Selling strong beer in the grocery store and other easy to get to places.

[Institutional Control]

Kansas has drive thru liquor stores

Sure, but in La. they have essentially drive through bars.  You can order a hurricane or dacquerri and they'll give to you with a straw.

[Rage Against the McKee]

I'm in favor of not allowing drive through bars in Kansas. I think that is probably a good regulation.

[pvegs]

Kansas has drive thru liquor stores

Sure, but in La. they have essentially drive through bars.  You can order a hurricane or dacquerri and they'll give to you with a straw.

yeah, thx mckee. that's what i'm saying. like they'll hand you a jack and coke in a styrofoam cup and send you on down the highway to jennings.

[K-S-U-Wildcats!]

If we paid them more, we'd still have the same asshats.

Probably, I guess. But the low pay certainly reduces the pool of people who would consider running. For any smart and talented full-time professional, it's simply too much of a pay cut. So we get this collection of clowns that are typically either retired or have some marginal business they can set aside for months at a time. Generally speaking, they're not terribly bright and don' have any meaningful skin the game.

I just think that to get any other demographic interested in running for state legislature, you would have to pay them so much more that it would start to actually become a budget issue. It's impossible politically to make cuts to things like education while increasing legislative salaries by millions of dollars.

In a 4 billion budget, it wouldn't cost us anything meaningful to bump their pay to $150k a year and keep the offices open year round. And if we reduced our legislature down to one body like Nebraska did, we would actually save a ton of money. There's absolutely no reason we need 125 representatives and 40 senators to adequately represent Kansans. Our entire system of state government is wasteful and absurd. We're hemorrhaging money on stupidity and being asked to pay more in taxes for it. Very frustrating.

[star seed 7]

I don't think a state legislator should be a full time job. You see the crazy crap they come up with just being bored in their part-time duties?

[star seed 7]

Tbh it should just be a weekend gig through Skype

[Rage Against the McKee]

If we paid them more, we'd still have the same asshats.

Probably, I guess. But the low pay certainly reduces the pool of people who would consider running. For any smart and talented full-time professional, it's simply too much of a pay cut. So we get this collection of clowns that are typically either retired or have some marginal business they can set aside for months at a time. Generally speaking, they're not terribly bright and don' have any meaningful skin the game.

I just think that to get any other demographic interested in running for state legislature, you would have to pay them so much more that it would start to actually become a budget issue. It's impossible politically to make cuts to things like education while increasing legislative salaries by millions of dollars.

In a 4 billion budget, it wouldn't cost us anything meaningful to bump their pay to $150k a year and keep the offices open year round. And if we reduced our legislature down to one body like Nebraska did, we would actually save a ton of money. There's absolutely no reason we need 125 representatives and 40 senators to adequately represent Kansans. Our entire system of state government is wasteful and absurd. We're hemorrhaging money on stupidity and being asked to pay more in taxes for it. Very frustrating.

That pay raise would cost $21,450,000.

[8manpick]

If we paid them more, we'd still have the same asshats.

Probably, I guess. But the low pay certainly reduces the pool of people who would consider running. For any smart and talented full-time professional, it's simply too much of a pay cut. So we get this collection of clowns that are typically either retired or have some marginal business they can set aside for months at a time. Generally speaking, they're not terribly bright and don' have any meaningful skin the game.

I just think that to get any other demographic interested in running for state legislature, you would have to pay them so much more that it would start to actually become a budget issue. It's impossible politically to make cuts to things like education while increasing legislative salaries by millions of dollars.

In a 4 billion budget, it wouldn't cost us anything meaningful to bump their pay to $150k a year and keep the offices open year round. And if we reduced our legislature down to one body like Nebraska did, we would actually save a ton of money. There's absolutely no reason we need 125 representatives and 40 senators to adequately represent Kansans. Our entire system of state government is wasteful and absurd. We're hemorrhaging money on stupidity and being asked to pay more in taxes for it. Very frustrating.

That pay raise would cost $21,450,000.

Aka 0.54%

[LickNeckey]

If we paid them more, we'd still have the same asshats.

Probably, I guess. But the low pay certainly reduces the pool of people who would consider running. For any smart and talented full-time professional, it's simply too much of a pay cut. So we get this collection of clowns that are typically either retired or have some marginal business they can set aside for months at a time. Generally speaking, they're not terribly bright and don' have any meaningful skin the game.

