Letter to the editor — August 14, 2012

Dear Mr. Lynn, 

I felt your editorial on Aug. 9 was one of your best. Brownback not only has complete control of the Legislature (I know it is hard to think of) but the House has moved even further right. Most of you know I was left with only 5 percent of my district, as always I gave it a game effort, but lost to Peggy Mast who got 47 percent to my 33 percent with a third incumbent, Willie Prescott, getting 20 percent. 

Peggy Mast ran against Obamacare, and promised that she “has never voted for a tax increase, and never will.” Actually I fear your editorial was a little too positive, because with a Legislature full of people like that they will have little chance to “fix” the tax bill. Remember, Brownback proposed to extend the sales tax last time and could not get it through even with a few “crazy moderates” like me left. 

You hit the nail on the head when you said the cuts will come in fewer and less government services, and/or higher property taxes under the cover of “local control.” Many of you know that I have proposed bills and amendments to actually cut spending in Topeka and a couple even made it out of the House before a death in the Senate. The agencies are right there in Topeka and are all over any cuts to their jobs, programs, or funds, so with 50 percent, or so, new legislators you can expect no cutting in Capital City.

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