Local Columns

Opinion: Should Kansans push for petitions?

Should Kansans demand the petition initiative? Recent election results point to a resounding “yes.” Currently, the only way to change the Kansas constitution is for the Kansas Legislature to initiate. This year, they asked voters to abandon merit selection and choose Kansas Supreme ...

Opinion: 20 years of lessons in Kansas politics

This August marks the twentieth anniversary of my family’s arrival in Kansas, after I was hired to teach at Friends University in Wichita. After two decades here, what have I learned? That’s a complicated question and answering it fully would take a book (which I’m working on). But one ...

Opinion: Kansas voters sent a message

The resounding defeat of the proposed Kansas constitutional amendment on Supreme Court selection demonstrates a fundamental democratic principle: political leaders may set the agenda, but voters retain the ultimate authority to accept or reject it. The amendment, championed by Senate president ...

Opinion: AI is fueling the digital divide

It wasn’t long ago that policymakers worried the internet would split the country into digital “haves” and “have-nots,” leaving millions stranded without access to modern education, healthcare and economic opportunity. So federal dollars poured into the states to help build ...

Opinion: Party labels don’t belong on court

Americans’ trust in the judiciary and the justice system is eroding at every level. From the U.S. Supreme Court to state courts across the country, polls show sharply declining public confidence in courts as trustworthy institutions. The response from many special interest groups and ...

Opinion: Would candidates govern or rule?

“To rule is easy, to govern difficult.” — Goethe On Aug. 4, Kansans have a watershed moment to narrow their parties’ fields for governor. Issues within the campaigns are well documented, like property taxes, school funding, job creation, affordability, Kansas values, etc. But with ...