If you ask, I’d bet every American believes they’re the real deal–100% red, white, and blue. Unfortunately, some media outlets highlight divisions, making us question what’s true. Travelers remind us one cure for confusion is visiting new places and welcoming tourists to our state.

While regional and cultural differences exist, they offer educational opportunities for visitors and locals. It’s best to keep a straight face when strangers ask about something natives consider obvious. Their mistake is probably sincere. I hope they do the same to correct other’s confusion without embarrassing them.

A friend who manages a rural clothing and collectible store has occasion to enlighten urban travelers stopping to shop. Many vacationing city dwellers end up in her locale which is populated by boot and cowboy hat wearing citizenry. Outside town limits, deer and antelope defy fences to join domestic cows and horses in the munching and digestion of native grasses or hay. Viewing western fashion and wild critters eating alongside domestic herds seems perfectly normal to this entrepreneur and her fellow residents. However, chats with out-of-state customers informed this woman that some see her world as unusual or exotic.

Several times during tourist season, folks stopping through inquire, “What’s going on in town today?” Typically, she hands them a visitor guide and encourages them to explore area museums and nature sites. Eventually, one visitor was more direct and added, “No, why are so many people dressed up like cowboys?”

She peered out the door to note locals dining at the hometown restaurant? “Like those guys?” she asked.

“Yea. Are they dressed for a special event?”

Striving to promote her town, she considered her response. “No, that’s how many people who live here dress. It’s lunch hour.”

Clearly, this confused someone used to urban professional attire. In their experience, business people don’t wear western shirts, jeans, and cowboy boots to the office. As a counter point, those accustomed to rural dress codes would be curious about someone showing up on the job wearing an Armani suit or Manolo heels. It’s not what we’re used to.

Later that summer, more out-of-staters paused to shop and inquire about the area. This approachable woman encourages customers to chat. Before long, someone mentioned farms and ranches they’d passed on their cross-country journey. They wondered how farmers and ranchers managed raising cattle or horses as well as the deer and antelope grazing alongside livestock. Keep in mind, these weren’t high-fenced game farms. These were standard agricultural operations.

A quick glance told my friend the misconception was genuine. She explained only the cows and horses were domestic. Deer and antelope are wild and leap over or crawl under fences anytime they wanted.

She shared these insights with me during a discussion about differences between American regions and how that affects what people know. Though citizens share a common government, it’s clear we don’t necessarily understand one another’s lifestyles. Anyone can take a lesson from this kind woman and make time to clarify misunderstandings. We’d all get along better.

Native Kansan Karen Madorin is a local writer and retired teacher who loves sharing stories about places, people, critters, plants, food, and history of the High Plains.

The holiday season is a time for giving. Unfortunately, scam artists are willing to turn your generosity into something Grinch-like.

John Wine, Kansas Securities Commissioner, and I are urging Kansans to beware of fraudulent charity solicitation operations through phone, internet and door-to-door solicitations.

Well-meaning Kansans often get duped into thinking that their holiday contributions are going to charitable causes. Both Commissioner Wine and I agree that we all need to be cautious and follow some basic considerations in our monetary giving.

Here are some of the best tips, courtesy of several governmental organizations.

• Resist pressure to give on the spot, whether the pressure comes from a telemarketer or a door-to-door solicitor. With online appeals, always check to verify the organization’s name and the accurate URL with an internet search. You can also go to www.give.org to check an organization’s verification.
• Be wary of heart-wrenching appeals, and press the solicitor for specifics about how the organization is helping people.
• Don’t assume that every soliciting organization is tax exempt as a charity. Ask how your donation will be appropriated.
• Never give cash or write a check to an individual solicitor. Make a check or credit card donation payable to an organization.
• If a charity claims to be helping with a local organization such as a police or fire department, check with that civic organization to see if they are indeed fundraising and using the solicitors. Check with your friends to see if they are familiar with the charity.

A bit of caution dealing with organizations and causes you are unfamiliar with will go a long way toward making sure your contributions are directed to the right place.

The Kansas Insurance Department, established in 1871, assists and educates consumers, regulates and reviews companies, and licenses agents selling insurance products in the state. More about the department is online at www.ksinsurance.org or at www.facebook.com/kansasinsurancedepartment.