I just think that to get any other demographic interested in running for state legislature, you would have to pay them so much more that it would start to actually become a budget issue. It's impossible politically to make cuts to things like education while increasing legislative salaries by millions of dollars.

In a 4 billion budget, it wouldn't cost us anything meaningful to bump their pay to $150k a year and keep the offices open year round. And if we reduced our legislature down to one body like Nebraska did, we would actually save a ton of money. There's absolutely no reason we need 125 representatives and 40 senators to adequately represent Kansans. Our entire system of state government is wasteful and absurd. We're hemorrhaging money on stupidity and being asked to pay more in taxes for it. Very frustrating.

we must slash government spending but quintuple legislative pay

 

[Rage Against the McKee]

If we paid them more, we'd still have the same asshats.

Probably, I guess. But the low pay certainly reduces the pool of people who would consider running. For any smart and talented full-time professional, it's simply too much of a pay cut. So we get this collection of clowns that are typically either retired or have some marginal business they can set aside for months at a time. Generally speaking, they're not terribly bright and don' have any meaningful skin the game.

I just think that to get any other demographic interested in running for state legislature, you would have to pay them so much more that it would start to actually become a budget issue. It's impossible politically to make cuts to things like education while increasing legislative salaries by millions of dollars.

In a 4 billion budget, it wouldn't cost us anything meaningful to bump their pay to $150k a year and keep the offices open year round. And if we reduced our legislature down to one body like Nebraska did, we would actually save a ton of money. There's absolutely no reason we need 125 representatives and 40 senators to adequately represent Kansans. Our entire system of state government is wasteful and absurd. We're hemorrhaging money on stupidity and being asked to pay more in taxes for it. Very frustrating.

That pay raise would cost $21,450,000.

Aka 0.54%

That is fairly substantial. It's nearly 10% of the budget shortfall.

[Cire]

hyvee market grille is amazing

[K-S-U-Wildcats!]

If we paid them more, we'd still have the same asshats.

Probably, I guess. But the low pay certainly reduces the pool of people who would consider running. For any smart and talented full-time professional, it's simply too much of a pay cut. So we get this collection of clowns that are typically either retired or have some marginal business they can set aside for months at a time. Generally speaking, they're not terribly bright and don' have any meaningful skin the game.

I just think that to get any other demographic interested in running for state legislature, you would have to pay them so much more that it would start to actually become a budget issue. It's impossible politically to make cuts to things like education while increasing legislative salaries by millions of dollars.

In a 4 billion budget, it wouldn't cost us anything meaningful to bump their pay to $150k a year and keep the offices open year round. And if we reduced our legislature down to one body like Nebraska did, we would actually save a ton of money. There's absolutely no reason we need 125 representatives and 40 senators to adequately represent Kansans. Our entire system of state government is wasteful and absurd. We're hemorrhaging money on stupidity and being asked to pay more in taxes for it. Very frustrating.

That pay raise would cost $21,450,000.

Aka 0.54%

That is fairly substantial. It's nearly 10% of the budget shortfall.

Fair enough - but that's why I would significantly reduce the number of legislators. We're not getting any added value from paying 165 people crap money to do a shitty job. There is absolutely no reason to have a bicameral legislature at the state level. In addition to all the extra unnecessary people, it creates lots of other inefficiencies.

I would much rather pay a smaller group of people, selected from a more talented pool of applicants, a decent amount of money to work this job. Topeka is an absolute joke. It's like student government meets FFA. These are not the people I want making tax and spending decisions.

[cfbandyman]

If we paid them more, we'd still have the same asshats.

Probably, I guess. But the low pay certainly reduces the pool of people who would consider running. For any smart and talented full-time professional, it's simply too much of a pay cut. So we get this collection of clowns that are typically either retired or have some marginal business they can set aside for months at a time. Generally speaking, they're not terribly bright and don' have any meaningful skin the game.

I just think that to get any other demographic interested in running for state legislature, you would have to pay them so much more that it would start to actually become a budget issue. It's impossible politically to make cuts to things like education while increasing legislative salaries by millions of dollars.

In a 4 billion budget, it wouldn't cost us anything meaningful to bump their pay to $150k a year and keep the offices open year round. And if we reduced our legislature down to one body like Nebraska did, we would actually save a ton of money. There's absolutely no reason we need 125 representatives and 40 senators to adequately represent Kansans. Our entire system of state government is wasteful and absurd. We're hemorrhaging money on stupidity and being asked to pay more in taxes for it. Very frustrating.

