The far-right Republicans who have commandeered the Kansas Republican Party and taken control of the executive and legislative branches of state government are strikingly out of touch with the vast majority of Kansans, including members of their own party, according to the recent annual survey conducted by the Docking Institute of Public Affairs, Fort Hays State University.

RELATED: 2015 Kansas Speaks survey results

The survey indicates that this partisan faction has advanced policies over the past five years that are out of sync with the preferences of Kansans on a broad range of issues, such as block grants for schools, guns on college campuses, Medicaid expansion, same-sex marriage, immigration policy, and election fraud, among others.

However, these partisans are most dramatically insulated from Kansans’ views on what they claim as their signature achievement, their actions to eliminate the state income tax. According to the survey Kansans express opposition to this radical tax policy on a number of fronts.

For starters, 61 percent of survey respondents say that this tax policy has been a failure in terms of economic growth; 30 percent say it has been “a tremendous failure.” Only one in nine Republicans surveyed said that the tax policy has been a success.

Those surveyed also do not believe their tax burden has been reduced. When asked to consider sales, property, and state income taxes, 74 percent say their tax burden has increased. Only 5 percent say it has decreased. These respondents must be aware that income tax cuts have resulted in two rounds of hundred-million dollar state sales tax increases plus tax shifts onto property taxes totaling well into the hundreds of millions.

Nearly two thirds of those surveyed say taxes on top income earners should be increased, a preference in direct opposition to sales tax boosts advocated by Governor Sam Brownback and legislative leaders. The one tax that reaches those with higher incomes is the income tax. Sales taxes shift the tax burden from those with higher incomes onto those with lower incomes.

Over half of the Kansans surveyed also express support for exempting food from the state sales tax, an action that would soften the impact of sales tax increases on those with lower incomes. However, the dire condition of state finance caused by income tax cuts forestalled such proposals in the legislature.

Survey respondents expressed displeasure with the performance of Brownback who has championed the tax plan as his legacy. Dissatisfaction with the governor’s performance has ballooned to 69 percent, up from 31 percent during his first year in office. Over half of Republicans surveyed express dissatisfaction with Brownback.

Positive appraisal of Brownback has fallen every year since the tax cuts first passed in 2012, to the point that only 18 percent of the respondents in this year’s survey express satisfaction with his performance. A meager 30 percent of the Republicans surveyed expressed satisfaction with Brownback’s performance.

What is going on here? Kansas voters elected and reelected these right-wing lawmakers to office in 2010, 2012, and 2014. What explains this chasm between what Kansans say they want and the actions of their elected representative? Several factors are in play.

Interest group funding of thousands of campaign postcards attacking challengers aided these incumbent officeholders. The $17 million in undisclosed, outside money that flooded the 2014 U.S. senate race and demonized the opposition swayed uncertain voters. Some voters were more motivated by social issues such as abortion than state taxes. Primary elections and restrictions on election access also gave advantage to an energized minority. And too many eligible voters simply did not vote.

Only Kansas voters can bridge this gulf between the governed and those governing.

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

Now let’s see: There are single-issue voters, and there is the Kansas Court of Appeals.

Where do the twain meet?

Possibly on Dec. 9, when the Kansas Court of Appeals sits en banc (a fancy term for all 14 of them together, rather than in the usual three-judge panels scattered around the state) to hear the case challenging a new abortion law.

The law prohibits a relatively rare second-trimester abortion procedure which anti-abortion activists politically cleverly named the “Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act.”

Now, the procedure isn’t used often, and it increases the chances that after an abortion, a woman retains a higher probability of planned pregnancy.

Abortion-rights interests believe outlawing specific procedures to perform a legal abortion is unconstitutional, something medical professionals and not legislators and lobbyists should decide. Anti-abortion groups believe the law is a step toward outlawing all abortions, which is what they want.

It’s about that simple.

A Shawnee County District Court judge issued an injunction against enforcement of the law and the Kansas Supreme Court decided not to hear the case—essentially preventing enforcement of the law.

