By  Harriet Bachner

Who are our legislators representing by voting for a flat tax? They contend that the flat tax of 5.25 percent on all income brackets would benefit all Kansans, especially those “living paycheck to paycheck.” In fact, the top 1 percent of Kansas wage earners’ income would save $6,220. Billionaire Charles Koch would save approximately $875,000. Most Kansas workers would save between $37 and $87. The top 5 percent of Kansas income earners would receive 44.5% of income tax savings, while most of the working class receive little to no tax relief, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy as reported in the Kansas Reflector. Perhaps a more appropriate name for this bill would be “The fat cat tax relief bill.”

Senate president Ty Masterson and House speaker Dan Hawkins fast tracked the bill through the Kansas Senate and House, and fortunately Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed the flat tax bill. Thus far, the legislature does not have enough votes to override Governor Kelly’s veto.

Gov. Kelly’s comprehensive and bipartisan tax cut plan includes measures that will save $1 billion or more over three years, eliminate the food tax and state taxes on Social Security income, allow a sales tax holiday for back-to-school items and provide essential property tax relief. These plans benefit the middle class rather than the flat tax. This plan is fiscally responsible by continuing to invest in public schools, maintain roads and bridges and balance the budget. In addition, working class Kansans, both homeowners and renters, would benefit directly and indirectly from property tax relief which would raise the residential exemption on statewide property tax from $42,000 to $100,000.

Rather than returning to a Brownback “tax relief” experiment that benefits the wealthy, Gov. Kelly’s tax plan is affordable and helps low- and middle-income Kansans. If Kansas legislators are trying to show that they are doing something to provide tax relief, they need to provide transparency about who really benefits from their bill. Our local legislators are underestimating their constituents’ understanding of this bogus tax relief bill.

Eight in 10 Kansans support expansion! The Governor's office notified the Kansas Commission on Disability Concerns (KCDC) that the legislature has agreed to hold hearings on the Medicaid Expansion bills in the next few weeks. House Bill HB 2556 is in the House Committee on Health and Human Services and Senate Bill SB 355 is in the Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare.

People interested in providing testimony are encouraged to start writing now so you are ready to register with the committee assistants when the hearings are announced.

Use these Guidelines for Drafting Written Only Proponent Testimony.

If this issue is important to you, please start writing your testimony and feel free to share with others. Women for Kansas (womenforkansas@gmail.com) will send out the hearing schedule when it is available. You can check the calendars daily at the legislative website.

Questions? Contact Martha Gabehart, Executive Director, Kansas Commission on Disability Concerns at 785-296-6525 or email Martha.gabehart@ks.gov.

The coming month is filled with events connecting with the priorities of Kansas Democrats and progressive goals for this election year. Crawford County Democrats plan to participate in many of these events. Below are is information about dates of events and in some cases links for times and specifics about how we can participate.

• Poor Peoples’ Campaign rally on March 2 in Topeka and the National Rally in June: Poor People's Campaign – A National Call for Moral Revival (poorpeoplescampaign.org)

• Rally in Topeka on March 6 to connect with state legislators promoting Medicaid expansion: 2024 Rally for Medicaid Expansion - Alliance for a Healthy Kansas 2022 (expandkancare.com)

• Fundraiser - pie sales for Pi Day at CCDems Headquarters on March 14

• Washington Days in Topeka on March 15 & 16: Washington Days 2024 - Kansas Democratic Party (kansasdems.org)

• Crawford County Democrats meeting at HQ on March 17 at 1 p.m.

• March 19 Presidential Primary

• Dem Book Club meets on March 20 at 6:30 at the Headquarters with potluck supper.

Canvassing also begins in our precincts, introducing precinct chairs and candidates.

See you there,

Harriet Bachner 

By Susy Hammons

Liberal Ladies Who Lunch  met on Feb. 14 and 28, as usual at noon, at Dem HQ. 

On Valentine’s Day we had been alerted that help was needed addressing invitations to the fund raiser for Jordan Metcalf and Melesia Rhodes so we cut short our discussion and got to work. 

Harriet had printed the invitation and glued it to note cards.  After the Liberal Ladies took off, Harriet, Delma and I finished the cards and Harriet took them to the Post Office to get stamps.  How fortunate that we met that day.

After this emergency effort by the Liberal Ladies, we think of ourselves as Liberal Ladies Who Labor!  This is a special group. 

On the 28th we were a smaller group, only eight, but the enthusiasm was intense, as was the laughter.  We vented.

Information was shared on the 60+ research project at PSU.  You can still sign up by calling 620-235-4670.  Laura Covert-Miller, the director of this program, will be at our March 27 meeting.  

Lynn Grant sent info about Pi Day (3/14) and our fundraiser pie sale.  Also, in April, we'll have another fundraiser selling salads and desserts, no date set. 

Toni Spieth told about her church's mission to establish a water system in an area of the Dominican Republic.  Toni brought Chocolate Peanut Butter Girl Scout Cookies to share and may have some to sell.

This month’s meetings will be March 13 and 27, same time, same place.  Stay warm and safe.

By Joe Kennedy

Thanks to everyone who turned up Feb, 22 for our monthly book club get together. All the food choices were great and sitting around tables together worked well. Our February selection, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride, was well received. Thank you Ruth Miller for suggesting it.

Our March book is Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, suggested by Larry Downing. Brief information from Wikipedia is below. The March book club meeting is March 20 at 6:30 pm in the Crawford County Democratic Headquarters.  

“Demon Copperhead is a 2022 novel by Barbara Kingsolver. It was a co-recipient of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and won the 2023 Women's Prize for Fiction. Kingsolver was inspired by the Charles Dickens novel David Copperfield. While Kingsolver's novel is similarly about a boy who experiences poverty, Demon Copperhead is set in Appalachia and explores contemporary issues.

“Plot: The protagonist and narrator is born Damon Fields to a teenage mother in a trailer home. He is raised in Lee County, located in Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, and nicknamed "Demon Copperhead" for the color of his hair and his attitude. As Demon grows up, he must use his charms and wits to survive poverty in the contemporary American South.”

Article submissions are needed from Crawford County Democrats and friends about issues and topics we should all be thinking about. We want to publish your thoughts in this Revue, for distribution to county Democrats and others across the state.

Please email your thoughts or those of your caucuses and interest groups for publication in the county party’s newsletter to news@crawfordcountyksdems.org. Accompanying photographs or other ideas for illustrating your articles are also welcome. Feel free to ask questions by text or phone of newsletter crew Harriet at 620-704-8566 or Phil at 708-466-0659. Also please include your phone number with your email in case we have questions for you.

We look forward to hearing from you soon!