As the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence approaches, celebrations will begin nationwide. Yet they arrive at a moment when warnings about the fate of our democracy grow louder and more urgent. Each party accuses the other of plotting tyranny, rigging elections, and ...

As we celebrate Father’s Day, we still face sobering evidence about how a lack of male role models can derail a child’s outcome. This is particularly acute for young males, aka “future fathers.” The data is grim. Children in father-absent homes have greater risk for poverty, behavioral ...

Two months ago, I wrote a column on how Kansas Christians (which over two-thirds of the population identify as) have changed how they make use of their influence as citizens. At one time, many Christians aimed to lift up Kansas society to the moral level they held to be scripturally mandated; ...

On the August primary ballot, Kansans are being asked to decide whether to fundamentally change how we choose justices for our state Supreme Court. The proposed shift from merit selection to popular elections may sound like an expansion of democratic participation. But beneath that appealing ...

Once in power, party members often develop an affliction called myopic fog. The condition presents as a compulsion to rewrite institutional rules. Common symptoms include electoral law manipulation, fixation on short-term advantage, and habitual overreaching. Consider election ...

Sometimes life lets us set the record straight. It happens in big and small ways and reminds us to stay true to who we are, to believe in our talents, pursue our interests and develop our skill sets. The world is filled with people who will tell you “no,” and it feels like we are hearing ...