The high court is already hip-deep in controversial cases, including whether the Legislature and governor are spending enough on K-12 education to ensure all Kansas schoolchildren have equal opportunities to receive a good education…oh, yes, and that district court chief judge selection matter which carries a provision which would shut down the court by repealing its budget appropriation.

So, the attorney general asked the Court of Appeals to hear the case and it said yes, essentially as a way to speed movement of the issue to the Kansas Supreme Court (see above).

But the Court of Appeals hearing in December—that’s where the politics of the issue continue.

First, of course, with all members of the Court of Appeals hearing the case—idea apparently is that the 14 will reach a decision quicker than just three?—all 14 are going to have essentially to vote either yes or no on the abortion law. That puts all of the judges on record.

Oh, let’s not forget that six of those judges stand for retention election next November. That retention election? Remember the list of judges whose names you don’t recognize at the bottom of the ballot? The “yes” or “no” box you check to keep them in office or boot them out? Figure anyone who opposes all forms of abortion will vote not to confirm judges who voted against the constitutionality of the abortion bill.

And, figure that voters will be reminded of the constitutionality decision by mailers, phone calls and e-mails—from anti-abortion activists, of course, but probably also from abortion-rights forces—in the days before the usually forgettable confirmation votes at next November’s elections.

So, at least six of those judges will be putting their careers in jeopardy for doing their job—carefully and impartially determining whether the anti-abortion law is constitutional, not whether they want to keep making their car payments.

Oh, yes, remember that Gov. Brownback gets to appoint, without any screening by the Supreme Court Nominating Commission but subject to Senate confirmation, members of the Court of Appeals. So Brownback—who signed the anti-abortion bill in the first place—gets to appoint the booted judges’ replacements.

Head spinning a bit? Whether the bill is lawful or not, well, that’s up to the court. But once the black-robed folks get their job done, the politics will start.

Don’t doubt it for a minute…

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.

By RON WILSON
Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development

Can rural Kansas survive? Can rural Kansas compete? Can rural Kansas grow? In order to do so, rural Kansas will need entrepreneurs and community leaders to find and implement creative ideas. In fact, it might even require a concoction of things.

Don White is owner of an innovative business in eastern Kansas. He grew up in the Kansas City area and became a specialist in creating dental devices. He builds dental bridges, crowns and dentures.

In 1992, Don joined the Burns Dental Laboratory in Garnett, Kansas, so he and his family moved to Garnett. “I love it here,” Don said. “It’s a nice, quiet little town with a good school system and genuinely nice people.” Don and his wife Siobhan settled in Garnett and had a son and two daughters.

One of their favorite forms of family recreation is canoeing. One day in 2006, Don and Siobhan were canoeing while she was trying to handle her water bottle, which wasn’t easy. She stuffed the water bottle in a coozie with a strap, but there was no good way to hold it and it ended up rolling around on the floor of the canoe.

“Could you come up with something that would hold this?” she asked her husband. He took on the challenge.

Don designed a type of cup holder with a coil clip which could be clipped onto the side of the canoe. This kept his wife’s hands free to paddle and kept her drink conveniently close by.  Siobhan loved it. It worked so well that Don realized he could sell these products. He took his design to an engineer who produced them in bright colors and durable plastic and set up a company to market them.

He called his product the Can-panion, because it held a canned beverage or other container by the person’s side like a close companion. He named his company Can-Coctions.

In March 2007, the company set up a booth to market the Can-panions at an outdoor recreation show. On the first weekend, they sold 2,000 of them!

As the business grew, people continued to come up with creative uses for the Can-panion.  Obviously the most common use was to hold a drink by clipping it onto the side of a canoe or kayak, but people have found they are handy to have on lawn chairs, mowers or wheelchairs – anywhere it would be convenient to have a drink nearby.

Then there are the non-beverage applications. Can-Panions have been used to hold small cups of paint on a ladder while painting. People have even put plant containers in them and hung them on a wall for urban gardening.

