What can we learn from Kansas?

[Zorro]

Three years ago, Kansas’ conservative government — led by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback — made a bet: cut taxes on the wealthy, and the economy will grow enough to make up for the lost revenue. Spoiler alert: it hasn’t worked out — as I write this, the Legislature is frantically trying to close a $350 million budget hole — but the policy has failed in an informative direction.

There are two clear takeaways: first, supply-side economics didn’t even work with the deck stacked in its favor, and second, we’re seeing what happens when supply-side tax cuts on the rich fail to produce badly needed revenue. The end result is that the wealthy get to keep their tax cuts and everyone else gets to close the gap.

The idea that states are laboratories for democracy has always suffered from a rarely acknowledged weakness: because such policy experiments take place at the state level, the results are often useless to policy makers in other contexts. This isn’t universally true; some of the best research in America is being done by organizations that help local governments design policies so researchers can see if the policy worked after the fact.

However, a lot of the “experiments” we hear about are too poorly set up to “prove” anything.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/what-can-we-learn-from-kansas-2015-06-10

[Gothmog]

1. Bownback has proven that supply side economics do not work

[orpupilofnature57]

2. Republicans have proven, supply side, trickle down, Tax breaks to the best off,

Don't work for 99% of the population .

[marble falls]

3. That it could happen here, too - if we voters don't wise up?

[MuseRider]

4. Exactly, you need to remember how this is playing out.

It is miserable.

Most states have been affected by the Koch brothers with legislation from ALEC and others.

Get them out of your state. By the time we knew what they were up to they had wreaked havoc in enough of our state to make this inevitable and unchangeable. They seek to own this state and they are almost there, before we even knew what was happening. Being that Koch industries and David are housed here it was an easy mark added to the relative isolation of the Western 2/3rds of the state.

What you should do is get them out and I mean as rapidly as you can and do not stop until they are not welcome and their ideas for your state are also not welcome. They have learned over the last 30 years or so how to get in without notice and do what they need to do before you even know what has happened. I see several states that are almost ready to be totally tossed over.

I know this sounds overly emotional but we have an administration who is wrecking everything and perfectly happy to do unconstitutional things while giving the finger to the rest of the nation. They would do it even if there was a Republican in office. Defunding the judiciary if they don't vote the way Brownback wants them to vote? Wrest them out of your state. Yesterday.

[Aristus]

5. Never to go there, for starters...

Seems like a flat, square heap of shit.

I don't mind flying over it or anything. And it seems to be doing a good job of keeping Nebraska from slamming into Oklahoma.

But other than that...

Nothing...

[concreteblue]

6. "What can we learn from Kansas?"

uh...don't elect Republicans, for starters.

[fasttense]

7. What can we learn from Kansas?

That if you elect RepubliCONS, God will visit the bird flu upon your state's poultry.

[raccoon]

8. 1-If you take in less revenue, you have to cut services. 2-Supply side economics doesn't work.

I think Republicans already know both, but it doesn't fit with what they want to believe.