Our children are a precious resource and parenting them is a full-time job. Sometimes being a parent can also be challenging, tiring, stressful and exhausting.

Being an involved, committed parent takes a lot of energy — and sometimes that can lead to burn-out. But does this mean that parents are doomed to become cranky and short-tempered?

Not necessarily. There are ways to save yourself from the burn-out trap.

This week is designated as the Week of the Young Child.  So for all you parents out there who are feeling a little burned-out, here are some simple steps that can help you put the challenges of parenting into perspective:

• Recognize that burn-out will happen to almost all parents — in different degrees, and at different times in the parenting process.

For example, you may have been a saint during the infant-toddler years as you coped with diapers, teething, toilet training and temper tantrums  But now your moody, defiant junior high child is driving you crazy.

That doesn’t mean you’ve lost your touch as a parent. Kids grow and change. That’s part of the deal! Just accept it and hang in there — your child won’t be a pre-teen forever.

• Don’t be so hard on yourself.  Allow yourself to step down from the pedestal once in a while. There are NO parents who are perfect all the time!

Sensitivity, warmth and understanding are all admirable qualities for parents. But parents are also human beings and subject to fatigue, illness and emotional stress.

While it is not acceptable to become abusive with children, it is OK to be worn out and cranky sometimes. Give yourself a break.  When you feel yourself getting close to the “edge”, take a nap, take a bath or go for a walk by yourself. You’ll feel better in no time.

• Distance yourself from the role of parent sometimes.

It’s impossible to remain fresh and responsive as a parent unless you periodically take a break from the job. Every parent will benefit from time set aside to become refreshed and renewed. Unfortunately, the most dedicated parents are the ones who often deny themselves this break.

Your children will not suffer from your need to take care of yourself.  Your infant, given a bottle and a loving sitter, will not mind if you go out for dinner.  Your 2-year old will not be hurt if you leave her in the nursery while you attend an adult class at church.  And, your school-age child will be delighted to spend an overnight with Grandma or a friend.

• Find someone to talk to. It may be a family member, a close friend, your child’s teacher, a parent educator or another parent you met at church, school or playgroup. Find someone with whom you can talk about those things that worry you most. Many times just talking about a problem can make it seem smaller and perhaps easier to manage.

You’ll likely find there are other parents who are in the same boat you’re in. You can be a willing listener for them in return.

Parenting can indeed be a frustrating and challenging job. But it is also rewarding, inspiring and joyous. Minimize parent burn-out by recognizing your needs as a person.  Give yourself room — and permission — to be a “normal” parent. Children are resilient, loving and forgiving — and they’ll be fine, no matter what you consider your shortcomings.

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

Oh, what a beautiful Friday! I hope you have enjoyed the sunny weather I ordered up just special for you all! I have thoroughly enjoyed not having to wear layers and sweatshirts at all times during the day, myself.

I have to say “job well done” to all the Ellis athletes. The High School track members, baseball and softball teams, and the Junior High track teams have all worked very hard and it shows. I hope everyone has had, or will have, the opportunity to see these young people in action. They play well and work together as a team and are representing our community very well. Good job, Railers!

Today the baseball team is in town taking on Leoti and the softball ladies are traveling to Ellinwood. Good luck and safe travels to all!

Saturday is prom in Ellis. If you would like to catch a glimpse of the ladies and gentlemen dressed in their best, stop by for pictures at 5:30 at the High School.

Next week is not short on activities either. The BOE meets Monday at 6:30pm, Junior High and High School Track, Baseball, Softball, and Golf teams will all see action on Tuesday, State Music and FFA activities are on Wednesday, and Golf rounds out the week on Thursday.  In honor of Good Friday, there will be no school or activities planned on Friday. Saturday will bring the Easter Bunny out of hiding for the Chamber’s Annual Easter Egg Hunt at Memorial Park beginning at 11:30am. Don’t be late!

