Slow day in the pit

[Rage Against the McKee]

Do additional counties in western KS cost more money for the people who live in eastern KS?   I don't understand why someone in JoCo would care how many counties there are west of Wichita. The only people paying for that extra government are the people who live there, right?

Yeah. They are big-government authoritarian types who think people who live in population centers should tell those in rural areas how to live, though, so it's not surprising.

[CNS]

Right now the west counties are trying like crazy to fund their schools with east county taxes.  So, that is probably why.

[Rage Against the McKee]

Right now the west counties are trying like crazy to fund their schools with east county taxes.  So, that is probably why.

That isn't really true.

[star seed 7]

I see zero need for States at all.

[CNS]

Right now the west counties are trying like crazy to fund their schools with east county taxes.  So, that is probably why.

That isn't really true.

Interesting if true.

[Rage Against the McKee]

Right now the west counties are trying like crazy to fund their schools with east county taxes.  So, that is probably why.

That isn't really true.

Interesting if true.

Agriculture accounts for about 37% of the state's total economy. Most of the agricultural production is in western KS. Only 11% of the population lives in western KS. Most of the state's oil and gas exploration is also in western KS . . .

[CNS]

Right now the west counties are trying like crazy to fund their schools with east county taxes.  So, that is probably why.

That isn't really true.

Interesting if true.

Agriculture accounts for about 37% of the state's total economy. Most of the agricultural production is in western KS. Only 11% of the population lives in western KS. Most of the state's oil and gas exploration is also in western KS . . .

Yeah, but we are talking taxes and you just listed the two industries with the most tax subsidies and advantages in our country.  Also, property tax and stuff.

[Rage Against the McKee]

Right now the west counties are trying like crazy to fund their schools with east county taxes.  So, that is probably why.

That isn't really true.

Interesting if true.

Agriculture accounts for about 37% of the state's total economy. Most of the agricultural production is in western KS. Only 11% of the population lives in western KS. Most of the state's oil and gas exploration is also in western KS . . .

Yeah, but we are talking taxes and you just listed the two industries with the most tax subsidies and advantages in our country.  Also, property tax and stuff.

Outside of the KC metro, eastern KS properties really aren't much different than western KS properties. The subsidies you mention are federal subsidies, not state. Farmers also pay extra taxes on fertilizer, and in the case of feedyards, water use. The part of the state that isn't pulling its weight in terms of taxes vs education spending is located south of Kansas City and east of Wichita.

[michigancat]

states should be redrawn based upon current population centers and evenly distributed based on population. Redraw the lines every 50-100 years.

[CNS]

Given how slow change takes through govt,  I feel like the 50 year redesign is a very bad idea

[michigancat]

Given how slow change takes through govt,  I feel like the 50 year redesign is a very bad idea

you more than likely wouldn't need to change them because after the first redraw you could draw boundaries in sparsely populated areas. I was thinking you may want to adjust if an area had unusually explosive growth.

[Rage Against the McKee]

states should be redrawn based upon current population centers and evenly distributed based on population. Redraw the lines every 50-100 years.

The western states should be redrawn based upon resource locations. The eastern states were drawn this way. The western states are just big rectangles for the most part.

[Rage Against the McKee]

Eastern Kansas should be in Missouri. Western Kansas, everything in Comlorado east of the Rockies, and the Oklahoma/Texas panhandle should be a state.

[michigancat]

states should be redrawn based upon current population centers and evenly distributed based on population. Redraw the lines every 50-100 years.

The western states should be redrawn based upon resource locations. The eastern states were drawn this way. The western states are just big rectangles for the most part.

I think even distribution based around population centers is better (and would basically take care of resource locations). Baltimore/DC/Northern Virginia should be a single state. The NYC metro should be contained in a single state. The Chicago, KC, STL metros, etc.

[Headinjun]

yes, kansas counties are way too small.  they should have a 100k population minimum per

I think they are set up pretty logically. Everyone has easy access to their county seat. The locals get the services/ordinances they want. The idea that people are subjected to more beaurocracy because there are more county governments is laughable.

I think the idea of having less sheriffs, less school administration, and less state funding of county governments is a great idea. 

It could be a quite a local/county tax savings for the people in those areas if they would just collaborate.

Not really. They would still have to fund all of those services and they'd have to either send their kids to a school hundreds of miles away or pay for a similar amount of administrators as they are already paying for.

Did you just say "hundreds of miles away"? We're talking about consolidating counties - not states.

I don't think you know just how big Kansas is. He was talking about reducing the western half of the state to 16 school districts.

Maybe 16 is too low, but I think one Superintendent with a decent sized staff to run a central office can handle a large population of students who are widely spread apart geographically.  There's site managers (principals), and sufficient technology to handle such a task. 

Think of the buying power the larger districts could achieve in terms of supply.   

