COVID

An Open Letter to County Commissioners About COVID Mandates 0
- Tax & Spending
- November 23, 2020
Kansas counties should not consider mandatory non-pharmaceutical intervention: mask mandates, curfews, or lockdowns. There are more productive ways to fight the effects of COVID-19 than mandates. My name is Michael Austin, Director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Government at the Kansas Policy Institute. We help ensure Kansans are informed about incoming challenges so they can
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Legislature could turn incoming fiscal shortfall into savings 0
- Tax & Spending
- November 18, 2020
This month, state forecasters and legislative researchers announced a $119 million budget shortfall by the end of the fiscal year 2022. However, they failed to mention that closing the budget shortfall would leave the state with a zero-ending balance with no room for error. Come January 2021, Kansas policymakers have an opportunity to turn this
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$Reversing years of Kansas fiscal mismanagement$
Reversing years of Kansas fiscal mismanagement 0
- Tax & Spending
- November 9, 2020
It is needed now more than ever for the Kansas government to adjust its budget like many Kansas families and businesses are doing today. Kansans painfully adapted to life during the pandemic, but governments around the state have done little to no belt-tightening. With the state 2020 election behind us, Kansans must acknowledge that the
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Mask mandate made unnecessary as Kansans mask-up voluntarily 0
- Tax & Spending
- October 28, 2020
Governor Kelly’s administration has engaged in questionable tactics to prove that mandates are needed to combat COVID-19. They’ve manipulated data, publicly shamed companies, and repeatedly scolded the general public. The Governor’s seemingly endless call for a statewide mask mandate demonstrates a belief that Kansans cannot make wise decisions independently. However, two independent surveys find at
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Gov. Kelly’s COVID testing strategy won’t end restrictions 0
- Tax & Spending
- October 12, 2020
Gov. Kelly and officials around the state won’t restore COVID-19 freedoms until the state’s positivity rate is below an arbitrary threshold. However, Kansans should have skepticism when public health officials focus entirely on mass COVID testing and lowering positivity rates. COVID testing in Kansas is replete with false positives, skewed testing samples, supply chain issues,
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It’s Official: Lockdown made Kansans poorer 0
- Tax & Spending
- October 7, 2020
The economic shock of COVID-19 and government actions to “stop the spread” is officially here. Not surprisingly, the verdict is that the U.S. economy fell like a sack of potatoes. In Kansas, economic prosperity shrank by roughly a third. Moreover, state comparisons make it evident that Governor Kelly’s restrictions and lockdown, intended to preserve our
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