Maybe your high school had a course called "Business Math" for students who didn't want a second year of algebra after their geometry class, but who still needed another math credit for graduation.

I wonder if that course was the basis for the calculus we've seen in Kansas. When the economy was good, the state legislature cut taxes on businesses, capital gains, and estates. Education funding was only increased after a group called "Schools for Fair Funding" sued the state, resulting in the Kansas Supreme Court ordering the legislature to fulfill its constitutional duty to equitably fund education in the state.

Fast forward to bad economic times . . . now, the legislature refuses to consider rescinding those corporate tax breaks. Instead, they're determined to balance the state budget on the backs of education and state employees.

So now I know what I missed by taking Algebra II instead of "Business Math:"

Good economic times = business tax cuts + static education funding
Bad economic times = keep business tax cuts + cut education funding

This comparison starkly illustrates the priorities of the Kansas legislature: our state government exists to promote business, not the common welfare of its citizens.

But what can you do? It's simple, and takes very little time: contact your state legislators and let them know that their duty is to protect our most vulnerable citizens, not businesses. Find your state senator or representative here; follow the link to get contact information.

Entities who lobbied for and profited from the $12 billion in corporate tax breaks since 1995 aren't hesitant to contact lawmakers. Without those cuts, the Kansas budget wouldn't be in such bad shape; that $12 billion would more than make up for the $328 million shortfall we're seeing now.

The question remains: if an economic policy dictates that taxes be cut in a strong economy, doesn't that same policy hold that a weak economy demands eliminating those tax cuts?

Yes, I've strayed from science here. When local school boards are threatening to cut academic extracurricular activities and axe AP classes, kids who are academically oriented become even more discouraged. Why should they bother to do their best on state assessments when the schools - and legislature - devote funding elsewhere?