The Beam in the Star’s Eye
On Tuesday, The Kansas City Star published an editorial about the level of funding for mental health services in Kansas, concluding:
Under the poor leadership of Gov. Sam Brownback and the Republican-controlled Legislature, Kansas has severe funding problems brought on by irresponsible tax cuts. But for the sake of Kansans with severe mental health needs, lawmakers should plug the financial holes so the state hospitals can provide good security and services.
This is at least the second time the Star has examined the topic, having done so last summer as well. Our response now is the same as it was when the Star was seeking a tax abatement extension that it was eventually granted:
The Star is asking to extend for 15 years the tax abatement on its downtown printing press. As a result, the Community Mental Health Levy in Jackson County, Missouri, will be denied $245,000 over 15 years. That is a quarter-million tax dollars from the Star's single property.
The Show-Me Institute welcomes any discussion of policies surrounding taxation and government spending. But it seems disingenuous for the Star to criticize tax cuts in Kansas when it seeks them for itself in Missouri.
