Kansas Governor Sam Brownback Will Slink Out of Office Leaving Behind Economic Problems From His Failed Tax Policy

Ideology Defeated by Reality

The great Kansas tax experiment is finally over.  The Republican Governor Sam Brownback took office and vowed to show the world that massive tax cuts along with reductions in spending on key programs like education would ignite economic growth in the state.  The policy was adopted and everyone sat back to see the fruits of the actions.

The fruits turned out to be sour.  The state struggled even though the economy nationally recovered.  Finally Republicans in the legislature had enough and passed legislation raising taxes to try and fix the damage.  The Governor is now leaving the state. 

TOPEKA, Kan. — For more than six years, Gov. Sam Brownback has steered Kansas on a hard right turn on one issue after another: taxes, guns, abortion rights, Medicaid and welfare benefits.

He will leave as an unpopular leader of a state in uncertain fiscal health, with more robust conservative policies and governed by a Legislature in which many in his own Republican Party have defied him. Polished, persistent and self-assured, Mr. Brownback has been seen as a model for the opportunities and perils of governing without compromise from the right on both social and fiscal issues.

But after the Trump administration said on Wednesday that Mr. Brownback, 60, would be nominated to serve as an ambassador at large for international religious freedom, his legacy in Kansas may be a cautionary note that even in a Republican state, there are dangers in governing too far to the right.

Brownback did accomplish one thing.  He leaves the state as one of the most unpopular governors ever.  Congrats Sam, use your new post to think about whether or not you might have been wrong in your policy, cause everyone else thinks you were.