We have a good chance at rain for the weekend, so please, get out and shake your rain sticks, do a rain dance or anything else you might dream up that would give Mother Nature a good reason to laugh until she cries! Remember, keep it clean, your neighbors are watching!

Make it a great day everyone!

Dena Patee is executive director of Ellis Alliance.

There’s little question that “money talks” as long as you can pay a bit more for a better service at a top restaurant or to get a first-class seat while traveling — but there’s an ongoing First Amendment battle over how loudly it should speak in politics.

On April 2, the U.S. Supreme Court decided to eliminate caps on total contributions. The 5-4 decision in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission had no effect on a $5,200 maximum in a two-year federal election cycle on contributions to any one candidate.

Then on April 7, the justices declined without comment to review a long-standing ban on direct corporate contributions to candidates.

And all of this takes place against a decision in 2010, in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, in which the court said the First Amendment’s protection of freedom of speech keeps the government from limiting independent political expenditures by corporations, labor unions or associations.

To sum up: In elections for Congress and the presidency, you and I face a limit of $2,600 in contributions to any one candidate in that year — but can give to as many candidates as we choose. Corporations, unions and associations can spend as much money as they want on issues or in indirect endorsements of candidates, as long as those actions are not coordinated with specific campaigns or candidates.

From two “spokesmen” for the differing views on McCutcheon and the issue at-large:

“There is no right more basic in our democracy than the right to participate in electing our political leaders,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the McCutcheon opinion. “Money in politics may at times seem repugnant to some, but so too does much of what the First Amendment vigorously protects.”
“The Supreme Court in the McCutcheon decision today overturned 40 years of national policy and 38 years of judicial precedent … ,” said Fred Wertheimer, president of the campaign finance watchdog group Democracy 21. “ … the Supreme Court majority continued on its march to destroy the nation’s campaign finance laws, which were enacted to prevent corruption and protect the integrity of our democracy.”
Some suggest immediate and transparent reporting as part of a solution suggesting a contribution or independent support for a candidate can be less subversive if everyone knows about it. But effective transparency also wars against another long-established American tenet — anonymous political speech.

One argument for limits on the money involved in politics does resonate with First Amendment rationale. The nation’s founders provided such strong protection for political speech because they saw such involvement by citizens as fundamental to self-governance. But advocates for limits say the need for massive sums to run a campaign obscures the voices of regular citizens, or even most citizen groups, in favor of wealthy elites and big companies.

The 2013 edition of the reference publication Vital Statistics on Congress reports that in the 2012 election, winning Senate candidates spent an average of $10.3 million, up 62% adjusted for inflation from 1986. The report also documents that an average of $1.6 million was spent to win a House seat in 2012, a 344% increase since 1986.

One approach to settling the issue would be a constitutional amendment creating an “exception” to the First Amendment to permit the kinds of limits that Roberts and four other justices now see as outside the law. But such a change would be the first ever such action to directly limit First Amendment freedoms. And, it could open the door to other such constitutional mischief on issues from flag desecration to violence in entertainment — and more.

First Amendment authorities Ronald K.L. Collins and David Skover published an e-book about McCutcheon and the history of regulating money in politics, “When Money Speaks,” within 48 hours of the ruling. As they note, “Absent some change in the conservative makeup of the Court … the decisional die has been cast. As legend has it, Julius Caesar spoke the words alea jacta est as he crossed the Rubicon. It signaled a ‘point of no return,’ the very point the Roberts Court may have now reached in McCutcheon. It was a fact: money would remain in politics — much more money.”

The proverbial “alert and engaged citizenry” may yet prove the ultimate, most-effective method of monitoring, evaluating and — if one is so inclined — opposing the impact of “big money” in politics. The Web offers audience reach and impact unknown in any earlier era, and “going viral” doesn’t take a big treasury to accomplish.

We may well ultimately find that once again, the best antidote to speech one doesn’t like — even in the form of piles of dollar bills — is more speech, not less.

Gene Policinski is chief operating officer of the Washington-based Newseum Institute and senior vice president of the Institute’s First Amendment Center. [email protected]

The American oil and natural gas industry has been a bright spot in our economy, with benefits felt across the nation and here in Kansas.

