The newest Senate Republican attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act will cut government funding for health care, give states responsibility for spending that smaller amount, and hope that states will figure out how to deliver better results at lower prices.

The record of Kansas state government during the Brownback tax cut “experiment” of the past five years is a cautionary tale for those hoping states will deliver us from our current national health care difficulties.

The Graham-Cassidy bill that is progressing toward a vote before the Sep. 30 budget deadline, along with shifting Medicaid funding between states and relaxing federal regulations on health insurers, converts Medicaid into a block grant by state. Combined with changes in the formula for calculating Medicaid spending, the long-term effect will be to give states more responsibility for the health care of their citizens, with dramatically less money.

The bill’s supporters claim that states will find new and improved ways to deliver health care if given control of the new, cheaper version of Medicaid. Knowledge of local conditions, combined with a push provided by reduced funding, would then lead to better care at lower prices.
While Republicans in Washington are considering this approach to cut federal health care spending, Kansas conservative Republicans created a similar situation as the result of massive cuts to corporate and individual income taxes in 2012 and 2013.

This reduction in state revenue forced state agencies and local public schools to attempt to “do more with less,” and find efficiencies and innovative policies that would deliver better outcomes at lower costs.

Did Kansas state government succeed in this attempt? The voters of Kansas certainly don’t think so. They replaced dozens of Brownback-supporting state legislators with moderate Republicans and Democrats. Public schools are just now recovering from the Topeka-initiated budget cuts, and state government continues to be unable to perform basic functions like maintain computer interfaces for social services and maintain order at prisons.

If merely cutting funding doesn’t motivate states to deliver better services, then possibly shifting Medicaid responsibility from the federal government to states might help. But this argument ignores the fact that state governments and the federal governments are run by the same class of Republican and Democratic politicians.

We can see this in our recent Kansas Governors, all of whom have served in Washington. Sam Brownback served in the U.S. House and Senate. Kathleen Sebelius moved from the governorship to being Obama’s first Secretary of Health and Human Services. Mark Parkinson now advocates in Washington for nursing homes and their residents.

If there is a fundamental problem with the people we elect in Washington, then the same problem exists in Topeka or Oklahoma City or Boston.

The Graham Cassidy bill is bad for the country because it will lead to millions of people losing their health insurance. There is no magic solution to be found in state capitals to make the hard choices go away. Making long-term cuts in Medicaid spending and shifting more responsibility to the states is merely a means of U.S. Senators and House members avoiding making the hard choices themselves.

We have seen the effects of this kind of reform here in Kansas with the Brownback tax cut experiment over the last five years, and the effects on state services do not give reason for hope for states to save us from hard choices on health care.

Neal Allen, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Wichita State University.

Sitting down together at the family dinner table may seem hard to manage with the busy lives people lead these days. However, a family meal helps create an environment where parents and children can have a conversation. And that family interaction is an important factor to protect children from the dangers of smoking, drinking and drugs.

This month, the Hays office of the Cottonwood Extension District is teaming up with Papa Murphy’s and the Hays Kiwanis Club to offer a make-and-take pizza activity to encourage families to cook and eat together. Families with young children will have the opportunity to make a pizza from provided ingredients and take home a low-cost meal to bake and enjoy together.

Family Pizza Make and Take Night will be held on Monday, September 25 from 4:15-6:15 pm at the Extension Office meeting room, 601 Main Street in Hays. (Enter the rear door from the north parking lot.) The cost is only $2.50 per pizza, with a limit of two pizzas per family. Quantities are limited, so registration is accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Register and pay fees at the Extension Office, 601 Main Street in Hays, 785-628-9430. This is an event for parents with their young children. Registration is considered complete when fees are paid.

Papa Murphy’s will donate pizza crusts for the make-and-take event and toppings are supported by funding from the Hays Kiwanis Club and Cottonwood Extension District. We’ll also provide a bag of baby carrots and a few pieces of fruit to balance your healthy family meal.

2017 marks the 10 th year of this popular event. In celebration of the 10 th anniversary, all participating families will receive a free gift to further enhance family time.

Volunteers are welcome to assist with this event. Call the Extension Office if you would like to help during one or both shifts: 4:00-5:15 pm and 5:15-6:30 pm.

The goal of Family Pizza Make and Take Night is to create awareness that regular conversations between parents and children are an important prevention tool to help safeguard Kansas youth and that family meals are an important way to regularly engage in those conversations.

