By EDWARD CROSS
Kansas Independent Oil & Gas Association

During the give and take of public discourse, few truly stop to think how absolutely essential oil and natural gas are to our lives, to our prosperity and security, and to our future. Oil and natural gas are the foundation of our energy-dependent economy. They profoundly affect how we live and work. They are key to our mobility, to keeping our homes and businesses warm, to providing us with electric power, and to supplying the raw materials for countless consumer and industrial products.

The energy policy choices our nation makes today are among the most important and far-reaching policy decisions we will make in the 21st century. If we are to continue our nation’s positive energy trends, we must implement energy policies based on current reality and our potential as an energy leader, not political ideologies or the wishes of professional environmental groups. American energy policy should focus on what’s important: American jobs, American energy security, and American global energy leadership.

President Trump and the new 115th Congress can move forward and build upon our nation’s new era of energy abundance, self-determination, and global leadership, or take a step back to an era of scarcity, dependence, and uncertainty.

The good news is we know how to lead the world in oil and natural gas production. And we have a potent ally, the American voter.

The 2016 election sent a clear message. Voters want and expect change. Political candidates who had a vision of increased consumer costs, lower standard of living, and economic de-growth were soundly rejected by voters. That is great news for a nation where economic recovery has been very slow. Election polls of actual voters showed that the American voter clearly want policymakers to set aside outdated assumptions and partisan talking points and work together on safe, responsible, and fact-based energy policy that grows our economy, creates well-paying jobs, and maintains our nation’s global energy leadership.

The polls found that 80% of voters support increased development of U.S. oil and natural gas resources including 71% of Democrats, 94% of Republicans, and 76% of Independents. In addition, 72% oppose higher taxes that could decrease investment in energy production and reduce energy development, including 62% of Democrats, 86% of Republicans, and 70% of Independents.

Further, the polls found that the American voter rejects the false choice offered by some between growing the economy and producing and using more energy and a cleaner environment. Specifically, 77% of voters support oil and natural gas’ role in reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

The American voter’s support for increased domestic energy development and smarter energy policies is a reflection of their understanding of the fundamental role of affordable, abundant, and reliable energy to modern life. Pro-development energy policies enjoy strong support across party lines because the benefits of American energy development makes a positive difference to all of our lives every day.

Voters’ clearly expect their elected leaders to place what’s best for our state and nation’s economy and energy future above partisan ideology and political posturing. I strongly believe that the American people need and want moral, intellectual, and strategic clarity and courage from our policymakers.

The Trump Administration and the new Congress have a unique opportunity to find solutions for many of today’s most prominent issues such as creating middle class jobs, ensuring affordable and reliable energy for consumers, and enhancing our national security. And for all of these goals, and more, the 21st century American energy renaissance offers a solution.

A growing world population with a growing demand for energy is why energy experts, economists and government agencies around the world, including the U.S. government’s own Energy Information Administration (EIA), estimates that fossil fuels will continue to provide most of the U.S. and world energy needs far into the future. According to EIA projections, oil and natural gas will supply nearly 60% of U.S. energy needs by 2040.

Worldwide energy consumption will increase 48% by 2040, and 78% of that energy consumption will be met by fossil fuels. The world will need more energy in the future and oil and natural gas are poised to be the primary sources for that energy for decades to come.

Beyond consumption we continue to make and pursue advancements in energy efficiency. A recent EIA study indicated the U.S. used 15% less energy and emitted 23% fewer energy-related CO2 emissions in 2015 than in 2005.

From 2000-2012, the oil and gas industry spent more on low and zero carbon technologies than the federal government and nearly as much as all other industries combined. According to the EPA, oil and gas methane emissions account for only 3.63% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Methane emissions from the oil and gas sector declined by 3.8% last year, marking the fourth consecutive year of decline.

According to the EIA, U.S. air pollutants have fallen by 70% since 1970, even as vehicle miles travelled have increased by more than 180%. Further, thanks in part to the increased use of domestic natural gas, ozone concentrations have dropped by 17% since 2000; all of which makes the U.S. not just an energy superpower, but also a global emissions reduction leader.

These are remarkable achievements in light of the many constraints imposed on the industry by regulations designed more to stifle domestic fossil fuel development than to benefit the American consumer.

The fact is our nation’s 21st century oil and gas renaissance has made domestically produced oil and natural gas economical and abundant. This market-driven success has helped our nation achieve significant emission reductions. The oil and gas industry has helped disprove, conclusively, that oil and natural gas production and environmental stewardship are not compatible.

Going forward, we need smart pro-growth energy policies. Americans support developing domestic energy resources and believe that can be done in a way protective of our environment. If our nation is to achieve energy security and maintain competitiveness and not let our standard of living slip, we need a well-reasoned, fact-based energy policy that recognizes the central role that fossil fuels will play in meeting future energy demand.