Innovations spurred by small businesses and entrepreneurs have generated a domestic energy revolution. American oil and natural gas production is up because the small businesses that make up the independent oil and natural gas industry are committed to investment and job creation in the U.S. and are using technology and innovation to access more and more oil and natural gas reserves.

Our nation’s energy supply is now American and abundant and that is good for national security. This revolution in turn has sparked new life into domestic manufacturing, is supporting 2.1 million jobs and has raised the average household’s disposable income by $1,200 last year, according to a recent study by HIS Global Insight.

According to recent census data, there are over 46,000 small businesses supporting the production of oil and natural gas in the U.S. A 2013 analysis revealed that over 75 different companies could be involved in the exploration and development of one Kansas oil well.

The analysis indicated 100 people are employed by varying small businesses in the drilling and completion of one oil well in Ness County. Small businesses are the backbone of the Kansas oil and natural gas industry. The Kansas oil and natural gas industry supports over 67,000 jobs and $3 billion in family income.

Every day small businesses provide a vital aspect to the generation of America’s energy. Each of them makes a difference every day for our nation’s energy security and economic well-being. Without the tasks each one of these small businesses complete each day, people would not have the fuel to drive to the grocery store or the heat to warm their homes in the winter. The small businesses that make up the independent oil and natural gas industry are drivers of the American energy revolution and are an important part of people’s everyday lives.

Of course, finding and producing oil and natural gas has always been and will continue to be a risky, time consuming, and expensive process. Industry operators must spend significant time and money before generating a return on their investments. Therefore, the ability to generate and preserve cash flow is vitally important to the industry.

The current federal tax code allows exploration and production companies to recover costs quickly so that investment is maintained. The percentage depletion cost recovery tax provision allows taxpayers to recover their lease investment in a mineral interest through a percentage of gross income from a well. Ordinary business costs which have no salvage value associated with wages, fuel and maintenance involved in drilling a well, referred to as intangible drilling costs, can be deducted when incurred.

The resulting improvement in cash flows from these two cost recovery methods means operators have more capital to invest and can perform more exploration and drilling, produce more energy, and create more jobs. All of that helps to grow our economy, which creates a larger tax base that can generate more revenue for the government without actually raising taxes.

Over the last several months, we have received more insight into Congress’s framework for business tax reform. U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and U.S. House Ways & Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) have both released tax reform discussion drafts. Both of these misguided tax reform discussion drafts focus on eliminating tax provisions for specific industries.

The American oil and natural gas industry continues to be a target. Rarely is any focus given to the positive benefits of existing tax laws.

Changes to cost recovery mechanisms like percentage depletion and IDCs could force the small businesses that make up the independent oil and natural gas industry to shut down older, domestic oil and natural gas wells and cut back on drilling new ones. Accordingly, the result would be reduced domestic oil and natural gas production and fewer U.S. jobs. The economic ripple would adversely impact the job growth and revenues of small businesses in the domestic supply chain and those that depend upon a secure energy supply.

In short, changes in the federal tax code to percentage depletion and IDC cost recovery mechanisms could unintentionally hit the brakes on America’s energy and manufacturing revolution and have a devastating effect on jobs, the economy, and revenue to the government.

The U.S. is one of the very few countries with improving energy security. American oil and natural gas productivity has resulted in the U.S. having the lowest long-term natural resource prices of any industrialized nation. The competitive advantage will have far-reaching and positive implications for various domestic industries.

Percentage depletion and IDC cost recovery tax provisions support an oil and natural gas industry that is a significant piece of our state and national economy. The American oil and natural gas industry supports 9.8 million jobs in the U.S. Manufacturing jobs are coming back to the U.S. thanks to the abundance of affordable energy our industry provides.

Current tax reform discussion drafts in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House threaten long-standing cost recovery tax provisions, the health of the American oil and natural gas industry, and the national economy as a whole. Energy is working in America. We just need the federal government to let us do what we do best.