Down the main street of town comes the Christmas parade, including a combine covered in Christmas lights. That’s a sure sign that this is happening in rural Kansas. Along the parade route, shops are open late – including a gift shop owned by an innovative young Kansas couple. In small town Kansas, wouldn’t it be nice if we could do our holiday shopping in a local business? For example, right next door? Today we’ll learn about this couple in rural Kansas who has opened a convenient gift shop – and it is literally named Next Door. This is a special holiday edition of Kansas Profile.

Last week we learned about Tyson and Emily Mullen who own and operate Grant County Drug in Ulysses, Kansas. Tyson serves as the pharmacist while Emily does the books.

Emily grew up on an Angus farm in south central Kansas where she was actively involved in the family show cattle business. She went on to Hutchinson Community College where she met Tyson in an organic chemistry class. “He tutored me in the class,” Emily said. Apparently, their chemistry was good because the two got married.

Tyson went to pharmacy school at KU where Emily got a degree in Human Biology and later received her nursing degree from Fort Hays State. In July 2013, they bought Grant County Drug and moved to Ulysses.

Next door to the drugstore was a building which had housed a now-closed hair salon. Eventually Tyson and Emily decided to buy this building also. “We really wanted to benefit the community,” Emily said.

They decided to utilize this building as a gift shop to complement the pharmacy. Because of its location, they came to call it simply Next Door. Emily and some friends went to a big market in Dallas to acquire specialty products. In July 2015, Next Door opened for business in downtown Ulysses.

“This is a boutique store which carries a little bit of everything,” Emily said. “We have baby gifts, wedding gifts, soaps, greeting cards, clothing, toys, and many other things.” Emily and Tyson have two little girls of their own, so they are very aware of products that are well-suited to children.

The store carries brand name products such as Mud Pie and Under Armor children’s clothes, Melissa & Doug toys, and much more. During the holidays, the store is beautifully decorated for Christmas.

“It has really worked out well,” Emily said. “The pharmacy’s waiting area is pretty small, so now customers can go next door and browse while they wait for their prescription. It’s fun for people.”

This keeps people entertained while they wait and enables them to use their time productively. “Often people will browse through the store and pick up a card or a gift while they’re there,” Emily said. She also helps with community initiatives such as a “shop the town” project. When the local John Deere dealer hosted a ladies’ night out at the dealership, Emily helped with that as well.

“Our community is very supportive,” Emily said. “Our chamber director, Marieta Hauser, is great.”

One of the community’s major projects is special events during the holidays, including a big lighted parade complete with Santa Claus. “Every float has to have lights,” Emily said. One person decorated a golf cart to look like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Only in rural Kansas would one see a giant combine driving down the street while covered in Christmas lights. Ulysses is a town of 6,161 people. Now, that’s rural. “We stay open late during the parade and for times like Black Friday and Small Business Saturday,” Emily said.

So where are you doing your holiday shopping? Wouldn’t it be convenient if you could do your shopping right next door? We commend Emily and Tyson Mullen for making a difference by enhancing their community through opening this shop. When it’s time to shop in Ulysses, where does one go? Next Door.

And there’s more. The Angus family in which Emily was raised is one of the leading Angus cattle seedstock producers in the nation. We’ll learn about that next week. Happy Holidays!

After careful consideration, I have decided to run for governor of Kansas in 2018.

I’m not running to fulfill a long-held political ambition. I care about good governing and the future of our families, not partisan victories. I’m getting into this race because I believe that Kansas can have a very bright future.

My family and I talked about this decision for a long time. Through those conversations, another, more personal reason compelled me to get into this race.

Over the July 4th weekend, my future son-in-law proposed to my daughter on the front porch of our family’s home. As I watched her accept his proposal, I recalled all of the special moments our family had shared in that very spot. I felt so happy and grateful that this is where she grew up – in that house, and in this state.

Both of my daughters – a doctor and a technology professional – bring my husband and me such pride and joy. Their Kansas upbringing is at the heart of their stories, and of our family’s story. The education, community, and opportunities that were made available because of the smart leadership in the state capitol helped ensure my girls received the happy, healthy childhood that all kids deserve. It molded them into the strong and vibrant women they are today.