Parental influence is known to be one of the most crucial factors in determining the likelihood of substance abuse by teenagers. Research done by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse consistently finds that the more often children eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs. The statistics reveal that teens who almost always eat dinner with their families are 31 percent LESS likely than the average teenager to smoke, drink or use drugs, while teens who virtually never eat dinner with their families are 72 percent MORE likely than the average teenager to use illegal drugs, alcohol and cigarettes.

Kids like to eat dinner with their families, too. When a recent survey asked teens about family meals, 84 percent said they prefer to have dinner with their families than to eat alone.

Additionally, research shows that children who eat dinner often with their families are more likely to be emotionally content, do well in school, have positive peer relationships, have lower levels of stress and be bored less often. What amazing benefits from something as simple as a family meal!

This month, parents and their young children are invited to make and take a pizza together on September 25 and think of ways to schedule more family time to talk about what’s going on in your child’s world. After all, what your kids really want at the dinner table is YOU!

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

What is the “promise?”  “Promise me that you will never put me in a nursing home.”  We hear about that promise frequently in my office.  It can even be, “my kids said they would never put me in the nursing home.”

In 2001, I took over the care of my grandmother.  We talked a lot about moving her to Kansas from Texas.  She really wanted to stay in her home (an important lesson that I learned her), and she had this saying about a nursing home.  “I know one day I am going to need to go to a nursing home.  Honey, it is okay to put me in a nursing home; I just don’t want to know about it.”  So, as long as she had cognitive abilities, she wanted to stay out of the nursing home. 

The focus of my office as a member of the Life Care Planning Law Firm Association is to help individuals stay in their home as long as possible.  There are multiple alternatives, including home care, independent living, and assisted living. 

Sometimes the nursing home may be the only alternative because of the frailty of the person. 

Many times the decision to place someone in a nursing home is thrust on us with just a moment’s notice.  While taking care of my grandmother, I had a couple of those close calls.  On one particular occasion, she had been in the hospital and the assisted living facility just did not feel like they could take her.  Luckily, we were able to work out a compromise, but I remember driving around for two days looking at nursing homes trying to decide where in the world I would feel comfortable taking my grandmother. 

Recently a family contacted us through their accountant.  Their loved one’s health had really failed and they were trying to figure out where to place that loved one.  How would they choose?

Laura Buck is one of our care coordinators.  She is also an RN that worked many years in a nursing home.  She wrote something for the client that I consider sage advice.  This is what she said about how to choose a nursing home.

“Unfortunately, it is quite difficult to make recommendations regarding placement in a nursing facility. There are many factors that should be considered when choosing a facility in order to be sure that it is a good fit for your loved one and your family.  First you must consider the current health status of the individual needing placement.  Often times placement depends on what type of health care services the individual needs. I have found that many facilities are better in some areas than in others. For example, some provide rehabilitative services, others dementia care services, some only provide long term care services, yet others provide for drop in care, so forth and so on. 

I would like to make a couple of suggestions.

1. I would suggest that the individual and their family research the facilities that they might be interested in thru the web site listed below.

           https://www.medicare.gov/nursinghomecompare/search.html?

Now, keep in mind that most of what is found on this web site link is based on paperwork, and state survey results. Unfortunately, in my experience, I have found that some of the best facilities do not always have great star ratings. Likewise some of the facilities that have the best star ratings do not always have the best care.

1. My second and likely most important recommendation would be for the individual and/or family to do a drop in visit to the facilities they are interested in. I would not suggest a call to set up an appointment. Instead, I would encourage them to just do a drop in. This way they are able to get a more accurate picture of what the facility looks like and operates like on a normal day to day basis. If an individual calls to set an appointment it allows the facility preparation time and the family will not always get an accurate representation.

During the visit they will want to take something to write on and be sure to make notes so they have them to reference later.  Below is a link from the Medicare.gov website on things to look for when doing a tour. This would be a great option to use.

           https://www.medicare.gov/files/nursing-home-checklist.pdf

1. While they are doing the tour, if they are able, encourage them to visit with the CNA and nursing staff members (not just administration). They will be primarily dealing with the nursing team on a day to day basis. Administration often provides the facility tours, but they will have limited contact with these individuals once they are living at the facility. This will give them a good sense of how they will get along with the primary care providers which is important.

