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Voice For Liberty
Individual liberty, limited government, economic freedom, and free markets in Wichita and Kansas.

 
No matter how cynical you get, it is just impossible to keep up.
-- Lily Tomlin

Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.
-- John Stuart Mill

Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.
-- H.L. Mencken

But how is ... legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply. See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime. Then abolish this law without delay, for it is not only an evil itself, but also it is a fertile source for further evils because it invites reprisals.
-- Frederic Bastiat
We need NOTA, now
"None of the Above" voting has issues to resolve, but the current system has many problems. Voters need another choice.
 
Click here for the full story.
Too much on the consent agenda in Wichita city hall
The Wichita city council will consider an item that, I believe, is of sufficient interest and controversial enough that it should appear on a regular agenda, not a consent agenda. 
 
Click here for the full story.
New from The Sentinel
School Districts Sitting on Record Amounts of Cash Reserves. Kansas school districts are sitting on record reserves. According to the Kansas State Department of Education, public schools are sitting on more than $2 billion in reserves. Of that, schools have more than $928 million in operating cash reserves.

College Readiness Scores Stagnant; Former Rep. Calls Information "Inaccurate." The Kansas Department of Education released state assessment scores last week and the results weren't good. They showed that only about a third of Kansas 10th graders who are aren't considered low income kids are college and career ready in math and English. Almost two-thirds of Kansas students scored in the lowest two categories, which indicates those students need remedial training and are not on track to be college or career ready.

Transparency Becomes Focus of Wichita School Board Campaigns. Members of the USD 259 Wichita school board are in a sparring match over a letter to the editor outgoing board member Joy Eakins penned to the Wichita Eagle. Eakins, who is not seeking re-election, wrote that transparency is an issue on the board of education.

Kiplinger Moves Kansas from "Mixed Tax Friendly" to "Not Tax Friendly." A business forecasting and financial advice periodical compares tax rates and rules of the 50 states each year. In 2016, the magazine labeled Kansas "mixed tax friendly." Kiplinger downgraded Kansas's label to "not tax friendly" this year.

Dem Gubernatorial Candidate Fails to Understand Cause of Grandson's Death. His grandson's tragic death has given Democratic gubernatorial candidate Carl Brewer a cause to build his campaign around, namely "child safety." That is at least the phrase that KSHB-TV uses to summarize Brewer's passion. Although the best of all causes, neither Brewer nor KSHB shows any true understanding of the problem's source.

Least Republican-Republican Cans Kansas in WaPo. The Washington Post found a Republican to trash tax cuts. In a recent column, Kansas State Sen. Dinah Sykes bashes tax cuts. Sykes, known locally as the Senator most likely to burst into tears in public and the Senator least likely to vote in favor of freedom or in support of planks on the Republican Party platform, is a Lenexa Republican.
Wichita public school district transparency
Transparency issues surrounding the Wichita public school district are in the news. There are steps that are easy to make, but the district resists. 
 
Click here for the full story.
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.
A consultant to help Wichita's confidence factor
Wichita considers hiring a consultant to help find a baseball team. 
 
Click here for the full story.
Kansas school fund balances
Kansas school fund balances rose this year, in both absolute dollars and dollars per pupil. 
 
Click here for the full story and interactive visualization.

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.

WichitaLiberty.TV: John Fund, National Review Columnist
In this episode of WichitaLiberty.TV: National Review columnist John Fund joins Bob Weeks and Karl Peterjohn to discuss elections and their security. View here. Episode 168, broadcast October 8, 2017. 

Tax collections by the states
An interactive visualization of tax collections by state governments. 
 
Click here for the full story and interactive visualization.

WichitaLiberty:TV: Wichita economy, Kansas schools
In this episode of WichitaLiberty.TV: Karl Peterjohn and Bob Weeks discuss some statistics regarding downtown Wichita and then the Kansas school finance court decision. View here. Episode 169, broadcast October 14, 2017. 
College and career readiness remains persistently low
The 2017 state assessment results released this week by the Kansas Department of Education shows college and career readiness remains persistently low across Kansas. From Kansas Policy Institute. 
 
Click here for the full story.
PBS Ruckus: KPI president Dave Trabert proposes student-focused response to Supreme Court ruling on school funding
Kansas City public television station KCPT-TV interviews KPI President Dave Trabert about the recent Supreme Court ruling on school funding...including the potential impact on funding for other services and your taxes if the Legislature complies and KPI's recommended legislative response to the court. From Kansas Policy Institute. 
 
Click here for the full story and video.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
 
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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. 
 
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.
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. 
Wichita, Kansas, and U.S. GDP

Click for larger interactive version.
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. 
 
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.
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.
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.

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.
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.
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. 
 
Naftzger Park construction manager
The City of Wichita seeks a construction manager for the construction of Naftzger Park. 
 
Click here for the full story.
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.
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.
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. 
 
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.
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.
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.
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.

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.
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. 
 
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.
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.

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.
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.
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.
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.

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.
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.
 
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.
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.
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. 
 
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.
Kansas employment by industry
An interactive visualization of Kansas employment by industry.  
 
Click here for the full story.


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.
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.

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. 
 
The yardstick for the Kansas experiment
A politician's boasting should not be the yardstick for policy. 
 
Click here for the full story.
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 
 
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. 

Tax collections by the states
An interactive visualization of tax collections by state governments. 
 
Click here for the full story.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
 
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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?
 
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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.