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

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The realistic way to reduce the amount of money in politics is to reduce the amount of politics in money -- the importance of government in allocating wealth and opportunity. -- George F. Will As Adam Smith realized 230 years ago, that is the best thing about the market: when we all work in our own interest, we also work in everyone else’s interest. Thus, the market relies on the very traits that keep government planning from working. -- Randal O'Toole A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it. -- Max Planck I have been complimented many times and they always embarrass me; I always feel that they have not said enough. -- Mark Twain

Kansas Republicans buck longtime conservative voices In deciding to forego a presidential caucus or primary, Kansas Republicans act contrary to mainstream conservative thought. Click for more.

Kansas jobs, August 2019 Employment and the labor force rose in Kansas in August 2019 compared to the two previous months. Kansas employment continued a trend of lower growth than the nation over the year, but has been stronger in recent months. Click for more.

From Pachyderm: Wichita City Council Candidates From the Wichita Pachyderm Club this week: Wichita city council candidates from districts 2 and 5. This audio presentation or podcast was recorded on September 20, 2019. Click for more.

Downtown Wichita jobs decline Despite heavy promotion and investment in downtown Wichita, the number of jobs continues to decline. Click for more.

New report provides more evidence that Kansas education is not Top 10 Kansas education performance is somewhere in the middle – not Top 10 – of a nation that shows generally mediocre performance. This finding largely repeats that of last year and comes from the 2019 Quality Counts annual report and state rankings from Education Week. It is not good news for Kansas students or residents. Regarding student achievement, Kansas earned a grade of D+ and ranked 34th among the states and D.C. From Kansas Policy Institute. Click for more.

Goddard school lawsuit raises ethics concern Following the announcement of a lawsuit against vaping manufacturers Juul at a press conference, a journalist asked Goddard Superintendent Justin Henry, “I noticed a lawyer with the law firm shares your last name. Are you related?” From The Sentinel. Click for more.

Wichita mayoral debate Details of the Wichita baseball stadium land deal were an issue at the first Wichita mayoral debate. Click for more.

Wichita metro employment by industry An interactive visualization of Wichita-area employment by industry. Click for more.

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For Wichita, another agenda surprise Wichita city hall again places a controversial matter on the consent agenda, where it might pass without notice. Click for more.

From Pachyderm: Representative Roger Marshall From the Wichita Pachyderm Club this week: Dr. Roger Marshall, United States Representative for the first district of Kansas. This audio presentation or podcast was recorded on September 13, 2019. Click for more.

Kansas Republicans should have their say Kansas Republicans should insist on having a voice in choosing the next Republican presidential nominee. Click for more.

Kelly stacks tax council with state spending advocates Gov. Laura Kelly established the Governor’s Council on Tax Reform, a group that will study and make tax recommendations to state lawmakers. Kelly appointed 11 individuals who will serve for 18-months to develop a “fiscally responsible, fair and sustainable tax structure,” according to a press release from Kelly’s office. From The Sentinel. Click for more.

Wichita, not that different We have a lot of neat stuff in Wichita. Other cities do, too. Click for more.

Local government property tax data shows opportunity for savings Property taxes assessed for the operation of local government totaled $2.7 billion in 2018 and significant differences in per-resident amounts across the counties indicate large savings opportunities – if the political will exists to take advantage. From Kansas Policy Institute. Click for more.

Wichita jobs and employment, July 2019 For the Wichita metropolitan area in July 2019, the labor force is up, the number of unemployed persons is down, the unemployment rate is down, and the number of people working is up when compared to the same month one year ago. Seasonal data shows small increases in labor force and jobs from June. Click for more.

With no accountability, Gannon plaintiffs prioritize non-Instruction hiring After suing taxpayers for more than $1 billion on the premise that funding wasn’t adequate to educate students, the four plaintiff districts collectively allocated just 15% of their new hires last year to teachers, teacher aides, and special education paras. From Kansas Policy Institute. Click for more.