1. Finally, encourage the family/client to “go with your gut”.  The client and family will know when they have picked the right facility. It sounds funny, but if it helps relate this to buying a home.  When you walk in a house, tour it, and it just feels good and fits they will know it is the right one for them.

Laura Buck RN

Care Coordinator

Sometimes “the promise” cannot be followed.  Sometimes your loved one’s care needs may be so great that they cannot be addressed in any setting other than in a nursing home.  I know it is a hard decision.  I know it is an excruciating decision. 

Let me finish with a story about my grandmother.  In 2006, I made a decision to move her to assisted living.  I went to Fort Worth to pick her up, drove her back to Hays, and found one assisted living facility that would take her.  It was a long quiet trip, riding with my grandmother who maybe for the first time was not happy with me. 

My grandmother went into the assisted living facility, and for months she would ask me, “Do you think I am well enough to go home?”  However, by being in the assisted living facility, we were able to reduce her medications (they had just grown out of control with multiple doctors in Texas).  She started taking her medications timely.  She started eating regular meals, and more importantly, she was around other people, as well as me being able to check on her on a daily basis. 

About six or so months after my grandmother moved into the assisted facility, we both realized how much better she was doing and how much happier she was.  She had regained her strength, she had regained social skills, and she had regained her happiness. 

Sometimes we as caregivers have to step in and do the difficult thing.  My heart goes out to all of you who have had to make that decision. 

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.

By EDWARD CROSS
Kansas Independent Oil & Gas Association

The economy has shifted into higher gear with President Donald Trump in the White House. Growth was just 1.6% in the last year of Obama and is now at just above 3% since the beginning of the 2nd quarter of this year. The stock market and business confidence levels point to continued optimism for the future.

Nowhere is the Trump effect more evident to date than on energy policy. President Trump has called for “American energy dominance” in the years ahead, and that is a future that is highly attainable before the end of his first term. Today, America has more than a 100-year supply of natural gas and can become independent for our crude oil needs this decade.

Federal tax reform is essential to keep the U.S. growing and will be a dominant Congressional issue the remainder of 2017. If we had a level playing field with the nations with which we compete, the 3% growth President Trump has already elevated the economy to in his first year of office, could reach 4% or more in 2018 and beyond. Tax reform will be a significant challenge for Congress in the coming months. As intense as the interest is in moving tax reform this year, achieving both a tax reform consensus and legislative consideration in the midst of the other items on the Congressional agenda will be a significant challenge.

As tax reform discussions in Washington move forward, policymakers and the public need to be aware of the key advantages available to our nation through increased domestic oil and natural gas production. Tax reform may help keep America competitive in a global marketplace, but it must be done carefully.

Contrary to what some in politics and the media have said, the oil and natural gas industry currently enjoys no unique tax credits or deductions. Since its inception, the U.S. tax code has allowed corporate tax payers the ability to recover costs and to be taxed only on net income. These cost recovery mechanisms or tax provisions, also known in policy circles as “tax expenditures”, should in no way be confused with “subsidy”, i.e., direct government spending.

Cost recovery measures for small independent oil and natural gas producers, like the percentage depletion deduction and the intangible drilling costs (IDCs) deduction, are neither subsidies nor loopholes but tax provisions critical for American independent oil and natural gas producers to sustain capital availability and formation to promote continued oil and natural gas exploration and production activity. By improving cash flow, these cost recovery measures allows American independent producers to invest more money into creating jobs and producing the energy that keeps our economy running.

Percentage depletion and IDCs are critical for capital creation for the independent oil and gas industry and increased activity by independent producers. Market-created jobs, rather than those directly created and supported by the government, is a key benefit of increased activity by independent producers. These jobs are often in rural areas of the country that are struggling for opportunity.

Recent studies show that repealing percentage depletion and IDCs would result in fewer wells drilled, fewer Americans employed, and less energy produced here in the U.S. This impact is both significant and immediate. According to studies, over 190,000 Americans would be unemployed within one year if percentage depletion and IDCs were repealed; growing to 265,000 jobs lost over a decade. The oil and natural gas industry has been hit hard over the last three years by low oil and natural gas prices. For states where independent oil and natural gas producers are responsible for the majority of production, like Kansas, repealing percentage depletion and IDCs could result in oil and natural gas production falling an additional 60% and industry workforce falling an additional 33%.

That kind of impact would be almost impossible to offset just by lowering marginal rates.