Ed Cross is president of the Kansas Independent Oil and Gas Association.

In case you missed it, a major flaw has been discovered in a number of websites and Internet-related services. I’ll emphasize the “and” because the issue itself goes beyond just navigating the web via your favorite web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, etc.), although we will just focus on the website/browsing aspect considering that is what will affect a majority of users.

So what happened? Essentially, an extremely serious bug (or flaw) was discovered in the underlying security of OpenSSL.

OpenSSL is quite likely one of the core features that secures your data when it goes from your computer to the server of your bank, the server of your email providers, etc. Basically, it what keeps your business, your business, and away from the prying eyes of the rest of the world… Or so we thought.

There is a good possibility that the little lock you have been instructed to look for in your day-to-day browsing didn’t mean quite a much as we originally assumed… Well it did, but not for people who knew how to bypass the security prior to the rest of the world learning about it yesterday and today.
How bad is it? Rough estimates are that approximately 60 percent of the web is affected by this “little” bugger.

Ultimately, the real issue is this. The revision of OpenSSL that introduced this issue was in March 2012. What that means is this major security flaw has existed since then. Quite possibly, any website that you have visited in the last two years could have had someone watching everything you were doing and capturing all your traffic including your usernames and passwords.

What are the chances that the good guys found this issue before the bad guys? I would like to think that is the case, but in reality, probably not.

What should you do? If you are a person in the field of information technology, you should probably stock up on energy drinks as you are going to have many hours, days, and likely months ahead of you correcting the issue. If you are a user of online banking, online email, etc. then you are strongly advised to change your passwords on most, if not all sites. It is true that a number of sites were apparently not affected such as Google, Microsoft, and others, but that should not stop you from taking the opportunity to change your passwords and performing a little of your own housekeeping.

We’ll cover the topic of “strong” passwords a bit more at a later date, but the standard should be at least 10 characters with at least one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number, and one special character ($,!,#,*,%,@,+). In addition, this is a wonderful example of why you don’t use the same username and password at multiple sites. Even though your email provider wasn’t affected by this particular security issue, how important is that now since you used that same username/password combination at another site that was affected?

Dallas Haselhorst, CISSP, GSEC, is the founding partner at Sicoir Computer Technologies (www.sicoir.com). He has more than 20 years of IT experience and in that time, he has traveled all over the U.S., physically and virtually, assisting companies large and small with their computers, networks and security. Whether dealing with an individual surfing the web or a business/organization whose primary data relates to PCI, HIPAA, or SOX, he has likely secured it in some way, shape, or form. When he’s not working, Dallas enjoys tinkering in all things technology and spending time with his wife, two children and their family dog.

By RON WILSON
Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development

A young woman is going through nurses’ training. As she prepares for a career helping others, it is cause to reflect on a time when she needed help herself. She is “giving back” for the care she received as a child. This is one of the success stories of the foster care provided across Kansas by Associated Youth Services.

Dennis Vanderpool is CEO of Associated Youth Services, called AYS for short. Dennis grew up in Kansas City and went to K-State. He had a long career in social services, working in various mental health centers and helping start drug and alcohol treatment programs. In 1998, he became CEO of Associated Youth Services in Kansas City.

This organization began back in 1912 as the Mennonite Children’s Home, an orphanage in the Argentine district of Kansas City, Kansas. The orphanage was originally created to care for orphans from the great flu epidemic of the early 1900s, but the needs have grown and changed through the years.

In 1972, the Mennonite Church closed the orphanage but helped to establish Argentine Youth Services. AYS is led by a non-denominational volunteer board. As the organization’s client base grew and shifted, AYS changed its name to Associated Youth Services in 1987. In 2006, AYS moved its headquarters to downtown Kansas City, Kansas so as to be closer to its core clientele.

AYS also opened offices across the state to serve more families and youth. The organization now has offices in Garden City and Hutchinson.

