Real Fear for the Future

Sorry to start the day on a negative note (negative notes?), but I'm not thinking the future is that cozy a place for us Americans from this vantage point. Besides the idiot, Republican Party dotard in the White House and his emotional, irrational outbursts and actions, there are facts and statistics stacking up that don't bode well for us all.

First, let's take our information we're getting. Newspapers are famously or infamously dying.

Number of Americans Who Read Print Newspapers Continues Decline

New York Daily News Fires Half Of Its Staff

Entire New Orleans Times-Picayune staff laid off

A Major Newspaper Fires Its Entire Staff

It's predicted this is the shape of things to come, too.

NY Times Editor Predicts Most Local US Papers Will Fold

Understand, too, this is not merely longing for a bygone day. This is no way nostalgia for the past and for "the way things were", no, not at all. 

This is about most or all of us having a basis of information. This is about all of us being engaged in the social fabric, as it were. This is about all of us have a similar basis of information from which we address our communities, our metropolitan areas, our cities, counties, states, regions and even the nation at large but the world, too. We will no longer have that basis from which to start, a more common background of knowledge.

So instead of reading the daily newspaper we would all or mostly all share, now we get things off the internet, if we read at all. This is where I say we also only read things that back up what we already "know", think we know and/or believe. It pits us more and more against one another because we so sincerely believe only that which we already want to believe.

It does not bode well for us.

And then there's the fact that no one will be down there at that newspaper to keep the local City Hall, Mayor, Council and city and state government accountable. With them not there to research, write and publish what's going on, who's going to? The local blogger on the internet?  Highly unlikely. God help us.

Then there's the issue of our news media has become far too "us vs them." We have Right Wing TV like Fox, publicly declaring itself entertainment but masquerading as news and skewing things heavily for one political party and for the already-wealthy and corporations.

Why is Fox News so biased toward the Republicans

This splits and splinters us all further, all the more. It's downright frightening.

Next up is the fact that, along with all this splintering, we're all joining fewer and fewer organizations.

Americans Are Becoming Less Social

We're becoming islands, unto ourselves. We belong to fewer churches (which actually I view as an improvement but that's another issue), we join less sports teams, bowling leagues and all kinds of social groups.

 After all this, now we also have whole countries, whole nations and other groups of people, going online to splinter us further. They whip people up with all kinds of false information and/or emotionalism in order to tear us apart from within. It certainly worked in the last national election for the presidency.

Add to all this that we're spending our way into obscene, huge, unnecessary defense spending that actually weakens the nation.

America's Defense Budget Is Bigger Than You Think

With that spending and our giveaways to the already-wealthy and corporations, we're also spending ourselves into crazy debt and deficit spending.

Trump Proposes Record Spending, Trillion-Dollar Deficit

With that, I'll stop. God knows that's enough. And that's just what's going on in our nation. I could go on with the UK's Brexit and China's response to our, again, dotard President and a lot more.

I just don't see much good out there. We have to put our faith in the American people waking up. Waking up and voting the wrong people, in office now, out of those offices.

I hope it doesn't require reading a newspaper to get us there.

Sprint, and Their Proposed Merger, Take a Hit Today

The Sprint company and the idea of its merger with T-Mobile takes a hit today in the New York Times.

Stop Creating Corporate Goliaths

A little of what they have to say.

Letting T-Mobile merge with Sprint would hurt consumers, workers and the economy

For years, T-Mobile’s chief executive, John Legere, has gleefully bad-mouthed his much larger mobile phone competitors, Verizon Wireless and AT&T, for their high prices and profit margins, and their low-quality service. Decked out in magenta sneakers and T-shirts, sporting long hair like an aging rocker, Mr. Legere promoted T-Mobile and himself to his 6.2 million Twitter followers as renegades — telephonic cool kids.

T-Mobile wooed customers by offering service plans with no long-term commitments, and by paying to free those customers from their old service plans. Rolling your unused data and minutes into the next month? T-Mobile did that, and AT&T and Verizon had no choice but to follow. More recently, T-Mobile vowed to match any discounts offered by competitors.

The fierce competition, and the march of technology, has rapidly reduced the cost of mobile phone service. Since 2009, the average cost of mobile service has fallen by roughly 28 percent, according to the Labor Department’s calculations. In 2017, at the peak of the mobile phone price wars, the Federal Reserve said prices were falling fast enough to meaningfully reduce inflation across the entire American economy.