To continue to lead the world in oil and natural gas production and emissions reduction, we need tax reform solutions that don’t compromise our ability to grow the economy. And we need regulatory reforms that don’t add unnecessary layers of compliance burdens on top of existing protections.

The new Congress and the incoming Trump administration should take notice of the American energy sector’s record of success and choose a market-based approach to energy policy that is always focused on what’s best for consumers as their guiding policy principles. Policymakers should embrace our nation’s potential as a global energy leader and work to ensure that America’s 21st century oil and natural gas renaissance will continue to deliver the economic opportunity and environmental benefits for many years to come.

Going forward into 2017, policymakers at all levels should pursue energy policies that drives economic growth, lower costs for consumers, protects the environment, increases American competitiveness, and provides to our nation’s allies a reliable partner that uses it considerable energy resources as a way to lift people up. For our part, the oil and natural gas industry will continue our high standard of environmental stewardship. Responsibility lies in the activity of the industry and the manner in which the industry pursues that activity. For the oil and natural gas industry, responsibility is not additional; it is absolutely integral.

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

Governor Sam Brownback has known for months that the state budget was shockingly out of balance. He also knew he had authority to order budget cuts and bring spending in line with revenues. His failure to act has allowed red ink to balloon to $350 million this year, plus another $580 million in the fiscal year that begins July 1.

The governor’s latest financial ploys unveiled this week include an astounding mishmash of desperate maneuvers. Two of these standout in pushing the state deeper into unprecedented debt.

First, the governor proposes to borrow $530 million from private investors and in return hand over to them for 30 years the proceeds from the tobacco settlement of 1999. This drastic maneuver would blow up the Children’s Initiatives Trust Fund and wipe out revenues dedicated to early childhood education.

Second, the governor proposes to borrow another $317 million from the pooled money investment fund and have Kansas taxpayers pay back this loan over seven years. When Kansas State Senator Carolyn McGinn, newly appointed chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, saw this scheme, she aptly observed: “It looks to me like we’re taking a pay day loan. We are borrowing against ourselves…it’s just going to put us further away from where we need to get to.”

The governor wants to force state legislators into a corner with one-time fixes—layering more long-term borrowing on top of the mountain of debt he has already amassed. Adding new debt to the existing Brownback-era debt burden would be the height of financial mismanagement.

An unvarnished look at our state’s current debt load should give legislators pause:

Under Brownback tax-supported debt has already swollen to an all-time high of $4.7 billion, a 50 percent jump in just two years. Kansas led the nation in boosting its borrowing, according to Moody’s, a respected national credit rating agency, and has now joined the top third of state borrowers that include mostly debt-happy east-coast states. By comparison, states surrounding Kansas all fall into the bottom one-fifth in debt per capita and as a percent of personal income.

This dramatic growth is due to the ill-advised issuance of record levels of pension and highway debt. Under Brownback Kansas has issued $850 million in new highway debt, but none of those funds has gone to improve roads. That amount and more were swept from the highway fund to pay for a reckless tax experiment. In its first year proceeds from the new $1 billion pension debt have fallen short of paying interest on those bonds and have not diminished the state’s $9 billion pension liability.

This debt load coupled with unsustainable state finances has resulted in multiple credit downgrades for the state as a whole and for a number of state agencies engaged in borrowing.

Paying off these debts now takes priority over vital core services—public schools, state colleges and universities, public safety, and aid to vulnerable citizens—and will continue as the top priority every year to come into mid-century, if not longer.

My message to Republican legislators: Shed the toxic Brownback brand of unbalanced budgets, unfair taxes, and historic debt. Slam the door on the governor’s one-time fixes. Repair state finances and balance the budget without more debt. Or face the music and start slashing away at state spending.

H. Edward Flentje is professor emeritus at Wichita State University.

By STEPHENE MOORE
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

For more than four years, I’ve had the responsibility – and the distinct pleasure – of overseeing the federal government’s health and social services operations in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska. I’ve seen up close the kind of impact that government programs have on local communities.

I saw the aftermath of the tornado that ripped through Joplin, Mo., and I marveled at the resilience of people who quickly set about to rebuild a devastated community. I’ve seen the quiet efforts of our environmental health staff to reduce the levels of lead in the bloodstreams of children in Iola, Kan.

And I met a St. Louis woman whose breast cancer was discovered just five months after she was able to obtain health insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace.

In each of these emergencies – both public and private – employees and programs of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services were there to help people recover.

As the Obama administration draws to a close on Jan. 20, I’ll be stepping down as HHS regional director. I’ll be leaving behind an often-unheralded staff of nearly 500 people in 10 agencies who serve the people of this region in myriad ways both large and small.

