Kansas is coming apart at the seams.

The state legislature cannot figure out how to plug a $406 million budget gap, and tax proposal after tax proposal keeps getting voted down. Some school districts ended the school year early when they ran out of cash. The superintendent of the Skyline school district in Pratt County even resigned so they wouldn’t have to pay him: no money left.

Emporia State is famous for our Teachers College, and today’s students are telling their professors they have second thoughts about teaching here. After all, Kansas has slashed funding for education, removed their right to dispute being fired, and even considered legislation that could put teachers in jail.

The legislature is also on the verge of passing a bill to de-fund the state’s court system in the event that the state supreme court does not rule the way the legislators want, regarding the appointment of lower-court judges. This is a real bill that may pass, not a parody from The Onion or The Daily Show.

Governor Brownback and his legislative allies have quickly transformed a smoothly-functioning, generally low-key government of moderate tax rates and middle-of-the-road politicians into a political and fiscal basket case, repeatedly ignoring warnings from experts like Insight Kansas contributor and former state budget director Duane Goosen.

Our partner Paraguay may be our only hope.

The small South American country has a close relationship with Kansas: a legacy of a Kennedy Administration program called the Partnership of the Americas, which paired Latin American countries with U.S. states. Senator Dole was later a big supporter. The Partnership still exists today. Teachers, firefighters, and others travel back and forth. There is an active Kansas Paraguay Partners group, college students from Paraguay study here, and some of ours study there. Several Insight Kansas writer/professors have traveled there, too.

In 2014 and 2015, Gallup polling ranked Paraguay as the happiest country in the world. According to Gallup, Paraguay had a particularly high percentage of people answering that they “experienced enjoyment; smiled or laughed; felt well rested; and thought they were treated with respect.” Many also “said they had learned or did something interesting the day before…”

Yet Paraguay’s history features two futile wars that killed huge percentages of the country’s population. They suffered one of the longest-serving dictators of the late twentieth century: a cruel man named Stroessner who tortured his enemies and left behind a corrupt, bribery-driven political system that persists today. Smuggling is one of the country’s biggest industries, and Paraguay ranks 138th in the world for Gross Domestic Product per person. Like Kansas, Paraguay is completely landlocked and highly agricultural. The country’s budget is so mismanaged that no one knows how much their huge Itaipu Dam (shared with Brazil) cost to build. Paraguayans do not think there is anything odd about this. They are used to it.

If the Paraguay’s example serves, perhaps fiscal integrity, a competitive political system, a well-maintained infrastructure, and a solid economy are not necessary for people to be happy.

There may be hope for Kansas after all.

Michael A. Smith is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Emporia State University.

Courage is often talked about but seldom witnessed. Each May, Americans come together on Memorial Day to remember those courageous souls who laid down their lives for our freedom. These service men and women did not answer the call to serve in the name of Republicans or Democrats; they did so to protect liberty and the American Dream for their children and grandchildren.

This month is also a time to recognize that the members of our Armed Forces who are fortunate to return from combat continue to fight battles at home – including silent battles with mental health. Since 1949, May has been observed as Mental Health Awareness Month – a time to expand awareness of the struggle of mental illness and help eliminate the stigmas that prevent many from seeking the treatment they need.

Members of our military are uniquely impacted by cognitive conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depression and traumatic brain injury (TBI). These invisible wounds of war plague thousands of veterans and service members across our country, and healing those wounds takes tremendous courage from both the individuals suffering and their families.

The Rand Corporation estimates that nearly 20 percent of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan each year are diagnosed with PTSD, depression or have experienced a TBI. Yet, only half of those diagnosed seek the treatment they need – and just half of those who seek treatment receive adequate care. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), 22 veterans commit suicide each day, while the average wait time for a mental health appointment at a VA facility is 36 days.

These staggering statistics underscore the need to hire of thousands of mental health professionals in the VA. ‎Congress, the VA and our local communities must do everything we can to support those struggling with mental health issues resulting from their service to our county.

In January 2015, Congress took critical action to improve mental health care and increase suicide prevention resources for American service members by unanimously passing the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act. I sponsored the legislation which was signed into law by the President, and is named for Clay Hunt, a Marine veteran who earned a Purple Heart for his service in Iraq and redeploying to southern Afghanistan. Clay suffered from PTSD for many years and struggled with inadequate care at his local VA hospital before taking his own life in March 2011 at the age of 28.

The law calls on the VA to create a centralized website for veterans to access information on VA mental health services, helps address the shortage of mental health experts by allowing the VA to recruit through a student loan repayment program, and requires the VA to collaborate on suicide prevention efforts with nonprofit mental health organizations.

The development of a robust VA mental health care system is going to take time, and more must be done in the interim. It is vital that we allow veterans to receive immediate mental health treatment from outside organizations and mental health professionals in their community. In fact, I’ve joined U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) as a sponsor of the Prioritizing Veterans’ Access to Mental Health Care Act (S.841), legislation to give veterans the option of outside care until they can receive comprehensive treatment through the VA system.

This is of particular importance to veterans in rural states like Kansas, where even under the Veterans’ Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 (Choice Act), too many veterans continue to struggle to access timely, quality care because their local VA facility does not offer mental health services. I continue to press the VA to utilize Community Mental Health Centers (CMHC) to address this shortfall because they offer 24/7 help and are located in every Kansas county. I have also challenged the VA on their lack of hiring capable licensed professional mental health counselors (LPMHC) and marriage and family therapists (MFT). These certified counselors make up only .04 percent of the total mental health workforce in the VA.

The courage of our service men and women has protected our democracy for generations and allowed us to live in the strongest, freest, greatest country in the world. It is our responsibility to make certain no veteran feels abandoned by the country they served once they summon the courage to tackle a mental health issue. I will keep working to find solutions and to hold the VA accountable for providing our nation’s veterans with the timely, high-quality and specialized care they earned.

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran is a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

Summer is the season for outdoor gatherings with food, fun, and fellowship. Unfortunately, summer is also the time when cases of foodborne illness increase. But, you can avoid those uninvited guests by safely preparing those special summer foods.

K-State Research and Extension will present Barbecue 101, a one-day workshop for barbecue and grill enthusiasts, on Saturday May 30, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, at the KSU Ag Research Center Auditorium, 1232 240th Avenue, located just south of Hays. KSU Extension specialists will cover the basics of grilling, smoking, and food safety, plus a unique perspective on the science of barbecuing.

Sessions will focus on selecting the right smoker; BBQ regionality; meat cuts that stretch the dollar; tasting the difference wood makes; and meat preparation and selection. The day wraps up with a competition BBQ expert roundtable.

The fee to register is $50 per person or $80 per couple due by May 23 and includes lunch, an apron, and a Barbecue 101 course book. Register online with a credit card at www.asi.k-state.edu/barbecue101workshop or pick up a mail-in registration form at the Ellis County Extension Office, 601 Main Street in Hays.
Marinating

Always marinate raw meats or poultry in the refrigerator, never on the counter. Set aside a portion of the marinade before adding raw meat or poultry to use later as a dip or basting sauce. Do not reuse the marinade the raw meat was soaked in unless it is boiled for five minutes to be sure to kill any bacteria from the raw meat.
Check the Temperature

Thoroughly cook all meat and poultry. To ensure meat is cooked thoroughly, use a meat thermometer. To properly use a meat thermometer, insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the meat being sure the end of the thermometer does not rest on the cooking surface. Aim for these internal temperatures to ensure doneness:

• Beef, pork, veal and lamb steaks, roasts, chops- 145 degrees F.
• Ground meats- 160 degrees F.
• All poultry products- 165 degrees F.

Serving Grilled Food
Serve hot, grilled foods immediately. Put cooked foods on clean plates, not ones used to hold raw meat or poultry. Perishable foods should be eaten within 2 hours, or 1 hour if outside temperature is above 90 degrees F. Keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot to avoid the “danger zone” of 40 to 140 degrees F.
Handling Leftovers
If you want to take any leftovers home, be sure that all perishable foods were kept on ice or refrigerated at all times, except when cooked or served. Keep the foods iced as you travel home and refrigerate as soon as you get home. If food is no longer refrigerator-cold to the touch, harmful bacteria could be present. If in doubt, throw it out.

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

By Dr. JAMIE SCHWANDT and AMBER BEACH HARDACRE

I spent most of my small town Kansas childhood on the fast track to a life destined for failure. My parents were plagued with addiction, and because of that, I was surrounded by drugs, alcohol, and depression at an early age. This created an environment of limits—limited prosperity, limited stimulation and limited expectations. I only knew what I had experienced, and those experiences were about to become my future.

Fortunately, I was removed from my home before I became ensnared in the vicious cycle that was my family’s legacy. I was a frightened eighth-grader when without explanation, I was loaded into a car and deposited on the doorstep of my first foster family. I didn’t realize it then, but I was one step closer to building the life I deserved.

Overall, foster care had a powerful and positive influence on me. I was surrounded by a great community that took the time to make sure I received the best possible care. I learned to embrace the opportunities provided by the system. And although I felt that as a foster child people sometimes expected me to fail, I learned to use that negative stigma to my advantage.

That’s not to say that foster care was always easy. I spent years being bounced back and forth between parents, grandparents and foster families. I witnessed suicide and death at a young age. But as difficult as these experiences were, they provided me with a resilient mindset that has been a major asset in my career. The foster care system provided me lessons learned that I now carry into my profession as a Captain in the United States Army Reserve, the greatest organization in the word.

My success can be attributed to the mentors I found in the quiet little town of Kensington, Kansas. Here, a loving foster family, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Bearley, inspired me to think positive and never give up. Clella Hahn, my CASA worker, and her husband, Lowell, encouraged me to develop a close relationship with God. These people, and many others like them, looked past the anger and resentment I exuded as a young teenager, and they loved me anyway, nurturing me and giving me the life-building skills that I just didn’t have before I entered foster care.

I am living proof that the foster care system can offer children more than just a safe haven; there is opportunity within the system! Time and time again I witnessed my mother and father making destructive choices. Once I was in foster care, the families I lived with were determined to keep me from making those same destructive choices. Being removed from that toxic environment allowed me to break the cycle of failure and focus on investing in myself. The more distance I put between myself and my biological family, the more I began to see that I could make a brighter future for myself with the help of the foster care system.

I know that being in foster care can bring with it a negative stigma and feelings of embarrassment. I remember vividly my first week in foster care. During basketball practice at my new school, one of the boys on the team asked innocently about my parents, what they did for a living, and why I had moved to town. He was only being friendly, but I was too ashamed to admit the truth—that I was in foster care—so I lied to him. In those early days in foster care, I felt doomed to fail, and I felt the scrutiny of others who expected me to fail. But I’ve used these feelings as fuel for my fire, and I encourage all foster children to do the same.

We foster children are some of the most resilient people in the world. My advice for young people currently in care is to find positive influences such as foster parents, teachers, and members of the community, embrace the awesome opportunities the system provides and use the foster care stigma as motivation to rise to new heights to dream big, think positive, and take action! I did just that when I wrote my first book, Succeeding as a Foster Child. Frank Sinatra said it best, “The best revenge is massive success!”

Dr. Jamie Schwandt is a former Kansas foster child who found success in a life destined for failure. Dr. Schwandt had a difficult childhood and overcame significant obstacles to get where he is today. He was born in a small town in Kansas where his parents abused drugs and alcohol. Both parents battled depression while suffering from other mental health issues. His father committed suicide when Dr. Schwandt was eighteen years old. As a child, Dr. Schwandt witnessed many dangerous and poor decisions made by his parents. His mother suffered from severe drug addiction and alcoholism. He watched his mother use drugs in their home and was often left to take care of her and his younger brother. He has vivid memories of seeing needles in the bathroom, witnessing domestic violence, and preventing his mother from multiple suicide attempts. Dr. Schwandt is a graduate of Fort Hays State University. Additionally, in May 2013, Dr. Schwandt completed a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) from Kansas State University. He is a United States Army Reserve Captain and served in the Middle East during Operation Iraqi and Enduring Freedom; he is both determined and tenacious and is blessed to have experienced many successes in life. www.jamieschwandt.com.

Amber Beach Hardacre resides in Kensington, KS, where she taught library, English, and Speech and Drama at the high school for 15 years. She recently left the teaching profession in order to spend more time with her family. Education is in her blood, however, and she was recently elected to the local school board. Amber looks forward to serving the school district and the students in this new capacity. In addition to taxiing her children to and from school and sporting activities, she serves as clerk for the City of Kensington and does freelance editing in her spare time. She has been married to Bruce Hardacre for over 20 years, and is the devoted mother to three beautiful daughters, Elizabeth, age 14, Abigail, age 11, and Cameron, age 5. When she’s not running after her children, Amber loves to read, craft and spend time with family and friends.

I’ll be the first to admit, I really came around on the first “Pitch Perfect” movie. I initially scored it a 4/6, but in the time since the film was released, it has easily climbed to a 5/6 in my books and it may or may not have seen repeated use when it was saved on my DVR.

Naturally, another “Pitch Perfect” was very welcome, not only to me but to the multitude of fans the world over (hence “Pitch Perfect 2” steam rolling “Fury Road at the box office). I will stop short of calling the “Pitch Perfect” the “Breakfast Club” of this generation; as so many have, but nevertheless, it’s impact has been sizable.

Comparatively, “Pitch Perfect 2” is a less-inspired sophomoric outing after a combination slow burn/smash-hit debut. This film was made to please and as a result felt less authentic than the original. Nevertheless, I laughed, I enjoyed some fantastic singing and I got to watch the ever-lovely Anna Kendrick awkwardly prance about while singing better than a fair percentage of thoroughbred musicians. This sequel makes small, but critical, errors in trying to give fans everything they want, even if it wasn’t always in the best interest of the film.

“Pitch Perfect 2” is a fine film and will no doubt entertain its many patrons. If it had been kept in the oven just a little longer, it might have come out a little higher on the scale. For this particular film, and this burgeoning franchise, I’m not sure that more well-done is actually necessary – which I understand is a little hypocritical coming from me. It’s a funny world we live in.

4 of 6 stars

Ever do a little, polite, considerate favor for a friend, maybe trimming the grass on the sidewalk clear to your neighbor’s driveway, not just stopping at the property line?

Well, we saw one of those little, considerate favors last week on the floor of the House when legislators debated that tax-increase bill, the one that pulls about $400 million out of our pockets and deposits it in the State General Fund.

The favor, in the building where the public wants to know every detail of every bill and who voted for it and who voted against it, was simply not doing that.

Eventually legislators are going to have to pass a tax increase bill and a budget for the state. Those are going to be ugly votes. Nobody likes taxes, and legislators who stand for reelection next year—after those taxes have taken effect and are pulling money out of your wallet—don’t like voting for them.

And, no matter how the state’s budget turns out, we know that there are going to be disappointments, too little money for environmental projects, not enough for assistance to the poor, not enough cash to compete with other states to lure new industry and the resultant jobs to each community in Kansas.

Nope, nobody is going to like all of either the upcoming tax or spending bills, so the key is to vote on them just once, not over and over while citizens and the political community are keeping score.

Simple as it sounds, while the House was debating the widely hated tax increase bill, there was a courtesy provided to Republicans by Democrats.

In nearly two hours of debate, including an amendment that would have levied income taxes on those 330,000-plus Kansans who don’t pay income tax because they have incorporated their businesses in a manner that makes non-wage income exempt from taxes, there wasn’t a single call for a roll call vote that would have forced members of the House to have their names associated with the bill.

It was all voice votes, both to reject that tax-business-income amendment and to forward the bill to a publicly recorded final action vote (which failed).

That little leave-no-tracks courtesy for the House’s Republican (97) majority was provided by…the House’s Democratic (28) minority.

It just takes 15 hands in the air to force that politically dangerous roll call vote on amendments or forwarding the bill to a final vote, but Democrats who don’t like the bill didn’t force it.

While that means that there isn’t a firm number of House members who are apparently willing to vote on tax increases, it also means that Republicans who are willing to vote on tax increases don’t get identified this early in the tax-raising process—so lobbyists and the executive branch and others don’t target them for political opposition.

That’s a little courtesy provided to Republicans by Democrats.

Now…will that little courtesy be repaid?

It might be maybe an extra tenth of a percent reduction in sales tax on groceries, which Democrats like because it means poor Kansans—all Kansans, really, but Democrats tend to forget that the wealthy pay sales tax on groceries, too—save a little money.

Or it might mean that some Republicans could go for putting back some of those income taxes that Democrats maintain Republicans aren’t paying…though Democrats pay income taxes too, and luckily, there is no statistic on how many Democrats are income tax scot-free.

Or, it might mean that Republicans will just have to hold their noses and vote once on taxes. Just once.

Or, it might mean that Democratic House members next year get to keep parking in the Statehouse garage…instead of having to leave frequently to plug the meter…

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.

“Mad Max: Fury Road” is a volatile piece of filmmaking that may be taking second chair to “Pitch Perfect 2” in terms of box office numbers, but it has undoubtedly won both critical acclaim and the hearts and minds of long-time fans of the franchise.

I will share in the critical acclaim for “Fury Road,” but I can’t claim a seat amongst “Mad Max” die hards. I respect the earlier films, but the post-apocalyptic “carmageddon” genre has never been my cup of tea.

This film has been hailed as a “once in a generation” film-going experience, amongst such titans as the original “Star Wars,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and “Avatar” I wouldn’t go that far. “Fury Road” is high-octane spectacle with a laser-sharp sense of world design and narrative direction, but it’s not a game-changer.

To the film’s great credit, once the theatre lights go dim, there is no escaping the dust-churned world of “Mad Max.” Everything from the costume and makeup design, to the vehicles, to the music, to the erratic, nearly- seizure-inducing camera work stitches this patchwork world together with no loose seam to be found. The force of vision that drives this movie is unstoppable.

Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron drive the movie forward with great performances and are pursued by a fantastic villain, full of presence and menace – played wonderfully by Hugh Keays-Byrne.

“Fury Road” isn’t for everyone. It’s a spectacular piece of filmmaking, but it is very much intended for the group of movie-goers who already enjoy this kind of experience. The real game-changers, the real “once in a decade” type films are the ones that change the game for everyone. “Avatar” was a game changer because it awed my mother, who wouldn’t watch the SyFy channel if you paid her. “Mad Max: Fury Road” isn’t a game-changer, it’s an incredible entry into the post-apocalyptic genre.

5 of 6 stars

I used to have a book that showed numerous ways Native Americans accomplished tasks like trapping wolves and catching geese that were essential to their survival. Before the days of steel knives, firearms and grocery stores, they relied on knives, arrow heads, spear points and tools made from flint to kill and skin game, and they used handmade fish traps and other means to catch fish.

American Indians were also skilled in knowing which plants were edible and which held medicinal value, and learned to use America’s wild plant life for medicine and to supplement their diet.

When Cecil Hamilton was just a boy he was fortunate to spend lots of time with his grandmother, whom he only ever knew as “Bompy” Sanders. Cecil told me “I was always fascinated with Indian ways; how they lived with nothing but what was in their heads and what they could get from the wilderness around them.”

Grandma Bompy was skilled in Indian ways and would take Cecil on overnight and on weekend campouts, where she passed on to him her knowledge and understanding of self-sufficient primitive survival. She taught him how to catch catfish in the rivers using trotlines, how to find and prepare Morel mushrooms, and how to catch turtles and make turtle soup. Cecil told me a story how he and Grandma Bompy once caught a snapping turtle so big that as grandma sat on it to hold it down, it continued to crawl away.

After they had killed and cleaned the turtle, the shell was so big that grandma cleaned it and washed her hair in the shell in rain water she would collect. Perhaps the most important lessons Grandma Bompy taught Cecil were about identifying, collecting and preparing edible plants. He became so knowledgeable about wild edible plants that he later got involved with survival groups and was able to teach them what he knew.

Over the years, Cecil has been involved with several survival groups and has been privileged to learn from renowned primitive survival experts and teachers Jim Riggs and Richard Jameson. About twenty years ago, Cecil began hosting his own primitive survival camps to pass on to students the skills he has learned. He is able to show students how to make flint arrow heads, spear points and tools and how to use them for primitive survival.

He even teaches pupils how to fillet fish with flint. He gives instructions on making fish traps, deadfalls and snares and shows how to use them to catch fish and wildlife. He teaches how to identify, gather and prepare edible plants, and he’s very adamant that many wild plants are safe and beneficial to eat, but unless the person knows for sure the plants identity, it should be left alone.

This year Cecil’s Primitive Survival Camp will be from June 4 through June 7 near Augusta, KS, and will feature instruction on making fire by friction, edible plant gathering and preparation, how to make primitive cordage from strips of rawhide and making and using throwing sticks. Call Cecil at (620) 442-8171 or (620) 660-0257 for a brochure and for details, as he says other topics not listed will be covered.

Given the state of our nation and our world today, investing some time to learn primitive survival skills seems like a good idea, and learning about edible and medicinal plants can always be beneficial no matter your lifestyle. So whether you’re a doomsday prepper or just want to learn more about primitive survival, give Cecil’s camp a try, and find a different and more unique way to Explore Kansas Outdoors.

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