I know it's normal for citizens of Kansas to write letters to their representatives in congress focusing on one issue, and occasionally some of those letters might get sent directly to your office. I've got a few issues on my mind, though. I bring them all to your attention because they all concern me for the same reason: You are jeopardizing the welfare of the citizens of Kansas, and the repercussions will be devastating for a long time. The cuts you propose will act in concert, impacting many populations, and the cumulative impacts will push jobs and people out of Kansas.
A couple weeks ago, I noticed in the paper that you want to drastically reduce funding for mental health facilities. Around the same time, you proposed drastic cuts to education. Yesterday I attended a rally to protest your dissolution of the Kansas Arts Commission. Now I've read that you also want to get rid of the Kansas Board of Regents, which oversees state funded colleges and universities, as well as the Board of Education, which oversees public schools, so that you, or any other governor, can have more power over education in Kansas.
You are also trying to take away the Kansas Supreme Court's power to overturn budget cuts because the State's Constitution requires all Kansas school children to obtain a "suitable education." Your argument for doing this is that nobody knows what a "suitable education" is. That's the beauty of a Constitution, Mr. Brownback. It is always open to interpretation. That's why we have a judicial system made up of more than one person: to debate and decide upon the most just interpretation.
Many of your proposed cuts will remove our eligibility to receive matching funds from the Federal Government. I have yet to hear you address this issue.
I never really knew before what Republicans meant by "reduce big government." It seems what you really mean is "give one person more power." I want to tell you that I am afraid. I'm afraid for the underprivileged, like adults with mental illness, the children including one of my own who benefit from special services, and the already marginalized children who will slip through the cracks. I am afraid for the teachers, the art educators, the museums, the artists, and their ability to provide services and cultural heritage to the people of Kansas. I am afraid for our education system, which is already greatly weakened by backdoor federal mandates of No Child Left Behind. And for the cities that have to carry the burden of a growing population of mentally ill homeless, children growing up with an impoverished education, and a loss of cultural vivacity. I am afraid that the power given to the governor to make these decisions will have no check or balance system, and that the governor isn't qualified to make decisions about education or mental health.
In a recent comment about our state's sesquicentennial celebration, you said, "Courage, character and commitment, these bedrock virtues have stood the test of time," I wonder, if you knew when you said that, the author of the Kansas Reporter would precede your quote with the words, "Bright January sunshine warmed the capitol grounds as state leaders drew upon Kansas history ...[such as] the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case desegregating schools, Brown V. Board of Education." Well, now isn't that interesting. A Supreme Court fighting for the rights of children, and a Board of Education that had to be corrected. This is how our State works. Our "bedrock virtues" don't come from a gubernatorial mandate. They ARE the arts, humanities, education, caring for the disadvantaged, and keeping our government's check and balance system strong.
People who argue that these cuts need to be made often say, "if we don't cut here, then what do we cut?" I'm not in a position to answer that question, but if government is as big as you say it is, I'm sure you will figure it out. I plead with you to please consider these virtues as treasures to be protected, and as investments for the future, not as unnecessary expenditures.
Thank you for your time,
Angela Babbit