Occasionally, their work is big news, such as helping communities recover in the wake of floods or tornadoes. More often, they work with little fanfare to assess threats to public health, fund services for the disabled and confront hunger and homelessness. They work to ensure that seniors have the services and care they need to age with dignity and grace.

The department’s impact in this region is immense. It funds state and local governments, hires a wide range of small businesses and provides grants to hundreds of nonprofit agencies to improve the quality of life throughout the region.

In 2015 and 2016, HHS provided $33.35 billion in grants to organizations in this region: $16.4 billion was spent in Missouri and $5.6 billion in Kansas. Iowa organizations received nearly $8 billion, while Nebraska agencies took in $3.4 billion.

These funds make possible programs like Head Start, which gets children in disadvantaged families ready for school. These funds pay for domestic violence shelters, nutrition programs for seniors, winter heating assistance and disease prevention.

This funding also helps people stay in the workforce by making child care more affordable. It provides grants that promote responsible fatherhood, provide personal responsibility education and enforce child support orders. In recent years, these and other programs have allowed our states to make tremendous progress in combatting homelessness.

The biggest strides during my tenure with HHS have come in access to health care and health insurance. In this region, 56 community health clinics have opened since 2012, boosting the number from 345 to 401.

In Iowa, just one person in 20 lacked health insurance in 2015, a dramatic drop of nearly half since 2010. Uninsured rates in surrounding states also fell. In Nebraska, the rate was just 8.2 percent. In Kansas, the rate fell to 9.1 percent. Even Missouri’s rate came in below 10 percent.

The progress in this region is impressive. But as I travel around the region these days, I hear the same concerns expressed in small towns and big cities: What is going to happen to my Social Security? My Medicare? Will my local clinic lose its funding? What will happen to my health insurance?

Recent political rhetoric questioning the future of many programs has triggered concerns about what the future holds.

A new Congress and a new president will face a choice: Build on the progress that has been made, or take back the protections and advancements on which people depend.

Especially in regard to health insurance, residents of this region should not let the present political uncertainty discourage them from getting covered. Financial help for people of modest incomes is still in place. The law still requires insurance to cover a wide range of preventive care. And you can still keep your kids on your insurance plan until age 26.

All the programs that I’ve mentioned are part of the fabric of our nation, and until the laws are changed, they will continue to help millions of people.

As Winston Churchill said, “The future is unknowable, but the past should give us hope.”

Stephene Moore is the regional director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She serves Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska from the department’s offices in Kansas City, Mo.

I have been fortunate that my children, all adults, live close to me.  My oldest son, Josh, works in my office. My middle son, Ben, lives with us and just graduated from nursing school.  My youngest son, Dan, and his wife, Caley, live in Wichita. About a year ago, Dan started a new job with a large medical supply company. 

While I was thankful at Christmas for my good fortune of having all of my family together, I have been well aware that all of this could change – Ben could get a nursing job elsewhere, and Dan’s company could transfer him. 

I was not surprised when Dan contacted me to let me know he was interviewing with other positions with his employer that would involve moving to either New Mexico, North Carolina or Minnesota. My heart sank, but I bit my tongue. He wanted to discuss it with my wife and I.

One of the most difficult parts, for me, about the second half of life is letting go of our children. Raising my children was the best job I ever had. When they were young, I scaled back my work to coach them in soccer and to attend all of their events. 

When I was young, I played football in a small town – one where the fans and parents would park their cars around the football field.  They would watch from the hood of the cars, or if cold or rainy, from inside their cars.  When something great happened, they would all join in honking their horns in one chorus.

I can still remember my stepfather in the end-zone, acting as proud of me as if I were his own son.  He was at every event.  Just him being there was important for me. 

As I grew into adulthood, he was always there for me.  In retrospect, I admire how he would give me his advice, but would always let me know that the decisions were mine.  So, it was always important for me to be there for my kids as they grew – supporting them in good and in bad times, just as my stepfather had. 

There is a saying from a movie: “No matter how old you get, you’re always a parent”.  As we grow older, there sure is a tendency to want to do more than just “be there” for our kids.  We must fight the tendency to want to continue to manage our children as if they were still children.  I fight that myself.

Part of the second half of life is being there for our children, just as my stepfather was.  Yet, we need to let them make their own decisions, good or bad, but with our gentle advice – and always our support. 

My wife and I went to meet with Dan and Caley about their possible move.  They went through the various options, leaning more towards North Carolina.  In my head, I wanted to scream, “Don’t go”, but I had to let them do what was best for them.

Then they said, “We’re not going to do anything since WE ARE HAVING A BABY, and you’re both going to be grandparents.”

What a New Year’s surprise—our first grandchild (and I will be a “great” grandfather).