Can-coctions does not sell the Can-panion directly to consumers, but rather produces the product and sells to major outdoors retailers for their resale. The Can-Panion can be found at major retailers such as Dick’s Sporting Goods and LL Bean. An estimated 95 percent of all canoe and kayak outfitters in Missouri carry the Can-Panion. The product has gone all over the U.S. and Canada, and as far away as Ireland and Abu Dhabi. That’s impressive for a company based in the rural community of Garnett, population 3,391 people. Now, that’s rural.

The business is a family affair. Don’s sisters Mary Kahler and Pati Wobker help with the business and his daughter does the photography. “When a major order goes out, they all pitch in to count `em out and box `em up,” Don said.

Don and Siobhan’s son Arthur is in the business and marketing program at K-State. In spring 2015, he encouraged his family to apply for the Launch A Business program by the Center for Entrepreneurship in the K-State College of Business and the company was selected. This initiative, supported by Kansas State Bank and others, provided training by KSU faculty for entrepreneurs plus networking and mentoring with business leaders. “The program was fantastic,” Don said.

For more information about this company, go to www.can-coctions.com.

Can rural Kansas survive, compete, and grow? If we encourage ruralpreneurs like Don White who are making a difference with a creative idea and effective marketing, then I believe rural Kansas can.

The key to a healthy diet is to eat a variety of foods including grains, milk, vegetables, meat and fruits – all in moderation. Each of us needs to make smart choices about when we eat and how much.

In spite of this widespread consensus to eat in moderation and variety, there are plenty of detractors who are trying to limit the amount of protein, especially red meat from the everyday diet. Most of these opponents preach eating less or no beef and little pork.

Dietary guidelines are supposed to tell us what we should eat for good nutrition. Such recommendations are as plentiful as the half-truths or flat-out-falsehoods we’re bombarded with daily during this upcoming presidential election.

Numerous organizations – including the World Health Organizations that recently classified bacon as a carcinogen – have been issuing their own guidelines about what they would have us eat based on their agendas. Oftentimes these guidelines are too dogmatic, containing specific recommendations for everyone while overlooking allowances for individual differences.

Take the recent edict on bacon Just 1.8 ounces of bacon daily, two strips, raises a person’s risk of colorectal cancer by 18 percent, warned the WHO. But bacon and hot dogs aren’t the only meats singled out. A whole plate of other salted, cured and smoked meats has also earned the WHO’s high-risk classification.

Calm down bacon lovers, while processed meats may be in the same category as cigarettes, they’re not equally dangerous. Here’s the real skinny on this recent bombshell.

For each of these substances, there’s evidence that some amount of exposure may increase a person’s risk of at least one type of cancer. In the case of cigarettes, regular smoking raises your risk of lung cancer 2,500 percent and causes about 1 million cancer deaths a year.

On the other hand, only 34,000 annual deaths worldwide can be attributed to diets high in processed meat. So if you eat a couple strips of bacon daily, your already small 4.5 percent life-time risk of colorectal cancer may go up to 5.3 percent.

Occasionally enjoying a couple strips of bacon with your eggs simply isn’t that dangerous. Be sensible about this tasty treat. Savor every bite and eat in moderation.

The United States is made up of individuals who need to adjust their diets to allow for their own states of health, age, development, risks of chronic disease and personal tastes.

Beef, chicken, fish, lamb and pork belong in our diets. Roasted, baked, broiled, grilled or simmered – no matter how you cook ‘em – all are high in nutritional quality. They’re good for the body as well as the mind.

When it comes to eating, the truth is, nothing compares to the smell, sound and taste of bacon sizzling in a skillet in preparation for a week-end breakfast.

Make mine Applewood, double smoked.

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

“Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse” a strange fish that blends irreverent humor, zombies and a lame coming of age story into a mostly unsuccessful horror comedy. The genre of horror comedy, by its nature, doesn’t take itself very seriously, which is a good thing.

