What if a political party holding near total power in a state admits to stalling bills for nakedly political purposes?

What if a political party holding near total power in a state admits to throwing away taxpayer money?

What if a political party holding near total power in a state admits to planning a repeat of budgetary catastrophe?

House Republican Majority Leader Chris Croft has turned those rhetorical questions above into all-too-real ones. Recordings of private Zoom calls among Croft and other Republicans were obtained by Kansas Reflector this week, and they show him making a strong case for why his party should lose its legislative supermajority. If a supposedly fiscally and temperamentally conservative party can’t restrain its urges to spend like a teenager with their first credit card, why should voters trust it?

Fair-minded folks would wonder why that political party holds so much power, and they might ponder whether its opponents could do better. You know, just as a f’rinstance.

Take it away, Croft!

On passing both a tax cut package and a stadium plan for Kansas City sports franchises: “I don’t want to give her what we currently have and that, because then she’s going to take credit, and that’ll be her signature. We want to make it painful to get there.”

On spending levels overall: “In the last six years that the governor’s been there, and by the way, the six years I’ve been there, we’ve increased spending 56%. It’s awful. We got to stop this. I mean, we’re just as drunk on that money as anybody else is. We got to stop doing that.”

On future tax plans reminiscent of former Gov. Sam Brownback’s failed experiment: Croft is working toward “reducing the corporate tax rate overall with the intent to drive it to zero. So that’s, that was what the objective is, and that’s what the objective will be.”

I don’t see why Kansas Democrats need to print up their own mail or radio or TV ads for November. They could just share Croft’s words far and wide. They come from a source deep inside GOP leadership, after all.

In the meantime, Republicans showed themselves utterly clueless when it came to the actual needs of Kansans.

Randy Ross, of Overland Park, is challenging Democratic Rep. Dan Osman. On a May 31 call, he responded to a question from Croft about what candidates were hearing as they knocked on doors: “Republicans, for some reason, seem to focus more on local property taxes, and I was not able to really discern the reason why they were as much focused on that.”

Gosh, I wonder why people are asking about the taxes they actually pay instead of the corporate taxes the GOP wants to cut.

I don’t mean to pick on the majority leader. If anything, we could benefit from members of both parties sharing their unvarnished thoughts and plans for the upcoming session. I’m sure Democratic bigwigs could embarrass themselves and their party if given the chance.

Because we all function in the gigantic professional wrestling arena of partisan politics, however, we’re asked to believe things that Kansas Republicans themselves clearly don’t believe.

They have no leg to stand on when it comes to fiscal responsibility. They prize partisan sniping over good policy. And they have never accepted the complete and utter collapse of Brownback’s economic experiment. Nearly every year after the plan’s 2017 repeal, GOP lawmakers have extolled some new supply-side scheme. Croft’s “objective” is the latest example.

But if the professional wrestling match is going to go on, let it go on. One of the contestants has just let his mask fall a little too low for comfort.

On Saturday night at Folsom Field, No. 18 Kansas State and Colorado will play a very important game for the Big 12 conference championship race.

The Wildcats and Buffaloes are both 4-1 on the season heading into this matchup, but the Wildcats have already lost a conference game in blowout fashion to BYU. The Buffaloes were handled by Nebraska in a non-conference road game but are 2-0 in the conference. This game is an opportunity for a statement win for either side.

The biggest star on the field will be the Buffaloes’ Travis Hunter. He is a unique player who excels as a star wide receiver and cornerback. He is one of the Heisman frontrunners this season for a reason, and he will give the Wildcats’ offensive and defensive coordinators a lot to think about and prepare for. Meanwhile, Kansas State will be hoping that Avery Johnson will win the quarterback battle with Shedeur Sanders. The Buffaloes’ signal-caller is one of the best in the country and has thrown for 1,630 yards and 14 touchdowns this season. The Wildcats will be looking to force him into some mistakes, of which he has not made many this year. He has only thrown three interceptions on the year.

This will be the toughest test of the season for Colorado so far. The Wildcats are a better team than Nebraska, who handled Colorado 28-10 a few weeks ago. However, if Kansas State shows any signs of looking like they did in their 38-9 loss to BYU, they could go home with their second conference loss of the season. That would essentially kill their Big 12 title hopes. On the other hand, Colorado can keep its name at the top of the conference standings with what would be the biggest win of head coach Deion Sanders’ career so far.

Want to join the discussion? Click here to become a member of the Killer Frogs message board community today!

Follow KillerFrogs on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest TCU news! Follow KillerFrogs on Facebook and Instagram as well.

Kansas City’s brunch scene is full of sweet and savory delights, with a wide variety of dining experiences for various occasions.

Blue Bird Bistro stands out with its ever-changing, locally sourced pancakes. Happy Gillis offers a homey ambiance with varied menu options. HomeGrown celebrates local ingredients with dishes like the West Coast Wake Up omelet and Cinnamon Swirl French Toast. Hemma Hemma, endorsed by Donna Kelce, entices with its signature cinnamon rolls, while Niecie’s Restaurant merges traditional soul food with a welcoming vibe.

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories below were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.

No. 1: Pancakes with apples? Sweet potatoes? KC bistro menu is always changing, always superb

This restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. We’re there for the pancakes. | Published January 23, 2024 | Read Full Story by Alison Booth

No. 2: My biggest mistake since moving to Kansas City? Not trying this brunch place sooner

I love everything at this KC restaurant. But this has been my go-to order from the start. | Published May 14, 2024 | Read Full Story by Chandler Boese

No. 3: At brunch I want savory AND sweet. This growing restaurant in KC gives the best of both

This omelet stuffed with gooey cheese, bacon and veggies, paired with French toast that radiates cinnamon: my perfect brunch. | Published June 11, 2024 | Read Full Story by Sharon Hoffmann

No. 4: At this restaurant, 2 Kansas City treasures mix heart and soul into the scrambled eggs

This longtime Kansas City restaurant has “Good Food.” But the “Served Right” part of its motto makes it taste even better. | Published May 7, 2024 | Read Full Story by Vahe Gregorian

No. 5: Donna Kelce promised I’d love the cinnamon rolls from this KC brunch spot. She was right

This Waldo restaurant serves some of the best cinnamon rolls I’ve had in Kansas City. | Published September 23, 2024 | Read Full Story by Natalie Wallington

This report was produced with the help of AI tools, which summarized previous stories reported and written by McClatchy journalists. It was edited by journalists in our News division