Commentary

By "The Cowboy" Jim Gray

When gold was discovered in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, the western border of Kansas Territory was at the continental divide that separates the great watersheds that drain to the Pacific in the west and those that drain east, in this case eventually finding the sea at the Gulf of Mexico. The discovery of gold in 1858 stirred thousands of people to cross the plains in search of a better life in the Kansas gold fields.

Pikes Peak looming on the western horizon was the first sign of the mountains and spawned the slogan “Pikes Peak or Bust!”. It was painted on wagon covers and pledged in staging camps as wagon trains prepared to cross the sea of grass west of Missouri.

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By LeeAnn Hall

Ask about health care at a summer cookout, and you’ll likely get an earful about how drug corporations are gouging us, leaving many families to choose between buying medications or putting food on the table.

Why? Because corporations put profits before patients.

Look at a corporation like Mylan, the maker of EpiPen, which raked in $480 million in profits last year and paid its chairman $97.6 million, all while raising the price of the medication to more than $600 per dose.

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By David Jordan

The House of Representative’s American Health Care Act (AHCA) and the Senate’s similar Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) will have a disproportionate negative impact on states, like Kansas, that have older, more rural populations. The damage caused by these bills will impact Kansans in a variety of ways:

Reduced access to care: The Urban Institute estimates that 120,000 Kansans will lose health coverage under BCRA.

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By Jerry Marsh

The attack on responsible Kansas fiscal policy is well under way. Voters will be bombarded over the next year and half regarding the “biggest tax increase in state history” and the “biggest budget increase in state history”. Gov. Brownback, his fiscal minions, and gubernatorial candidate Kris Kobach will be leading the attack.

The tax and budget increases are large. I am not sure about the “largest in state history.” The attackers will not tell voters why the increases are large. Voters will need to recall living for five years under the fiscal mess brought on by Gov. Brownback and his ideological cronies and the damage Kansas suffered during those five years.

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By "The Cowboy" Jim Gray

History comes to me in a lot of different ways. Most of the stories that I tell are from larger stories that I have collected over the past 21 years, a few go back a lot farther. Sources come from books, magazines, newspapers, museum archives, internet pages, and personal interaction with interesting folks that I have had the good fortune to meet. I’ve gotten some really good tips from readers and if you haven’t seen your particular storyline yet, hang on! It’s in the works.

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By Jerry Marsh

“Social media . . . It’s a medium Mr. Trump exploits brilliantly, ...” The preceding quote comes from an article referencing another in a long line of unseemly Tweets from our unseemly president.

I find it disturbing when political and social commentators attribute brilliance to our president’s inexcusable, boorish behavior. Such attribution serves to make his insults more acceptable and thus more imitable. The man needs to be called out for precisely what he is, a disgrace to the office of President of the United States. I take this idea directly from a Republican who urged as much in an appeal to her fellow Republicans.

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By "The Cowboy" Jim Gray

Excitement ran high on the Delaware Reserve at Anderson’s Town July 24, 1833. Shawnuk, chief of the Delaware was preparing for war. Superintendent of Indian Affairs William Clark of Lewis & Clark fame, reported on the incident.

According to the report Shawnuk and 22 Delaware warriors left the town “on a War excursion against the Pawnees, to avenge the death of some Delawares killed by the Pawnees ...” Clark continued, “The party passed through the Kanza villages, the latter were to join them on the expedition.”

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By Ben Lilliston

How we spend our money says a lot about what we value — and what we can do without. The Trump administration’s proposed budget, which it submitted to Congress in May, sends the alarming message that it can do without much of rural America.

The surprisingly harsh budget would eviscerate important programs that support rural America, including programs that support rural businesses and cooperatives, housing, water infrastructure, and renewable energy. The size and scope of the cuts would be devastating.

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By Davis Merritt

One person’s leaker is another person’s whistle-blower is another person’s publicist is another person’s defender. One person’s traitor is another person’s patriot.

And they are all, at one time or another, what journalists consider confidential news sources. Because that’s the case, Americans’ freedoms are preserved at a level higher than any other peoples’ in the world.

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By John Schlageck

Long hours, a flurry of activity, less-than-ideal weather conditions and work involving large machinery combine to make wheat harvest a potentially dangerous period.

To say farmers are busy during this time would be an understatement. Try to call one after 7 a.m. or before 10 p.m. and you’ll be wasting your time — they’re not home. They’re in the field or shop preparing for harvest.

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