Valentine’s Day is a wonderful day full of expressions of love and affection. But for others it is singles affirmation day, or that holiday invented by corporate America to sell cards, chocolates and flowers.
Should pastors talk about politics? Absolutely. We do it all the time.
Voters in November sent a clear message that they were dissatisfied with the status quo and the high cost of goods and services.The rising cost of health care was one of the top pocketbook issues voters cared about — second only to food, according to a recent column by KFF, an independent source of health policy, polling and journalism.This concern matched polling the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund supported last year, which found that 70% of voters felt the average Kansas family was struggling financially. The majority of those polled believed these essential costs were difficult to afford: housing (87%), health care (86%), child care (83%) and healthy food (81%).To ease the financial strain, families are being forced to make tradeoffs and tough decisions, especially to afford health care.
Back in November, I wrote a column that discussed the likely adverse effects of President Trump’s proposed tariffs on U.S. farmers.The piece noted that 398 million acres of cropland has been added to the mix around the world since the start of this century, notably in tropical regions such as Brazil and India.
Recently, a work trip prompted a quick trip to Fresno, California, where I attended college to earn my undergraduate degree. The trip was past due; it had been nearly 10 years since my last visit.As I drove around town and visited with old friends, memories broke free from the back of my mind.
I took a tour group to Alabama in 2015 to trace the American Civil Rights Trail, running in a triangle from Birmingham to Montgomery to Selma and back to Birmingham.In Birmingham, we visited the historic 16th Street Baptist Church, where racists killed four little girls dressing for Sunday School. We walked Kelly Ingram Park across the street, where replica water cannons and snarling dogs depicted the Children’s Campaign.In Montgomery, we visited Commerce Street, named for the human beings sold there.
I had not known how weary I had become of the affairs of my country.Then a thought came to me.“Who will lead us?”In less than a fortnight, Trump issued a raft of executive orders remarkable for their cruelty and unfettered by any allegiance to the rule of law.The orders seek to end birthright citizenship, eliminate protections for transgender people and engage in the mass deportation of migrants. His nominees for important federal agencies are, nearly without exception, unqualified in all but their loyalty to Trump.
In 1980, the Mariel Boatlift brought more than 125,000 Cuban refugees to America. Fidel Castro allowed the boatlift that year reducing the stresses on his socialist programs, medical care, education and more.
Hey, Kansans! Are you excited and delighted by the work of Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency lackeys in rooting through government records in search of waste?Do we have a deal for you!The Kansas Legislature has formed its very own Senate Committee on Government Efficiency (COGE instead of DOGE) and has asked residents to submit their ideas on making government leaner, meaner and more attuned to the needs of South African-born billionaires! Ha, ha. Just joking a bit there, folks.
If you are into Contra dancing or barn dancing, then the weekend of Feb. 14-15 is for you.