“Senate President Susan Wagle, R-Wichita, argued that teachers and other public employees receive tax dollars and sometimes they are pushing for policies that taxpayers don’t want.”  - Lawrence Journal World

That’s right. The President of the Kansas Senate, Susan Wagle, believes that taxpayers should have total oversight on how public employees spend their hard earned money. Our question to Senator Wagle is when does a workers paycheck become their own money? How workers spend their hard earned paychecks is none of the Kansas Legislature’s business.

You can call Senator Wagle at (785) 296 – 2419 and tell her to oppose HB 2023. Tell her that your paycheck belongs to you and that you should have the freedom to spend it however you want.

Then take a moment to call your State Senator and give them the same message. You can find the contact information for your Senator by entering your address by clicking here.

Here in Kansas, as a rule, we don’t much care for schools
Our legislators are big haters of all our public educators
School funding’s always low, cause the legislators know
Teachers will buy kids’ school supplies by using their own dough!
But that’s not enough– now they wanna kill the union
They wanna kill the union, now they wanna kill the union
We’re a right-to-work state, still they wanna kill the union
Cause they don’t want teachers to make a living wage.
Oh, the union’s voluntary, though the politicians make it sound scary
Teachers join by choice, cause it gives them a voice when it’s time for collective bargaining
But the legislators whine, they think that now’s the time
With a right-wing governor’s blessing, they’re committing a Capitol crime.
Oh, the reason never said, for why they want to kill public ed
Is that they can’t trust voters like us who have an educated head
And educated state is something that they hate
Their reelection is jeopardized when the voters are made wise.
So they’re going after teachers– they wanna kill the union
They wanna kill the union, they’re hating on the union
They’re sneaking it past, they wanna do it real soon and
They’re gonna kill the union just as quick as they can.

“A $705 million drop in revenue is only the beginning,” said Terry Forsyth, president of the Working Kansas Alliance. “The magical growth model that the Governor talks about only exists for the wealthiest Kansans who benefit from his tax plan. For working families and Kansans who are fighting to get into the middle class, we get deep cuts to essential services and higher property taxes.”

Two months before the Governor releases his next budget, the fiscal outlook for Kansas is plummeting. Kansas schools, highways, prisons, services for the elderly and disabled have all suffered deep cuts over the last several years, and the Governor’s reckless agenda require even deeper cuts to those essential state responsibilities. Brownback spent the summer and fall campaigning for legislative candidates who are ready to help him make those cuts, and he instructed state agencies to prepare budgets with 10% cuts heading into 2013.

“The Governor’s effort to elect new Senators makes it clear to us that he is putting the pocketbooks of the wealthiest Kansans over the best interest of our state, even if it means laying off quality teachers, increasing class sizes, and closing some schools,” said Forsyth. “Sam Brownback knew this fiscal disaster was heading our way the minute he signed his tax cut, and since then his only ideas for how to prepare Kansans for the massive deficits have been increasing sales taxes and cutting 10% out of state agencies that have been cut too deep since the recession hit in 2008.”

The Governor’s tax plan will force local governments to raise property taxes to cover the essential services that Brownback’s administration is abandoning. And while no one likes to pay taxes, Kansans understand the importance of making smart investments to keep our communities growing, safe, and prepared for the future. Unfortunately the Governor and his new Legislature don’t.

The Working Kansas Alliance Blasts Brownback’s Bus Tour

(Topeka)—The Working Kansas Alliance announced it’s endorsement of state legislators for their work on behalf of Kansas working families yesterday.  The announcement comes prior to the Governor’s Road Map tour, which Terry Forsyth, president of the Alliance, called a campaign gimmick to further an agenda of tax breaks for millionaires, property tax increases for working Kansans and historic cuts to public schools.

“No matter how many “tours” the Governor embarks on, it cannot change the fact that his road map has lead to historic cuts to Kansas schools to pay for tax breaks for the wealthy and his corporate campaign supporters, leaving the rest of us with higher property taxes.”