McClatchy death spiral continues; Eagle to cut Saturday print edition The Wichita Eagle Saturday edition is about to land on the dustbin of history. McClatchy, which owns the Eagle and the Kansas City Star, in August, announced the paper would cease Saturday print publication. The Nov. 16 newspaper will be the Eagle’s final Saturday print edition. From The Sentinel. Click for more.

From Pachyderm: Envision and the Wichita Chamber of Commerce From the Wichita Pachyderm Club this week: Michael Monteferrante. He is President and CEO of Envision, Inc. and Chairman of the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce. This audio presentation or podcast was recorded on September 6, 2019. Click for more.

Wichita checkbook updated Wichita spending data presented as a summary, and as a list. Of note, the city does not make this data available on its website. Click for more.

From Pachyderm: Chief Gordon Ramsay From the Wichita Pachyderm Club this week: Wichita Police Chief Gordon Ramsay. This audio presentation was recorded on August 16, 2019. Click for more.

After move from spring to fall, local election voter turnout is mixed bag A 2015 law designed to increase voter turnout may not be having the intended results. When lawmakers moved local elections from the spring to the fall, many advocates of the proposal thought the change would lead to higher voter turnout. However, turnout from the Aug. 6 local elections has some people questioning whether the change is netting desired results. From The Sentinel. Click for more.

Wichita mayoral primary election, August 6, 2019 Here are an interactive map and table of results of the Wichita mayoral primary election, August 6, 2019. Click for more.

The Wichita Mayoral Race: Winners and Losers From Professor Russell Fox. "None of this takes away all the obvious advantages Longwell will enjoy in November. His record as mayor is obviously positive to many (it's probably not a coincidence that a ceremony honoring the completion of one major part of the baseball stadium which, for better or worse, is bound to be Longwell's greatest legacy, took place the day after the election). But looking at the results on Tuesday night, I suspect our mayor didn’t feel quite like the winner he would have prefer to have been." Click for more.

Gov. Kelly orders tax increase on remote sellers For the third time in a matter of weeks, Gov. Laura Kelly has attempted to usurp the authority of the Legislature using executive action. The Tax Foundation today reports the Kelly administration issued a directive requiring all internet sellers with Kansas transactions to begin collecting and remitting sales taxes by October. From The Sentinel. Click for more.

Campaigning on Wichita as recession-proof The City of Wichita and Mayor Jeff Longwell shouldn’t be using flimsy evidence that is contrary to actual economic data. Click for more.

35,000 years of economic history in 35 minutes Crystal Dozier, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology at Wichita State University, explains 35,000 years of economic history in 35 Minutes. Click for more.

From Pachyderm: David Kensinger From the Wichita Pachyderm Club this week: David Kensinger, President of Kensinger and Associates. His topic was “The Early Returns of the 2020 Presidential Election.” Click for more.

Can’t we have a literate mayor? Mistakes on Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell’s Facebook campaign page are troubling. Click for more.

Record-setting levels of Freedom in Kansas Legislature From Kansas Policy Institute: The results of our 2019 Kansas Freedom Index show freedom in Kansas is on the march…at least in the Kansas Legislature. The 2019 Kansas Freedom Index set records for high scores with 52 legislators scoring at least 86%. That’s good news. Click for more.

On Wichita water, Longwell is right about one thing A city hall news event sought to counter a news story that highlighted problems with Wichita’s water supply, but it seemed more like a political campaign event. Click for more.

Wichita property tax rate: Unchanged The City of Wichita property tax mill levy was unchanged for 2018. This follows two years of small decreases. Click for more.

In Wichita, revision of water history In 2014 Wichita voters rejected a sales tax which would have provided $250 million to spend on a water project. What were the city’s concerns? Click for more information.

City council members refuse to answer questions on $75 million Wichita baseball stadium Following news of a professional baseball team failing in Kansas City, Kansas and owing at least $550,000 to local government, The Sentinel asked City Council members some questions about the viability of their planned $75 million Wichita baseball stadium. Every member refused to answer these questions: Click for more.

