Kansas shakes candidates off empty entertainment as election looms

Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of expanding conversations about how public policy affects the daily lives of our people across the state. Susan Quinn is an engineer in northeastern Kansas.

This week, I attended a forum in Topeka for candidates from Shawnee County running for the Kansas House of Representatives. I had hoped to meet my district representative there, but he didn’t show up. No need to come out when one, you have no objections, two, there is an absolute majority of power, so there is no need to cooperate with each other, and three, frankly, we weren’t going to do a lot, so why talk about it?

Now, that’s an exaggeration. I personally know my representative and he is a nice guy. I don’t think he’s against working in the aisle. It doesn’t seem to happen very often.

I think I know why. There is very little substance that we ask of our representatives. We want them to say the right things and entertain us. They know what will get them re-elected, and they aim to please.

Are you well informed about our national politics? Do you read newspapers, follow Twitter trends and find out what’s going on around the world? How many hours per week do you spend learning about politics? Today, our reps focus more on public relations and the foundation of marketing their brand to appeal to them rather than understanding the problem and making progress.

But if we treat politics as a spectator sport, we get: a whole bunch of performances that make you feel empty. All those clicks and likes will get you into more of the same deadlock. All the while, the problems keep increasing until they become overwhelming and it may be too late to fix them. Guys, the well is drying up. The water crisis is real.

At this week’s forum, all participating candidates are from one political party. While I’m glad to hear from them, I still want more. I guess it’s hard for me to please. but still. One of the speakers tried to provoke the crowd, but instead of making me smile, he shook his head sadly.

Why is there only one side of the aisle? Why do we have “sides” of the aisle in the first place? What can we do when neither side seems to want to cooperate?

I’ll tell you what you do: pick up the phone. I was serious. Figure out who your reps are and call them. Let them know that you are watching and that you would like to see progress on issues that are important to you. Tell them you voted and you’ll follow how they vote.

Next, put your shoes on because you’ll be busy. You’re leaving the house, talking to the people you care about, and getting them to vote. Have honest conversations with them about important matters and help each other understand the situation. Not sure where to start?resources to use Kansas Reflector’s Election Page start. Please call me if you need help. If I don’t know the answer, we’ll find it together.

You need a plan to vote, this time and every time. Yes, there is an election every November. Not just in even-numbered years. There is an election every year, and you need to do an informed vote every year. If you don’t, good luck with the water.

Yes, I know I don’t farm, but I eat. Last time I knew, the crops we love to grow still need water. If we don’t have water, how are we going to eat?

We’re going to keep getting more of the same and keep doing 5% of what we could have done until we all worked together.

We tell our children to share and collaborate. “Nice play!” we said. But we don’t know how to talk to others anymore. Maybe it’s an epidemic. Maybe it’s just that I’m getting older and less tolerant of the changes I’ve seen. We have had a difficult three years since January 2020. I’m not sure our current trajectory will get us where we want to be. But we’re going.

As they say, tie the ranunculus.

Through its Opinion section, the Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of those affected by public policy or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own review, here.