GREAT BEND, Kan. - The federal government is a punching bag for the frustrations that Americans have with politics.

The federal government is blamed whenever anything goes wrong in our country; it is the red-headed stepchild of America.

On the flip side whenever anything goes wrong, American's look to big brother for help and a bailout. We can complain as much as we want about the federal government being around, but in the end we also complain when the federal government is not around.

Natural disasters, insufficient funds, stopping terrorism, are all things we expect from our federal government; especially in this state, as Kansas has a sparse population and less of a tax base than other areas.

Last year in the state of Kansas Medicaid services were cut by up to 10 percent. As a state we had to depend on the federal government to help us out and ensure seniors' services. So much for the federal government wanting to kill Grandma with death panels; the federal government helped out Grandma in our state.

YOCEMENTO, Kan. - Since the possibility of an industrial wind operation in Ellis County, Kansas, became a real possibility, I have been among those who have been very concerned about placement of these 400 feet tall tower and blade assemblies. The experience of a significant number of people living near industrial wind operations elsewhere has been a bad one. Though many people are not affected by the audible noise and the inaudible low frequency waves of pressure, a significant number of people suffer health problems from living too close to a turbine.

Warren Zevon, to my knowledge, though he commented on US foreign policy, werewolves, and headless Thompson gunners, never got around to singing about industrial wind turbines or the election of 2010. Of course, he died of cancer in 2003; maybe we shouldn't hold it against him.

But his prayerful plea, "Don't Let Us Get Sick," which continues with "don't let me get old / don't let me get stupid, alright," seems designed particularly for the election of 2010. Stupidity seems to be more infectious than H1N1 this year, and in Ellis County, at least, there do not seem to be enough doses of the vaccine to go around.

HAYS, Kan. - Kansas Secretary of State Chris Biggs will be on hand as the Ellis County Democratic Party opens its 2010 Election Headquarters on Wednesday, September 29 at 6 p.m.

The headquarters is located at 107 W. 10th Street in Hays. Please come and welcome the Secretary of State, take some yards signs to show your support for the candidates, and let the Democratic Party in Ellis County know how you can help.

MANHATTAN, Kan. - Community Bridge, Manhattan's alternative to talk radio, is now entering its fifth year on the air with another season dedicated to informing the public debate on issues of interest to Kansans.

When I started this program in June 2006, it was mostly to provide some balance to the other talk shows on KSDB 91.9 and commercial radio in the Manhattan area. Every talk show was presented from a rabid right-wing perspective.

For over a year, the K-State's Progressive Coalition had been trying to get a moderate to left of center show on the air waves, but were blocked by the executive staff of the station. Only after a talk show host had had a guest who on air referred to the film "Brokeback Mountain" as "bareback mounting" and used other expletives to describe gay and lesbian people, that resulted in a formal complaint being filed with the FCC, did space become available for an alternative to the toxic talk of Rush Limbaugh wannabes.

Community Bridge began with one goal: to provide community with quality programming from a progressive point of view. To that end the show has worked hard to inform the public debate and provide listeners with content that is not available on other local stations.

MANHATTAN, Kan. - A couple of weeks ago some friends started to ask me if I was interested in running for office again. "New election cycle, why not give it another go," they said. Several wanted someone "with new eyes" looking at how local government operates and work to make it better for everyone. I know others were disappointed when I did not run for city commission in April 2009.
My previous experiences at running for elected office included a run for the legislature when I was 18, - that was many, many moons ago - and my 2008 bid to unseat Kathy Martin on the State Board of Education. Neither went in my favor, but both were great experiences.

So after thinking about it for a week, I walked precincts collecting the signatures I needed to file by petition in a bid to run for the Riley County Commission. I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised when everyone I talked while walking the neighborhoods expressed their support for my effort.

BASEHOR, Kan. - Congress has provided funds through the Citizen Corps to assist local communities in quick response to emergency situations--particularly when first responders may be overwhelmed. These local programs, called Community Emergency Response Teams, allow groups of trained citizens to literally "care for themselves" by being first on the scene when disaster strikes. They're able to self organize and provide immediate assistance to their friends and neighbors while waiting for first responders. A multi-part training program is available, free of charge, to those who are interested.

EMPORIA, Kan. - A recent Kansas Supreme Court decision upheld the Wabaunsee County Commission's decision to enact a countywide ban on commercial wind turbines. I don't fault the Court's reasoning -- I am very disappointed in Wabaunsee's elected officials and in the citizens of Wabaunsee who supported the restrictions.

TOPEKA, Kan. - A 72-year-old woman from the Wichita metro area has died from infection with the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus.

It is important to note that the number of deaths confirmed to be caused by pandemic H1N1 influenza under-represents the true number of deaths; many more deaths may have been caused by the virus in Kansas. Numbers are not complete because routine testing for H1N1 was stopped earlier this year because once a patient has acquired a flu-like illness, those with the swine flu are offered the same medications as thought with just seasonal flu.

The great majority of all influenza or pneumonia-related deaths that occur (pneumonia is the most common severe complication of influenza) do not have a confirmatory lab result associated with them.

Though the vaccine is not yet widely available in all counties to all Kansans, Dr. Jason Eberhart-Phillips, Kansas State Health Officer, points out, "Healthy adults are susceptible to severe complications of the pandemic H1N1 flu virus."

HAYS, Kan. - The Ellis County Zoning and Planning Commission met in its monthly meeting on Wednesday, November 18.

The one piece of business discussed by the commission came from Commissioner Keith Campbell. Mr. Campbell proposed that the commission adopt a bylaw which said that when considering board business, if a commissioner "anticipated the opportunity" to personally benefit by the action of the board in the value of $1000 or more, that commissioner should publicly state that. Any recommendation then going forward from the zoning board to the Ellis County Commission would include the notification of the anticipation of opportunity.

MCDOWELL CREEK, Kan. - We've heard of "earthshaking decisions"--but the Kansas Supreme Court's October 30 decision affirming Wabaunsee County's ban on commercial-scale wind-energy conversion systems (CWECS) was an earth-saving one. It allows predominantly rural Wabaunsee County to protect its endangered tall grass prairie from industrial-scale wind "farms." The Nature Conservancy has called CWECS one of today's greatest threats to grassland ecology, in particular the keystone species of grouse, including prairie chickens. The green flag which wind energy wraps itself up in has prevented many people from taking seriously the environmental damage which CWECS can inflict. But Wabaunsee County looked through the green rhetoric and came down firmly on the side of the prairie.