Americans for Prosperity disputes Kansas senator’s criticism of itself and Koch ties | Commentary

Editor’s note: The following is a response to the Oct. 31 column by Wichita Eagle Opinion Editor Dion Lefler, “Kansas GOP senator launches blistering attack on Koch — in Republican Party newsletter.”

One of my cherished childhood memories occurred in Germany, where my parents shared a powerful moment with me. My mom handed me a piece of painted rock, a fragment of the Berlin Wall, symbolizing a broken barrier, a testament to the triumph of liberty over oppression.

At that time, my father was serving in the U.S. Army in Germany and two years earlier President Ronald Reagan had given his resounding declaration, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” The call for freedom had been answered.

I am proud to be a part of an organization, Americans for Prosperity, that is built on the timeless principles of individual liberty and freedom. These principles, championed by John Locke in the Second Treatise on Government, inspired our Founding Fathers, and continue to foster prosperity today.

We advocate for limited government, economic growth, and equal access to the American Dream. This aligns with the Kansas GOP, where on their website they claim, “From Topeka to Washington, Kansas Republicans are working hard to enact policies that grow our economy, shrink government, and promote the principles upon which our nation was founded.”

But Americans for Prosperity isn’t the Republican Party. In fact, we are not a party organization at all. We are a principles-based organization that fights to protect our society’s freedom. We believe the best way to do that is to hold elected officials accountable for their votes and speak directly to everyday Kansans about why it matters.

As a permanent grassroots organization, we spend hours at doors and on phones communicating with everyday Kansans in our communities, and we have for years. We think accountability is crucial for good governance and safeguarding our freedom. So do Kansans.

Unfortunately, some officials don’t like their constituents knowing how they vote. When leaders elected to serve Kansans, such as State Sen. Alicia Straub, switch votes at the eleventh hour to prevent historic tax reform from taking place, AFP believes her constituents deserve to hear about it.

Despite Sen. Straub’s three previous supportive votes to enact a single rate tax in Kansas, her final vote blocked this measure from moving forward. During record high inflation, SB 169 would have been a historic, systemic tax reform that would have reportedly provided $1.4 billion in relief over the first three years.

Over the last decade, Kansas has not seen a smart, sustainable change to its tax code and has instead endured tax increases and complications. Establishing a single rate tax while reforming property tax and the Social Security cliff is a principled way to let hardworking citizens keep more of their paycheck.

Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed this legislation and while the votes needed to override the governor were there, Sen. Straub and two of her colleagues switched their votes to effectively kill the bill. So, AFP took action to make sure the constituents of Sens. Straub, Rob Olson, and Dennis Pyle knew why they wouldn’t be seeing the tax relief so many desperately need.

Through AFP’s actions, their constituents learned how their leaders sided with Gov. Kelly and played politics at their expense. In response, Sen. Straub recently lashed out with misinformed name-calling and questioned why organizations like ours are allowed to speak out at all. What she didn’t do was explain her sudden change of heart that blocked single-rate tax reform.

Voting against reforms that would leave all Kansans better off is fundamentally misguided. We understand that is the big government vision that Gov. Kelly wants. What we don’t understand is why Sen. Straub, who claims to share our values of limited government and individual freedom, would side with Gov. Kelly to prevent pro-growth tax reform.

That’s the question AFP is focused on and that’s the conversation Sen. Straub’s constituents deserve to hear. Then, let’s move beyond the pettiness and get to work doing what’s right for a more prosperous and accessible Kansas.

Elizabeth Patton is state director for Americans for Prosperity-Kansas.