Recently, Governor Sam Brownback has shed some light on his plans for Kansas, describing several tax cuts which he was confident would have positive effects on the state in the long term. Not everyone seems to share his confidence however, especially Kathleen Sebelius, former governor of the state, who addressed the plan publicly and called it a “failed and flawed vision”.
She has apparently been very displeased in general with the overall state which her state has reached since she resigned as the health and human services secretary in April, as she revealed in her first interview with a Kansas reporter. In particular, she cited the various cuts to public schools, the downgrade to the state’s credit score, and the unimpressive developments in jobs, which have been growing very slowly over the last few months.
She further added that she felt that this was all one big experiment that was doomed to fail from the very beginning, and she was wondering how long it would take for the state to recover from the failure in the long term. That’s where she added her “failed and flawed vision” quote, talking about the state’s plans to cut taxes and stimulate job growth, something which didn’t quite happen in the end.
Tax increases on tobacco and alcohol have helped somewhat, but they have been insufficient, she went on to say, and she felt that there were insufficient smokers and drinkers throughout the state to balance the tax cuts imposed in other areas. This was not a well-planned move, according to her, and its effects are going to resonate throughout the state’s economy for a long time, especially if no measures are taken shortly to address the situation.
Other statements made by Sebelius included that she was planning to write a book describing her experiences, and intended to set the record straight once and for all. She found it interesting to follow the recent trends in the field of health books, as many new publications have come out recently, but she felt that not all of them were quite on board with what they were writing about.
She also stated that her career as a politician is over, and she had actually managed to damage her mentality in some ways due to the stress that the job imposed on her, for example she finds it difficult to even walk into a conference room without getting negative flashbacks. It’s not clear where she’s headed from here on, although she definitely does sound like she could use some time away from the world of politics, something that could easily be said for many people in politics in the end.
Like many Kansans, I’m a moderate Republican more or less. We hear of woman politicians who are as tough as nails. This is not a good descriptor of Ms. Sebelius. I think she is tough. But she’s also a regular gal. She reminds me of my wife, a beautiful mix of grit & vulnerability. She is a class act. Hope she is happy is whatever path she chooses.