Frustrated by what they say are big-spending, out-of-touch Johnson County, Kansas, leaders, and unable to rely on local news media to hold them accountable, an ad hoc group of citizens is urging voters to “Take Back JoCo” Nov. 5. Coming together only in recent months, Take Back JoCo has already...
The Government’s War on Starter Homes
Among the most messed-up aspects of the messed-up U.S. housing market is the relative disappearance of the American starter home. Once ubiquitous in towns across the country, smaller, more affordable homes aren’t being built like they once were—a trend stretching back decades. Here are a couple charts in this regard: Among the...
Government Is The Cause Of, Not Solution For, Skyrocketing Housing Costs
Though the government purports to have solutions to the housing shortage, much of the problem can be traced back to government policies. There has been no shortage of government plans purported to make houses more affordable in America, including most recently a $25,000 government subsidy to select first-time buyers proposed...
Houston’s Ongoing Homelessness Crisis Is A Damning Indictment Of ‘Housing First’ Policy
The problem with the Housing First approach to homelessness is that it’s a one-size-fits-all policy that ignores human nature. Houston, Texas, and Salt Lake City, Utah, made eye-popping headlines for their self-claimed success in addressing homelessness using the Housing First approach. Both jurisdictions had all but declared victory over homelessness.Salt...
Audit of Kansas TIF districts reveals delays in returns, increased crime rates
Sen. Mike Thompson, a Shawnee Republican, wants the Kansas Department of Commerce to track the success of economic initiatives like tax increment financing districts to evaluate the full burden on taxpayers. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA — Some of Kansas’ largest cities are struggling to gain full returns on tax increment...
Did You Know?
In the Johnson County 2022 county wide commission chairman race, there were 19,992 under votes. That is over 8% of voters who did not cast their vote in this critical local election. That’s correct, over 8% of voters participating in the November 2022 general election chose to leave their ballot blank on the race for...