It's clear the hucksters are never going to stop suing the state for more money. It's time to call their bluff.
This is going to require real stones. Fortunately, we may have men in leadership poised to act as men should -- they should protect and defend THE CHILDREN, who, come August could be held hostage by a small group of unelected lawyers selected by secret committee.
Gov. Brownback should decline to call a special session of the Kansas Legislature. Hasty decisions are rarely wise, and a special session with a looming deadline during a tumultuous election season is the definition of haste. It's a virtual guarantee of a horrible solution to a problem created by people who never had the power to close schools in the first place.
Call the Court's bluff.
Announce that the 2017 legislature will address the parts of the school funding that the Court deemed unconstitutional, but the schools will be funded as planned next fall. Announce that the treasury will cut checks to school districts, and at this point, it's up to local school boards to go about the business of educating THE CHILDREN as usual.
The House and the Senate should close the 2016 session without considering legislation related to school funding. Again, hasty decisions are rarely wise, and this is a big one.
We are essentially in a hostage situation, and giving in to terrorist demands is a great way to encourage future hostage situations.
Call the Court's bluff.
While it's time for the Governor to step up and lead with courage and grace, it's time for grassroots conservatives to build the Governor up. We have a Governor who is moved to tears because people don't like him. It's obvious Brownback will falter without a strong base of support. Your job, people who have regular access to the Governor, is to daily, hourly tell Brownback that he's doing the right thing. Remind him that great leaders do what's right even in the face of rude opposition. History doesn't revere the thin-skinned. Great movements are the work of the bold. Be bold, Brownback. Be courageous and brave.
Call the Court's bluff.
Does anyone know if KSA 60-2106 (d) has ever been tested in court? It seems to state very clearly that the schools cannot be closed by to courts as a coercion to force compliance with their pipe dreams.
ReplyDeleteWishful thinking. They'll cave.
ReplyDeleteGreat column! Too many people are ill-informed on this, and only listen to liberal over-the-air TV and newspaper writers (STILL). The school lobby always SCREAMS for money and people want them to just go away (for another year.)
ReplyDelete