Tax reform is a complex issue that must reflect how capital is formed and recuperated if it is going to truly help and support economic growth. Tax reform that damages cost recovery measures like percentage depletion and IDCs in order to pay for lower rates could hit the brakes on America’s energy and manufacturing revolution.

The American oil and natural gas industry has the power to help our economy continue to grow. Tax reform efforts need to move in the direction of strengthening businesses of all sizes, including small businesses, putting our economy on a track for continued growth. Tax reform efforts must recognize successful tax policies currently in place and look for changes that support growth and continued investment in the U.S.

That’s the kind of bipartisan solution that’s needed in Washington today.

Edward Cross is President of the Kansas Independent Oil & Gas Association.

Indian summer heralds in a period of unseasonably warm, dry weather that sometimes occurs in the Sunflower State during autumn. Weather conditions are shaping up for sunny and clear conditions with above normal temperatures, occurring late-September to mid-November.

Indian summer is without question the best season to live in Kansas. Temperatures are milder – gone are the sweltering dog days of summer. Trees are flashing brilliant golds, reds and silvers. Stormy skies have been replaced by a deep blue backdrop overhead.

Autumn is magical for another reason. While the growing season has come to an end, harvest is moving ahead full throttle.

Like the trees, fields of grain have donned their fall colors. Red, green and silver combines chew their way through the abundant corn, milo and soybeans. Farmers are working long hours, often late into the night to bring the bounty of harvest into storage.

For farmers fall harvest is everything. Right now, bringing the crops out of the field is the only thing that matters. A half year of time, money and labor has gone into producing these crops.

Yes, autumn signals the end of a cycle. Soon the weather will turn cold. Arctic winds will sweep down from the north accompanied by sleet, freezing rain and snow. During this period, farmers will dream about spring when they can plant fall crops again.

Kansas farmers are special people. They meet our food, fuel and fiber needs. Thanks to them, we never worry about availability.

The next time you walk into your local supermarket, remember bread made from wheat comes from someone’s Kansas farm. Milk comes from carefully cared for dairy cows.

While the butcher performs a service in cutting and packaging the steak or hamburger your family eats, the Kansas rancher cares for and produces the beef. Styrofoam cartons only hold eggs that are laid by hens on farms.

Kansans and other Americans across our land remain the most fortunate people in the world. No other country can claim that so few people feed so many.

Today less than 2 percent of our nation’s population are farmers. They can supply the other 98 percent with food. They also feed people around the world.

Indian summer comes and goes far sooner than any of us would like. Try to take a trip into the country soon. As you motor through farm country, notice the fields of corn, milo and soybeans. Look at the cattle, hogs and sheep grazing the pastures. Don’t forget the Kansas farmer who helps feed you and your family.

John Schlageck is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas. Born and raised on a diversified farm in northwestern Kansas, his writing reflects a lifetime of experience, knowledge and passion.

Beginning Fall 2018, the California State University system’s 23 campuses will remove algebra as a requirement for entering students who are not studying math or science-related careers. Students can take business math or other simple applied math, but the California leadership has decided that algebra is something that college students do not need to learn unless they are pursuing a STEM curriculum.

After all, just how many non-science jobs actually use a2 + b2 = c2 math? But that is the wrong question. We learn many complex concepts not necessarily to use them later in life, but because they change the way we look at the world and the world’s problems.

Let’s back up and start with just addition and subtraction. Why not just stop there? Why learn multiplication and division? You can actually multiply by repeatedly adding. And you can try to divide by making many attempts at subtraction. But it is slow and inefficient. But once you multiply or divide, those concepts of multiplying and dividing affect how you will forever envision building up groups, or dividing them, even when if you use a calculator and no longer do the math yourself.

In a similar way, algebra gives you a new way to look at the world, even if you forget your class time spent doing actual a2 + b2 = c2 math problems. Once having successfully done algebra, you carry with you the overall idea that two factors can vary together, that one can increase causing another to change in an orderly way. And this overall new understanding remains even after you forget how to do the algebraic formula.

You have moved beyond the 1 + 1 = 2 simple math. But for those who never learned to work algebra problems: they don’t know that they don’t know. And a part of the world remains a mystery they cannot solve.

This extends into geometry and geometry proofs. All of us have to deal with the relationships between shapes and sizes. Geometry assists us in dealing with measurements and the relationships of angles and surfaces. But most of all, it changes how we see the world. And again, for those who never worked through geometry, their mindset remains simple. And this world remains unknown.

