“Why should we not allow Lawrence to hurt its local economy? We all know that Marxism is alive and well only in academia.” — State Rep. Mike Kiegerl, R-Olathe

Just in case you were wondering how Lawrence is viewed by at least some of the members of the Kansas Legislature …

Rep. Kiegerl made his statement at a House committee hearing Tuesday concerning a bill that would outlaw local living wage ordinances, including the one approved in Lawrence in 2003. The opponents of the bill seemed somewhat ignorant of the local measure, which applies narrowly only to companies receiving city property tax abatements. The opponents couldn’t cite any solid examples of how the ordinance had hurt Lawrence business and they hadn’t consulted with any local business or city officials, but they were dead-set against the passage of similar measures elsewhere in the state.

After all, it’s Lawrence, and we all know about Lawrence. The remarks of the Olathe legislator speak volumes about the way some state lawmakers view our city. In many of their minds, we are a Kansas aberration, a liberal bastion, but Marxists? Really?

Perhaps it would have been useful to collect the facts and cool the insulting rhetoric. That might lead to more thoughtful decision-making, but Kiegerl’s remark still serves as a reminder of how Lawrence is viewed by a substantial number of legislators and Kansans in other parts of the state.