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Voice For Liberty
Individual liberty, limited government, economic freedom, and free markets in Wichita and Kansas.
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Get short articles on a variety of topics at
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Podcasts, or Voice for Liberty Radio.
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If the man doesn't believe as we do, we say he is a crank, and that settles it. I mean, it does nowadays, because now we can't burn him
-- Mark Twain
Without initiatives and referendums, elites would barely bother at all to take note of public opinion on issues they disdained -- from supermajority requirements to raise taxes to term limits. They serve as a reminder that the experts sometimes have to pay attention to good old common sense.
-- John Fund of The Wall Street Journal
Sacred cows make the best burgers.
-- Disputed
As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.
-- H.L. Mencken
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 Downtown Wichita jobs decline
By the measure of jobs used by the City of Wichita, downtown jobs declined in 2015.
There is, however a serious problem with this data series, as it includes workers whose "administrative home" is downtown, even though they work somewhere else.
Click here for the full story.
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 WichitaLiberty.TV: Wichita talk radio pioneer Joseph Ashby
In this episode of WichitaLiberty.TV: Wichita talk radio pioneer Joseph Ashby joins Karl Peterjohn and Bob Weeks to discuss state and national affairs. View here. Episode 167, broadcast October 1, 2017.
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 Wichita, youthful and growing from the core
A letter writer tells Wichitans that "We have an opportunity to show the country the future of Wichita is youthful and bright, and its growing from the core out."
Click here for the full story.
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Chameleon court decides it really is all about the Benjamins (for now)
The latest (and surely not final) Supreme Court ruling in Gannon v. State, known as Gannon V, is yet another pivot from their previous position outlined in this Chameleon Court's first Gannon decision. From Kansas Policy Institute.
Click here for the full story.
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School funding ruling may cause devastating tax hikes
The Kansas Supreme Court's recent Gannon school funding ruling, if endorsed by legislators, would cause devastating tax hikes on top of record-setting tax increases just passed. From Kansas Policy Institute.
Click here for the full story.
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School lawsuits: Over $7 million diverted from classrooms to lawyers
The Gannon and Montoy school lawsuits have resulted in school districts diverting $7.3 million that could have been spent on Instruction to their lawyers suing between the 2005 and 2017 school years. From Kansas Policy Institute.
Click here for the full story.
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From The Sentinel this week
Can the State Supreme Court Close Kansas Schools? The state Supreme Court didn't explicitly threaten to close Kansas schools in its latest opinion that found public school financing unconstitutional, but the threat is implied. The court made that exact threat in a June 2016 decision, and justices said they will seek a remedy if lawmakers are unable to build and adopt a new financing formula no later than April 30 in their most recent ruling.
Supreme Court Rejects School Funding Model It Once Used. The Kansas Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional lawmakers' most recent attempt at a school financing formula, in part, because the formula is based on the successful schools model of calculating funding that the Court itself used to force lawmakers to inject an additional $853 million in funding in its 2005 Montoy school finance decision.
Republican Legislative Leaders Call Court Disrespectful of Legislative Process. Kansas Senate leadership is drawing a line in the sand. Sen. President Susan Wagle, Vice President Jeff Longbine and Majority Leader Jim Denning responding to a Kansas Supreme Court opinion with a joint statement saying raising taxes to increase school funding is unrealistic.
Former Editorialist, State Legislator Rips Hutch News Ownership. Editorial-writer-turned-state-legislator Jason Probst penned an early obituary for the Hutchinson News, his employer for 15 years before he was selected to complete the term of a representative who died in office.
Senate Leadership Issues Statement in English; Cap-J Confused by Words. Kansas Senate leadership was pretty clear in its statement about the Kansas Supreme Court's recent school financing ruling, but the editorial writers at the Topeka Capital-Journal say they don't understand the meaning of common words.