And so we come to calculus. Consider that you have a limited amount of fencing and you want the largest area that you can contain with that length of fence. Should you make a long narrow area? A circle? A square? That is a problem that algebra and geometry cannot solve. It takes calculus. And again, the amazing part of learning calculus is that later in life, although you have forgotten how to do it, it has still permanently changed how you look at the world.

But the student who has never worked algebra or geometry or calculus goes through the world with an empty toolbox that is barely above counting on their fingers. They certainly will not be pursing science or engineering. But they are also blind to seeing how there is a world that can be measured and manipulated with these math tools.

So it is very important for artists and historians and other folks in the non-sciences to have sampled some higher mathematical reasoning. Even though they forget the introductory mechanics of algebra, geometry and calculus, they now know the world can be understood.

Many professionals in the humanities and other non-science fields have stated that having learned calculus forever changed the way they see the world.

However, I can rarely convince a person who has never studied a foreign language of the value of speaking a second language. And for the same reason, I suspect that many of those making the decision to remove algebra in the California State University system most likely never took higher math.

Meanwhile, I will arrive in China in less than two weeks. Their response to our removing algebra as a college requirement—and it is now being discussed here nationwide—will first be one of disbelief, and then a realization that our U.S. educational leaders are making a conscious decision to reduce the future math literacy of our general population.

John Richard Schrock is a professor at Emporia State University.

Average pump price drops to $2.40 in Kansas; national average falls five cents to $2.62

TOPEKA – Kansas is among the majority of states across America with declining gas prices this week, as the nation’s gasoline supply and distribution continues to recover after hurricanes Irma and Harvey. Kansas’ average price at the pump dropped five cents this week to an average of $2.40 a gallon, the sixth lowest state average in the country, reports AAA Kansas. This week’s five-cent drop follows last week’s four-cent gas price decline. The state’s average per-gallon price is 22 cents less than the national average.

This week’s Kansas cities with the state’s gas price extremes are:
HIGH: Glen Elder (Mitchell County) – $2.70
LOW: Waverly (Coffey County) – $2.21

According to AAA Kansas, Wichita, with a $2.31/gallon pump prices ranks as the 12th lowest metro area in the nation. Of the 10 Kansas cities regularly highlighted by AAA Kansas (see chart below), all of their gas prices fell in the past week, except Emporia ($2.48), which saw a two-cent increase. Salina (-12 cents), Lawrence (-10) and Wichita (-8) led the way with the largest price declines.

National Perspective
As South and Southeast states recover from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, motorists in 45 U.S. states are paying less for a gallon of gas on the week. At $2.62, today’s national gas price average is the cheapest in 14 days and five cents less than last week.

“Gas prices are dropping as the situation with refineries, pipelines and gasoline deliveries is positively progressing,” said Jennifer Haugh, AAA Kansas spokesperson. “It looks like pump prices will continue on this declining trend into the coming weeks as the regions affected by Irma and Harvey resume normal operations.”

Midwest motorists are benefiting the most with a few states – Indiana, Michigan and Ohio – seeing gas prices plummet by the double-digits inside of seven days. Meanwhile, some states in the West Coast and Rockies are seeing gas prices increase.

As gas prices drop for the majority of the country, so does the nation’s gasoline inventory. The latest Energy Information Administration (EIA) report identifies the latest draw of 8.4 million bbl as the highest on record, much of which can be attributed to motorist fueling up in the droves in anticipation of Hurricane Irma.

“Next week’s EIA report may bring another record-demand level as a continued result of Irma, but demand is expected to sharply decline across the country by the end of September,” added AAA Kansas’ Haugh.

Florida Gas Supply & Gulf Coast Refineries
Last week, at $2.73, Florida’s saw its highest gas prices since December 2014. The spike came as many gas stations faced outages as power was down and roads impassable. The good news is that in the last seven days, the state’s average has shaved off one cent. In addition, ports are open and receiving steady streams of tanker shipments as state officials continue to work with gasoline trucker and shippers to ensure timely delivery of product to retail stations. Reports indicate that the gas station gasoline outage situation is improving as stations receive deliveries.

Similarly, positive progress is being seen in the Gulf Coast. According to the Department of Energy, a total of six Gulf Coast refineries are operating at reduced rates, which is one more refinery than last week. These six facilities make-up 13 percent of refining capacity in the U.S. Five refineries continue to operate at reduced rates and three remain shut down, which represents a total of 10 percent of U.S. refining capacity.

