 |
| Riley County Democrats Manhattan, Ks. 66502 |
| Issues/information |
 |
| (can of worms....) |
| Talking Points Where Democrats Stand on the Issues |
| Education The Kansas Supreme Court has ordered the legislature to reconvene before July 1st to increase education funding by $285 million above the last year�s level of funding. The legislature must find an additional $143 million above what had been allocated by the 2005 legislature. The Court ruling makes it clear that we must move forward with a sound source of funding for Kansas schools. This amount would have been covered by the Governor�s 2004 education proposal that would have increased school funding by over $300 million. The Court struck down property tax increases approved by the 2005 legislature. This ruling affirms that school finance is not merely a local problem, but an issue of statewide significance. The Court was unanimous in its decision. There was not a split in the ruling between conservative/moderate judges. The issue is not about the Court's authority -- it's about the Legislature's failure to support our schools. The Legislature has had six years to fix these problems and has repeatedly refused to do its duty. Legislators who ignore the ruling are failing to meet their constitutional duty to support Kansas schools. Those who say we should ignore the court risk having the court take over schools -- or shut them down. It�s time for the GOP Legislative leadership to stop playing the victim and start doing their duty. The real victims will be Kansas kids who go to schools that aren't as good as they should be. Real school finance solution will direct every possible dollar to the classroom and hold schools accountable for the wise use of taxpayer dollars. An adequate school finance plan should adhere to four principles: � In addressing school finance, we must not lower our standards. Because of our knowledge-based economy, Kansas parents are demanding high quality education for our children. � We cannot jeopardize our state�s credit rating. We must be financially responsible. � An adequate school finance plan must be a long-term solution, not a one-year fix based on accounting maneuvers. � We cannot place the burden for school finance on the backs of Kansas property tax payers. The Court rejected proposals approved by the 2005 legislature to increase property taxes. |
| Health Care A growing crisis for Seniors, families and businesses. � Health care costs hurt families. Almost 300,000 Kansans are uninsured and over 64,000 of those are children. In 2003, Kansas families� insurance premiums rose by 41% from the year 2000. Many families are on catastrophic illness away from losing health coverage. � Health care costs hurt business. Rising health care costs force Kansas businesses to cut coverage or reduce work forces. Nearly 2/3 of uninsured Kansans work for small businesses. � Why do costs go up? Unpaid hospital bills by uninsured Kansans (which amounted to over $320 million in 2003) and administrative costs (one out of four dollars we spend on health care goes to administrative costs). � Prescription drug costs escalate. Many Kansans must make choices between paying for high-cost medications or food or utilities. Seniors families are hardest hit. The �Healthy Kansas� Plan: Cutting health care costs. � Control costs by streamlining health care administration (GOP bill creates government agency). � Establish pooled coverage allowing small businesses to provide affordable health insurance for low-wage workers. � Establish pilot project for children of low-income state employees. |
Democrats Make Sense For America. For Kansas. For Riley County. For YOU. |