Let the Judges Run Kansas Schools. They Did a Great Job with Kansas City's. The judges on the Kansas Supreme Court know best. On Monday, they threw out the state's most recent effort to satisfy their arbitrary school funding dictates. "We decline to allow (school spending) inadequacy to keep cutting its swath," the judges declared in a metaphorically-challenged burst of power-mad hyperbole.
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 Kansas hotel tax collections
Kansas hotel guest tax collections presented in an interactive visualization.
Of note, while Wichita is the largest city in Kansas, Overland Park collects the most hotel guest tax. Of the largest markets in Kansas, Wichita has experienced the least growth in hotel tax collections since 2010.
Click here for the full story and interactive visualization.
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 Kansas highway spending
A look at actual spending on Kansas highways, apart from transfers. Many criticize Kansas government for slashing highway spending, letting our roads crumble. While total spending on these four programs has been falling (after adjusting for inflation), the decline is minor compared to the hysterical claims of those with vested interests in more government, and especially highway, spending.
Click here for the full story.
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School lawsuits: Over $7 million diverted from classrooms to lawyers
The Gannon and Montoy school lawsuits have resulted in school districts diverting $7.3 million that could have been spent on Instruction to their lawyers suing between the 2005 and 2017 school years. From Kansas Policy Institute.
Click here for the full story.
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Kansas job growth rank improves post-tax-relief
Kansas job growth rank is still better since the 2012 tax relief effort despite ongoing challenges in oil, agriculture and aerospace according to 2016 data just released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. From Kansas Policy Institute.
Click here for the full story.
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Wichita economy shrinks
The Wichita MSA economy produced fewer goods and services in 2016 than in 2015, according to data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
In real (inflation-adjusted) dollars, the Wichita metropolitan area gross domestic product fell by 1.4 percent. For all metropolitan areas, GDP grew by 1.7 percent.
Since 2001, GDP for all metropolitan areas grew by 29.3 percent, while Wichita had 12.3 percent growth.
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 Voting to raise taxes in Kansas
Here are printable tables of voting on legislation that raised taxes in Kansas.
Click here for the full story.
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 WichitaLiberty.TV: Century II, Its Future
In this episode of WichitaLiberty.TV: Community influencer John Todd joins Karl Peterjohn and Bob Weeks to discuss Century II, Wichita's convention and performing arts center. View here. Episode 165, broadcast September 17, 2017.
Click here for the full story.
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 WichitaLiberty.TV: Century II, Again
In this episode of WichitaLiberty.TV: Karl Peterjohn and Bob Weeks continue discussing Century II, Wichita's convention and performing arts center. But first, some unfortunate economic news for Wichita. View
here
. Episode 166, broadcast September 24, 2017.
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Sales tax incentives yes, but no relief on grocery sales tax
Is it equitable for business firms to pay no sales tax, while low-income families pay sales tax on groceries?
Click here for the full story.
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 Wichita job growth
Wichita economic development efforts viewed in context.
The efforts of our economic development machinery are responsible for small proportions of the jobs we need to create. This assumes that the data regarding jobs and investment that Greater Wichita Partnership provides is correct.
Click here for the full story.
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 Century II: The consultant's disclaimer
The report produced for the City of Wichita on Century II has a disclaimer that absolves pretty much everyone from any accountability.
Click here for the full story.
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Century II resource center
A resource of information about the Century II Performing Arts and Convention Center in Wichita.
Click here for the full story.
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From Pachyderm: Why I Am a Republican
From the Wichita Pachyderm Club: A panel presentation on the topic "Why I Am a Republican." Panelists, in order of their initial remarks, are Ben Sauceda, former Sedgwick County Commissioner Karl Peterjohn, Precinct Leader Linda Baker, and Sedgwick County Commissioner Richard Ranzau. Todd Johnson is the moderator. This audio presentation was recorded on September 15, 2017.
Click here for the audio presentation.
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 Wichita Business Journal grants city council excess power
The Wichita Business Journal and the City of Wichita team to provide incorrect coverage and missing analysis.
Click here for the full story.