I hope your New Year is full of great surprises.  Mine sure got off on the right foot. 

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.

When I arrived overseas to teach in an American school many years ago, I switched on the television to watch any reports about the United States. Sadly the meager news that came to Hong Kong in those days was not the United States I knew. There was coverage of women’s mud wrestling and other unusual events. Otherwise, their image of Americans was drawn from the many movies that we produce and distribute worldwide. Back then, Asians thought that most Americans were cowboy ranchers or lived in cities where police had to shoot someone every day. Today, many foreign students still come here expecting that every American carries a gun.

I still travel to Asia every year. When I return, I continue to find that the U.S. news does not represent the world outside our borders. Foreign countries have improved their news media. But it is rare that we see reports that describe foreign societies, cultures and current events as the citizens of those countries see them. We rarely hear of disasters in other countries—unless an American is killed.

Of course we are all naturally more interested in events in our town than in our state. –In our state than across the country. –And in our country more than elsewhere in the world. But that is no excuse to remain ignorant of the true beliefs behind the actions of peoples in other countries. You can assert that you are international-minded because you listen to BBC radio or watch BBC news on television. But that is the British view of the world, not very different from our own narrow view. It is rare that American or British reporters actually speak the language and understand the history and culture of the foreign post to which they are assigned. They report back with American eyes and American values.

If the foreign “news” we receive is generally wrong, short of traveling abroad ourselves, how can we come to understand the actions and events in other countries? One way is to read and listen to media produced by reporters in other countries.

In magazines, a World Press Review strived to publish news from around the world with excerpts taken from the major newspapers of every major country. Sponsored by the Stanley Foundation, this magazine was published and sent to subscribers from 1974 to 2004. Since then, it remains available at Worldpress.org. But it reaches a smaller audience and a reader is locked to a screen format.

Another similar magazine, The Week, was founded in the United Kingdom in 1995 and began publishing an American edition in 2001. It is available in convenient-to-read print. The Week focuses fewer pages on world news, but still prints foreign viewpoints on most major issues in a timely manner.

The internet now makes access to the televised media produced by other countries, much in English versions. Beginning this year, Chinese Central Television (CCTV) is available online at http://www.cgtn.com/. CCTV has correspondents in every African country and produces a half-hour news show on Africa each weekday, just about the only source of news covering Africa! Of course, it is China’s view of Africa, but that is better than America’s no view at all. The Arab perspective on world events is readily available from http://www.aljazeera.com/. In both of these cases, the program hosts are mainly Westerners, some being experienced reporters you may recognize. And Russia now produces an online news site available at https://www.rt.com/.

In my specialized area of higher education, the weekly University World News provides the best overview of university developments worldwide, with editors out of South Africa and Australia.

At this point, a reader is likely to ponder the word “propaganda.” Fortunately, with our recent experience with domestic fake news and wildly divergent reporting in the U.S. media, it is obvious that misinformation is widespread across all countries and all media platforms. That makes it even more important that we examine all of the perspectives available.

To be informed citizens, we should consider our decisions as a judge considers testimony at a trial. If your opponent was allowed to testify, and then it came time to hear your side of the story and your opponent was asked to explain your side, you would not consider it a fair trial.

Today is a good time to recognize our provincialism. Today we have the technology to give all sides a fair trial.

Statehouse insiders, and probably even Kansans who don’t follow state government activity as a condition of probation, are figuring it may take two, maybe three weeks to determine whether we’re looking at a strictly political 2017 Legislature or a hold-your-nose and fix the problem session.

Now, the politics are fun, the strategies intriguing, but at some point, we must remind ourselves that we live in Kansas.

The options are relatively simple. It’s trim the budget, raise revenues (that’s the word lawmakers like to use instead of “taxes”) and still provide for the education, health, highways, public safety and such that we expect state government to take care of. Or, it’s not vote for anything unpleasant, shift the current responsibilities of state government to cities and counties, and talk about “local control.”

Frankly, at this point, nobody is sure which way the Legislature is going to go. It appears Gov. Sam Brownback is taking himself out of the picture, with a budget that was held secret until his State of the State address and his now familiar “It’s the Legislature’s responsibility to balance the budget” mantra.

So, what happens?

There’s some interest in those new legislators starting their own caucus, and since most of them were elected on the widely popular premises (a premise is just shy of a promise) they are going to put taxes back on Limited Liability Corporations (LLCs) and improve school funding, they may be key players. Or…they might decide that they are not going to get re-elected if they make some votes that will inconvenience their constituents.

That freshman caucus might make its first priority figuring out a chant or a bumper sticker that implores Kansans to disregard their votes in their first year in office, and decide on re-election based on the second year of their terms.