I didn’t expect to be in this position a year ago, but I simply cannot sit by and let the same Brownback allies who mismanaged our state lead Kansas for another four years.

The last election brought a wave of new faces to the Kansas Legislature with a clear mandate from voters to end the failed Brownback tax experiment. After devastating budget cuts, three state credit rating downgrades, and the dismantling of our state’s most important investments, lawmakers came together to chart a new path forward.

We made incredible progress, and now it’s time to finish the job.

For too long, Kansans have been without a champion in the governor’s office – someone who will fight for them and their priorities.

After years of damaging cuts under Governor Brownback, Kansas schools remain critically underfunded, even after the positive steps lawmakers took last spring to reverse some of the damage. From my very first legislative session, I’ve been on the front lines of the fight to get more resources into public school classrooms.

I’ve fought to expand Medicaid, provide better mental health services, and keep rural hospitals open.

I fought the Governor’s efforts to dismantle our state’s prized system for early childhood education so we can ensure that Kansas’ youngest and most vulnerable children receive the best possible start in life.

I’ve advocated for economic investments that we know create jobs, like higher education, technical training, and good infrastructure and roads.

But this election is not just about what each candidate is willing to fight for. It’s also a question of who they’re willing to fight alongside.

Bitter partisanship doesn’t balance the budget. It doesn’t create jobs. And it doesn’t grow our economy.

We need balance in government – someone who will work as hard as possible to build consensus among competing interests, no matter what the dividing lines may be. In the past I considered leaving the Legislature for Congressional service, but I realized I could do the most good here working to solve the problems we face in Kansas. I remain committed to that mission.

Through that work, I’ve built a reputation as a leader willing to listen and work with anyone. I have not and will never shut someone out of the lawmaking process just because they may not agree with me.

What Kansans do best is find common ground and move forward with a solution. We can’t offer mountains or sandy beaches, but there never has been a better place to live, work and raise a family.

That’s where you come in.

Time is the most precious resource of any campaign, and we don’t have a moment to lose. For the remaining days of 2017, I’ll be finalizing the infrastructure we’ll need to run an 11-month marathon at a sprint’s pace. In the early weeks of 2018, I’ll be eager to share a more detailed vision of the future with you and your family. I look forward to hearing from you and visiting on the campaign trail!

Laura Kelly (D-Topeka) was elected to the Kansas Senate in 2004. Representing Dist. 18, she is the Senate Minority Whip.

Hello United States. Hello from Kansas. It appears that Congress and the President are about to enact a Kansas-style income tax cut for the nation. Good luck with that.

Kansas went down that road six years ago and ended up with a budget-busting, economic-deadening disaster. Our reputation got kicked around for it, too. The national press focused on telling the story of the Kansas tax experiment, and, as our financial decline deepened, we had to absorb disdain and snickering from around the country: “Haha, what were you all thinking? How could you harm yourselves like that? Don’t ever do what Kansas did.”

But now as the whole United States is about to do just that, Kansans are done taking guff about self-destructive tax policy.

You see, in Kansas we dealt with our trouble. “We mopped up our mess.” Kansas citizens educated themselves, saw the mistake, and corrected it. Kansans did not figure it out in time to keep from narrowly re-electing Sam Brownback in 2014. By 2016, though, Kansans were upset enough to change the Legislature and give the tax experiment the big boot.

To be sure, much work remains to bring Kansas back to financial health. And while surveys show that a large majority of Kansans now believe our tax cuts were wrongheaded, not everyone owns up. Note, for example, our out-of-touch congressional delegation casting votes for the U.S. tax plan. Or the hometown Koch-funded Kansas chapter of Americans for Prosperity spending a million dollars to mail Kansans mega-numbers of postcards bashing legislators who successfully voted to reverse the Brownback tax plan.

Even so, our hard-won experience and newly-achieved turnaround allow us to offer lessons:

First, tax cuts don’t pay for themselves. The revenue loss from the Kansas tax cuts was steep, immediately throwing the state budget badly out of balance. The U.S. tax cut plan will add more than a trillion dollars to the national debt and threaten Social Security and Medicare, just as the Kansas plan threatened public education and highways.