Kansas GDP In the first quarter of 2019, the Kansas economy grew at the annual rate of 3.1 percent, up from 0.9 percent the previous quarter. The rate of 3.1 percent ranked twentieth among the states and matched the rate for the entire nation. Click for more.

In Wichita, here’s what tax decrement means Wichita has a financing mechanism known as the Gilbert-Mosley tax decrement fund. I knew about tax increment financing, but I never really understood how tax decrement financing worked. I had thought that in this context, “decrement” had a sophisticated meaning that I wasn’t able to understand because I wasn’t smart enough, or I hadn’t tried hard enough, or I didn’t have the correct documents to read. Now, Chase M. Billingham and Sean Sandefur have published detailed research that explains how the Gilbert-Mosley financing works. Click for more.

Metropolitan employment and labor force A visualization of employment, labor force, and unemployment rate for metropolitan areas, now with data through May 2019. How does the Wichita metropolitan area compare with others regarding employment, labor force, and unemployment rate? A nearby example shows data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the United States Department of Labor. Considering growth of employment since the start of the decade, the answer is Wichita has not performed well. Click for more.

Wichita transit, by the numbers Transit in Wichita isn’t working very well, and it is expensive. Click for more.

Wichita transit center application Although plans have changed, an application by the City of Wichita holds interesting observations and claims. Click for more.

Kansas Freedom Index for 2019 The 2019 Freedom Index is intended to provide educational information to the public about broad economic and education issues that are important to the citizens of our State. It is the product of nonpartisan analysis, study, and research and is not intended to directly or indirectly endorse or oppose any candidate for public office. From Kansas Policy Institute. Click for more.

Updated: Economic indicators in the states After a trend of decline, coincident and leading economic indicators for Kansas are improving. For Kansas, the coincident index has been on a mostly downhill trend since May 2018. But for April and May of this year, the index has risen. The leading index shows the same trend: A peak one year ago, then mostly down except rising for the last two months. Click for more.

Updated: National transit database An interactive visualization of data over time from the National Transit Database. Now with data through 2017. Click for more.

Kansas personal income For the first quarter of 2019, the rate of personal income growth in Kansas was less than the national rate, although better than the Plains states. Click for more.

Wichita population, according to Mayor Longwell It is unfortunate that Wichita city and metro populations are falling. It is unimaginable that our city’s top leader is not aware of the latest population trends. Click for more. .

Public and Private Housing John Todd, a community activist and retired real estate developer, spoke to interested citizens about private versus public housing initiatives Monday, June 24, 2019. Todd built his career in the private sector creating opportunities for low-cost, entry-level home ownership that let people build equity. He speaks against government taking the role of developer as with the city of Wichita's "Places for People," a large-scale initiative to use taxpayer money and government decision making to provide housing.

Airport traffic statistics, 2018 Airport traffic data presented in an interactive visualization, updated through 2018. Click for more .

Wichita and other airports How does the Wichita airport compare to others? Click for more .

New metropolitan rankings regarding knowledge-based industries and entrepreneurship New research provides insight into the Wichita metropolitan area economy and dynamism. There have been some rankings showing Wichita doing well in jobs at young firms. That’s good, as young firms — which are different from small business — are vitally important to economic growth. This study, however, shows Wichita lagging in young firm employment ratio. In these rankings, Wichita came in at position 247 of 379 metro areas. That is better than the overall ranking for Wichita, which is at number 319. Click for more.

Updated: Metropolitan populations A visualization of the population of metropolitan statistical areas, now with annual data from 1969 through 2018. Click for more .

Wichita airport traffic Traffic is rising at the Wichita airport. How does it compare to others? Click for more .

State government tax collections Now data for fiscal year 2018 is available, and it shows Kansas collecting $1,172 per person in individual income taxes, an increase of $372 or 46.5 percent over 2017. Click for more.

Populations of the states An interactive table and charts of populations in the states and regions, from 1929 through 2018. Click for more.