[Rage Against the McKee]

states should be redrawn based upon current population centers and evenly distributed based on population. Redraw the lines every 50-100 years.

The western states should be redrawn based upon resource locations. The eastern states were drawn this way. The western states are just big rectangles for the most part.

I think even distribution based around population centers is better (and would basically take care of resource locations). Baltimore/DC/Northern Virginia should be a single state. The NYC metro should be contained in a single state. The Chicago, KC, STL metros, etc.

Where do you put Montana?

[Rage Against the McKee]

Water disputes/energy exploration, etc would be a whole lot easier if the western states were bound by natural resources and industry. The population centers aren't that relevant. Most urban and rural areas would be better off without each other.

[star seed 7]

states should be redrawn based upon current population centers and evenly distributed based on population. Redraw the lines every 50-100 years.

The western states should be redrawn based upon resource locations. The eastern states were drawn this way. The western states are just big rectangles for the most part.

I think even distribution based around population centers is better (and would basically take care of resource locations). Baltimore/DC/Northern Virginia should be a single state. The NYC metro should be contained in a single state. The Chicago, KC, STL metros, etc.

Where do you put Montana?

portlandseattlesburg

[michigancat]

states should be redrawn based upon current population centers and evenly distributed based on population. Redraw the lines every 50-100 years.

The western states should be redrawn based upon resource locations. The eastern states were drawn this way. The western states are just big rectangles for the most part.

I think even distribution based around population centers is better (and would basically take care of resource locations). Baltimore/DC/Northern Virginia should be a single state. The NYC metro should be contained in a single state. The Chicago, KC, STL metros, etc.

Where do you put Montana?

With Denver's state. Or maybe Seattle. Don't know how it shakes out.

[Rage Against the McKee]

states should be redrawn based upon current population centers and evenly distributed based on population. Redraw the lines every 50-100 years.

The western states should be redrawn based upon resource locations. The eastern states were drawn this way. The western states are just big rectangles for the most part.

I think even distribution based around population centers is better (and would basically take care of resource locations). Baltimore/DC/Northern Virginia should be a single state. The NYC metro should be contained in a single state. The Chicago, KC, STL metros, etc.

Where do you put Montana?

With Denver's state. Or maybe Seattle. Don't know how it shakes out.

Nothing in Montana is remotely close to Denver or Seattle. That would cause problems.

[star seed 7]

3 people live in montana, who gives a eff

[michigancat]

states should be redrawn based upon current population centers and evenly distributed based on population. Redraw the lines every 50-100 years.

The western states should be redrawn based upon resource locations. The eastern states were drawn this way. The western states are just big rectangles for the most part.

I think even distribution based around population centers is better (and would basically take care of resource locations). Baltimore/DC/Northern Virginia should be a single state. The NYC metro should be contained in a single state. The Chicago, KC, STL metros, etc.

Where do you put Montana?

With Denver's state. Or maybe Seattle. Don't know how it shakes out.

Nothing in Montana is remotely close to Denver or Seattle. That would cause problems.

What kind of problems?

[star seed 7]

there should be like 10 states.  then the states should have like current state sized counties.  then that's it

[Rage Against the McKee]

states should be redrawn based upon current population centers and evenly distributed based on population. Redraw the lines every 50-100 years.

The western states should be redrawn based upon resource locations. The eastern states were drawn this way. The western states are just big rectangles for the most part.

I think even distribution based around population centers is better (and would basically take care of resource locations). Baltimore/DC/Northern Virginia should be a single state. The NYC metro should be contained in a single state. The Chicago, KC, STL metros, etc.

Where do you put Montana?

With Denver's state. Or maybe Seattle. Don't know how it shakes out.

Nothing in Montana is remotely close to Denver or Seattle. That would cause problems.

What kind of problems?

The kind of problems K-S-U likes to bitch about. People in the cities have to help fund schools in isolated areas that have industries that prop up the state, etc.

[michigancat]

states should be redrawn based upon current population centers and evenly distributed based on population. Redraw the lines every 50-100 years.

The western states should be redrawn based upon resource locations. The eastern states were drawn this way. The western states are just big rectangles for the most part.

I think even distribution based around population centers is better (and would basically take care of resource locations). Baltimore/DC/Northern Virginia should be a single state. The NYC metro should be contained in a single state. The Chicago, KC, STL metros, etc.

Where do you put Montana?

With Denver's state. Or maybe Seattle. Don't know how it shakes out.

Nothing in Montana is remotely close to Denver or Seattle. That would cause problems.

What kind of problems?

The kind of problems K-S-U likes to bitch about. People in the cities have to help fund schools in isolated areas that have industries that prop up the state, etc.

That's always going to happen in a country as vast with such varying population density, regardless of how boundaries are drawn.