• Home
  • About me: Jim Fitzpatrick
  • Contact

JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC

Feeds:
Posts
Comments
« Local journalism’s “center of gravity” continues to shift with KCUR-FM’s huge scoop on Bill Self’s income-tax break
My Las Vegas connection facilitates a big Preakness payday »

Sam Brownback: The most callous governor in the Union

May 19, 2016 by jimmycsays

As much as possible, I try to ignore Kansas. It’s a dull disaster of a state, and Sam Brownback is unequivocally one of the worst administrators to ever inhabit in a governor’s mansion. (It’s a small miracle he was re-elected in 2014 — and he wouldn’t have if the Democratic nominee, Paul Davis of Lawrence, could have demonstrated he had a pulse.)

And yet I can’t entirely ignore the damn state. I live a block from State Line Road; I frequently shop at the Hy-Vee at 77th and State Line; we occasionally go to restaurants there; and, most important, a minor but valued part of my income hinges on secondary-education funding in Kansas.

After retiring from The Star in 2006, I enrolled in Avila’s teacher certification program, and since 2008 — when I got my certification — I’ve been a substitute teacher in the Shawnee Mission School District. I teach Language Arts, usually in high schools. It’s a great job, paying $135 a day. The assignments are handled by phone and computer, and I can make myself unavailable for any days or periods of time that I choose. The substitute coordinator doesn’t hold it against you if you make yourself unavailable for weeks at a time; she’s just glad to have you whenever you can jump in and fill a void.

As a result,  when I read about each round of cutbacks in government funding in Kansas — the latest was yesterday — I cringe because I envision secondary education taking a big hit and SMSD subsequently announcing it is either cutting the number of subs or slicing their pay.

So, I was relieved when I read in today’s Star that the latest round of budget cuts hits higher education but not secondary. Too bad for the universities but, frankly, I’m more concerned about my extra piece of bacon at the breakfast table.

…But I’m not completely selfish. In the bigger picture, the most maddening thing, once again, is a new round of cuts for Medicaid funding. Those on Medicaid — the poorest Kansans — aren’t thinking about an extra piece of bacon; they’re worried how they’re going to get treatment for such things as pneumonia, flu and accidental injuries and how they’re going to get needed surgical procedures.

By refusing to expand Medicaid (of course Missouri did the same thing), Kansas has already turned its back on more than $1 billion in federal funding, and after yesterday’s cuts, Medicaid funding will be reduced by another $50 million or so. How that will trickle down is that doctors and hospitals will receive less on the front end, and then they will either refuse or not be able to treat as many Medicaid patients.

As former Kansas governor (and former U.S. Health and Human Services secretary) Kathleen Sebelius told The Star, “I think the result is likely to be that more doctors will just refuse to take Medicaid patients. In the long run I think it is a very shortsighted way to save money.”

signing

Here’s Brownback yesterday, proudly signing the new budget bill involving $97 million in state spending cuts.

This fellow Brownback has got to be one of the cruelest, most callous people to ever run a government. He has simply decided, in effect, “to hell with the poor.” He figures they don’t vote (unfortunately he’s right), and they’re mostly out of sight and irrelevant. Brownback wants to lend a helping hand not to the poor but to those who run corporations, those who have proprietorships and LLC’s (like Kansas basketball coach Bill Self), and people who work as independent contractors. Yeah, the people who make a lot of money and can always use a little more and then might turn around and up their political contributions to the good Republicans who put a lot more bacon on their tables.

…One night back in the mid-2000s, when Sebelius was governor of Kansas and Matt Blunt (another stuffed-shirt Republican) was governor of Missouri, we saw Sebelius and her husband Gary at Knuckleheads Saloon in northeast Kansas City. There they were, out on the dance floor with us regular folks, laughing and drinking and dancing. Between songs, the band leader introduced Sebelius as “the good governor,” distinguishing her from Blunt. The line got a big laugh, and the crowd applauded her.

What are the chances, do you think, of seeing Brownback at Knuckleheads some night? And what do you think the crowd reaction would be if he did show up? I would hope the band leader would have the spunk to call him “the bad governor,” to distinguish him from Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, who isn’t all that good, but at least isn’t the asshole Brownback is.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Posted in Uncategorized | 10 Comments

10 Responses

  1. on May 19, 2016 at 12:10 pm kaler

    He prides himself on being “a good Christian.” If so, I’d hate to meet a bad one.


    • on May 19, 2016 at 12:36 pm jimmycsays

      Very good.


  2. on May 19, 2016 at 3:34 pm Linda B Verbeke

    As a retired Illinois high school teacher (and now a resident of Kansas where my two grandchildren reside) and also a Shawnee Mission sub, I agree with and applaud you for telling the truth and standing up for those who will suffer most with the new budget cuts. Thanks, Linda


    • on May 19, 2016 at 4:59 pm jimmycsays

      I’m glad to have you as a reader, Linda…Welcome to the Comments Dept. Hope to run into you in SM someday. I’ll look for your name on the sub sign-in rosters.


  3. on May 19, 2016 at 4:22 pm Mike Rice

    If Brownback were to ever show up at Knuckleheads, I sure hope the band would perform a cover version of Linda Ronstadt’s “You’re No Good” and dedicate it to him.


    • on May 19, 2016 at 5:00 pm jimmycsays

      Ditto to Kaler’s comment, Mike…Very funny!