Second, tax cuts for the wealthy don’t trickle down. The Kansas plan primarily cut taxes for the wealthiest, while lower-income Kansans ended up paying more. Promised new jobs never arrived. Likewise, corporations and people with substantial “pass through” income benefit most from the national plan.

Finally, and more hopefully, rotten tax policy can be corrected by an engaged citizenry working together in a bipartisan way.

But alas, it looks like the U.S. will pay little heed to Kansas’s lessons. The die appears cast. Just don’t ever say one more derogatory thing about Kansas.

Kansas is a special state and a fine place to live. The prairie is beautiful. We place high value on public education. Kansans are friendly and hard-working. And practical. Deep down we know we have to have enough income to balance our budget and pay for the quality of life we value. We lost that balanced approach during our tax experiment, but we got it back.

Best wishes to the United States.

Duane Goossen formerly served 12 years as Kansas Budget Director.

Six months ago this week we received word from the Kansas Attorney General’s office that the Cottonwood Extension District #17 had been approved. Months of hard work by our Extension supporters preceded this formal announcement. With approval from both Ellis and Barton County Commissioners last December to move forward, a transitional board began meeting to get started on the task of combining our two Extension Councils. I was named the interim District Director in May and the District Director beginning July 1^st.

The Cottonwood Extension District includes a staff of seven agents and two office professionals. Our goals include providing research based information to help improve the quality of life of the individuals we serve. I hope you have had an opportunity to utilize our services. Perhaps you have worked with one of our Agriculture agents, Alicia Boor or Stacy Campbell, to learn about wheat varieties that do well in our region. If your family is involved in 4-H or after school programs, you have two experienced agents, Susan Schlichting and Berny Unruh, leading the youth development program in our district.

Take time to introduce yourself to our new Horticulture Agent, Rip Winkel. Rip is dividing his time between the two counties and is excited to answer yard, garden and tree questions you may have. And finally, Linda Beech and I are committed to bringing Extension educational programming related to nutrition, health and wellness, food safety, family resource management, aging issues, and family life in general. I also want to mention our two experienced office professionals. Brenda Walton, in the Great Bend office, is taking the lead with the finances for the district while Theresa Meis, in the Hays office, focuses on communicating our efforts through newsletters and our web site. Both Brenda and Theresa handle a multitude of other duties that keep our offices running smoothly.

While it is great news that K-State Research and Extension has answers to many of life’s questions, typically at no or low cost. Unlike what you might find through a Google search, the answers we provide are research based and non-biased. But we need to know how the Cooperative Extension Service can best serve you now and into the future.

A multi-county listening session to hear about your needs and how you prefer to receive information is set for Tuesday, December 19^th from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the Russell 4-H Building, 702 Fairway Drive. For more information please contact me at: (620)793-1910 or [email protected].

Donna Krug is the District Director  and Family & Consumer Science Agent for the Cottonwood Extension District. 

What? This is totally ludicrous and here is why.

The United States of America is supposed to have the best intelligence agencies on planet earth. That includes the FBI, CIA, and many other agencies.

To date, after nearly a year of investigating, there is no evidence of collusion. How much time is needed? Do these agencies need seven, maybe ten years?

Obviously, all the agencies have everything at their disposal such as budget and staff to get to the bottom of anything. There’s nothing to hold them back.

Embedded in all of these agencies are Obama holdovers wanting to protect his legacy and destroy Trump – yet, after nearly a year, there is no evidence of collusion even with highly motivated anti Trump agents doing everything in their power to find something.

If there really was collusion as so many claim, wouldn’t that make our intelligence agencies by now the most incompetent on planet earth?

Add Robert Mueller, former FBI Director under Obama, to the mix with a “Special Counsel” that has an unlimited budget of taxpayer monies and freedom to investigate anybody or anything – yet, can’t come up with any evidence of collusion even with an army of partisan lawyers that donated to Hillary.

No, it’s not incompetence. Maybe lots of corruption, but not incompetence. The facts are that Trump did not collude with Russia. There is no evidence that he did.

The claim it may take until the next century to find the evidence is just a charade to have this hoax hanging over Trump’s head forever and appease Trump haters hanging on for dear life and eternity believing our president is guilty.