That’s the beauty of competition. It’s been good for T-Mobile, too. Over the past five years, the company has added more subscribers than its larger rivals.

Now T-Mobile, the nation’s third-largest wireless company, wants to merge with Sprint, the No. 4 wireless carrier in the United States. The combined company would be in the same weight class as the two largest, AT&T and Verizon, with the three companies each controlling roughly a third of the market. Mr. Legere, who scorned the big guys, now wants to be one of them.

The Justice Department’s antitrust division staff has recommended that the federal government go to court to block the merger. That is good advice.

The proposed merger would harm American consumers. It would reduce the choice of service plans, and, over time, it is likely to result in higher prices and less innovation. It would also harm workers in the mobile phone industry, reducing competition for their labor. And it would increase the political power of the combined corporation...

On the one hand, this is coming from none other than The New York Times so it's going to carry some weight. It's certainly going to be on everyone's "radar", so to speak. 

On the other hand, boys will be boys and money buys all, especially in our current national government. This may be a conversation for a while--a few days?--but when all is said and done, the FCC and this administration will do what they will, customers and nation be damned.

Look for the Sprint-T-Mobile merger to go through. We hope not but these things usually don't go for the people.

But thanks, anyway, New York Times, for trying.

Kansas City Gets Some Good, National Press This Week

Seen this week, out on the interwebs. We get some promotion.

Weekend Trips to Take This Summer

Missouri: Kansas City

Known for its jazz heritage and incredible barbecue, Kansas City, Missouri, a somewhat underappreciated city, is not only a cheap weekend getaway but an exciting one, too. This is the perfect family-friendly destination. Take the kids to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, enjoy Free Friday Night Flicks at Crown Center, view tons of wildlife in William M. Klein Park and explore nature at the Lakeside Nature Center. Be sure to make time for a Boulevard Brewing tour; taste drinks you can't get elsewhere.

So kudos, Kansas City. Maybe get out there and enjoy some old favorite place or find a new one. Enjoy. And have a great weekend.

Hoping All Kansans Watch This Video

There is a young man, one Davis Hammet, who moved to, of all places, Kansas, from Florida. He's a bit of an activist and by "a bit", I mean a full-on, nearly fire breathing activist, at that.

He started a group on Facebook called "Loud Light." He's doing fantastic work, following the Kansas State legislators and what, exactly they do and what they work on.

He's pretty incredible. I've written about him out here before.

And the thing is, all he's doing is educating Kansans.

He's not doing threatening protests or, God forbid, threatening anyone, nothing like that. He's simply trying to make his now fellow Kansans aware of what's going on in Topeka at the Capitol.

He makes videos detailing the week by week work at the Capitol then puts it on YouTube and again, Facebook. I've personally followed him to learn what's going on there and then, this week, he released a really excellent piece on the overall Kansas State budget, what's been going on with it at least through the Brownback years and what's taking place now. It's excellent. You'll find it here.



I've said before, Missouri and each and every state, really, needs someone doing this very work. Heck, I live in Missouri and I'm following this guy. It's very simple, complete, excellent, informative work about what state legislators are doing in their state capitol. The local evening news isn't this informative, helpful or downright important. He puts local news reporters to shame, honestly and literally. (Hear that, Fox4? WDAF? KCTV5? KCPT? KCUR? Kansas City Star?).

It is, as I wrote in the title, my hope that all or at least nearly all adult, voting age Kansans watch this video. They all need to know what has taken place, what's happening now and where that puts them and their state's budget.

Link:

Loud Light

What's It Going to Take to Get Us to Recognize Manmade Climate Change?

I wonder if very many of us in the nation and world are paying attention to all the weather-related events, disasters and catastrophes included, that have been taking place this year. Herewith are just a few of the latest.

This took place the week before the Memorial Day weekend.

Multiple highways across Missouri shut down due to flooding

Check out how many roads were closed across the entire state of Missouri.

This was just last weekend:

Memorial Day weather: Heat wave scorches southern US

Then this happened.

Vehicles stuck in foot-deep hail in Omaha, Council Bluffs area

This one was four days ago.

Snowplows push piles of hail out of southwest Omaha

Then we all know this took place this last week locally.

Large and Dangerous Tornado Touches Down in Kansas City Outskirts

This is going on now, to the South of us, of course, and is still going on.

Record flooding causes levee breach in western Arkansas

These next two are current also.

Rising Missouri River closes I-680, causes renewed problems with water in Council Bluffs basements

Only Four of 10 Missouri River Crossings Remain Open

This is the past month.

Floods, tornadoes, snow in May: Extreme weather driven by climate change across US

This is just how large an issue this is.

The U.S. Has Had 500 Tornadoes in 30 Days

This Is Not “Normal”: There Have Been More Than 500 Tornadoes In The U.S. During The Last 30 Days

You can go here and see just some of the damage.

Tornado Damage: 13 Days of Devastation in Photos

As if all that isn't enough, this story broke two days ago.

Record-Breaking Heat in Alaska Wreaks Havoc on Communities and Ecosystem

"Abnormally high temperatures have led to unsafe travel conditions, uncertain ecological futures and even multiple deaths"

So how long, America? How long until we first accept global warming is happening and it's taking place because we humans are pumping so much CO2, carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere? And then, second, how long until we do something about it?

So Proud of You, Kansas City

Yes sir, so proud of my now hometown.

That's you, Kansas City.

There was a rather hastily put-together protest and march today at the Country Club Plaza. It began at Mill Creek Park, went for a protest march around the Plaza and then back to the park for some speeches.

It was to protest for women's and abortion rights, rightly, after the nightmare week in Jefferson City on the part of yet more Right Wing, mostly all white, Republican men who voted to limit even the possibility of an abortion after 8 weeks of pregnancy.

Forget all the medical facts like how difficult it is to know a woman is actually pregnant in the first few weeks after conception and all the other facts. Yeah, forget all that. Forget that theirs is supposed to be a "small government" political party. Forget all that. They want to have that government come between the patient, the female patient and her doctor.

It's not quite as bad as Alabama's draconian law they passed this week but it's right up there.

So a protest was planned and executed today and it was a beauty. I knew I had to be there. It's estimated 4,000 people showed. And they were boisterous. Herewith, some photos from the day. It was wondrous.

Some of the posters were a bit more, uh, frank, shall we say?

As I said, it was a very good sized crowd. I think we were all very, very pleased with the turnout and energy.

Some people wrote on the sidewalks, too, for a protest that would last a bit longer than just the time we were there.

One of the biggest ironies of all these, again, Right Wing, Republican government representatives is this article on a study of abortions and nations with and without them.

Abortion rates go down when countries make it legal: report

But again, facts and data and scientific studies mean little to these people. It's the same on this topic, abortion, as it is with guns and gun laws. Facts just don't matter.

Quote of the Day: Overpopulation and Climate Change

“Unlike plagues of the dark ages or contemporary diseases we do not yet understand, the modern plague of overpopulation is soluble by means we have discovered and with resources we possess, What is lacking is not sufficient knowledge of the solution but universal consciousness of the gravity of the problem and education of the billions who are its victims.”

--Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Outrageousness of Alabama and Today's Republican Party

After that abortion bill in Alabama this week, man. What can you say?

As if Donald Trump and his Senate weren't bad enough, now this.

The Republican Party and Right Wing are now, as of this week,on an all out war on women and women's rights.

What's next? Take away their right to vote? Don't let them own property any longer? Make sure they can't get an education? It's not that outside the realm of possibility, it wouldn't seem. Remember this?

Senate Republicans reject equal pay bill

They did that in 2014. Voted down equal pay for women. Really.

They are only consistent.

Instead of working on denying women's abortion rights, you'd think the Alabama legislators would work on poverty in the state, wouldn't you?

ALABAMA HAS THE WORST POVERTY IN THE DEVELOPED WORLD, U.N. OFFICIAL SAYS

But no. Instead, all these white, old government representatives work on this.

Staunch as they are against abortion and abortion rights, you'd think they'd come down squarely for sex education, right? Wouldn't you think?

Republican Lawmakers Approve Ban On Sex Ed Funding

Mind you, that example is only Iowa but still, it's indicative of the party's stance.

And contraceptives? To fight those abortions?

Republicans Cut Contraceptives for Women

Nah...

And then there's "day after" pills so, again, there would be fewer abortions or possibility of abortions...  Right?

Republicans Cut Contraceptives for Women

Again, no.

And we, here in Missouri, no better. This week, voting for a bill to effectively ban abortions.