Politically, the other track in which the Legislature becomes sharply divided is for those newbies to decide that the returning legislators caused the problem with their votes for tax cuts, and tax hikes to fill in the hole the cuts created, and see whether voters will toss out all the experienced lawmakers. It can be done on a new/old decision by voters in two (House) and four (Senate) years. And, it will give the candidates for governor in 2018 something to campaign on.

Or, without the new/old lawmaker gambit, there’s a strictly party-line option. Now that Democrats have increased their numbers in each chamber (by a dozen in the House for a new 85R/40D count, and narrowly in the Senate, to a new 31R/9D count), Democrats could simply vote to tax LLCs and then quit voting.

Huh? Yes, there’s a political undercurrent among some Democrats that Republicans have run the state since conservative Brownback’s first term and Democrats are going to sit politely and quietly and watch Republicans fight each other to get the budget balanced.

That might make Republicans the only legislators with their DNA on the unpleasant budget fixes and tax increases needed. It would make Democrats look pretty un-involved in the business of state government, but ready to point at the Republicans for the pain needed to heal the budget. Or, of course, it also would mean Republicans take credit for fixing the budget, and, they, not Democrats, fixed things.

This 2017 can go several different ways, depending on how key players decide they want to go with it, and whether there are new members who are first interested in fixing the state and then considering, after their first jobs where someone else will buy their lunch and probably drinks, how their votes are going to look on a campaign palm card in a couple years.

We’re figuring we may be able to tell which road the Legislature will take in two or three weeks.

It’s going to take longer than figuring out whether that first date is going to lead to anything, but then, that date didn’t determine state tax policy, did it?

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

My wife and I often pass the hours spent in a hunting blind by making up animal conversations for various situations. On a fall turkey hunt years ago, we had our hunting blind set up near an old feedlot. The owner had round bales stored there and a tractor path wound around through the bales. The turkeys followed the tractor path through the bales and into the pasture surrounding the old feedlot. We put a couple hen turkey decoys just across the fence into the pasture and settled in to our blind. The resident cattle soon came to see what was up, and became enamored with the decoys.

You could almost sense their thoughts, so we named the cows Clara, Elsie, Audrey and Bessie, and imagined their conversation something like this; “They look like turkeys, but they sure don’t move much,” Clara thought starring at the decoys. Elsie added “Turkeys stink but these things smell like tractor tires or something. Let’s all run at them and see if they scatter and make those same funny noises turkeys make when we almost step on them.” Audrey weighed in “No I’m pretty sure they aren’t real turkeys – if they were they’d be eatin’ corn out of our poo right now.” Bessie said “Girls I’ve got an idea – let’s all back up and try to pee on them and see if they run like they usually do.”

Perhaps the funniest animal conversation we ever conjured up came about at an old farmstead where we hunt deer. The abandoned farmyard sits back a long lane and we park our pickup there and walk to the nearby deer blind. We know deer routinely wonder through the farmyard and around the old buildings, so we tried to imagine how they would react to our truck sitting there if they wandered through as we sat in the blind. Here’s the scene: One morning as we sit there in our deer blind, two deer, Bucky and Chloe wonder through and come upon our pickup in the drive. “See Bucky,” Chloe states “I told you I smelled them again.”

Bucky rests his chin on the hood of the pickup and replies “Yup, sure enough. Hoods still warm, they’re here somewhere.” “What duffuses,” Chloe retorts with disgust as she turns and begins to walk away. Meanwhile Bucky jumps up and sprawls out across the hood of the pickup with his front legs sticking out in front of him and his back legs out behind him, rolls his eyes back into his head and hangs his tongue out the side of his mouth. “Chloe hears the commotion, and just as she turns around Bucky calls out “Ohhhhh Chloe, they got me!” “You get off there this instant,” Chloe scolds. “That’s not funny at all anymore, especially after you got shot in the butt last season!”

The nursing/retirement home where I used to work has two dementia units and I often marveled at the strange things the residents there with dementia would say and think. Making up animal conversations may see pretty weird and even goofy, but I can only hope that filling my mind with silliness like that now will help me ramble on about silly stuff like that when I get dementia rather than being mean & nasty and cussin’ all the time!

Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at [email protected].

Voters clearly showed repudiation of Democrat agendas in the recent general election. Another way to put it is to say a total rejection of liberalism as evidenced by voting down Hillary and selecting Trump.

Hillary campaigned to continue with Obama agendas, therefore, voters turned their backs on him as well and what the man has done as president the past eight years.

Numbers speak volumes.

Trump won 304 electoral votes to Hillary’s 227. Hillary’s number is the lowest for any Democrat presidential candidate since 1988. The difference in those two numbers means a landslide victory for Trump.