Naftzger Park, according to Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell He had an opportunity to learn the true history of Naftzger Park in downtown Wichita. But Mayor Jeff Longwell didn’t learn, or maybe he doesn’t care. Click for more.

Wichita population, 2018 The City of Wichita lost 1,052 in population from 2017 to 2018, a decline of 0.27 percent.The estimate of population on July 1, 2017 was revised from 390,591 to 390,317, meaning that for 2017, Wichita population declined by 242 from the July 1, 2016 population of 390,509. With the revised 2017 figure, Wichita has had two years of declining population. Click for more.

Sedgwick County job growth continues strong pace In the fourth quarter of 2018, Sedgwick County continued strong job growth. The job growth rate for Sedgwick County was 100th best among the nation’s 350 largest counties. Click for more.

What could be done with WaterWalk There is (was) an opportunity for Wichita to break the logjam holding up development at WaterWalk. Click for more.

King of Freight move a step sideways A Wichita firm plans to move its offices to what was billed as the city’s premier entertainment district. Click for more.

Wichita personal income growing, but slowly Among the nation’s 383 metropolitan areas, Wichita ranked 347th for personal income growth. Click for more.

Kansas personal income growing, but slowly For 2017, just four states had less growth in personal income than Kansas. Click for more.

Wichita public schools, by the charts The Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for USD 259, the Wichita public school district, provides a look at trends over the years. Here are some highlights from the CAFR for the year ending June 30, 2018, known as fiscal year 2018. Click for more.

The finances of Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita A truthful accounting of the finances of Intrust Bank Arena in downtown Wichita shows a large loss. Despite hosting the NCAA basketball tournament, the arena’s “net income” fell. Click for more.

KPI releases 2019 Green Book Each year in the Green Book, Kansas Policy Institute explores the relationship between economic growth and the size of government. From Kansas Policy Institute. Click for more.

More Wichita planning on tap We should be wary of government planning in general. But when those who have been managing and planning the foundering Wichita-area economy want to step up their management of resources, we risk compounding our problems. Click for more.

Wichita ballpark STAR bonds, 2018 issue A bond disclosure document anticipated a development agreement for land surrounding the new Wichita ballpark. Click for more.

Updated: Gross domestic product by state and industry An interactive visualization of GDP by state and industry, updated with annual data through 2018. As shown in the accompanying illustration, Kansas has not kept up with most surrounding states. Click for more.

State of the City, Wichita: Employment strength Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell’s State of the City video relies on flimsy evidence and plucks scant good news from a sea of bad. This is a problem. “Recession-proof” glosses over recent years of declining production. “Historically low” unemployment rates ignore a stagnant and declining labor force. “An across-the-board increase in overall jobs this year” doesn’t contextualize that the forecast rate of growth for Wichita is anemic compared to the nation. Click for more.

Kansas GDP In the fourth quarter of 2018, the Kansas economy grew at the annual rate of 0.9 percent, down from 1.2 percent the previous quarter. Over the last eight quarters, Kansas has averaged quarterly growth rates of 0.5 percent in annual terms. For the nation, the rate was 2.7 percent. For the Plains states, it was 1.5 percent. Click for more.

State of the City, Wichita: The bright future Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell’s State of the City video doesn’t seem to be based on reality. Click for more.

Wichita population falls; outmigration continues The population of the Wichita MSA fell from 2017 to 2018, and net domestic migration continues at a high level. Click for more.

Wichita aerospace manufacturing concentration Wichita leaders want to diversify the area economy. Has there been progress? Click for more.

Updated: Employment in the States An interactive visualization of the civilian labor force, employment, and unemployment, for each state. Updated through March 2019. As seen in the nearby example, Kansas continues its undistinguished record in job growth as compared to nearby states. In the visualization, you can easily choose states to compare, select a timeframe, and look at labor force, employment, and unemployment. Click for more.

Kansas personal income For 2018, the rate of personal income growth in Kansas was near the bottom of the states, although the fourth quarter was much better. Click for more.

