The Kansas Department of Transportation announced last week that they are seeking to extend an Amtrak line from Dallas, Texas through Wichita and eastern Kansas to Kansas City. The announcement comes at a curious time when KDOT Secretary Deb Miller, Governor Mark Parkinson and former governors Mike Hayden and Bill Graves all came together to demand a tax increase to, “keep Kansas roads number one.”
As a quasi government agency, Amtrak has been loosing money for years and only continues to operate because of federal subsidies. While federal money is outside the control of KDOT, a KDOT press release notes the one time infrastructure improvement costs and annual operating cost of the four different plans.
For example, the first plan estimates an annual ridership of 92,500 at an annual cost burden to the state of $3.2 million. This doesn’t include an estimated $114 million in improvements for the line to operate. And the $114 million doesn’t include local improvements like platforms and train stations, which would have to be provided by local Kansas communities. Just taking into account the state’s annual costs, it comes to $34.60 per rider.
A more expensive alternative would bring in an estimated 174,000 annual riders but would cost the state $8 million a year in operating expenses. Excluding $476 million in infrastructure improvements, that’s just under $46 a rider. If one includes the infrastructure costs and extends out annual costs for 30 years, the cost per rider increases to just over $137 a rider.
Why would KDOT push for a service that would require $8 million a year be taken from their budget when they are canceling new construction and repair projects left and right? Rather than subsidize passenger rail service to potentially $46 a rider or more, couldn’t those millions of dollars be better spent maintaining Kansas roads that would benefit everyone rather than the few who find passenger rail service so nostalgic that they advocate government subsidies to keep Amtrak going?
Couple this with a continuing push to renovate the state capital because ‘material is so cheap’ and lawmakers so desperate to tax rather than cut spending that soda pop is now on the radar, and it certainly leaves Kansas taxpayers wondering just what happened to our government’s priorities.
Results of the KRA fourth district poll
Looks like a lot of fourth district campaigns “got out the voters” so to speak in the just closed KRA poll.
Dick Kelsey won 41% of the total votes with a record 5,110 votes. Jim Anderson was second with 34% of the vote and Mike Pompeo was third with 24%.
Results as of last Friday can be found here. Clearly a few campaigns motivated some folks to sit by the computer and vote their heart out. It’s always nice to have dedicated volunteers!
Tim Huelskamp was the previous run away winner in the first district poll. While here, take the time to vote in our new poll on how to fund additional highway improvements in Kansas. (Yes, you can vote AGAINST tax increases if your heart desires. I somehow figured out how to include that in the poll.)
You can vote for one or two options in the new poll on your right.
Kansas lawmakers are asking the Kansas Attorney General to investigate SRS funding decisions. When this story began to come to light earlier this year, we did some background investigation on the firm in question and found more questions than answers regarding how one firm was chosen to receive money and what they did with your tax dollars. You can read it here: Firm receiving extra Medicaid funding from Sebelius administration makes nearly $1 million in improvements to property
State Representatives Peggy Mast (R-Emporia) and David Crum (R-Augusta) sent a letter this week to Attorney General Steve Six, requesting that his Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Unit conduct a formal investigation to determine whether SRS violated Medicaid funding rules when it directly awarded $712,000 in extraordinary funding to Community Living Opportunities (CLO) in November, 2008.
Rep. Mast chairs the House Social Service Budget Committee and serves on the House Health and Human Services Committee as well as the Joint Committee on Home and Community-Based Services Committee.
Rep. Crum is Vice-Chairman of the House Health and Human Services Committee and serves on the House Social Service Budget Committee.
Rep. Brenda Landwehr (R-Wichita), who chairs the House Health and Human Services Committee, said she was pleased Reps. Mast and Crum requested the investigation.
“Kansans deserve a determination whether SRS has again violated Medicaid funding rules through its funding decisions. If the Attorney General’s investigation does find SRS at fault, those responsible for and involved with the additional funding decision should be held accountable for their actions,” Chairman Landwehr said.
Kansas Liberty is also covering this story and has additional background information. AG Six has said he’ll look into it but won’t comment during the investigation.
Kathleen Sebelius. You’re not in Kansas anymore.
Queen Kathleen and Democratic Senator Arlen Specter attended a town hall meeting in Philadelphia where the two were trying to convince a large audience that they knew what was best for the nations health care system. Imagine their surprise when the audience insisted they read legislation before they pass it and stop and think about what exactly they’re doing before they vote. Sounds reasonable, right? Not for Queen Kathleen.
Now, isn’t Kathleen Sebelius the one who was Governor of Kansas when they passed legislation, which, by the way, no Representative or Senator had read, that allowed the state to become the first in the nation to own casinos. And since that time, hasn’t the state only broken ground on one casino when four were planned and has had to bid and rebid casinos across the state because company after company passes on building in Kansas? Now, wasn’t gambling supposed to solve all of our state’s financial problems forever and ever Kathleen?
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A TEE Party activist displays his T-shirt
Around 80 citizens attended AFP’s TEE Party in the capital. Activists stood outside the House chambers to greet legislators as they entered and then moved to the viewing balcony to see our government at work. One activist had a campaign flyer from her Senator stating that she had worked to remove the franchise tax, eliminate the estate tax and make Kansas a more tax friendly state. She planned to remind her Senator what she said on the campaign trail.
At noon activist regrouped for a quick lunch. A few legislators joined the group including Sens. Susan Wagle, Dick Kelsey, Mike Petersen and Rep. Steve Brunk. A few organizers quickly addressed the group, including FairTax from Kansas City, Sedgwick County Commissioner Karl Peterjohn and grassroots activist and TEA Party organizer Amanda Grosserode.
FairTax activists have plan in place to bring the FairTax to Kansas. A bill is currently working its way through the Missouri Senate. Advocates noted the devastating effects that could happen here in Kansas if Missouri becomes much more business and tax friendly than Kansas.
Karl Peterjohn gave some tips on effective lobbying. He spoke about the important impact citizens can have on their government.
Amanda Grosserode mention another protest for Congressman Dennis Moore. Details will be announced on their website soon.
Participants were encouraged to visit legislators in the Docking State Office building and in the capital. Some plan to stay and hear the Governor’s address at 4pm if possible. Buses leaving for Johnson County and Wichita will still leave on time at 4pm however.
Reactions from citizens vary. A common theme seems to be the amount of taxpayer funded lobbying that is occuring under the dome. A group from invisiblekansas.com was also under the dome urging no cuts to their taxpayer funded activities. There seems to be every constituency imaginable under the dome lobbying legislators right now except taxpayer citizens.
The Kansas Department of Transportation announced last week that they are seeking to extend an Amtrak line from Dallas, Texas through Wichita and eastern Kansas to Kansas City. The announcement comes at a curious time when KDOT Secretary Deb Miller, Governor Mark Parkinson and former governors Mike Hayden and Bill Graves all came together to demand a tax increase to, “keep Kansas roads number one.”
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