What the news coverage missed was that if Kansas hasn’t exactly catapulted into the front ranks in economic growth and employment, then it has at least moved a long way from the stagnation of recent decades. Consider:
• In March 2013, unemployment in Kansas stood at 5.5%. It has since dropped to 4.2%, tied for 14th lowest in the country.
• From 1998-2012, Kansas ranked 38th in private-sector job growth, according Bureau of Labor Statistics data crunched by the Kansas Policy Ins ute. In 2013—the first year after the tax reform—the state climbed to 27th place, and in 2014 it moved to 21st, placing it in the top half of states.
• In the second half of 2014, hourly wages in Kansas grew 3.5%, according to BLS data, far faster than the national average of 1.9%.
Ah the joys of cherry picking, and leaving out the important bits of information needed to really understand things. Great if you want mindless Koolaid for the faithful to drink, not so much if you are looking for decent public policy.
1-Tax cuts don't happen in a vacuum.
Without solid data as to what would have happened without the tax cuts, you can't really say that the tax cuts caused the benefits or harm. It is a bit like trying to say "it rained after I washed my car, so therefore rain is caused by me washing my car".
2-Beware what you aren't told
Missing in the blurb above, is what happened prior to the "second half of 2014". If the tax cuts and cuts in services made wages plummet in the state faster than the national average, then when the economy finally bounced back, of course the rate would be faster. 3.5% growth on $10 is less money than, say, 1.9% of $50.