“We serve disadvantaged young people through a variety of programs,” Dennis said. These include drug and alcohol treatment, GED preparation, community health, residential care, and foster care. The residential center for temporary housing is located in Kansas City.

“Foster care is the program which provides safe homes for kids across the state,” Dennis said. “Our kids have so many challenges. They may come from extreme poverty or have been subject to physical or emotional abuse or neglect. Many do not have the things which we take for granted, such as having caring adults, access to health care, or a positive environment in which to grow up. We try to fill in the gaps.”

When Dennis became CEO of AYS in 1998, the organization was serving 300 to 400 kids each year. Today, among all its programs, AYS is serving some 4,000 to 5,000 kids each year.

The foster homes are located across the state, in urban cities and rural communities as small as the town of Holyrood, population 447 people. Now, that’s rural.

“Our foster families do incredible things,” Dennis said. “They take these kids who have all these challenges and raise them as their own.”

One long-time foster family invites every single one of their former foster children to their place for Thanksgiving. “They may have 30 or 40 kids at their place on Thanksgiving Day,” Dennis said. Better order the turkey by the truckload.

“It is so gratifying when kids come back to us and share how successful they have become,” Dennis said.

A person must meet state guidelines and go through training to qualify as a foster parent. AYS provides extensive training for prospective foster families, as well as opportunities for peer support.

“It helps to have a group of foster families located close together so they can help each other, with respite care or other needs,” Dennis said. Once they become foster parents, the families have access to case managers 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“We need more foster families,” Dennis said. “We have lots more referrals than we can place. Parents who are good communicators, who can build self-esteem in youth, assure health and safety, manage youth behaviors and can work in partnership with agencies should contact us.” For more information, go to www.aysusa.org.

A young woman is going through nursing care, preparing to “give back” to society for the care she received in a foster home through Associated Youth Services. We salute Dennis Vanderpool and all those affiliated with AYS for literally making a difference in the lives of young people.

A proposal to provide more money for Kansas public schools has now been passed, having been adopted by the House late Sunday evening with 63 affirmative votes, the minimum number needed for passage. I voted no, for reasons I will explain. It had earlier been voted out of the Senate with 22 yes votes, one more than required.

The measure, Senate Substitute for House Bill 2506, provides roughly $129 million in funding to meet the “equity” requirement of the recent Supreme Court school funding decision. I believe this will satisfy the court; however I must admit to being somewhat apprehensive about their response. One of the “pay fors” for the new funding was the elimination of funding for one form of at-risk weighting. An argument could be made that eliminating that weighting will disadvantage the students and school districts that the weighting was designed to help, thereby creating a new source of inequity.

Additionally, the bill provides flexibility for all school districts to increase their Local Option Budget (LOB) if they wish. The problem is that a LOB increase means property taxes must go up. That means that some wealthy districts will jump at the chance to increase their LOB while some poorer districts may feel that they simply can’t afford the additional property tax load, and will not increase the LOB. Does this also create an issue of inequity? There is certainly room for discussion on that point.

Even with those two potential problems, I was solidly in favor of passing the funding portion of the bill. However it also contained some policy proposals which I view as quite problematic. And my stand against them is amplified because of the questionable process in which they were included in the bill. These are very controversial policy pieces, and they were stuck in the bill without having gone through the committee hearing process. That means that the legislature was being asked to pass these measures without complete understanding of the pros and cons of the proposals. They were inserted as pet projects of certain legislators into a funding bill that everyone agreed had to be adopted. That was done because those legislators, and everyone else, knew they could not pass as stand-alone legislation. That, in my opinion, is very poor public policy, and I stand against it. Here is a brief description of the policy items and my views on them:

Due process for teachers

Current Kansas statute provides due process for teachers once they have completed a three-year probationary period. Even though Kansas is an employment-at-will state, the due process statute lays out a hearing and appeals process for non-probationary teachers who have had their employment terminated. Sub for HB 2506 would remove that due process protection for K-12 teachers. While I have some problems with the current statute, I would have favored a full examination of the issue rather than a total elimination of due process.