The guilt is with those that daily spew out false narratives, mostly mainstream media. The Trump Russia collusion story proves without a doubt whatsoever this country has a corrupt liberal media.

Media is still pushing a false narrative. It spends absolutely no time about the good things a Trump presidency is doing for this country — and just wait for the bombshells of Democrats colluding with Russia all over the place that media refuses to report.

Les Knoll lives in Victoria and Gilbert, Ariz.

My stepfather, Andy, was a naturopathic physician. He was really old school. His services were not covered by Medicare or insurance. Many of his patients paid him in “in kind” or in monthly installments. He was also old school in that he actually did home visits.

One story was particularly interesting to me. He had a patient that lived out in the country. The patient had really bad back problems. He would get down in his back, so bad that he could not make it to town. Andy would drive out to his home, sometimes in the middle of the night, to help relieve his pain either by an “adjustment” or some type of homeopathic medication.

Andy quickly discovered that part of his patient’s problem was that he had a very bad bed. The bed was making the back problem worse. The bed was old, it bowed, and provided virtually no support for the gentleman. Andy continued to urge him to get a new bed, but to no avail. Instead, he chose to pay Andy to come out to see him, to fix his back, and to live to another day when it would start hurting again and he would recall Andy. The gentleman proclaimed he could not afford to buy a new bed.

I specialize in life care planning. Life care planning involves working with families that are facing aging or chronic health issues. Our goal is to help our clients stay at home for as long as possible. We help them find services to make that happen. If our clients have to transition to some residential setting, we want to be sure that they find the right place, that they have resources to pay for it, that they get good care, and that someone is always advocating for them.

My mentor, and indeed the inventor of this philosophical approach to elder care, is Tim Takacs. I have learned a lot based on Tim’s model of providing good care for people. When I first heard Tim speak about this model of caring for people, I remember getting goose bumps. It was exactly what I was looking for.

Part of the hurdle that we run into is trying to get people to take care of themselves now. One of the mantras from Tim Takacs is “spend your money now to take care of yourself now.” It is really a profound statement. By taking care of yourself and spending money now, you live a much more healthy life. You live in better accommodations. You avoid, reduce or eliminate some of the aging issues. You become less of a burden on yourself. In the long run, you will even save your resources by eliminating or reducing your time in long term care.

This is contrary to a lot of the upbringings of many of my clients. They grew up with the mentality to save for a rainy day; put all of the money into the farm; provide for later generations. It was even, put away money through insurance in case something bad happened.

It is really important that we take care of ourselves now. Sometimes that means investing in something that pays back to needed dividends: Take care of yourself. Buy the new bed. Go to the doctor. Get some type of plan in place. Access and allow assistance that keeps you out of the nursing home.

Through Tim’s model of life care planning, it has been my joy to work with families in helping them take care of themselves now, so that they can stay as independent as possible.

Let me go back to Andy’s patient. I do not remember exactly what happened, but eventually the gentleman ended up in a nursing home due to back related issues. I do not recall if he broke a hip or what, but I know at some point he was unable to stay at home any longer. Andy was disappointed because he really felt like if he would have just taken care of himself, he could have stayed at home much longer.

The irony is that after the gentleman died, we found out that he was worth over a million dollars. For whatever reason, he would not shell out just a little bit of money to get a new bed and take care of himself. As a result, his time in the nursing home came earlier and was longer than necessary.

Do not forget, now is the time to spend money on yourself to take care of yourself now.

Randy Clinkscales of Clinkscales Elder Law Practice, PA, Hays, Kansas, is an elder care attorney, practicing in western Kansas. To contact him, please send an email to [email protected]. Disclaimer: The information in the column is for general information purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Each case is different and outcomes depend on the fact of each case and the then applicable law. For specific questions, you should contact a qualified attorney.

This is what’s being called “food dumping.” Like most people, I’ve been guilty of food dumping, and I’ve also been the victim.

Food dumping is when you bring party leftovers, unwanted food gifts or holiday treats into the office break room. No matter why it’s there, it seems most office break rooms are filled with food this time of year.

First, I guess we should congratulate my friend’s co-worker and all “food dumpers” for realizing that they really don’t need all that extra food sitting around their house. But this doesn’t encourage or help anyone in the office to eat more healthfully.

