How the states are redistributing wealth from middle class to 1%

[Liberal_in_LA]

The most illustrative example began in 2012, when Kansas’ Republican Gov. Sam Brownback signed a landmark bill that delivered big tax cuts to high-income earners and businesses. Less than two years after that tax cut, the state’s income tax revenue plummeted by a quarter-billion dollars — and now Brownback is pushing to use money for public employees’ pensions to instead cover the state's ensuing budget shortfalls.

Brownback’s proposal: Slash the state’s required pension contribution by $40 million to balance the state budget, even though Kansas already has one of the worst-funded pension systems in the nation.

Brownback defended his proposal to take money from middle-class state workers and use it to effectively finance his tax cuts for the wealthy. He told the Wichita Eagle: “It’s kind of, uh, well where are you going to go for the funds? And I don’t like it, but it’s kind of what’s your other option if you don’t hit K-12 and higher ed with allotments?”

Brownback is not alone. He joins fellow Republican Gov. Chris Christie in coupling large tax breaks with cuts to actuarially required pension payments. In New Jersey, Christie slashed required pension payments while signing legislation expanding tax credits to corporations, and doling out a record amount of taxpayer subsidies to businesses. Many of those subsidies have flowed to firms whose executives have made campaign contributions to Republican political organizations. Earlier this month, New Jersey pension trustees filed a lawsuit against Christie for not making legally required contributions to the state’s pension system.

http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/article/How-the-states-are-redistributing-wealth-from-5978986.php

[RKP5637]

1. But yet the kansans were deluded enough to vote Brownback back into office. I guess they

just love it and what he does. They had all the warnings before he was elected the first time as governor, and then they elected him again after he clearly demonstrated his intentions and they saw the results. A total WTF. I have no sympathy for them.

[Takket]

4. Wow... Every poll I saw showed

Brownback getting voted out. Hi entire governorship was a black and white lesson on the folly of tea party politics. How the fuck did he get reelected? I agree with you. No sympathy fir Kansas. Fool my twice shame on me.

[RKP5637]

8. I just don't get it. I have friends there, they don't get it either. The guy has been a disaster to

most Kansans the entire time he's been in office, and I would say the same if he were a democrat. He has no concept of what is needed in Kansas other than to screw the majority of the people. I think some vote in Kansas as robots and hit the R vote. Some people have told me that some in Kansas still think they're voting for the old time republicans, they just don't seem to get how the republican party has changed. Yep, the polls showed he was losing. Below is what to come for those Kansans that seem to love him, guess they just love punishment.

The win, experts said, clears the way for Brownback to pursue those goals and more, such as further income tax cuts, more reductions in state spending, expansion of school choice and limits to state regulations on business. He might even get more aggressive on social issues.

“Brownback will take this as confirmation that he is steering the state in the correct direction. Indeed, the fact that he has won suggests the voters agree,” said Joe Aistrup, a political science professor at Auburn University who has written a book on Kansas politics. “He will even move even more directly to implementing his red-state vision.”

http://www.kansascity.com/news/government-politics/election/article3564878.html

[OldRedneck]

11. Why was Brownback re-elected? Simple:

The rightwingerdingers who believe his bullshit turned out to vote while decent people sat on their butts.

[silverweb]

14. You nailed it.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]Or as Plato put it: "The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men."

[RKP5637]

19. It is so damn frustrating! And then often those that sit home on their butts later

whine about WTF, how could this happen.

[aspirant]

17. It's not the vote, it's who counts the vote

Wasn't the Kansas SoS the one who compiled a 3 million person list for purging? Has anyone followed up to see how many Kansas-ans were purged?

[Katashi_itto]

13. Hopefully he can be reelected again. Kansas will be a famine ridden wasteland.

I have no sympathy for them reelecting him again.

[Initech]

2. It's not tax evasion. It's a pyramid scheme.

[RiverLover]

5. Yep. Or just pay back for campaign funding.

They don't give all that $$$ for nothing.

[Initech]

6. And the Koch Bros. are playing us for chumps.

They've stolen 3 times as much as Bernie Madoff has, yet they're doing zero jail time. They must have learned from Bernie's mistakes.

[daredtowork]

3. Cities are doing this as well

They can use local laws to favor developers, favor landlords, endlessly table services and programs that might help the poor until they "move on". They can use "parcel" taxes to pay for things that only benefit gentrification projects and then use the general fund to pay off cronies. (I'm looking at you, Berkeley, CA). Cities can be positively insidious in the way they suck up to the 1% at the expense of the poor. In Berkeley's case, it's because the Mayor wants to be nominated to the University of California Board of Regents. I really hope the Governor notes how he threw the poor people of Berkeley under the bus to gentrify faster and gain his "visibility".

[SoapBox]

7. Crooked and criminal, one and all.

But what does the citizenry do...text and play games.

[RKP5637]

9. That, is the crux of the problem. Most of the citizenry is clueless and the rest are stupid, and a

fair number just don't care. It's a playground for brutalization of the citizenry for profit.

[Kablooie]

10. Where to go for funds? Cut pensions and schools. Never reinstate taxing the rich.

It's just pure evil.

[Dustlawyer]

12. It's because they watch and listen to slick, corporate propaganda. Most of the people who know

better don't do anything but bitch about it. Those that do something are outnumbered by the others who say you must vote for the corporately owned Democrat to avoid having the Big Bad Bogeyman Republican win!

[rufus dog]

15. Fuck the state workers, I don't get a pension, and teachers get every summer off!

That is how these types get reelected. They cater to the rich and then the middle class turns on each other.

[NewDeal_Dem]

16. "And I don’t like it, but it’s kind of what’s your other option"

A liar and sleazebag. Take it from his salary and retirement the fucker

[Scuba]

18. This nation lacks the political will to tax the people who have all the money.