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Century II, Its Future
As Wichita considers the future of Century II and, more broadly, convention centers and performing arts centers, I've created a public Facebook group to keep everyone informed.
Click here
for the Facebook group
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WichitaLiberty.TV: Radio Host Andy Hooser
In this episode of WichitaLiberty.TV: Radio talk show host Andy Hooser joins Karl Peterjohn to discuss developments on Andy's show along with national and state affairs, while Bob Weeks takes off a week. View here. Episode 164, broadcast September 10, 2017.
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Kansas composite and college ready ACT scores drop in 2017
The ACT scores for the graduating class of 2017 have just been released and results for Kansas graduates is not encouraging. The overall composite of 21.7 is lower than the 21.9 achieved in 2016. A look inside the composite provides a portrait of consistently lower scores across all academic areas. From Kansas Policy Institute.
Click here for the full story.
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WichitaLiberty.TV: Wichita and Kansas economies
 In this episode of WichitaLiberty.TV: Bob Weeks and Karl Peterjohn discuss issues regarding the Wichita and Kansas economies. View here. Episode 163, broadcast September 3, 2017.
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Congressman Ron Estes at Park City
 United States Representative Ron Estes speaking at the Park City Chamber of Commerce. Recorded August 30, 2017.
Click here for the full story.
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From Pachyderm: Wichita school board candidates
From the Wichita Pachyderm Club: A forum of candidates for Wichita school board. Recorded June 16, 2017.
Click here for the full story.
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Wichita, Kansas, and U.S. GDP
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WichitaLiberty.TV: Kansas Speaker of the House Ron Ryckman
In this episode of WichitaLiberty.TV: Speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives Ron Ryckman joins hosts Bob Weeks and Karl Peterjohn to discuss current governmental affairs in Kansas. View here. Episode 162, broadcast August 20, 2017.
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In Wichita, not your tax dollars
At a Wichita City Council meeting, citizens are told, "These tax dollars are not your tax dollars."
Click here for the full story.
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 Wichita employment trends
While the unemployment rate in the Wichita metropolitan area has been declining, the numbers behind the decline are not encouraging.
Click here for the full story.
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Redesigned Naftzger Park likely not only subsidy
The developers of property near Naftzger Park in downtown Wichita will possibly receive millions in other subsidy.
Click here for the full story.
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Naftzger Park land ownership
One of the issues surrounding Naftzger Park in downtown Wichita is land ownership.
We can see that the park is built partially on land owned by private owners. City officials have said that a narrow strip of land on the east side of the park is involved. From this map we can see that the situation is more complex.
It would be interesting to learn how this mistake - if that's what it is - occurred. At one time the city owned the entire block after it acquired land to reform what was skid row.
Click here for the full story.
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 From Pachyderm: Kansas Secretary of Revenue Sam Williams
From the Wichita Pachyderm Club: Kansas Secretary of Revenue Sam Williams. This audio presentation was recorded August 11, 2017.
Click here for the full story.
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WichitaLiberty.TV: Naftzger Park
In this episode of WichitaLiberty.TV: Wichita Assistant City Manager and Director of Development Scot Rigby joins hosts Bob Weeks and Karl Peterjohn to discuss the plans for Naftzger Park. Then, Bob and Karl continue the discussion. View here. Episode 161, broadcast August 13, 2017.
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Naftzger Park construction manager
The City of Wichita seeks a construction manager for the construction of Naftzger Park.
Click here for the full story.
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 Downtown Wichita gathering spaces that don't destroy a park
Wichita doesn't need to ruin a park for economic development, as there are other areas that would work and need development.
Click here for the full story.
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 Naftzger Park contract: Who is in control?
The City of Wichita says it retains final approval on the redesign of Naftzger Park, but a contract says otherwise.
Click here for the full story.
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WichitaLiberty.TV: Congressman Ron Estes
In this episode of WichitaLiberty.TV: United States Representative Ron Estes, a Republican from Wichita representing the fourth district of Kansas, joins hosts Bob Weeks and Karl Peterjohn to discuss the issues of the day. View here. Episode 160, broadcast August 6, 2017.