Don’t be fooled by Democrats proclaiming Hillary should be president because she won the popular vote. If you throw out the votes of Los Angeles County and the city of New York, Trump wins the popular vote. Trump easily wins the popular vote looking at the other 48 states and leaving California and New York out of the picture.

If not for the Electoral College, big cities could choose our president. Kansas City, for example, voted for Hillary but she did poorly in most of fly over and rural America.

U.S. Democrat Congressman Tim Ryan, who challenged Nancy Pelosi for House minority leader, said Democrats are not even a national party anymore but a coastal one with support from big cities on both coasts. “But we have lost the support of Middle America,” he added.

Our most precious document called the U.S. Constitution has no provision for a president to gain the White House by popular vote, but does provide for selecting our president through a representative electoral process.

Besides the omission of “popular vote” for president from the Constitution the popular vote claim isn’t even a good argument considering all the numbers I present in this letter that are negative for Democrats and positive for Republicans.

Trump, for example, won 2,623 counties to only 489 for Hillary. In Kansas alone it was 103 out of 105 for Trump.

Looking at the elections of 2010, 2012, 2014 plus 2016 the Democrat Party under Obama has been decimated. Over 1,000 seats have been lost in U.S. Congress seats, governorships, and state legislature seats; an obvious repudiation of our liberal government the past eight years.

And, let’s not forget that the big one also got away from Obama with Hillary losing to Trump. A popular talk radio host says Obama has been a wrecking ball for Democrats when it comes to elections. What president can claim a successful legacy with those failures?

Trump showed his smarts by campaigning for electoral votes. Hillary again showed incompetence going after the votes in big cities where she knew she was popular.
And, wouldn’t you know it? Polls now show Trump to be even more popular than during the election.

Republicans now control 32 state legislatures. Democrats have only 13. Five are split. There are also 33 Republican governors to 16 Democrat governors with one Independent. Republicans have total control of 25 states. Democrats control only six.

The numbers speak volumes! Readers may be a bit put out by all the numbers, but keep in mind point being Trump won big and Americans want to go in an entirely different direction going forward.

Voters want a different kind of government, not liberalism, nor socialism, but clearly to the right of center after so much has gone wrong on the left.

Les Knoll lives in Victoria and Gilbert, Ariz.

Are extremists in the environmental movement really concerned about the welfare of our animals, the quality of our water and conserving our planet? Could it be they’re trying to change the world to fit their own image?
Listening to their agenda and following their actions, there is little doubt such extremists are hell-bent on eliminating animals in production agriculture.

During the last few years recent referendums like those in California, Ohio, Missouri and other states by well-funded animal rightists are taking direct aim at the rights of farmers and ranchers who raise, care for and sell farm animals.

You can bet the farm on it – environmental extremists from various groups have played a role whenever new water quality standards are proposed.

Looks like the lesser prairie chicken may once again be labeled threatened or endangered. It may just be a matter of time or continued lack of moisture in the Sunflower State – a resource vital for chickens, but more importantly humans.

Seems like the EPA continues to look at farm pesticides like atrazine to determine its effect on humans.
EPA is also looking at controlling dust on the farm and herbicide and insecticide spraying drift. Dust is part of farming, it always will be and careful spraying of crops is essential to continue producing yields necessary to feed this country and the world’s people.

Some have characterized environmental extremists as advocating a belief system close to paganism. Members of some of these groups teach that Earth is “Mother” and “She” should exist only in a natural state. They often predict an environmental doomsday.

Don’t believe them. With wise and prudent stewardship, Mother Earth can sustain man and create a desirable living environment with wholesome, abundant food for all.

Anyone with a conscience is interested in making sure our soil, water and air remain in the best condition possible. We all must eat, drink and breathe. It only makes sense to conserve our resources and preserve the environment in which we live.

Not only do some of these zealots want to tell us how to use the land, they want to take it too. They would like to see the federal government buy land then allow individuals to use such property.

Our government has always managed land in a trust relationship for all the people of our country. Not all the federally managed land is in the best condition. Plenty of questions remain unanswered concerning wildfires burning hundreds of thousands of acres in the hot, dry West.

For several years now, a movement has been afoot to take government controlled land back into private ownership. This same trend seems to be happening in other places around the globe.

There is no way government can take better care of the land than individual owners. Individuals with a vested interest in property will always care for it better than people who have no ownership.

Landowners object to people who wave the environmental flag, then call upon the federal government to secure tracts of land for them without payment. To ask for land without payment is no better than thievery.
These groups should have to pay in the marketplace like everyone else. Once they are required to buy their land, they must find ways to offset the costs that come with ownership.

Without a doubt, most people in this country are tired of government interfering with them. We, as Americans, should take back our government from the politicians and bureaucrats. But to do so, this means we must participate in the process – if we aren’t already doing so.