Pay no attention to the Ferris wheel on the riverbank When the City of Wichita shows architectural renderings, are we to treat them as promises, or as someone’s unrealizable dream? Click for more.

In Wichita, we don’t know who we’re dealing with Wichita takes a big risk entering in a public-private partnership without knowing its partners. Click for more.

Updated: Kansas hotel guest tax collections Kansas hotel guest tax collections presented in an interactive visualization. Click for more.

2018 A-F Grading of Kansas Schools Released One year ago, Kansas Policy Institute unveiled the initial groundbreaking A-F grading system for Kansas public schools and released the 2018 grade card last week. KPI undertook that effort to create a reporting system so that parents could more easily understand exactly how schools are performing. The Kansas Department of Education (KSDE), like all state education departments across the country, publishes a “Report Card” on its website, but it is difficult, if not impossible, to synthesize all that information to determine overall performance of individual schools. From Kansas Policy Institute. Click for more.

Wichita considers a new stadium The City of Wichita plans subsidized development of a sports facility as an economic driver. Originally published in July 2017. Click for more.

Wichita and national jobs Overall, since 2011 — roughly the end of the Great Recession — Wichita has been gaining jobs, evidence being its trend line above zero in the nearby chart which shows the change in jobs over the same month one year ago. But the line has not always been above zero, indicating months where the Wichita metropolitan area had fewer jobs than the year before. Click for more.

Wichita city protections for ballpark land development The City of Wichita says it has safeguards built in to the proposed baseball park land development deal. We need safeguards. The city is borrowing to pay for the project, and the city expects to collect a lot of money from surrounding development, necessary to pay off the borrowed money. Click for more.

Wichita ballpark land deal: John Todd In this short video, John Todd tells us why the city is not acting in the best interest of citizens regarding the land development deal near the new Wichita ballpark.  Click for more.

Wichita vets its baseball partner(s) The City of Wichita tells us it has thoroughly vetted the majority owner of the new Wichita baseball team. Click for more.

Did Wichita forget the interest? In a presentation, Wichita economic development officials ignore the cost of borrowing money. Click for more.

In Wichita, respecting the people’s right to know The City of Wichita says it values open and transparent government. But the city’s record in providing information and records to citizens is poor, and there hasn’t been much improvement. Click for more.

Wichita legal notices could be more accessible Kansas law requires publication of certain notices in newspapers, but cities like Wichita could also make them available in other ways that are easier to use. Click for more.

Update: Wichita city sales tax not passed There was no successful Wichita city sales tax election. City documents were mistaken, which raises more issues. Click for more.

In Wichita, no tenant poaching, unless waived The city of Wichita has included anti-poaching clauses in development agreements to protect non-subsidized landlords, but the agreements are without teeth. Click for more.

Coverage of Wichita baseball owner Lou Schwechheimer Press coverage of new Wichita baseball team majority owner Lou Schwechheimer. Click for more.

Is the Wichita mayor satisfied with this? A gloomy jobs forecast is greeted with apparent approval by Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell. Click for more.

Another Wichita survey, another set of problems The Wichita Eagle editorial board notices problems with a survey gathering feedback on Century II. Click for more.

Wichita mayor promotes inaccurate picture of local economy Wichita city leaders will latch onto any good news, no matter from how flimsy the source. But they ignore the news they don’t like, even though it may come from the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, or U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Click for more.

Wichita, a recession-proof city Wichita city officials promote an article that presents an unrealistic portrayal of the local economy. Click for more.

Job growth in Wichita: Great news? A tweet from a top Wichita city official promotes great news that really isn’t so great. There is good news — Wichita is not forecast to lose jobs, as it has in the recent past. But the rate of growth seen for Wichita is not robust, and that’s a serious problem, especially when our officials think it’s good. Click for more.

In Wichita, a gentle clawback Despite the mayor’s bluster, the city failed to enforce the agreement it made to protect taxpayers. Instead, the company receives $153,000 in free taxes that it didn’t deserve, along with an interest-free loan of $100,000 amortized over four years. Click for more.