Missouri's House passes bill 

banning abortions at 8 weeks

Of course, when you have yet one more Republican, still, in 2019, saying things supporting "consensual rape", what can you say? It makes clear their collective ignorance and callousness.

GOP Mo. Lawmaker Apologizes for 'Consensual Rape' Remark

Missouri's Governor declared "All life has value."  "All life has value" from the political party that lost 1475 children, keeping them from their parents at the southern border. 

Suddenly, "all life has value."  That sounds conspicuously like "Black Lives Matter", doesn't it? But they were vehemently, publicly against that claim at the time. 

Meanwhile, the Republican Party announced their official slogan for the 2020 election campaign.

Darn near actual.

God help us.

Links:

Morning-After Pills Don't Cause Abortion, Studies Say

Contraception Is Not Abortion

Did Republicans Actually Say These Things About Rape?

Quote of the Day: Harry Had It Right

Harry had the Republicans down cold, from then, his day, to today.

Rest In Peace, Mr. Conway

And thank you so very much for so very much fantastic, one of a kind humor.

Earth Day 2019: Where We Are and Where We Need To Go

Earth Day, 2019.

So much to say. Worse, so much to do.

49 years ago today, we had the first Earth Day. People could look around, and they did, to see we had polluted our planet horribly and still were. Rivers were catching fire, literally, from what we poured and dumped into them and our air was filthy. You could not just see it, the air, you could see the filth we dumped and were dumping into that. We called it a nice, polite word we could live with. That is, smog.

So we got smart.

We passed laws, clean air and water laws. We worked together.

And it worked.

Our air is cleaner now than it used to be. Our waterways got cleaner. Rivers stopped catching on fire.

Now, however, there is a man supposed to be leading our nation, he and his political party are taking us backward. They're undoing some of those laws. The old fool wants to take us back to foul, dirty, literally killing coal.  Here are two examples.

Complete Wiping Away of Clean Water Act': Trump EPA Rule Would Free Corporations to Pollute Nation's Water Much as They Please

Trump pressures TVA to keep old coal power plant running

It's insane, it's certainly irresponsible but it's who he is and what he wants. 

We had to fight once for all this and we won. Then, there was the hole in the ozone layer. We learned what the problem was, we fought it, we worked together, we corrected our actions, our production and use of chlorfluorocarbons, CFCs and fixed it.

Now, there is an even bigger problem.

We, as a people, all across the world, are pouring carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, at unheard of rates, with our cars and burning coal, etc., and we're heating up the planet. Nearly all scientists, across the world, agree on this. The data shows we are.

The data also shows the ice caps and glaciers across the planet are melting--and at rapid, unheard of rates--we're experiencing ever-hotter years, year after year, across the globe and we're experiencing destructive, even killing weather events worldwide. From floods to drought to wildfires, we're already there.

But corporations and the political parties they can buy want to derail efforts to move from fossil fuels, toward "green", sustainable energy.

Fortunately, the people and technology are against these people and their efforts.

Battery Costs Drop Even Faster As Electric Car Sales Continue To Rise

A Majority of Americans Want the Federal Government to do More to Protect Air and Water

So what this all boils down to is that we must wait this man in the White House out, work against his agenda(s), him and his party, work, fight for clean air and water and soil and not let our guard down.

For a while, with this man in the White House and his political party controlling the Senate, we'll have to fight him and them but fight we must. Fortunately, we have science and data and logic, common sense--and our survival--on our side.

Quote of the Day (Week, Month, Year)-- On Donald Trump

A Facebook friend posted the following quote about Donald Trump and I cannot find a better, more complete, nor more accurate description of the man.

Someone asked "Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?"

Nate White, an articulate and witty writer from England, wrote this magnificent response:

"A few things spring to mind.

Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem.

For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace - all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed.

So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump’s limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief.

Plus, we like a laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing - not once, ever.

I don’t say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility - for us, to lack humour is almost inhuman.

But with Trump, it’s a fact. He doesn’t even seem to understand what a joke is - his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty.

Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers.

And scarily, he doesn’t just talk in crude, witless insults - he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness.

There is never any under-layer of irony, complexity, nuance or depth. It’s all surface.

Some Americans might see this as refreshingly upfront.

Well, we don’t. We see it as having no inner world, no soul.

And in Britain we traditionally side with David, not Goliath. All our heroes are plucky underdogs: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist.

Trump is neither plucky, nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite of that.

He’s not even a spoiled rich-boy, or a greedy fat-cat.

He’s more a fat white slug. A Jabba the Hutt of privilege.

And worse, he is that most unforgivable of all things to the British: a bully.

That is, except when he is among bullies; then he suddenly transforms into a snivelling sidekick instead.

There are unspoken rules to this stuff - the Queensberry rules of basic decency - and he breaks them all. He punches downwards - which a gentleman should, would, could never do - and every blow he aims is below the belt. He particularly likes to kick the vulnerable or voiceless - and he kicks them when they are down.

So the fact that a significant minority - perhaps a third - of Americans look at what he does, listen to what he says, and then think 'Yeah, he seems like my kind of guy’ is a matter of some confusion and no little distress to British people, given that:
* Americans are supposed to be nicer than us, and mostly are.
* You don't need a particularly keen eye for detail to spot a few flaws in the man.

This last point is what especially confuses and dismays British people, and many other people too; his faults seem pretty bloody hard to miss.

After all, it’s impossible to read a single tweet, or hear him speak a sentence or two, without staring deep into the abyss. He turns being artless into an art form; he is a Picasso of pettiness; a Shakespeare of shit. His faults are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on ad infinitum.

God knows there have always been stupid people in the world, and plenty of nasty people too. But rarely has stupidity been so nasty, or nastiness so stupid.

He makes Nixon look trustworthy and George W look smart.

In fact, if Frankenstein decided to make a monster assembled entirely from human flaws - he would make a Trump.

And a remorseful Doctor Frankenstein would clutch out big clumpfuls of hair and scream in anguish:

'My God… what… have… I… created?

If being a twat was a TV show, Trump would be the boxed set."
Meanwhile, THANKS, REPUBLICANS!

Now get us out of this mess.

Missouri's Sad State of Infrastructure

I've written about Missouri's sad state of infrastructure here before. Our roads and streets and bridges, not just here in Kansas City but statewide.

It seems clear, with Republican-led government, on the state or national level, either one, we--read: they--just don't want to fund the basics like education or, again, infrastructure. Millions and billions for perpetual war in foreign countries but far too little for our own nation.

So along comes this study:

Bridge safety: It'll take More Than 80 Years to Repair the 47,000 Structurally Deficient Bridges in America, Report Finds

Check out these statistics from the article:

More than 47,000 bridges in the United States are in crucial need of repairs, says the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, or ARTBA. The group, which advocates for investment in transportation infrastructure, analyzes data from the Federal Highway Administration and releases an annual Deficient Bridge report.

This year's report, released Monday and based on 2018 data, found:

• There are 616,087 bridges in America
• Of those, 47,052 (nearly 8%) are "structurally deficient" and need urgent repairs
• 235,020 bridges (38%) need some sort of repair
• Americans cross structurally deficient bridges 178 million times a day, including such landmarks as the Brooklyn Bridge and the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge over the San Francisco Bay
• The average age of a structurally deficient bridge is 62 years

Now, check out our own state of Missouri’s ranking in all this.

The states with the highest number of compromised bridges are:

Iowa (4,675)
Pennsylvania (3,770)
Oklahoma (2,540)
Illinois (2,273)
Missouri (2,116)

We're one of the worst, one of the top 5 states with bridges in poor repair in the nation.

Meanwhile, this is our current status:

“President Trump has said repeatedly that he wants to upgrade America's crumbling infrastructure. Even though some Democratic leaders have expressed a willingness to work with him on a plan, little progress has been made on the issue.”

We need to demand more, much more from our legislators, in Jefferson City and Washington, both.

We've been in Afghanistan, either blowing things up or building schools for 18 years.

Even Chinese billionaire Jack Ma has pointed this out.

Chinese Billionaire Jack Ma Says the US Wasted Trillions On Warfare Instead of Investing In Infrastructure

What part of that makes sense?

Let's get back to taking care of the important things.

At home.

We can't be strong over there if we're weak over here.

Links:

Falling apart: America's neglected infrastructure - CBS News

Why do Republicans really oppose infrastructure spending?

The Big Takeaway From Yesterday's Election

Okay so we got that election out of the way, for better or worse.

Thankfully, we are now down to only two candidates for mayor of Kansas City, Missouri. That trying to weed through a dozen was a bit crazy but hey, this is America. We love choice.

