To the editor:

In his recent letter to the editor, Doug Burger wrote that he and his wife were leaving “Brownbackistan” to distance themselves from the “madness of King Sam.” Burger also noted that when they traveled to other states and people heard they were from Kansas, the universal response was “Oh, I’m so sorry.” 

My family has also traveled outside of Kansas a good deal during the Brownback years. We were also in Asia last summer, and my wife and I visited Europe last month. We proudly tell others we are from Kansas and have yet to meet anyone who had anything negative to say about our state.

Like Mr. Burger, I did not grow up in Kansas. I was born and raised in Illinois, where four of the last seven governors served prison time. A recent 24/7 Wall St. survey ranked Illinois as the worst-run state in the nation. Talk about madness.

It’s only been a few years since California, where Mr. Burger says he is moving, elected an Austrian-born movie star to serve as governor over, among others, Gary Coleman, Larry Flynt, and a porn star. 

I wish the Burgers well in California, but advise them to stock up on deodorant. It seems that state’s leaders focused so much on being “progressive” that they failed to plan for the basic needs of their citizens, such as having an adequate supply of water. The water shortage is forcing many Californians to let their person hygiene slide. Oh, I’m so sorry.