It will likely be a few more weeks before the regions affected by Irma and Harvey are back to normal operations.

Great Lakes and Central States Report
The Midwest and Central states are seeing some of the largest declines in gas prices: Indiana (-18 cents), Michigan (-15 cent), Ohio (-11 cents), Illinois (-10 cents), Kentucky (-10 cents), Missouri (-7 cents) and Wisconsin (-7 cents). The region is also selling some of the cheapest gas in the country: Missouri ($2.34), Ohio ($2.37), Kansas ($2.40) and Indiana ($2.41). Parts of the region saw gas prices spike alongside Harvey hitting the Gulf Coast. However, with pipelines resuming operations as of late, motorists are seeing gas prices tumble. As we move into fall and gasoline demand drops-off, gas prices could reach the lowest of 2017.

You gotta wonder just how this Tyson chicken processing plant uproar is going to spread to the Kansas Legislature next session, when lawmakers who desperately want more jobs in Kansas and more markets for Kansas goods are going to face rejection of one of the biggest eco-devo moves the state has seen in a while.

It just got more complicated Monday morning (Sept. 18) when the Leavenworth County Commission voted 2-1 to rescind a proposed industrial revenue bond issue that would have firmed up financing of the $320 million new chicken processing (well, more like chicken dismantling) plant. Oh, and that county action came after a big rally last weekend against the plant south of Tonganoxie in Leavenworth County—near but not in tony Lawrence in Douglas County and, well, upscale Johnson County.

The plant’s future may or may not hinge on Tyson’s ability to receive (extort?) that bond issue which triggers other tax breaks that would build the plant that might create up to 1,600 jobs.

Now, how often does the state get a deal like that? Jobs, construction, and a market for scores of chicken plucking-related jobs and services. For a governor, and essentially a state government, that is searching for jobs for Kansans to grow the state, it doesn’t get much better.

Of course, the vast majority of those jobs are going to be relatively low-paying. But they’re jobs, and will at some point produce revenue for the state and hand farmers a new use for their land, essentially becoming child-care workers for chickens.

The locals weren’t enthusiastic, because they believe that the negotiations for the plant have been secret or because they might live down-wind or down-stream from the plant or because, well, it’s just not what they are used to in the cattle-heavy ag community of northeast Kansas.

The Leavenworth County Commission? Is that bond issue vote the end of it? Probably not. At some point, you have to figure that the Legislature, or at least the Kansas Department of Commerce, is going to get involved. And so far, the three lawmakers who ginned up a public rally to talk about the deal all agreed they don’t want the plant in or near their legislative districts.

But…that is a lot of jobs and who doesn’t get a warm, comforting feeling from being able to open the refrigerator door and see a couple pounds of chicken wings vacuum-packed by Kansans on the shelf?

So far, the county commission’s vote appears to be based on “local control.” And for many lawmakers, “local control,” which up to now has generally meant local units of government pay for something that the state won’t pay for anymore, has become a political mantra.

Is there a point where that “local control” is ignored by the state? Or just pecked at until it can be averted when a certain number of jobs is offered? Will some decide either to figure a way to override the Leavenworth officials, while other lawmakers start figuring how to herd that flock of jobs to other legislative districts…

It’s the jobs, and whatever mechanics the state needs to use to get them to Kansas, probably by offering up some alternative finance/bond deal that essentially leaves the local officials to consider the smaller issue of maybe just plowing the road to and from the chicken plant.

Best bet? We haven’t heard the last cluck on this one yet…

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.

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Addressing the impacts of climate change on public health is an important piece of building resilient communities.

The American Public Health Association (APHA) declared 2017 the Year of Climate and Health. As an APHA Gold Change Champion, the Climate and Energy Project (CEP) is asking the question, “how can we best engage Kansans in the climate and health dialog, while maintaining our solutions-based approach?”

Help us find the answers. Host a Forum on Climate + Health in your community!

In August, CEP partnered with the League of Women Voters of Johnson County for a community dialog on climate change and health. More than 30 people learned about the issues and explored ways to start the conversation with others. Balancing information and conversation, CEP presented an overview on climate change in Kansas, health impacts, and the impacts on vulnerable populations. True to our optimistic spirit, CEP ended the presentation with a list of our top ten reasons for hope.