That pay raise would cost $21,450,000.

Aka 0.54%

That is fairly substantial. It's nearly 10% of the budget shortfall.

Fair enough - but that's why I would significantly reduce the number of legislators. We're not getting any added value from paying 165 people crap money to do a shitty job. There is absolutely no reason to have a bicameral legislature at the state level. In addition to all the extra unnecessary people, it creates lots of other inefficiencies.

I would much rather pay a smaller group of people, selected from a more talented pool of applicants, a decent amount of money to work this job. Topeka is an absolute joke. It's like student government meets FFA. These are not the people I want making tax and spending decisions.

I love the smell of aristocracy and oligarchy in the morning.

[Kat Kid]

I like my local control just fine thanks!

I have a state senator and a US senator within walking distance. bet you don't get that in unicameral country (well, I probably would but you know what I mean).

[michigancat]

Wouldn't the low pay lead to more legislators with other sources of significant income? You know, business owners and stuff.

[Kat Kid]

Wouldn't the low pay lead to more legislators with other sources of significant income? You know, business owners and stuff.

yes, I don't think upping legislator pay is a bad idea at all.

[catastrophe]

The problem with offering more money for the position is that, even if it enticed more intelligent applicants, those people are still being elected by a (largely) uneducated public. And I don't mean to say the general public is full of idiots (although it is), more that regular people just can't or don't spend enough time to evaluate the actual merits of people running for office.

[K-S-U-Wildcats!]

The problem with offering more money for the position is that, even if it enticed more intelligent applicants, those people are still being elected by a (largely) uneducated public. And I don't mean to say the general public is full of idiots (although it is), more that regular people just can't or don't spend enough time to evaluate the actual merits of people running for office.

You're right, but that doesn't change the fact that the low pay relative to the demands of the schedule discourages the very people we ought to encourage to serve: young working professionals. How many have a job that they can just put on the shelf for four months of the year while they go to Topeka to earn $250/day? My rep is a retiree who's made his bucks and does not give two shits about raising my income taxes by a couple Gs a year.

[puniraptor]

good idea: privatize the state legislature

[SdK]

I'll run for office guys. Going to need a lot of fraudulent voting from you guys in my district though.

[MakeItRain]

hyvee market grille is amazing

Does your market grille have the wontons with siracha and maple syrup?

[AbeFroman]

If we paid them more, we'd still have the same asshats.

Probably, I guess. But the low pay certainly reduces the pool of people who would consider running. For any smart and talented full-time professional, it's simply too much of a pay cut. So we get this collection of clowns that are typically either retired or have some marginal business they can set aside for months at a time. Generally speaking, they're not terribly bright and don' have any meaningful skin the game.

I just think that to get any other demographic interested in running for state legislature, you would have to pay them so much more that it would start to actually become a budget issue. It's impossible politically to make cuts to things like education while increasing legislative salaries by millions of dollars.

In a 4 billion budget, it wouldn't cost us anything meaningful to bump their pay to $150k a year and keep the offices open year round. And if we reduced our legislature down to one body like Nebraska did, we would actually save a ton of money. There's absolutely no reason we need 125 representatives and 40 senators to adequately represent Kansans. Our entire system of state government is wasteful and absurd. We're hemorrhaging money on stupidity and being asked to pay more in taxes for it. Very frustrating.

You must have missed where taxes were slashed to unsustainable rates and completely eliminated for most businesses. It's overdue.

[puniraptor]

This is the lite version of the full booze every where restoration that was tossed around last year, right? I can see no argument against beer freedom.

[renocat]

fun KS fact: airlines used to have to stop serving booze when flying in KS airspace because KS is so KS'y

But it was fine to smoke up the cabin with your cigarettes.

Cigs are the gateway to hell.  Booze, cigs, playboy magazines aren't natural.  I don't see critters in the wild having tailgating parties drinking, oogling at female critters while smoking.  I am proud to say I have never smoked, cigarettes.  The others ........  Big box stores have caused many small town businesses to close.   This will kill Haven's Elixir For Life Pharmacy Store and all of Se Reno will have to drive to Wichita for liquors.  K-96 will become a hell highway hazard with drunk Amish weaving between lanes.   No, keep as.is.

[catastrophe]

Alcohol is as natural as it gets. Many animals get drunk in the wild.