Governor Sam Brownback told the people of Kansas that his formula of tax cuts and budget cuts would get the economy moving again if they just give it more time and apparently the people bought it because they saw fit to reelect him.
Estimates released this week show that the state will collect $1 billion less than previously projected in revenue over the next two years.
The new revenue estimates released Monday revealed that Kansas would burn through about $380 million in reserves and still need to cut $280 million to balance its current budget for fiscal year 2015, which ends next June 30.
The problem continues in 2016 when revenues are projected to run $436 million short of expenditures, the estimates show. [...]
Brownback’s budget director, Shawn Sullivan, said the administration has no intention of revisiting the state’s tax policy, which calls for further income tax cuts through 2018.
As it turns out, cutting taxes leads to lower revenue.
Nobody except everybody could have predicted.
Snark aside, the Kansas City Star reports that there is great concern that these budget shortfalls will be met by cutting education and social services to which I say ‘you get what you vote for.’ The people of Kansas voted for another four years of this hot mess and their children will pay the price for it.
Sometimes voting against yourself has immediate consequences. States across the country who reelected their train wrecks are going to get fucked and, to be honest, my sympathy is waning. The only reason I still have some some sympathy is because not everyone in these states voted for failed policies and those who didn’t are going to suffer the same consequences through no fault of their own.