Trusted public health organizations from the Centers for Disease Control to the American Lung Association have issued statements on the impacts of climate on health and the urgency addressing the problems. Health is a great way to start a discussion about climate change.

In addition to sharing resources, CEP encouraged participants to explore multiple interpretations on climate resilience and health. The event concluded with a brief workshop on effective climate communications for diverse audiences. Here’s what some of the participants had to say:

• The information, and the way it was presented, was very engaging.
• I’ve been talking about this for 15 years and now I have a better way to talk about it.
• It was so informative, I learned things I had no idea were going on, and I was amazed at how many people can come together on this topic from different areas of interest.

How do you talk about climate and health? Join the conversation! As part of our Kansas WEALTH work, CEP will offer similar workshops across the state. If you would like to host a climate and health dialogue – or if you want to see one in your community – please sign up here or go to http://tinyurl.com/ClimateHealthForum.

Rachel Myslivy is program director of the Climate & Energy Project in Hutchinson.

So, the Hays city commission wants economic development.

Where were they when four wind farms tried to land in Ellis County? They sat on their hands and actually sympathized with half-baked college professors and oil patch rich cats’ opposition.

We could have had $100,000’s in lieu of taxes revenue flowing into the coffers of the county tax supported institutions. There would have been even more money flowing into the retail sector through direct payments to property owners in the wind farms.

Solution? Contact the companies such as NextEra or Iberdrola, apologize, promise support and cooperation. Tell them Hays and Ellis County is open for business. Then form a united front with other governmental units to promote projects.

Harold G. Kraus, Ellis County

I’ll eat a thick, choice rib-eye steak hot off the grill any time. Make sure it has all the fixings – baked potatoes, steamed green beans, salad, fresh bread and a chilled gin martini.

I also like a home-cooked omelet with my Sunday morning paper. You know the kind, three eggs filled with sautéed mushrooms, diced red peppers and onions, cheddar cheese, wheat toast with a couple strips of bacon on the side and a tall glass of cold milk.

And dessert, who doesn’t enjoy a piping-hot piece of apple pie with ice cream?

You can’t beat great food, prepared right. There’s nothing like it.

That’s why it’s so hard to stomach hearing about the many ways our Kansas and American farmers and ranchers are scrutinized today. Still, every year we expect farmers and ranchers to grow more and more food with less land. Every year they do so.

Attacks and smear tactics originate from all sides. Environmental groups, animal welfare activists, everyone seems to have their own agenda and the media just can’t seem to tell the whole tale.

That’s the reason we in agriculture must tell our story. Consumers are people and people forget.

They forget our farmers and livestock producers make sure we eat the healthiest, most affordable food on the planet. These producers also take care of their livestock because it’s the right thing to do. It is part of a farmer and rancher’s values that embody everything they do.

And what about the Human Society of the United States (HSUS) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) who contend they’re leading the charge to “step up for animal welfare.”

In case you haven’t heard, HSUS has one goal and one goal only – the total elimination of all animal agriculture in this country. Go to their website and check it out. HSUS wants to remove meat, milk and eggs from the human diet, yours and mine.

Most Americans have never lived or worked on a farm. Still they retain nostalgic visions of their grandparents or great-grandparents’ farms.

You know the story where these farmers and ranchers of old grew their own vegetables, milked a few cows, raised pigs for bacon, ham and pork chops and cared for a couple dozen chickens who laid eggs in an old white wooden chicken coop.

Like a lot of things from the past, nostalgia might appear to be better than it really was. Many of our grandparents were barely able to eke out a living while raising a large family.

The days of yesteryear on the farm took a lot of hard work from sunup to sundown. Many still went hungry or broke and times were lean.

Today’s animal husbandry, or care and feeding of livestock, is no accident. Rather, it’s because of the dedicated men, women and children who raise and care for this state’s livestock. For generations, Kansas farmers and ranchers have watched over and nurtured cattle, hogs, sheep, chickens and other livestock each and every day.

The more comfortable these animal producers make their animals, the more productive they’re going to be and the better opportunity they’ll have to make a profit.

The health and welfare of livestock trumps everything else on the farm, even a producer’s own comfort. That’s been the recipe for success for nearly 150 years and with any luck it’ll be the same for another 150 years.

Oh, did I mention?

I’ll be grilling a thick, juicy ribeye tonight – medium rare.

John Schlageck is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas.