Any idea how much packaging we throw away in every household across the United States?

The volume of plastic waste and packaging amounts to approximately 75 billion pounds per year, according to the Butte Environmental Council, an education, advocacy and recycling organization in northern California.

In this country, plastic represents roughly one-third of municipal waste. Fifty to 80 percent of the littler collected from roads, parks and beaches and 90 percent of floating marine litter is plastic.

During the last decade, Americans wasted 7.1 million tons of cans – enough to manufacture 316,000 Boeing 737 airplanes.

Figures like that make my head hurt, not to mention the harm to our planet. And the irony of this?

It’s estimated the global food packaging industry is worth approximately $115- billion-a-year and growing 10-15 percent each year.

As the amount of packaging increases, so does waste and environmental costs, not to mention the added costs to consumers. The plastic bottle containing your favorite soda or the aluminum can that holds your favorite brew costs more than the cola or beer.

On average a beer can or bottle costs five, six, seven maybe 10 times the cost of the beverage. The same is true for sodas. It depends on the company and the product.

Convenience, marketing and profit come with a price – additional waste for this nation’s landfills and the rest of the globe. In this country and other wealthy nations, a decrease in the size of households has resulted in more people purchasing smaller portions of food and that means more packaging.

A higher living standard around the globe has also resulted in the desire to acquire and eat “exotic” foods from other lands. Transportation of such food and the ability to keep it fresh also costs more in packaging.

Another contributing factor is the desire for convenience food. You know that processed, tasteless food you can pop out of your freezer, microwave and eat in a jiffy.

Encouraging sustainable packaging requires changes not only in our lifestyles but in our habits.

While it’s only a start, as consumers we can buy more local product that is better tasting, has less of an impact on the environment through reduced transportation costs and supports our local economies.

Support companies that use packaging most efficiently. Avoid buying disposable items, such as non-refillable razors, alkaline batteries, etc. Recycle. Buy in bulk. Reuse shopping bags and buy only recycled products.

Change comes with personal responsibility and the ability to look in the mirror and say, “It’s up to me.”

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

Amid the wreckage of Demofest, the Kansas Democratic Party’s summer convention in Wichita, Kansas Democrats did get some interesting and usable news for their upcoming legislative campaigns.

Now, a lot went wrong at that Wichita gathering which kicked into gear just hours after  Democratic Party State Chairman Larry Meeker resigned his office, and the party faithful learned that no official business could be conducted because of a mess-up in officially notifying Democrat State Committee members of the convention they all knew about and attended.

But the good news for Democrats from the meeting was the release of a poll that showed Gov. Sam Brownback’s iconic elimination of Kansas income taxes on earnings of limited liability corporations and other small businesses including farm corporations is not popular.

Many suspected that the tax elimination, especially because it didn’t appear to spur an economic skyrocket in the state, isn’t popular.

But a poll of 1,217 Kansans carefully parsed by party affiliation, sex and age found that if you ask the question in its simplest form, 68 percent of Kansas Republicans don’t like the tax break. Oh, and of course, 81 percent of Democrats and 69 percent of unaffiliated voters, 67 percent of voters age 18 to 45, 72 percent age 46 to 65, and 78 percent of voters over age 65 don’t like the tax break.

Maybe the key was the phrasing of the question in a way that generally isn’t used, but should be forever after by Democrats.

The question posed by the polling firm Smoky Hill Strategies was simple: “Recent tax cuts exempted roughly 330,000 business owners from paying personal income tax on profits from their businesses. Do you think business owners should pay Kansas personal income tax, or not?”

The question is a pretty stripped-down but accurate description of the tax policy. It’s the business owners who don’t pay income tax that the folks up and down the block pay. No mention of LLCs or non-wage income or anything else. Just paying taxes on income that you, like your neighbors, use to buy Buicks or food or lawnmowers.

It sounds a little different than should business owners get a tax break so they can buy new computers or lathes or expand their payday loan business to new neighborhoods to increase employment. It just brings the tax issue down to street level, the money you live on.

What’s the big news for Democrats? Simply, it is that because there are few House or Senate districts in the state where a “D” behind your name locks up the election, there is good reason to campaign to registered Republicans for votes. On the business owners’ tax exemption issue: If they phrase their spiel correctly.

Sales taxes and the boost this year from 6.15 percent to 6.5 percent? The pollsters found that on average 76 percent of Kansans think the rate is too high, including 73 percent of registered Republicans. Not much surprise there, except if the Republican majorities in both House and Senate that passed the sales tax increase as part of their budget package are pressed on the issue.

What might have been the big takeout for Democrats—and the warning for Republicans seeking reelection—is that how you phrase your position on an issue may be of great importance next year. There are lots of Republicans who agree with what have been issues that Democrats/moderate Republicans agree on but couldn’t get passed by the Legislature last session that are key issues for the upcoming election.

Because nobody wants to mess with tax issues in an election-year legislative session unless they can cut taxes—and there isn’t enough spare money to do that next session—those issues, and phrasing them correctly, may be the key to jobs in the Statehouse in 2017.

Wonder how this is going to work out…

Syndicated by Hawver News Co. of Topeka, Martin Hawver is publisher of Hawver’s Capitol Report. To learn more about this nonpartisan statewide political news service, visit www.hawvernews.com.

“American Ultra” is an action-comedy about a stoner who is secretly a CIA-trained sleeper agent. That’s both interesting and funny, which is what you want in an action-comedy. Jesse Eisenberg (most famous for his mesmerizing role as Mark Zuckerberg in “The Social Network) plays said stoner sleeper agent to great effect. While there’s no denying that Eisenberg is a fine actor, he doesn’t have a great range. One Jesse Eisenberg role is differentiated from another simply by the change of setting.

The setting for “American Ultra” is certainly not new territory, but it’s handled in a perfectly acceptable fashion. There are some new ideas and some retreats of oldie-but-goodies that make the entire experience very watchable.

Kristen Stewart, infamous for her work in “Twilight,” stars opposite Eisenberg with surprising effectiveness. Where Eisenberg is a one-role actor, Stewart is a one-scene actress. Her performance in all five “Twilight” movies essentially comprised of the same awkward head shake and eye-widening repeated over and over again. Together, Eisenberg and Stewart portray a believable, and surprisingly likable, romance that serves as a solid foundation for the heart of the film hidden amongst the spy-themed-thrills and stoner-themed-jokes.

This movie could have been something really special if it had chosen a path and stuck with it. It could have been a relationship story with spy-related action for spice, or it could have been a raunchy comedy with spy action gimmicks galore. Unfortunately, it tries to have it all and comes up short.

There’s fun to be had in “American Ultra,” just don’t expect to be surprised by any given plot point or character development. If fun spy movies are the flavor the month, then “The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is easily my recommendation.

4 of 6 stars

Church ceremonies to bless school backpacks are becoming more common this time of year as students return to school. One function of this practice is to focus the parents, relatives and friends on supporting their students in their academic efforts.

And for several years, backpacks have been associated with our efforts to feed poor children when they leave school. Emulating the public USDA program of free school lunches, this private community effort supplements evening and weekend meals for our children in poverty by stuffing non-perishable packaged food into student backpacks.

But to me, I will forever remember school backpacks in another context.

In 2008, I landed in China in time to see the country’s response to the Wenchuan earthquake of May 12. A massive earthquake struck at 2:28pm, just after students had returned to school at 2:00pm. This region of Sichuan is mountainous. Many cities and small towns were destroyed leaving no buildings standing and taking a toll of over 80,000 dead and missing.

China is a country where the daily focus is on making money. But for those next weeks, that would be set aside. All eyes across China were riveted to the wide-open televised press coverage of the earthquake destruction. In contrast to the bungled American response to Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans—an anniversary that we are currently observing—the engineering corps of the People’s Liberation Army was underway to the earthquake within hours.

Rescue troops with shovels and jacks dropped from hovering helicopters onto slopes where no flat land remained. Premier Wen Jiabao, trained in geo-mechanical engineering, was placed in charge of the rescue efforts. Factories worked 24-7 to turn out tents and pre-fabricated dwellings while military trucks brought raw materials to the factories and hauled rescue supplies and equipment to the disaster area.

Within a few days, television crews from every province were focusing on the blue tent cities that were erected to protect survivors from the weather. But first and foremost were the temporary schools erected from blue pre-fabricated walls and ceilings. There were still two more months of school remaining. And in China, schools got the same high priority as field hospitals. And where there was no flat land to set up a school, students said goodbye to their family and got on trains to journey to undamaged schools across China where teachers added another row of desks. Seats were removed from trains and fitted to hold stretchers to transport the wounded to outlying hospitals. Trains gave top priority to medical personnel and patients—and students.

Those first days, Chinese citizens saw on television that although the students had teachers and pre-fab schools, they did not have books or paper or pens to write with. Reaching down into the very soul of every Chinese citizen was the desperate need to get these surviving students academically equipped to finish the school year. The cry went out from the public: backpacks! —Backpacks filled with textbooks and school supplies.

While the medical community across China was sending all their extra vascular stents needed for treating crush victims, schools scoured their closets for extra textbooks. Money flowed in from the public across the country; the Chinese people were contributing to the backpack effort.

Within a few days, the television showed the results. The government and PLA pushed inward on the broken roads with land-moving and rescue equipment first. Medical vehicles were close behind. But right behind that came the trucks with backpacks. Within a few days, disheveled students still without access to clean clothes or a bath, could be seen trudging to school with brand new backpacks laden with school supplies.

Today, when I see a new backpack, it always reminds me of how the children of China are fortunate, indeed blessed, to live in a society that so values their education.

Forty-two. That’s how many Kansas counties have been declared disaster areas this year alone, due to severe weather events that swept through the state May 4 through June 21.

There is no question Kansas has its share of disasters, but not all come in the form of a major storm. For every disaster that makes the news, there are many more fires, floods, ice storms and other disasters that we don’t hear about. They can be just as devastating to an individual, a family, a business owner or a neighborhood– and recovering from them all is difficult.

K-State Research and Extension has developed a way for Kansans and others to prepare. Prepare Kansas is an online challenge, now in its second year, which focuses on simple activities to do every week during September. A goal is to make it as easy as possible for individuals, families and co-workers to complete each activity – and become better prepared.

This year, the activities focus on creating an emergency supply kit; assembling a “grab and go” kit for each family member (including pets); creating a communication plan; and practicing a fire drill. Each week will focus on different emergencies that can happen.

The program coincides with National Preparedness Month, designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In Ellis County, the program is co-sponsored by the Ellis County Extension Office and Ellis County Emergency Management Department.

Working step-by-step on each Prepare Kansas activity helps participants to be better prepared for emergencies, whether at home, at work, in the school classroom or daycare. It can also spark discussions among families or co-workers about preparedness in general and the best ways to handle future disasters. By the end of September, participants will be more prepared for any emergencies, which can make recovery easier.

This is the second year for Extension’s Prepare Kansas online challenge, which in its inaugural year last year involved over 400 participants from 63 Kansas counties and several other states.  Participants said working on challenge activities sparked discussions and helped them become better prepared

Join me, and others across the state, as we take the 2 nd annual Prepare Kansas online challenge and get prepared for disaster. Enroll in the free program at https://blogs.k-state.edu/preparekansas/ by August 30th to participate.  We all can feel more organized and a bit more at ease should our homes or workplaces encounter disaster.

Free home inventory books and disaster preparedness information will be available at the Ellis County Extension Office for all who enroll in Prepare Kansas. Those who complete at least 3 of the 4 weekly challenges will be entered into a drawing for prizes.

For more information, check out the Prepare Kansas blog from K-State Research and Extension at https://blogs.k-state.edu/preparekansas/ or call the Ellis County Extension Office at 785-628-9430.  I’ll be glad to answer your questions or schedule a presentation for your group or club to share more about the Prepare Kansas challenge and getting prepared for disaster.

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

In mid-June our Republican state Legislature ended its taxes versus spending stalemate. The members did so with first-rate melodrama and the shedding of remorseful tears – some real and some crocodile.

Since then various explanations have been provided by legislators, the administration and journalists. All share a common thread: The 2012 tax cuts were wise policy; the cuts were powerful economic medicine for Kansans; and everyone is dismayed by the failure of the Kansas economy to respond to these big moves with a burst of energy and expansion.

State Sen. Forrest Knox,R-Altoona, provided an example. Knox was an outspoken member of the majority. A first-term senator, Knox previously served four terms in the Kansas House. In two essays published on his webpage, “Ebb and Flow” and “The Art of Compromise,” Sen. Knox opined on the difficulties the legislature and the state were in by the end of the legislative session. In “Ebb and Flow,” he explains that in 2012 the recovery began to happen in Kansas and the “Kansas government” wisely chose to boldly reduce taxes rather than follow what he called the “natural, continual growth of government,” thereby accomplishing the state’s largest ever tax cut.

In “The Art of Compromise,” Sen. Knox expanded his view on the forces that cause this “natural and continual growth of government” against which he and his allies struggled. On the side of virtue were those “many Kansans” burdened by government too large, too bloated, and too burdensome. For these, he would fight. And the opponents? They were advocates who had succeeded in substituting government to replace traditional charity functions to aid those in need. Also, there were the public employees extorting job security from the senator’s over-burdened taxpaying constituents. Melodrama indeed!

Early in August an account of the fiscal stalemate’s resolution came from New York Times correspondent, Chris Suellentrop, a nephew of Rep. Gene Suellentrop, R-Wichita, vice-chair of the Taxation Committee. With the connection of name and Uncle Gene’s position, journalist Suellentrop was able to obtain a startling picture of the deep faith many in the ruling party have in the virtue of their cause, the rightness of their decisions and the moral error of their opposition.

The most astonishing things that come from this account are 1) the general dismay at the failure of the Kansas economy to respond powerfully to the 2012 tax cuts, and 2) the continuing deep belief that the budget is filled with waste and Inefficiency perpetrated by those Kansans Senator Knox accuses of subsidizing their dependencies and life-tenured employments.

Regarding the first point, Governor Brownback and his most loyal legislative supporters have been clear. It is Obama’s fault that Kansas’s economic renaissance is stymied. When his policy miscues are overturned, the income tax cuts, and those to follow in the statutorily mandated “race-to-zero” will bring an economic resurgence.

The second point is even more maddeningly fanciful. Waste in government is a soul-truth for Kansas Republican leaders. Yet as nephew Suellentrop wrote:

If they could have cut spending more deeply without doing immeasurable harm to schools, to prisons, to mental hospitals, to roads, they would have done so. Over and over, they told me they didn’t run for office to raise taxes. Then they did exactly that.

So Kansas, this is the insanity that frustrates the electoral minority. The truth cannot be bent to fit the belief. If Kansas’s government is so clearly too large, too bloated, too burdensome, spending on shiftless dependents and featherbedding public servants, why are the Republican Mounties unable to do their duty? How can they inflict such pain on poor Sunflower Nell?

Dr. Mark Peterson teaches political science at the college level in Topeka.

For many children summer vacation zoomed by too quickly and they’re not excited about the new school year that is about to begin. Others are looking forward to school starting so they have something to eat.

For a growing number of Kansas youngsters, summer isn’t a carefree time. For them summer isn’t fun in the sun, swimming at the pool, sports, picnics and vacation. Children who rely on free or reduced-fee lunches during the school year often struggle to find enough to eat during the summer.

Too many students do not eat regular meals when school is out of session. Some educators say they see a real learning gap at the start of the school year between students who had enough to eat during the summer break and the ones who struggled.

To address the serious needs of these Kansas children, the USDA, school districts, and several anti-poverty groups partner to provide summer meals. But last year, about half of all the summer meal sites in the state were located in the four largest counties. Children living in 35 counties were not being served at all.

Fifty percent of Kansas students qualified for free or reduced-price lunches in 2014, according to the Kansas State Department of Education. Each year, more students rely upon these nutritious meals throughout the school year.

Still, less than 7 percent of Kansas children who are eligible for these meals; take advantage of summer meal programs, according to the Food Research and Action Center. They rank Kansas 50th out of 50 states in terms of our summer meal outreach.

So, what is the solution?

It’s time to improve the way we feed these children during the summer months. There are more effective and efficient ways to provide students with the nutrition they need.

Kansas is considering a new approach to improve the way to feed students when school is out. Traveling miles from home each day to eat at a designated location requires a working vehicle and money for gas which aren’t always available to low-income children in rural areas.

To address this problem, organizations are looking to provide home-delivered meals. Similar to what Meals on Wheels does for senior citizens.

Another proposal could send children home with meals that could last them until their next visit.

Reauthorization of child nutrition programs in 2015 will also provide an opportunity to feed more students, no matter where they live. Lawmakers in Washington will consider this reauthorization of child nutrition September 17.

As chair of the ag committee, Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts believes, “We must reauthorize these programs so children across America can and will have healthy meals available at school.”

Reauthorization would go a long way to help end childhood hunger in Kansas and America.

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