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If you aren't getting email from Voice for Liberty
Troubleshoot why you aren't getting email from Voice for Liberty or other senders.
Click here for the full story.
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Wichita WaterWalk contract not followed, again
Wichita city hall failed to uphold the terms of a development agreement from five years ago, not monitoring contracts that protect the public interest.
Beyond this, we now know that neither the city nor the WaterWalk developer followed the terms of the deal. The annual reports were
not supplied by the company, and they were
not requested by the city. As it turns out the annual reports purport to show that the city was owed no money under the profit sharing agreement.
But that's not the point. The issue is that the city did not enforce a simple aspect of the agreement, and the private-sector company felt it did not need to comply. Taxpayers were not protected, and we're left wondering whether these agreements were really meant to be followed.
Click here for the full story.
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 Naftzger Park concerts and parties?
In Wichita, a space for outdoor concerts may be created across the street from where amplified concerts are banned.
Click here for the full story.
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Metro area employment and unemployment
An interactive visualization of labor force, employment, and unemployment rate for all metropolitan areas in the United States.
Click here for the full story and interactive visualization.
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 Wichita in the Wall Street Journal
A Wall Street Journal article reports on Wichita, but there are a few issues with quotes from the mayor. Specifically: Is the mayor not aware that Wichita's incentive programs are as valuable to companies as receiving cash payments?
Or does the mayor believe that the methods by which these programs are implemented obscure the economic realities?
Click here for the full story.
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WichitaLiberty.TV: After the Kansas tax increases
In this episode of WichitaLiberty.TV: Jonathan Williams, chief economist at American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), joins Bob Weeks and Karl Peterjohn to discuss what ALEC does, and then topics specific to Kansas. View here. Episode 159, broadcast July 30, 2017.
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Naftzger Park tax increment financing (TIF)
Background on tax increment financing (TIF) as applied to Naftzger Park in downtown Wichita.
Click here for the full story.
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Tax collections by the states
An interactive visualization of tax collections by state governments.
Click here for the full story and interactive visualization.
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Wichita MSA employment series
Charts of employment in the Wichita metro area, along with Kansas and the United States.
Since 1990 the country has experienced three recessions. For the first two, Wichita was able to catch up with the employment growth experienced by the entire nation. For the most recent recession, however, this hasn't been the case. In fact, as time has progressed since 2010, the gap between Wichita and the nation has grown. Wichita is falling farther behind.
Click here for the full story.
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Kansas Freedom Index for 2017
Kansas Policy Institute has released the completed Freedom Index for 2017. Did your legislators support or oppose economic freedom?
Click here for the full story.
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Naftzger Park in Downtown Wichita
The City of Wichita is proposing to spend $1,500,000 to transform Naftzger Park from its present form to something else.
Click here for information resources.
Below, an illustration from the city of the possible future of Naftzger Park. That's astroturf, not grass.
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 More Cargill incentives from Wichita detailed
More, but likely not all, of the Cargill incentives will be before the Wichita City Council this week.
In the past, economic development subsidies of this type were justified by local governments as necessary to
recruit new companies to the area. These subsidies, however, are used simply to
retain a company that is already located in downtown Wichita.
Click here for the full story.
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 In Wichita, new stadium to be considered
The City of Wichita plans subsidized development of a sports facility as an economic driver.
Click here for the full story.
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 National Transit Database, an interactive visualization
An interactive visualization of data over time from the National Transit Database.
In the case of Wichita, we see that "OpExp per PMT" for 2015 is $1.02. This is total operating expense per passenger mile traveled. It's not the cost to move a bus a mile down the street. It's the cost to move one passenger one mile. And, it is operating cost only, which means the costs of the buses are not included.
Click here for the full story.
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Intrust Bank Arena loss for 2016 is $4,293,901
As in years past, a truthful accounting of the finances of Intrust Bank Arena in downtown Wichita shows a large loss.
Click here for the full story.