  4. on May 19, 2016 at 5:44 pm gayle

    Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. I wouldn’t live in your state, either, but at least I don’t grouse about it. You all have your share of problems, too, so get off your high horse.


  5. on May 19, 2016 at 7:38 pm Jayson

    Hmmmm. Brownback / Knuckleheads…… Bit redundant, I think.


  6. on May 19, 2016 at 7:44 pm jimmycsays

    You commenters are quick today!


  7. on May 19, 2016 at 8:39 pm John Altevogt

    For the record, I’ve been at odds since the late 90’s when we got into it in person at a meeting out in Hays over the direction of the movement. I oppose both his LLC exemption and the push to a zero income tax in favor of relief from both Kansas’ regressive sales tax and even more regressive (and corrupt) property tax system (something The Star has repeatedly refused to discuss). So I really don’t care much if you want to jump on the bandwagon and critique Sam, but there are some points where your blinders have caused you to go astray.

    For instance, it is a fact that Senators like Jim Denning and Greg Smith supported a repeal of the LLC exemption and got it to where it could have passed had it not been for a coalition of so-called “moderate” Republicans (most of whom are Star endorsees) and Democrats who joined forces to maintain the exemption. Please fact check me.

    Secondly, you ignore a major scandal of Kathleen’s regime that was exposed in a series of articles and columns in the Lawrence Journal World in which she exhibited her own screw the poor mentality on behalf of her KCMO benefactors.

    The essence of the scandal (as described by the JW) was the attempt to remove certain profit centers with their associated med school training opportunities and move them to hospitals on the Missouri side. During the course of what might have been a fait accompli had it not been for the JW’s reporting Sebelius was denounced for scheduling illegal meetings and several other underhanded tactics resulting in the departure of the hospital from the administrator who had single-handedly brought KU Med back from the brink of bankruptcy and turned it into a very profitable community asset.

    Has she succeeded, the citizens of Wyandotte County would have lost several important medical programs and the citizens of Kansas would have been stuck with maintaining the remaining unprofitable programs. Kudos to Dolph Simons and real journalism for saving the day.

    I also found some of the comments below those articles intriguing. Some referred to her as “Governor Roundheels” and another claimed that “our Kansas Governor is a Missouri whore.” Presumably these folks were Democrats since they also critiqued her for giving political preference to turncoat Republicans over seasoned Democrats.

    I personally thought we might get a respite from the corruption of the Bond/Graves (again covered very professionally by the JW team of Dave Ranney and Scott Rothschild) regime when Kathleen took over, but clearly she anticipated the offer and sucked from day one.

    We could also discuss her emulation of Blago’s appointment techniques by examining her degrading of the Kansas courts with a collection of cronies, major donors and political hacks (leading me to refer to her as Kathleen Sebeljevich), but that can wait for another day since no one in the press got around to examining that facet of her administration either.

    As to the suggestions for bands to insult the patrons that come out to hear them i believe Kathleen and her husband came out at least one time when we were either playing Uncle Bo’s in Topeka, or Knuckleheads, but it would never have occurred to any of us to insult a patron who had come to hear us. We were paid to entertain, not engage in inappropriate conversations with the bar’s customers.



Comments are closed.

  • Pages

    • About me: Jim Fitzpatrick
    • Contact
  • Archives

    • February 2023
    • January 2023
    • December 2022
    • November 2022
    • October 2022
    • September 2022
    • August 2022
    • July 2022
    • June 2022
    • May 2022
    • April 2022
    • March 2022
    • February 2022
    • January 2022
    • December 2021
    • November 2021
    • October 2021
    • September 2021
    • August 2021
    • July 2021
    • June 2021
    • May 2021
    • April 2021
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • January 2021
    • December 2020
    • November 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    • May 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • June 2019
    • May 2019
    • April 2019
    • March 2019
    • February 2019
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • November 2018
    • October 2018
    • September 2018
    • August 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • May 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • June 2017
    • May 2017
    • April 2017
    • March 2017
    • February 2017
    • January 2017
    • December 2016
    • November 2016
    • October 2016
    • September 2016
    • August 2016
    • July 2016
    • June 2016
    • May 2016
    • April 2016
    • March 2016
    • February 2016
    • January 2016
    • December 2015
    • November 2015
    • October 2015
    • September 2015
    • August 2015
    • July 2015
    • June 2015
    • May 2015
    • April 2015
    • March 2015
    • February 2015
    • January 2015
    • December 2014
    • November 2014
    • October 2014
    • September 2014
    • August 2014
    • July 2014
    • June 2014
    • May 2014
    • April 2014
    • March 2014
    • February 2014
    • January 2014
    • December 2013
    • November 2013
    • October 2013
    • September 2013
    • August 2013
    • July 2013
    • June 2013
    • May 2013
    • April 2013
    • March 2013
    • February 2013
    • January 2013
    • December 2012
    • November 2012
    • May 2012
    • April 2012
    • March 2012
    • February 2012
    • January 2012
    • December 2011
    • November 2011
    • October 2011
    • September 2011
    • August 2011
    • July 2011
    • June 2011
    • May 2011
    • April 2011
    • March 2011
    • February 2011
    • January 2011
    • December 2010
    • November 2010
    • October 2010
    • September 2010
    • August 2010
    • July 2010
    • June 2010
    • May 2010
    • April 2010
    • March 2010
  • Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 563 other subscribers

Blog at WordPress.com.

WPThemes.


  • Follow Following
    • JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC
    • Join 563 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Copy shortlink
    • Report this content
    • View post in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: