Conservative Republican tax-cuts

[Koontz 1st MRB]

So I found this while surfing the net and I have to ask, what is going on in the US? why are they giving tax cuts to a state of Farmers?

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/0...ax-cuts-failing

-sincerely a confused Canadian.

[Kirkendall 1st MRB]

Clearly you're not absorbing the entirety of the situation. This is not a "What is going on in the US?" question, considering it's 1 state out of 50 and it's population is insignificant compared to many other states. The article you're pulling is from "Mother Jones" who like to spend their time bashing the right wing as much as possible, instead of laying it out. In reality, Brownback's plan is not a Republican plan, nor a Conservative plan. His whole agenda in Kansas is a litmus test for the Tea Party agenda. Kansas has not had a good budget for many years. Brownback's predecessor's, Kathleen Sebelius and Mark Parkinson, were of the Democratic party, (quite a feat to be elected in one of the most right-leaning states in the union) and they offered millions in tax cuts. Not to shift the blame of Brownback's decisions, but he isn't necessarily a true Republican. Many right-wing politicians were quick to criticize his plan even before he implemented it. Susan Wagle, Kansas Senate President, said, "“There is no doubt the governor’s announcement has put the Legislature in a difficult position,” [when tasking the Senate to cut and clean and prune in order to fund his tax cuts] It's a Tea Party test. Cut everything.

As much as Mother Jones would love for it to be so, Kansas is not totally screwed. They have quite a bit of it figured out. If they don't change many of Brownback's orders by next year, than they can definitely be screwed. Mother Jones says Kansas needs to balance its state budget by law. Many states have ran deficits. It's definitely not a good thing, but it has been done. Kansas does have a State Law that says every year they need to be able to put away an amount no lesser than 7.5% of expenditures into reserves. However, as politicians can do, they could change the state law and be done with it. Shawn Sullivan says they won't do that, but I'm not so sure. It would hurt their credit rating though, and that's not good for a state that'll need loans to get through these years.

As for giving tax cuts to farmers, that's pretty self-explanatory. Speaking from the viewpoint of a farming state, farmers have incredible tax cuts. They always have, and they always will. How else would they be able to afford $200,000 (or more) combines and other equipment?

Anyways, this whole situation is not a "OMG shit's all fucked up now!" It's an opportunity for Kansas to learn more about how to manage its budget successfully in today's market. In all honesty, Kansas's shortfalls don't even register on the national timeline as Kansas has less population and GDP than even Iowa. Not to say it's not an important issue, but it's definitely not going to affect the entire nation. President Obama, Mitch McConnell, Nancy Pelosi, none of them have any say in what happens to the Kansas budget. I suppose they could try to pass some legislation enforcing it, but that wouldn't be constitutional. Kansas has dug this hole by electing Brownback and allowing him to enact his legislation.

[Koontz 1st MRB]

Ok thanks, I was surfing through reddit, got linked this and decided to see what's up with Americans I kinda know, and their opinions.

[J. Hill]

If they didn't give tax breaks to farmers, you would be paying $10 for a loaf of bread and $5 for a can of vegetables.