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Happy Fiscal New Year, Kansas (not)
A Kansas public policy group celebrates tax increases. But it isn't enough, and more reform is required.
Click here for the full story.
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WichitaLiberty.TV: John Todd and Wichita issues
In this episode of WichitaLiberty.TV: John Todd joins Bob Weeks and Karl Peterjohn to discuss issues involving the City of Wichita, including the future of Naftzger Park and economic development. View
here. Episode 157, broadcast July 9, 2017.
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 Deconstructing Don Hineman
Another Kansas legislator explains why raising taxes was necessary. So he says.
Hineman shows that it is difficult to cut spending. People become accustomed to other people paying for their stuff. Legislators want to appear to be doing more for their constituents, providing seemingly free stuff while pushing aside the idea of paying for it. And so government grows, at the expense of our liberty and what might have been had the money been left in the productive private sector.
Click here for the full story.
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 From Pachyderm: Wichita city council candidates
From the Wichita Pachyderm Club: Wichita City Council Primary and General Election Candidates. This audio presentation was recorded June 30, 2017.
Click here for the full story.
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WichitaLiberty.TV: Kansas Representative Susan Humphries
In this episode of WichitaLiberty.TV: Kansas Representative Susan Humphries joins Bob Weeks and Karl Peterjohn to discuss issues in the Kansas Legislature. Humphries represents District 99 in far east Wichita and Andover, and just completed her first term. View
here. Episode 156, broadcast July 2, 2017.
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 Decoding Duane Goossen
When reading the writings of former Kansas State Budget Director Duane Goossen, it's useful to have a guide grounded in reality.
For example, Goosen wrote: "We became famous, the poster state for bad tax policy."
No, Kansas became the poster state for
bad spending policy. Our legislature and governor had several years to find ways to reform spending, but there was not the will to do so. One example: The budget for next year contains $47.2 million in spending because the legislature did not adopt a recommended plan to save money on purchasing health insurance for school employees. That number rises to $89.0 million the following year.
Click here for the full story.
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Kansas employment by industry
An interactive visualization of Kansas employment by industry.
Click here for the full story.
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 Downtown Wichita jobs, sort of
The claim of 26,000 workers in downtown Wichita is based on misuse of data so blatant it can be described only as malpractice.
Click here for the full story.
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Airport traffic statistics, 2016
Airport traffic data presented in an interactive visualization, updated through 2016. A few observations regarding Wichita airport traffic as compared to the nation:
- Since 2014, passenger traffic at the Wichita airport has been level, while increasing for the nation.
- The number of departures has been declining in Wichita, while level and increasing for the nation.
- The number of available seats on departing flights from Wichita has been mostly level while rising for the nation.
Click here for the full story and interactive visualization.
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WichitaLiberty.TV: Kansas Representative Leo Delperdang
In this episode of WichitaLiberty.TV: Kansas Representative Leo Delperdang joins Bob We
eks and Karl Peterjohn to discuss issues in the Kansas Legislature. Delperdang represents District 94 in west Wichita, and just completed his first term. View
here.
Episode 155, broadcast June 25, 2017.
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 The yardstick for the Kansas experiment
A politician's boasting should not be the yardstick for policy.
Click here for the full story.
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WichitaLiberty.TV: David Schneider on Convention of States
In this episode of WichitaLiberty.TV: David Schneider of Citizens for Self-Governance joins Bob Weeks and Karl Peterjohn to explain the Convention of States project. View
here. Episode 154, broadcast June 18, 2017
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Wichita post-recession job growth
Since 1990 the country has experienced three recessions. For the first two of these, Wichita was able to catch up with the employment growth experienced by the entire nation.
For the most recent recession, however, this hasn't been the case. In fact, as time progressed since 2010, the gap between Wichita and the nation has grown.
Click here for the full story.
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In Kansas, sweeps to continue
Why did the legislature and governor raise taxes in Kansas? One reason cited by many is the need to stop "robbing the highway fund." This refers to transferring ("sweeping") money from a fund in the Kansas Department of Transportation to the state's general fund, where the money is then spent on things besides highways. There was bipartisan agreement that this practice should stop.
