(Syndicated to Kansas newspapers Aug. 15, 2016)
We’re about to see an interesting economic/management/political experiment play out in the dusky, complicated business of assembling a two-year budget plan for the next two fiscal years of Kansas government.
The director of the budget has told state agencies under the governor’s control to find ways to cut their budgets by 5%. Hmmm….5% doesn’t sound like a lot of money, does it?
It’s the difference between leather seats and maybe a sunroof on your next new car, or chicken rather than trout at the restaurant.
Reason for the request is, of course, that the state is losing money; its taxes aren’t bringing in the amount of money that the governor wishes it would and costs for nearly everything are rising. And…of course, Gov. Sam Brownback would like to spend the last two years of his second and last term in the governor’s office providing Kansans with the services that they want, so they’ll think good of him in case he wants to look for a job when he leaves the state-provided housing at Cedar Crest.