We are willing to give the Johnson County Sun editorial board a break; celestial events often have a way of throwing reason into a tailspin.

At least that’s the only explanation we can think of as to why they are so confused about how helpful a Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) would be for Kansas.

The exaggeration and chicken-little attitude trumpeted by the editors and their friends at Kansas Action for Children completely misses the point of TABOR.

They argue that:

A TABOR would have crippled schools beyond hope... health insurance would be dropped for all children in the state insurance program for young people…

…And the entire population of Kansas would be stricken dumb with their newfound freedom and responsibility. In short, the sky would fall.

Since we here at AFP don’t seem to be effected by the mystical forces of the equinox, let us insert a bit of reason and fact into this discussion.

TABOR will provide a tool for Kansas legislators to more critically prioritize items related to the budget. The legislature will be held accountable to substantiate where it decides to spend our money. Government spending would still be allowed to expand, but it would do so proportionate to inflation and population increases. Meanwhile, it would encourage businesses to continue to make their home in Kansas.

As to the claim that the education system would completely collapse, we say, take a look at the hard evidence. If TABOR truly hinders school performance, then it seems strange that Colorado has such a laudable school system that outperforms most other states (including Kansas).

Where there are 35 Private, for-profit education institutions in Colorado, there are only 4 in Kansas. Simply put, stopping excessive spending creates an incentive for private intervention into the market. By bringing more options to the table, all-around performance, efficiency and value are improved.

By adopting TABOR, Kansas will get the motivation it needs to start rethinking new school system options. Vouchers, tax credits or school choice are all viable options that should be discussed; and TABOR opens the door.

Giving taxpayers the freedom and responsibility to vote on how their money is spent is anything but a burden; it’s an opportunity to generate renewed growth and opportunity in our dormant state.

Sound reasonable? It certainly should when put up against the closing argument of the Johnson County Sun editorial board:

TABOR would stifle our elected representatives whom we depend on to solve our problems. The restrictions would shut down creative thinking and traditional political debate about the way our tax dollars are allocated. Legislators would be reduced to robots, moving to the command of a narrow, negative document.

Politicians fixing problems? Debate on tax dollars? Robots? That equinox really messes with the mind.

For more on AFP's TABOR efforts in Johnson County click here.