When “Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (which I’m already tired of typing), tries to perform real character development, or when it tries to justify its lame jokes, it slips beneath the waves and starts to drown in its own nonsense. On the other hand, when it is just having fun with, and I’m not joking here, zombie strippers or weaponized weed whackers, it has marginally more success.

This film suffers from whatever the opposite of the Steven Spielberg/Tom Hanks power team is – it’s helmed by a bunch of rookies with less-than-stellar credits. Director Christopher Landon’s most recognizable credit is serving as the screenwriter for five different “Paranormal Activity” movies.

To be honest, I haven’t seen any of the “Paranormal Activity” movies, but I’m surprised to learn that they have scripts. One of the writers previous working credit, according to IMDB.com, is a laughable attempt called “College Road Trip” staring Martin Lawrence and Raven-Symoné from back in 2008, which unsurprisingly received a 13% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The results are lackluster, at best. There are a few laughs, but they are hard won and often forced. This very much isn’t a movie for the kiddos, and in almost every case, isn’t a movie for adults either. It’s very hard to recommend outside of an eventual viewing on “bad movie night.”

2 of 6 stars

Halloween seems to be the unofficial start of the holiday retail season. (In fact, experts say Halloween is the third most expensive holiday, after Christmas and Valentine’s Day.)

Before long, stores everywhere will be decorated in evergreen and tinsel, vying for your holiday shopping dollars.

For too many families, the holidays and overspending go hand in hand. A financial counselor friend once told me her clients seldom think about budgeting BEFORE the holidays arrive.

While the idea seems simple; it’s the execution that’s the problem! With some planning and creativity, you can still have a joyous holiday season this year without busting your budget. Now is the time to plan ahead to fund holiday expenses without letting holiday debt dampen your spirits in the New Year.

Ideally, you have saved some money to spend over this year’s holidays. No? Don’t worry – it can still happen. If you’re looking for ways to save in the coming weeks, use the America Saves theme to help you save this holiday season: Set a Goal. Make a Plan. Save Automatically.

1. Set a Goal: Set a holiday budget and stick to it. Decide how much you want to spend on gifts for the people on your gift list, and stick to that amount. Remember, at holiday time it’s the thought that counts– and spending more than you plan means debt and stress in the New Year. (And that’s a crummy gift for your family!)

Some people enjoy giving gifts to non-family members, but they are often forgotten when setting a holiday budget. These include gifts for teachers, babysitters, hair stylists, pastors and others. Consider writing handwritten notes expressing thanks or appreciation rather than buying gifts when possible to reduce your spending costs.

Don’t forget to factor in all extra items that will cost money during the holiday season. Such extras include decorations, grab-bag gift exchanges, extra food and drink, greeting cards and postage, travel expenses, holiday donations, babysitter fees and shopping costs like gas and parking. Be sure to budget for these extras.

2. Make a Plan: Plan ways to save money now for your holiday expenses later. Put what you save aside into a savings account to fund your holiday budget goals.

You can save by skipping the takeout and/or restaurant meals from now until holiday time. Taking your lunch to work, buying quick frozen meals for dinner, and taking advantage of holiday parties can all save you a little cash during the holiday season.

Another way to slash costs is to limit your entertainment spending. Save money by renting movies or borrowing from the library, or even better, check out the many holiday movies that network and cable channels broadcast throughout November and December. Enjoy free holiday concerts at churches and community events, and look for cost-free ways to enjoy family time, such as raking and jumping in leaves, playing in the snow, caroling and spending time with friends.

Don’t overlook the value of small saving steps. Putting aside $1 a day of pocket money between November 1 and December 25 will add up to an extra $55 for holiday expenses.

3. Save Automatically: Pay yourself first. Each payday until the holidays end, set up an automatic savings transfer of 5-10 percent of your paycheck to use for holiday gifts, groceries and travel. If you don’t see it, you won’t be tempted to spend it! You may end up saving even more than you actually need for the holidays, and with money you save, you can start an emergency fund for the New Year.