OK, I don’t want to be a real humbug about this and say that no one should have special holiday goodies. Being realistic, I know it’s going to happen. What can you do if you really are trying to be more healthy this time of year?

Here are a couple of thoughts to help you take control of the situation:

• Encourage a “no dumping” policy at the office. If people do want to share special recipes or treat, perhaps set up a schedule or calendar of when each person or department is welcomed to bring something. This may eliminate the overflowing trays and possible waste.

• Out of sight and out of mind. If coworkers must bring candies and cookies, ask that they be covered in an opaque container.

• If the snacks and goodies sitting around the break room are just too tempting for you, control your own behavior by trying to avoid that room altogether.

• If your co-workers aren’t on board, at least you can control your office and your desk. Have healthy snacks in your desk so you won’t be starved and tempted when you see a large plate of treats hanging out by the copier.

• Start your day off right with a healthy breakfast so you won’t be as tempted as you might be when you head for the second cup of coffee. Keep the breakfast light and healthy so if you do want to snack there will be a place for it in your healthy diet.

• Keep a pair of exercise shoes in the office to take walking breaks.

One more thing, I couldn’t let the idea of food sitting around go without mentioning some food safety issues:

Perishable foods should be kept at room temperature for no more than two hours. If it’s out longer than that the food should be pitched.

Label foods with ingredients—especially nuts and gluten—for those with allergies and intolerances.

Label foods with dates, too. This will eliminate “mystery foods” in a couple of days. Most perishable items, even when kept properly refrigerated, should be tossed after four days.

There may be other options instead of food dumping. Could you share food gifts with charitable institutions, senior centers or assistance centers that may not have any treats? Unfortunately, due to food safety issues, many may not be able to accept homemade or opened food items.

If all else fails, spread the cheer throughout the year. Consider which break room foods would freeze well for later when they can be appreciated and enjoyed.

Linda K. Beech is Cottonwood District Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences.

Courtesy of DaveRamsey.com

Do you ever feel like you’re in a chronic cash crunch? That can put a real damper on your days, and take the hope and expectation out of a new year.

But if money tops your list of New Year’s resolutions, you’re in luck! Research shows you’re on the road to success. According to Fidelity Investments, 56 percent of people who resolved to improve their finances last year did just that. Better yet, 83 percent said last year’s financial resolution is an ongoing event instead of a one-time goal. Who knew change could be so exciting?

Put those resolutions into action — and get a leg up on your happy New Year — with these five money hacks.

1. Use Cold, Hard Cash
Lots of folks choose plastic over cash for everyday purchases, and research shows that can lead you to spend more. Why? According to a Journal of Experimental Psychology study, parting with cash really is sweet sorrow. Plastic simply doesn’t tug at your emotional strings in quite the same way.
So, put a little more pain back into your purchases. Use envelopes to divvy your dollars up across everyday budget categories. You might have one for groceries, restaurants, entertainment, clothing, and pocket money.

On payday, fill your envelopes with the cash you budgeted for each category. When an envelope’s empty, the spending stops for that category until your next paycheck. It’s that simple!

2. Give Impulse Buys a 30-day Notice
You went to the store for one thing, and somehow ended up with a cart full of stuff. Sound familiar? If so, join the crowd. A recent study found five in six Americans are impulse shoppers.

We all know it pays to sleep on a big money decision overnight. But what about smaller purchases that crop up throughout the month? Why not add them to your wish list and wait 30 days? That gives you a chance to work them into next month’s budget. And who knows? That can’t-live-without item you had your eye on just might be on sale by then.

3. Ignore Interest Rates when Paying Down Debt
Want to put a big dent in your debt this year? You might be tempted to grab debt by the jugular, and attack the biggest interest rate first. But it takes more than math to win. According to Fidelity, the number one reason people stick to a money resolution is because they’re encouraged by their progress.
That’s where the debt snowball comes in. Here’s how it works: List your debts in order by outstanding balance, and attack the smallest one first. Once you knock it out, roll that cash over to your next debt, working your way up to the biggest of the bunch. You’ll build momentum — and motivation—as you watch your debts disappear and your cash grow!

