Posts

Housing Costs Have Kansans Worried

  The latest Kansas Speaks poll shows that Kansans have a lot of worries about the economy. Many economic indicators are positive, so why are they worried? A big part of the answer is housing costs, I wrote in  last week’s column .

Local Ordinances Should Allow for Native Plantings and Pollinator Gardens

  Planting native and pollinator-friendly plants in your yard is a great way to help the ecosystem and have a beautiful garden. Unfortunately, many local ordinances discourage or ban such plantings. This needs to change, I wrote in  last week’s column , which got picked up by Yahoo! News.

Re-thinking the Suburbs

  Kansas today is a predominantly suburban state. The suburbs were built with exclusive zoning, Interstate highways, and single-family houses. With housing costs skyrocketing, it is time for a rethink- but it won’t be easy, I wrote in  last week’s column .

Fighting to Preserve the College Experience

 College life is about so much more than getting just enough credits to graduate.  The whole college experience is under threat, and it is worth preserving, I wrote in my latest MPSA blog entry .  

Safer Roads Don't Have to be Boring

  Cyclist and pedestrian deaths are up since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Money is available to make our roads safer– and safer does not have to mean boring.  A lifelong car enthusiast, I wrote about this in   last week’s column .

KDOT's Zipper Merge is Real World Policymaking

  At selected heavy traffic construction sites, the Kansas Department of Transportation is now promoting the "zipper merge" instead of the early merge. Change can be hard--and this is an example of policymaking in the real world, I wrote in last week's column .

Trans Kansans Deciding Whether to Move Away or Buy Guns

  In last week’s column, I discussed the dilemmas of Trans Kansans and their families for whom things have become so hostile, they feel their only choices are to move away or buy guns. The column was  picked up by Yahoo! News.