html
[font size=5]Kansas is still bleeding, thanks to tea party economics (read, “Sam [FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: yellow"]BROWNBACK[/FONT]”)[/font]

By Michael Hiltzik

.... The Kansas experience is important because the notion that dramatic tax cuts pay for themselves by spurring economic growth still unaccountably has an allure for conservative policymakers, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Brownback, who took office in 2010, promised that “our new pro-growth tax policy will be like a shot of adrenaline into the heart of the Kansas economy.” He was seconded by [FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: yellow"]his tax advisor, the notorious Arthur Laffer[/FONT], who forecast “enormous prosperity” for the state. ....

It should go without saying that far from paying for themselves, these cuts have blown a huge and growing hole in the state budget. Income tax collections are more than 22% below their pre-cut levels. Schools, universities and road repairs all have taken a hit in spending. As the chart below shows, the Kansas economy has lagged behind the U.S. and neighboring Missouri for years. We’ve added a line to show the progress of the economy of California, which has the reputation for being a spendthrift but has gotten its fiscal house in order by raising taxes.

Brownback and his Republican colleagues have responded by [FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: yellow"]hammering the neediest residents[/FONT] of his state, enacting an outstandingly [FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: yellow"]punitive and irrelevant package of welfare reforms[/FONT], barring the spending of relief funds on movies, at swimming pools or on "cruise ships," as well as “adult” clubs or stores. ([FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: yellow"]But it’s OK to spend the money on guns[/FONT].) The measure also placed a $25 daily limit on ATM withdrawals using the debit cards issued to recipients, which made the cards useless for major spending, such as paying the rent and exposed users to relentless ATM fees. The state’s motto evidently was, OK if the banks drain your funds, but don’t dare use the money at a swimming pool.

[FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: yellow"]Who’s to blame for this?[/FONT] The state’s [FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: yellow"]voters are. While they already were feeling the pain, they reelected Brownback to a second term in 2014, at which point things got worse[/FONT]. Why? Maybe the electorate revels in the state’s role as a “laboratory for supply side nostrums,” as economist Menzie Chinn of the University of Wisconsin called it recently. Some of those who voted for Brownback deserve what they’re getting. But they’re imposing the disaster on a lot of innocent people.

(Related: )

[font size=5]How Tea Party cuts are turning Kansas into a smoking ruin[/font]


[font size=5]Brownback signs spectacularly punitive Kannsas welfare bill[/font]


[font size=5]No wonder Gov. Sam Brownback...killed a quarterly report aimed at telling Kansans how his policies are affecting the state economy. — Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star[/font]

********UNQUOTE********