Forsyth pointed to recent campaign finance reports which show the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, corporations such as Crossland Construction in Southeast Kansas and shady third party groups like Americans for Prosperity have funneled millions dollars into campaigns for candidates that will rubber-stamp the Governor’s policies.

“The Governor’s big dollar friends have spent massive amounts of money to protect their bottom line,” Forsyth said. “They stand to make millions off the Governor’s policies. Yet under his watch we’ve seen Boeing leave, cuts to important services like police and firemen, and economic development partnerships that help small Kansas towns thrive have been shut down.”

“In stark contrast, we are proud to honor these legislators for their dedication to the working people who made Kansas the state it is today. All legislators like to talk about ‘jobs’ and ‘investments’ but only those who actually put Kansans first are fighting the working men and women of this state.  While the 2011-2012 Kansas Legislature will not be remembered for its commitment to the interests of working families, the following legislators distinguished themselves by putting working Kansans first.”

The Working Kansas Alliance is a coalition of organizations of working men and women from across Kansas, including both union and non-union member organizations. Kansans are invited to learn more at www.workingkansans.com.

There was a time that the Kansas Chamber of Commerce was an organization that advocated for Kansas businesses. An organization that understood that businesses thrive not only in favorable economic conditions, but also when the communities around them are healthy. When good schools can produce good workers. When consumers can afford their goods.

Those days are over.

Today, the Chamber pursues a myopic agenda that at times conflicts with the interests of the very businesses they claim to represent. This is a group that blindly pushes for less taxes – despite resulting harm to schools, and less investment in transportation – despite resulting harm to the highway system. All the while touting Kansas as a place with “some of the best schools in America” and “an excellent transportation system.”

Even more striking are the tactics with which the Chamber pursues these goals. The group’s political arm has repeatedly distorted the truth and misled voters. One of these tactics involves flooding Kansas mailboxes with things like this:

Those pieces look identical, but they’re not. At least not entirely. It’s strange that they are aimed at candidates for state office, but don’t mention state issues at all. They reference Medicare and Obamacare – federal policies, and attack President Obama – a federal officeholder. Why is the Chamber asking people to vote against state legislative candidates based on federal issues over which those candidates would have no influence?

Here’s why.

First, the Chamber conducts polls designed to determine what voters hate most viscerally. In this case, the responses they received told them that President Obama and Obamacare are deeply unpopular in Kansas. Then, they design mail that places candidates they don’t like next to what the polls say is unpopular. Never mind that candidates for the state legislature have nothing to do with President Obama. Never mind that candidates for state office have no power to fund Medicare or repeal Obamacare. Never mind the facts. Mash it together, add scary font, repeat for every candidate – just change the names.

This isn’t just dishonest, it’s offensive. Implicit in this mail is the idea that voters are literally incapable of thought. That we will see words and images we don’t like next to a particular candidate, and vote against him automatically. That we are dense and ignorant. For a group that claims to work on behalf of Kansans, the Chamber seems to have deep contempt for most of them.

Striking Machinists walk the picket line fighting for a fair contract.

IAM Local Lodge 639 (Bombardier Learjet) workers are on strike!

The Membership has spoken with 79% Voting in Favor Of A Strike. The company’s five-year proposal offered no raises in the first year and a 1 percent raise in each of the following four years.

The major sticking point, however, was a significant raise in the cost of health care the contract would bring them, members said Saturday.

“Health care is the No. 1 problem,” said Frank Molina, president and directing business representative of Machinists District 70. “We shared that at the (negotiating) table.”

Please show your support by dropping off supplies (water and snacks) or volunteering to walk an hour on the picket line.

Strike head quarters is 8211 W. Kellogg on frontage Rd. West of Garnett Auto Supply. Please drop in or call 316-722-4683 or 316-722-4684 to show your solidarity.