[Excerpt] ... If this represented a single instance, we might shrug it off. But Kansans have an administration and a Legislature that find it hard to take responsibility, whenever there is push-back.
Thus, when state revenues dropped dramatically last week, the governor and Republican legislative leaders rushed to blame the Obama administration.
This is important because Kansas is a small-population state, and its politics are intimate. Brownback often epitomizes such intimacy, strolling the Capitol’s halls, chatting with visitors, and having his picture taken with dozens of them.
Likewise, Kansas lawmakers can all have close relations with constituents, if they choose. After all, House members represent about 23,000 individuals, while senators serve about 70,000. Contrast those figures to California, where the numbers are 463,000 (House) and 925,000 (Senate).
One benefit that we should receive from the intimacy of Kansas politics is a powerful sense of accountability, which stands at the heart of a strong democracy. ... Read more at the Wichita Eagle.
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