The struggle to maintain our freedoms and safeguard our property continues. We must persevere.

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

The Hays City Commission is exploring the possibility of allowing Sunday liquor sales in Hays. What do YOU think?

[polldaddy poll=9631184]

 Doldrums is a mariner’s term for windless conditions that becalm sailing vessels. For many, icy Januaries trigger a metaphorical emotional state. To help the winter-bound outlast every new year’s first two months, weather-induced blahs require creative solutions.

A friend inadvertently brightened this normally dreary season when she gifted me a copy of our church’s 1971 cookbook. Afterwards, I spent hours examining old recipes and familiarizing myself with  cooking preferences of women I’ve recently met as well as their mother’s who’ve passed. In short time, wimpy spirits vanished. Instead of longing for spring, exploring new ingredients and ways to cook familiar ones energized me. 

Decades ago, churchwomen in Meade gave me my very first hometown cookbook as a shower gift. Sorting through it to plan meals for my new husband taught me much about these friends’ culinary practices. In addition to following their instructions to bake irresistible breads and savory casseroles, I discovered a sour cream blackberry pie so delicious family still requests it at holidays.  

Over time, my collection multiplied. Favorites include worn books with spidery handwriting noting someone’s Aunt Gertie’s favorite meatloaf and similar comments. Despite loving these tried and true treasures, I don’t ignore brand new editions full of gastronomic delights.

I find amazing batter-spattered texts while attending garage sales and auctions. Online ads offer the best avenue to seek specific titles. It took patience to find an out-of-print People Chow copy, but one eventually turned up. Newspaper ads and church bulletins highlight newcomers hot off the press.

Local collections display favorite regional foods with recipes unique to ethnic settlements. Area books frequently include instructions for making homemade sauerkraut, pickled chicken feet, blood sausage, or bean and noodle soup. A treasure I bought in Wilson contains familiar bierock recipes but also suggests a half-dozen ways to make kolaches and tomato noodles unique to Bohemian cooks.

A New Mexico purchase intrigued me with recipes requiring beef stomach as well as 1000 uses for red and green chilies. An addition from a mining town in Idaho offers pasty (not pastry) recipes to make meat pies that miners carried to work inside the nearby mountain. It’s also clear that huckleberries are the fruit of choice for jelly and pie makers in that town.

Speaking of fruits, few prairie cookbooks fail to include more than one way to make sandhill plum and chokecherry jellies or fruit leathers. Cooks can also find guidelines to prepare pheasant, venison, and occasionally raccoon, possum, or rattlesnake. Good local cookbooks explain how to make indigenous ingredients edible.

Ironically, recipe ingredients may be the same from one town to another, but titles can vary. A nearby village listed the same ingredients and instructions for concocting a dish residents called party potatoes. A burg down the road labeled the same item funeral potatoes. Guess it relates to when you eat it.

For a month that began uninspired, it’s a wonderland of possibility now. More than a dozen new recipes beckon. First, I’ll explore a locally favorite butterhorn roll formula. The tidy note written next to a previous owner’s favorite promises “A delicious batter for sweet rolls as well as dinner rolls.” I can’t wait to find out.

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.

Spending money on your vehicle can always be an adventure. Whether it’s car payments, repairs or insurance, getting a handle on your expenses can be a daunting task at times.

To assist with the insurance portion of that task, our staff at the Kansas Insurance Department has several good tips for saving money on your vehicles.

• Maintain a good driving record. Companies charge safe drivers (those free of at-fault accidents or violations for a certain period of time) lower premiums for auto insurance.
• Shop around. Compare prices for identical coverage categories and dates of coverage. If you don’t understand the language regarding the insurance, contact your local insurance agent, or review our “Kansas Auto Insurance and Shopper’s Guide” publication online at www.ksinsurance.org.

A good example of the benefits of shopping around occurred recently to one of our department employees. The staff member recently told me that his long-time insurance company was significantly raising his premium. He called an agent from another company (one that already provided the staffer’s homeowners insurance). The agent was able to get the staffer a lower rate for the same coverage, as well as reducing the overall cost under a multi-line policy. Our staff member was pleased, to say the least.

• Consider raising your deductible. Review your current deductibles for comprehensive and collision coverage. If you can absorb a larger out-of-pocket payment in the event of an accident, raise your deductible. But, if you have a lien on the vehicle, check with your lienholder first.
• Ask about discounts. Discounts might be available for the following: Two or more cars on a policy; combining your homeowners and auto insurance (as our staffer did) with the same company; obtaining driver education course credit; and having airbags, anti-lock theft or other security features on your vehicles.
• Review your policy regularly. Just as your life changes, so could your policy, depending on family circumstances. Here are some examples: Adding or deleting a driver from your policy; buying a newer vehicle; and increasing/decreasing the number of miles you drive annually.