Wichita employment to grow in 2019 The forecast for Wichita metro area employment in 2019 calls for modest growth of 0.9 percent, according to the Center for Economic Development and Business Research at Wichita State University. This follows growth of 0.8 percent in 2018. Click for more.

Personal income in Wichita rises, but slowly For 2017, personal income in Wichita rose, but slower than the national rate. For all metropolitan areas in the United States, personal income rose by 4.5 percent. For the Wichita metro area, the increase was 2.3 percent. Of 383 metropolitan areas, Wichita’s growth rate was at position 342. Click for more.

Sedgwick County tax exemptions Unlike the City of Wichita, Sedgwick County has kept track of its tax exemptions. Click for more.

Efficiencies in Sedgwick County government A document that hasn’t been made public details savings achieved in Sedgwick County over a recent period of nearly three years. Click for more.

The use of sales tax proceeds in Wichita Must the City of Wichita spend its share of Sedgwick County sales tax proceeds in a specific way? Click for more.

Sedgwick County income and poverty Census data show Sedgwick County continuing to fall behind the nation in two key measures. Click for more.

Ranked-choice voting in Kansas A look at ranked-choice voting and how it might have worked in the Kansas Republican gubernatorial primary election in August 2018. Click for more.

Wichita property tax still high on commercial property An ongoing study reports that property taxes on commercial and industrial property in Wichita are high. In particular, taxes on commercial property in Wichita are among the highest in the nation. Click for more.

Wichita and Midwest income How much do Wichitans earn at their jobs, compared to other cities? Click for more.

Local government employment in Kansas Kansas has nearly the highest number of local government employees per resident, compared to other states. For all local government employees, Kansas had 50.59 per thousand residents in 2016, higher than all states (and areas) but the District of Columbia and Wyoming. These employees had an annual payroll of $2,141.16 per resident. Ten states were higher. Click for more.

NAEP results for 2017 available in interactive visualizations When properly considered, Kansas often underperforms the nation in the most recent assessment of “The Nation’s Report Card.” Click for more.

Wichita economy shrinks, and a revision Statistics released today by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, an agency of the United States Department of Commerce, show gross domestic product (GDP) figures for metropolitan areas. Also included are revised statistics for previous years. For 2017, the Wichita metropolitan area GDP, in real dollars, fell by 1.4 percent. Revised statistics for 2016 indicate growth of 3.8 percent for that year. Last year BEA reported growth of -1.4 percent. Click for more.

Kansas highway pavement conditions Each year the Kansas Department of Transportation surveys the condition of highway pavement and issues a report called the Network Optimization System (NOS) Survey. Of the condition of highways, the report notes: “Since the data was first collected in 1983, the percentage of pavement surface in good condition has appreciably increased while the percentage of poor pavement has significantly decreased.”. Click for more.

Kansas school spending, through 2018 Charts of Kansas school spending presented in different forms. One of the most important charts shows state spending per-pupil, adjusted for inflation. It shows the total of state and local spending, which is useful because in 2015 the state made a change in the way revenue is allocated between state and local sources. It also shows base state aid per pupil, which is an important number as it is the starting point for the school funding formula. Click for more.

GDP by metropolitan area and component The Bureau of Economic Analysis, an agency of the United States Department of Commerce, gathers data about economic output, known as gross domestic product. The visualization presented here presents this data in tabular and graphic form. Click for more.

State government employees in Kansas Kansas has more state government employees per resident than most states, and the trend is rising. Two things are evident: The level of employment in Kansas is generally higher than the other states, and the trend in Kansas is rising when many states are level or declining. This data counters the story often told, which is that state government employment has been slashed. Click for more.

Kansas state and local taxes Among nearby states, Kansas collects a lot of taxes, on a per-resident basis. From the first quarter of 2011 to the first quarter of 2018, Kansas and its local governmental units collected an average of $681 per quarter per resident in taxes. Of nearby states and a few others, Arkansas and Iowa had higher values, and Iowa is higher by only one percent. Click for more.