But: Guess what? Transfers from the highway fund to the general fund are scheduled to continue for another two years, based on the budget passed by wide margins in both chambers of the legislature.
Click here for the full story.
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 Wichita, Kansas, and U.S. economic dashboards
Dashboards of economic indicators for Wichita and Kansas, compared to the United States.
Click here for the full story.
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 Coverage of Downtown Wichita workers
The Wichita Eagle's coverage of the number of workers in Downtown Wichita isn't fake news, just wrong news.
Click here for the full story.
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 Census data for downtown Wichita workers
Is the presentation of the number of workers in downtown Wichita an innocent mistake, mere incompetence, or a willful lie?
Click here for the full story.
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 Wichita about to commit to more spending. Bigly.
This week the Wichita City Council considers hiring a consulting firm to develop plans for a new performing arts and convention center.
Click here for the full story.
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 Downtown Wichita's Block One, a beneficiary of tax increment financing
Before forming new tax increment financing districts, Wichita taxpayers ought to ask for progress on current districts.
Click here for the full story.
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 Rich States, Poor States, 2107 edition
In
Rich States, Poor States, Kansas improves its middle-of-the-pack performance, but continues with a mediocre forward-looking forecast.
Click here for the full story.
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 Medicaid expansion survey in Kansas
Should Kansans accept the results of a public opinion poll when little is known about it?
Click here for the full story.
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 Downtown Wichita business trends
There has been much investment in Downtown Wichita, both public and private. What has been the trend in business activity during this time?
Click here for the full story.
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 Fake government spawns fake news
Discussions of public policy need to start from a common base of facts and information. An episode shows that both our state government and news media are not helping.
Click here for the full story.
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Kansas farm income
This is an example from the visualization
Personal income in the states. It compares farm income in Kansas and Plains states with non-farm income.
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 Tax collections by the states
An interactive visualization of tax collections by state governments.
Click here for the full story.
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 Kansans are concerned about the level of state spending on schools
A public opinion poll asks whether Kansans are concerned about school spending, but leaves us wondering
why they are concerned.
Click here for the full story.
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 Personal income in the states
An interactive visualization of income growth and change in the states, by major sector. Of note is the steep decline in farm income in Kansas and other Plains states.
Click here for the full story.
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 Kansas revenue estimates
Kansas revenue estimates are frequently in the news and have become a political issue. Here's a look at them over the past decades.
Click here for the full story.
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 Wichita property tax rate: Level
The City of Wichita says it hasn't raised its property tax mill levy in many years. For this year, the city is correct.
Click here for the full story.
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 Downtown Wichita tax base is not growing
There's been much investment in downtown Wichita, we're told, but the assessed value of property isn't rising.
Click here for the full story.
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 State and local government employee and payroll
Considering all state and local government employees in proportion to population, Kansas has many, compared to other states, and especially so in education.
Click here for the full story.
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 Spending in the states, by fund
The National Association of State Budget Officers publishes spending data for the states. In this interactive visualization, I present the data in a graphical and flexible format.
Click here for the full story.
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Kansas state school assessments
An interactive presentation of Kansas state school assessment scores at the state, district, and building levels.
Click here for the full story.
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 Accountability in Kansas public schools
Critics of school choice say there is no accountability outside the traditional public schools. Here are the standards Kansas used to hold its schools accountable.
Click here for the full story.
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 Year in Review: 2016
Here are highlights from Voice for Liberty for 2016. Was it a good year for the principles of individual liberty, limited government, economic freedom, and free markets in Wichita and Kansas?
Click here for the full story.
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In Wichita, the phased approach to water supply can save a bundle
In 2014 the City of Wichita recommended voters spend $250 million on a new water supply. But since voters rejected the tax to support that spending, the cost of providing adequate water has dropped, and dropped a lot.
Click here for the full story. |
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