Many more tips and information can be found in our auto insurance booklet, which you can download or read at www.ksinsurance.org; you can also request a mailed copy of the publication by contacting us at 800-432-2484. If you would prefer chatting online, our chat feature on our website home page is available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

If you need more information or have questions, our Consumer Assistance Division representatives are available to talk directly to you at the 800 number. Also, watch for our 2017 auto insurance shopper’s guide booklet available this coming spring.

Another place for useful information is the Insure U website, www.InsureUOnline.org, which provides insurance information for various life situations. This site is maintained by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

In looking for the best ways to lower your insurance premium, remember: Taking personal responsibility to find useful ways to lower your costs is always the most rewarding.

A Happy and money-saving New Year to you.

Ken Selzer, CPA, is the Kansas Commissioner of Insurance.

Farewell to 2016, arguably the worst year for religious freedom in living memory.

From genocide in Syria and Iraq to ethnic cleansing in Burma, religious oppression and persecution destroyed countless lives, exiled millions and fueled the greatest humanitarian crisis since World War II.

Most of the world’s population — more than 5 billion people — now lives in countries with high restrictions on religious freedom.

Meanwhile in the United States, many religious Americans felt under siege in 2016 as Islamophobia spiked, attacks on Sikhs and Hindus grew, anti-Semitism gained ground with the surge of White Supremacist groups, and Christian claims of conscience were too often dismissed and denigrated as acts of “bigotry.”

Bleak, but not hopeless: Beyond the numbing headlines of despair in the past year were signs of hope — small, but profound stories about the capacity of the human spirit to counter hate with compassion, destruction with healing, violence with peaceful coexistence.

Consider, for example, the Muslim and Christian faithful in Cameroon who began taking turns last year protecting one another from terrorist attacks by Boko Haram. On Fridays, Christians now guard the mosques during community prayer and on Sundays, Muslims protect churches during Sunday worship.

Or consider the Muslim farmers in a Punjabi village in Pakistan who used their meager savings last summer to rebuild a Christian church destroyed by monsoon floods. “Our mosque stands here from times past,” a Muslim villager told the Daily Pakistan, “but our Christian brothers also have the right to worship in their church.”

Closer to home, a broad coalition of religious groups, including the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Committee (ERLC), Sikh Coalition, National Association of Evangelicals, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and the Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of New Jersey, joined to support a court challenge by the Islamic Society after the Muslim group was denied an application to build a mosque in Bernards Township, N.J.

When ERLC president Russell Moore faced criticism for supporting Muslims at the annual Southern Baptist Convention last summer, he responded first as a Christian by saying: “What it means to be a Baptist is to support soul liberty for everybody.”

Then Moore gave a short, but sweet civics lesson reminding his listeners that upholding the First Amendment for others also serves the best interest of Baptists:

“Brothers and sisters, when you have a government that says ‘we can decide whether or not a house of worship can be constructed based upon theological beliefs of that house of worship,’ then there are going to be Southern Baptist churches in San Francisco and New York and throughout this country who are not going to be able to build.”

Whatever the motives for standing up for others — religious faith, civic virtue or enlightened self interest — religious freedom only works when a right for one is a right for all.

That was the takeaway from the protest at Standing Rock, a defining moment for religious freedom in 2016. Representatives from more than 300 Native American tribes converged to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline from being built under the Missouri River near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North and South Dakota. The tribe argued that the route would threaten sacred sites and life-giving water.

Native American tribes stood in solidarity with the Sioux — supported by thousands of military veterans, Black Lives Matter activists, religious leaders, civil libertarians and citizens of different faiths, races and political beliefs. In December, the two-year battle for Native American religious freedom ended in victory (for now at least) when the Obama administration denied the easement needed to run the pipeline under the river.

In these acts of courage and compassion, religious freedom was nourished in 2016. But tragically, the avalanche of stories of violence and conflict largely eclipsed stories of hope last year. And the outlook for 2017 promises even more religious persecution abroad and religious division at home.

At Christmas, my household received a sign of hope — literally — when a kind priest gave us a wooden plaque with a saying from St. Teresa of Calcutta:

“We can do no great things, only small things with great love.”

So in 2017, when the headlines overwhelm our conscience with death and destruction, we will inevitably feel helpless that we can’t do the “great things” needed to end genocide, save the refugees or fully protect the many vulnerable Americans here at home.

But remember those villagers in Africa and Pakistan, the religious leaders in New Jersey and the veterans and activists standing with Native Americans in the Dakotas. And then emulate them by striving to do small things with great love.

Charles C. Haynes is vice president of the Newseum Institute and founding director of the Religious Freedom Center. [email protected]