And that that budget crunch is already affecting local school districts all across Kansas.

We have technology that has been developed in Kansas that could help school districts cut operating costs during cold weather by converting locally available resources into low cost heat energy, for heating spaces (classrooms for example) and water supplies.

But the Kansas Legislature has been lax about implementing economic development policies that could help Kansas entrepreneurs advance innovative new products onto the commercial stage.

We could already be using Kansas-developed technology to cut school operational costs, in Lawrence and throughout the state, and thus be better able to continue with programs currently coming under the budget knife, while also creating good-paying jobs producing products that Kansas could be exporting to other states, to help them cut costs as well.

The Kansas legislature has also been lax in overseeing the monopolistic electric power utilities.

This laxness has affected how these public utilities conduct themselves. This is, in turn, results in scandalous abuse by utility officials.

I had proposed to one local electric utility that it consider using locally developed technology to process locally available resources into electric power for local use, and save local taxpayers and electric ratepayers money in the process. They declined and instead plowed money (obtained from their locally monopolistic enterprises) into money-losing non-local enterprises to the detriment of Kansans.

I wonder when the Kansas legislature is going to come to grips with Kansas problems? And I wonder when Kansas utilities are going to start looking for innovative ways to provide better service to their customers, instead of more innovative ways to line their pockets?

Les Blevins,

Lawrence