4. Go Roth with Your 401(k)
These days, most full-time workers have access to a 401(k) through their employer. This is a great way to save for retirement, because it enables you to make pre-tax contributions for your future.

What you may not know is many employers offer a Roth 401(k) option, too. According to a Willis Towers Watson study, 54 percent of large and midsize companies do, yet only 10 percent of employees take advantage. That means lots of folks are missing out on tax-free growth.

And now, any pretax match dollars your employer puts in can be converted to a Roth. That’s means even more opportunity for tax-free growth. Just keep in mind that you do have to pay taxes on any money you convert. An investing professional can show you how it works, so you can weigh your options and choose the strategy that’s right for you.

5. Take Advantage of Free Financial Education
It’s no secret that money issues can cause big-time stress. According to the American Psychological Association, 72 percent of adults worry about money, and 32 percent say money woes stand between them and a healthy lifestyle.

This stress can distract you on the job, too. It’s hard to get work done when you’re preoccupied with money problems. No wonder almost 90 percent of employers surveyed by Aon Hewitt had considered implementing a financial wellness program.

If your company offers this benefit, don’t miss out. It’s a great way to learn how to manage your money, and plan for the future. That’s something everyone can feel good about!

—Used with permission from DaveRamsey.com

That income tax increase we’ll be mailing into the state on April 17—the deadline for the current tax year—was, remember, just a stutter-step, in which the full income tax increase was trimmed just a bit below the rates you’ll pay for the year starting Jan. 1.

That stutter-step? Well, the three brackets (up from the two brackets of the discarded Brownback tax plan of 2012) for marrieds-filing-jointly are:

• With $30,000 or less in taxable income, 2.9% for this tax year and 3.10% for tax year 2018.
• With $30,000 to $60,000, 4.9% for the current tax year and 5.25% for tax year 2018.
• With more than $60,000, 5.2% for this tax year and 5.7% for tax year 2018 and after.

Yes, that second year, which starts just after you’ve downed the New Year’s Eve toast and officially stepped into 2018, sees rate increases that are predicted to boost this year’s $591 million in tax revenue to $633 million.

Now, the nice thing about New Year’s Eve parties is that nobody except probably accountants are doing much in the way of calculation. Just having a good time.

But that party where we celebrate the tax increases being over probably isn’t going to last, largely because the Kansas Supreme Court tossed out as unconstitutional this year’s new school finance bill, ruling that it doesn’t send enough money to public K-12 schools to guarantee schoolchildren from border to border access to a good education at roughly the same expenditure per pupil.

The court didn’t put a pricetag on just what it will cost to meet that adequate standard on school finance, but few wandering the Statehouse corridors are expecting a pricetag of less than $400 million to $600 million. The real issue appears to be whether the Legislature can boost that funding in just one year, or whether the court will approve a maybe two-year phase in of that additional money which the state doesn’t have…

Which, of course, opens that Pandora’s box of just where the money would come from, or, more politically accurately, from whom that money would come.

There are those among us whose scalps can reflect sunlight glare into others’ eyes who believe that those folks who pay for haircuts probably aren’t paying enough. Or those who wonder why farmers don’t pay sales tax on those giant air-conditioned tractors they buy. Or why tax accountants can’t figure how to collect sales tax on their work product.

Now, of course, the state could cut spending on nearly everything else to free up money for a boost to schools, but then what do you want to cut? Not many pretty choices there, are there?

But there are some new numbers for potential tax increases to boost revenues, and they become part of the discussion to raise more money.

Interested in a little more income tax? Raising the rates that will be in effect on Jan. 1 (3.10 percent, 5.25 percent and 5.70 percent) by 0.75 percent (to 3.85 percent, 6 percent and 6.45 percent) would likely raise about $613 million.

That simple? Well, the mathematics are simple, but running for re-election after two years of income tax increases? Pretty tough.

Raising the sales tax? Well, you can do the math if a 0.1 percent increase—from 6.5 percent to 6.6 percent raises about $46 million—just pencil out how much you want…

Something to think about at that New Year’s Eve party…

Syndicated by Hawver News Company LLC of Topeka; Martin Hawver is publisher of Hawver’s Capitol Report—to learn more about this nonpartisan statewide political news service, visit the website at www.hawvernews.com