The holidays can be a strain on every budget, but they don’t have to lead to a burden of debt. For more ideas, access the resources and tips of the America Saves program through the K-State Research and Extension portal at www.kansassaves.org.

Linda K. Beech is Ellis County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences.

A while back I wrote about the influx of hawks into Kansas this time of year. I told about watching hawks following combines through a soybean field, snatching up rodents kicked out of hiding by the machines as they lumbered through the fields.

The dictionary defines symbiotic (symbiosis) as “The living together of two kinds of organisms to their mutual advantage.” Maybe “symbiotic” is not quite the right word to describe the above scenario, but you have to admit there are times where animals and birds use human activities to their advantage.

For example, years ago I had some peacocks. Any of you who presently own or have ever owned peacocks will agree with me that they can be a real pain in the butt, but while I had those pesky fowl, I had gardens that were absolutely insect-free. They would follow me when I mowed the lawn; back a few feet and on the side of the mower where the grass was discharged, and would turn themselves inside out to be the first to snatch a bug shot out from the mower, especially those big green hoppers I called “katydids.”

Symbiotic or not, they knew that when the lawn mower was pushed across the yard, snacks would come their way.

Just this week we stopped to see a friend at a business on a side street smack in the middle of downtown Hutchinson. As we pulled into the parking lot, the large dumpster for the business sat straight ahead of us inside a four-sided enclosure, and perched on the back corner of the enclosure was what appeared to be a hawk decoy, put there to ward off pigeons I presumed.

As I stared at the decoy, it swiveled its head around and stared back at me; it was a mature red tailed hawk with a squirrel held firmly in its talons. I was slightly surprised to see a red tailed hawk in downtown Hutchinson, but since there were no houses or trees for several blocks around, I was really puzzled as to where the hawk had managed to snag the squirrel.

Our friend there was not surprised to hear about the hawk and added some details that explained where the hawk had likely found the squirrel. The business is very near the railroad, and this time of the year there always seems to be dabs of grain strewn along the tracks, evidently from rail cars moving wheat, soybeans, corn and milo.

Pigeons, squirrels and birds come from all over that part of town to feast on the grain, making for a virtual smorgasbord for stealthy predators like the hawk. He told us he once observed a hawk catch a pigeon nearby as it snacked on the grain. Again, maybe this is not really a true symbiotic relationship, but the squirrels and pigeons know the grain will be there, and the predators know the pigeons and squirrels will be there too, all thanks to man.

And speaking of hawks, November 8 – 13, the North American Falconers Association (NAFA) will have its annual convention/field meet at the Atrium Hotel in Hutchinson. They are expecting nearly 200 falconers to attend and who bring nearly 300 hawks and falcons. Falconers will come from all over North America, Canada and Mexico, and from as far away as the U.K., Austria, Germany and Australia.

Even though many falconers will be out hunting with their hawks and falcons, there will always be falconers at the hotel who will be glad to talk with you about their sport and show you their birds. So check out this get-together and check out the sport of falconry as yet another way to Explore Kansas Outdoors!

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

A recent study by the Docking Institute at Fort Hays State University showed discontent over Kan. Gov. Sam Brownback’s tax policies, among other findings. Click HERE for more.

What’s your opinion of Brownback’s tenure?

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The Kansas State Board of Education announced a new and bold vision for education on Oct. 27.  “Kansas will lead the world in the success of each student.”  The new Kansas Vision is a direct result of a statewide conversation with more than 2,000 Kansans telling us what they want from their state education system.

The data collected challenged the status quo and gave the State Board a new and exciting direction.  Parents, teachers and the business community are demanding higher standards in academic skills, as well employability and citizenship skills.  In fact, the data tell us schools should give even more focus to the skills and characteristics of nonacademic traits, such as teamwork, showing up on time, persistence, collaboration and community service.  Business leaders said overwhelmingly (81 percent) that more focus must be placed on nonacademic skills.