It is unclear whether this eliminates due process for current teachers or whether it only applies to newly hired teachers. Also, some districts, including Shawnee Mission, include due process provisions in their teacher contracts. Are these invalidated now, or do they still stand? If so, we may see pressure on school districts throughout the state to adopt due process in their contracts. That would entail a great deal of time, trouble, and expense on the part of school boards. One has to wonder if that isn’t the reason that a statewide statutory due process for teachers was first adopted back in 1957.

Alternative certification

Sub for HB 2506 provides a mechanism whereby individuals who have not completed traditional teacher career-path training may become certified to teach in Kansas schools. I approve of efforts to provide alternative certification, as rural Kansas schools often find it difficult to locate and hire teachers in certain fields, most often science and math. However I believe it was unnecessary to include this provision in the bill, as the State Board of Education understands the need, and has been working on alternative certification for quite some time. Enacting this provision in statute could actually be a usurpation of that board’s constitutional duties.

Corporate scholarships for private schools

This is an issue that I frankly can never agree to. I understand that part of the objective is to encourage additional competition in education, and I support that concept as we search for ways to provide the best possible education at the least possible cost. But it is simply not equitable to provide public funding for private education via institutions that do not have to follow the same regulations and guidelines as public schools. I firmly believe that public funds must be dedicated exclusively to public education. It seems the folks who wrote the Kansas constitution agree with that point of view. Article 6 of the constitution contains this sentence:  “No religious sect or sects shall control any part of the public educational funds.”

The Legislature is now on spring break until April 30, when we will return to Topeka for the wrap-up session. If things go smoothly we could reach final adjournment by May 9. If we hit any snags I expect a May 16 finish.

Rep. Don Hineman is a Republican from Dighton.

At the end of February, my husband’s prayers were answered.

I had laryngitis for three days after battling a nasty head cold. (This revelation earned applause
from some Ambassadors as well. I’m sensing a theme here …)

During these three quiet days, I was scheduled to facilitate for Leadership Hays, participate on a conference call, lead a Chamber Chat and emcee the Monthly Membership Lunch.

All of these tasks I enjoy, but they are difficult to accomplish with no speaking voice.

It took losing my talking ability to help me realize how fortunate all of us are at the chamber, especially me. What I witnessed were others stepping up to be my “voice.”

Literally, others had to do the speaking for me. Thankfully, the foresightedness of the Leadership Hays facilitators had us engaging and developing others to help for times such as this. Those “newbies” were ready to go at a moment’s notice, and they did excellent!

Developing and cross-training within the office also has been a priority. For instance, Kathy spoke on behalf of the financials with our accountant, while Celeste spoke at the Chamber Chat, and Jessica made her speaking debut during our monthly lunch.

It certainly was challenging to not know if, or when, my voice would come back, so plans had to be adjusted at the last moment.

While all made their parts look easy and natural, I know some nerves were hidden beneath the polished and professional manners.

Regardless of the role or task, everyone knew exactly what needed to be said and how to share it. I was so comforted to be able to lean on a talented group of people when I couldn’t be the “expert” at the time. The only thing greater than knowing I am surrounded by talented and gifted team members, is to watch them shine in the spotlight.

While unplanned, this exercise in leadership development was a success, proving to the entire chamber membership they are not just in good hands, but they have strong voices speaking on their behalf.

Tammy Wellbrock is executive director of the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce. For more information on chamber activities, membership or benefits, visit discoverhays.com.

An astonishing 60 percent of American children have been exposed to some form of violence, crime or abuse, ranging from brief encounters as witnesses to serious violent episodes as victims.

The consequences can be serious: Poor performance in school, drug and alcohol abuse, long-term physical and psychological ailments, a life of involvement with juvenile and criminal justice systems. The Report of the U.S. Attorney General’s National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence concluded that exposure to violence in any form harms children. In many cases, children are exposed to multiple forms of violence: sexual abuse, physical abuse, intimate partner violence and community violence. Children exposed to domestic violence in their own homes, for instance, may experience fear, grief, anger, shame and a sense of betrayal that interferes with important relationships for the rest of the lives.

We know the majority of children who are exposed to violence never receive services or treatment to help them stabilize themselves and heal their social and emotional wounds. Too often they suffer alone with problems of anxiety, depression, anger, grief and post-traumatic stress that can damage their relationships and family life and limit their success in school or work.

We can stem the epidemic of children exposed to violence. The problem is not one government alone can solve.  We need to tap the strength of all Americans. The first crucial step in protecting our children is to identify and provide timely and effective help to those exposed to violence. A public that is aware of the problem and well informed can help to ensure that all children exposed to violence are identified, screened and assessed. A national initiative to promote education and training on how exposure to violence affects children will help prepare teachers, health workers and other professionals to become leaders in the drive.

Our children need safe, stable and nurturing homes. The National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence, supported by the Justice Department, concluded that 40 percent of children between the ages of 14 and 17 had been exposed to family violence. We need to do everything we can to make families into the first line of defense against children’s exposure to violence. One way to do that is to provide families affected by sexual abuse, physical abuse and domestic violence with education and services to prevent further abuse and enable children to recover.

We also need to strengthen our efforts to prevent community violence in neighborhoods where children witness assaults and even killings of family members, friends and innocent bystanders. Our children should grow up learning that violence is not normal. We need to organize local coalitions that bring together the resources of law enforcement, the courts, health care, schools, family services, child protection, domestic violence programs, rape crisis centers, child advocacy centers, families and community members. Our goal must be to ensure that all our children grow up in safety and security.

Barry Grissom is the United States Attorney for the District of Kansas.

While the Legislature is out of the Statehouse for its spring break, let’s take a little spin at the roulette wheel.

There’s a game of chance going on in the governor’s office, and it will mean jobs, entertainment and state tax revenues, or … not.

Spin the wheel, and the governor either signs—or doesn’t sign or allows to become law without his signature—a bill that would allow someone with about $55.5 million in cash and chips to build a casino in either Crawford or Cherokee counties in southeast Kansas.

The area — which has seen across-the-state-line casinos sprout like crabgrass in Oklahoma — needs some economic development, and a casino sure is one.

It’s probably not odd that casinos don’t make it into most of the governor’s eco-devo speeches, or jobs creation speeches or cut-income-taxes speeches.

This is eco-devo with a little moral/social sandbag of gambling riding on it.

And actually, the chance for a casino in southeast Kansas would mirror the southwest Kansas casino at Dodge City, where to encourage the business, the state reduced the capital investment requirement from the $225 million for the Kansas City area to $50 million. And cutting the cash-up-front privilege fee for getting the casino license — sorta like a tip to the blackjack dealer after a good hand — brings the price to $5.5 million instead of the big-city casino fee of $25 million.

The investment requirements? Well, in the Kansas City area where there’s lots to do, a little more glamour is demanded to make sure that the casino draws a crowd than in far-west Kansas and southeast Kansas. And, of course, the nice thing about playing slot machines is that people play slot machines in a pole barn if they have to…or maybe the back room of a fraternal organization.

But there is this gambling/spend the rent money social overtone that non-gamblers refer to, and it turns out to be a fairly interesting little social policy decision for the governor. Socially conservative Kansans would prefer their fellow Kansans spend their money on painting their houses, feeding their children or probably attending even R-rated movies instead of putting money into slot machines or card games.

At some point, you have to figure that Gov. Sam Brownback already has that conservative crowd, and if it gets ticked off that he allows the casino, well, everyone makes mistakes. But, if he vetoes the bill to please the conservatives who are already going to be voting for him, does he upset the eco-devo crowd that likes to see bulldozers moving dirt and steelworkers welding building frames?

Interesting little decision coming up here.

And, the governor tends to be tidy enough that nobody’s going to believe he lost the bill in a stack of old newspapers and candy wrappers on his desk.

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.