Gov. Sam Brownback is convinced the public's anxiety about the future is opening the window to a policy revolution.

He said his parents, part of the eastern Kansas farming community of Parker, could be counted among those scared about the United States' well-being.

"Americans are scared for the future," Brownback said during a conference Tuesday hosted by the George W. Bush Presidential Center in New York City. "They are willing to engage in the discussion and are asking: Where is the plan?”

He said governing in an era of elevated fear meant Kansans might be more willing to entertain proposals they were previously reluctant to embrace.

His personal hit-list includes transformation in the state's tax structure, reform of state spending on Medicaid or other social services and recasting of the state pension system.

"Now is the time to propose bold public policy solutions,” said Brownback, part of a panel with politicians, academics and think-tank gurus. "The field is more open to bold solutions."

In that vein, the governor stepped forward in January with an aggressive plan to reduce state income tax rates. The strategy was hammered by Democrats and some Republicans because it reduced the tax burden for all but the working poor.

It is unlikely to gain approval of legislators, in its full form, during the 2012 session. In an election year, some sort of tax-cut legislation will likely emerge.

Brownback also urged legislators to convert the generous defined-benefit retirement system for public employees to a 401(k)-style program limiting expansion of state obligations to retirees. His plan encountered bipartisan opposition, and no reform bill has yet passed the Legislature.

Brownback, in his first year in office, reduced spending to accommodate a projected $500 million state budget deficit. The state treasury was buffered, to a degree, by a three-year statewide increase in the sales tax, adopted over Republican objections before Brownback's election as governor, that pumps more than $300 million annually into the state accounts. 

The 2012 Legislature has not approved a budget for the upcoming fiscal year, but enthusiasm for a fresh round of cuts appears diminished.

Members of the House and Senate return to Topeka on April 25 in an attempt to end stalemate on a series of issues.

At the New York conference, Brownback expressed optimism state legislators would send to his desk a measure improving the tax climate for individuals and small businesses.

"We are one step closer to hitting the accelerator on our state’s emerging  economy," he said.

He also offered praise for a national tax reform idea anchoring his unsuccessful 2007 campaign for president.

He spoke glowingly about adoption of a "flat" tax system five years ago while stumping Iowa for Republican votes and again at the conference in New York.

Under this concept, earned income would be taxed at a consistent rate rather than using different tax brackets for different incomes. It's touted by adherents as a way to reward individual work ethic and to save billions of dollars in tax-preparation costs.

The problem?

Folks with special-interest income tax breaks wedged into the federal code won't stand for it. That's what happened when Brownback, while serving in Congress, pushed the concept.

"Everybody who had something stuck in the income tax coded came out of the woodwork," Brownback said.

His alternative? Allow people to choose between the existing system and the flat tax.

"That is one you can sell in the political marketplace. People will migrate," the governor said.