All agreed Kansas needs to move away from a “one-size-fits-all” system that relies exclusively on State Assessments from No Child Left Behind.  The state of Kansas needs to have a more student-focused system that provides support and resources for individual success.

When asked “What needs to change?” to insure such a system, the board began by looking at policies and regulations that include graduation requirements, how students earn credits, curriculum, school accreditation and standards.  Services and opportunities Kansas provides students must include Individual Plans of Study, increased counseling and social worker support, high-quality early preschool and all-day kindergarten and improved alignment from pre-K through post-secondary. The State Board will revisit its College and Career Ready definition and revise it to include citizenship and civic readiness.

The new Vision for Kansas is more than just changing things around at the edges of our educational system.  It is about what we value.  It is changing the culture of schools.  The Vision is for high standards and expectations for each student in academic and nonacademic areas across Kansas.

The new Vision for Kansas isn’t about regulations and top-down leadership; it must include all stakeholders and be led by teachers, local boards, and business and university partners.  But most importantly, the Vision must be embraced by parents, grandparents and all citizens of our state.  It isn’t about money!  Yes, we as a State Board and elected officials must be good stewards and wise in our use of the state resources, but equally as important, we must give the children we serve the gift of a bright and hopeful future.  They are the future of our state and nation.  “Kansans CAN” lead the world in the success of each student!  Will you join us?

Jim McNiece
Chairman, Kansas State Board of Education
Wichita, KS

This weekend the 6th Grade PKFL Championship game will matchup the Hays Outlaws vs Hays Gamblers! Yesterday, my son was hanging out with a couple of his buddies from the Gamblers team and it made me want to post this.

There are so many parents stressed about this game, yes parents! Ultimately, this is another game where the best two teams in the league will play to decide who gets the biggest $4 trophy. As an “Outlaw Coach,” I certainly hope that we play phenomenal and win the game. I’ve seen how hard these boys have worked, and would love to see them finish with another victory! We want to beat the Gamblers, badly!

However, I also know that if our team loses the game, we will end up as runner up to another special group of kids. A group of kids that have also busted their butt, and worked hard all season! We know how badly the Gamblers want to beat us on Sunday! If they didn’t have that desire, they wouldn’t be the dominant team that they are now. When you really take a step back and look at this and what parents should feel, they should feel proud! Proud of their son, and proud of his friends on both sides. The Hays football scene seems to be alive and well!

Fast forward to Sunday, if we are fortunate enough to win this final game, I will be pumped! If we don’t, I’ll be happy for those young men on the opposite side of the field for beating our team that I respect so much. These are kids that my son hangs out with, goes to school with, plays basketball with, and kids that he really enjoys being around.

These are kids that I’ve coached in other sports, kids that will be on my sons team moving forward, kids that we respect their athletic ability, kids that I will always be trying to recruit over from TMP, and kids of a whole different group of parents that love their son just like all of the Outlaw parents. On the other side is a group of coaches who have also volunteered their time to try and give their squad the best experience they could have, and they have done a phenomenal job!

SI’m hoping that some people that are completely stressed over this “youth football game,” can really take a step back and just be proud of what this special group of boys from Hays, Kansas, have accomplished! On Sunday, around 7PM, the 2015 PKFL champions will be awarded their trophies, and those boys will be jacked! About 30 yards away will be the runner up trophy winners, and those boys will be temporarily heartbroken. Here’s to hoping that sportsmanship and mutual respect for all these young men and coaching staffs will allow for an awesome time for all of these players and families. We’ve been telling our players all year long that the two best teams in the league are here in Hays, and we were right!

I certainly hope that our Outlaws come out victorious, but if we don’t, I’ll need about 13 seconds after the final buzzer to start celebrating with that Gamblers team! If any team can beat this group of Outlaws, they have my respect!

Good luck to all of these young men that get an opportunity to play in a championship game in front of all their family and friends at FHSU! What an awesome experience! As parents and coaches, let’s make sure we are part of that awesome experience! They deserve it!

Seth Oakley, Hays