No surprise, I don't think, the vote to possibly help pre-kindergarten with daycare died. Between the fact that even the school district didn't support it and that it was "just one more tax", I can't say I'm surprised it died.

And now we have 2 choices for mayor. The differences couldn't be more stark, could they? Jolie Justus and Quinton Lucas? Yet more of us will have to go out and do some more homework, for those not fully familiar with both.

But here's the big takeaway, the big blessing, for me, anyway, and maybe for a lot of us--the entire city?--after this election.

We likely--hopefully?--don't have to hear from or about Clay Chastain any longer.

Understand, this is not a post to mock, ridicule or otherwise make fun of Mr. Chastain. Not at all.

But come on.

We have seen and read and heard so much from and about him over the last several years and it seems he doesn't even really live here.

I get the sense he was sincere and well-meaning, good intentioned with his hopes and plans and dreams and ideas for our city. I'll give him that.

But you ought to live here. And you ought to live here full time.

And you shouldn't have what seem to be kooky--or worse--ideas. 

As mayor, you would have to lead all of the city. Everyone would have to come along with you. That means being with and behind you on your ideas.

Too often, it seemed Mr. Chastain had his own, very headstrong ideas but that much of the metropolis wasn't with him on them. I could be wrong on this but I don't think so.

So with this, Mr. Chastain, I think it's safe to say, again, for most of the area, maybe thank you for your thoughts and ideas and efforts. Thank you for those intentions. We wish you well.

Now, go, enjoy retirement.

Wherever you live.

Right Wing, Republican Party Extremism Coming Out of Jefferson City Lately

Have you seen some of the headlines lately, coming out of our very Republican, Right Wing, wackjob state capitol and government? Here are just a few and from the past few days.

Missouri lawmakers approve Bible class in public schools

"A bill passed by the Missouri House would allow school districts to offer the Bible as an elective class."

Clearly not familiar with church and state being "separate", for starters. They'd be the first to criticize some Middle Eastern, Muslim country for having religion in government but boy howdy, do they want theirs in ours.

And this is just the beginning of their Right Wing insanity.

Missouri Senate Votes to Nullify Federal Gun Control 

They need to Google the Supremacy Clause. (Link below).

All the "good old boys" got together for this one. Every Goober for 200 miles. And it shows. But wait...

Missouri Lawmaker Files Bills Requiring Some Residents To Own AR-15s, Handguns

A law.

Requiring--REQUIRING--Missourians to own a gun. Required to BUY a gun. Required to buy an AR-15, a semi-automatic weapon.

Insane.

Keep in mind, of course, this is all from the political party that says it's for "small government." God forbid they had any restraint.

And God help us.

Better yet, folks. Vote. Vote and never miss a vote. And vote these people out.

Link:

Supremacy Clause

Another Plea to All Local Media--On This Mayoral Race

The topic is Kansas City Mayor.

The election for a new one, after Sly James terms, is coming up, of course, April 2. Weeks away.

All I personally know is that there are at least several people running for the position. This is most of them, I understand

I've seen a few names. I've gotten some mail from a few but really, I've no idea who's running, who they are, what they stand for or what they say they will stand and work for.

I know Clay Chastain threw his proverbial hat in the ring. That's all I need to know about him.

And Jolie Justus. I know she's running and from where she's coming, mostly, since she's been around the area for some time.

I did a cursory Google search today and found this, thankfully, from our local NPR station, KCUR:

Here's Who's Running For Mayor Of Kansas City, Missouri

But if you go there, you'll see they are extremely brief descriptions of the candidates, of one small paragraph. That's it. It is also, brief as it is, the most complete description of these candidates I've been able to find. That's sad.

I don't think our Star newspaper has run articles on all the candidates yet. I don't see every daily paper but I do check in regularly.

There are a couple more links on the interwebs, from national sources:

Mayoral election in Kansas City, Missouri (2019) - Ballotpedia

According to that link, above, there are officially 11 candidates in the race. Six of those candidates are currently on the City Council. Three are on the Council for their first terms--Alissia Canady, Jolie Justus and Quinton Lucas. Two are second-term candidates--Jermaine Reed and Scott Taylor while Scott Wagner is currently Mayor Pro Tem.

2019 Kansas City mayoral election - Wikipedia

The Star did run this piece:

Newcomers to 2019 KC mayoral race most active fundraisers

This is helpful, of course, but it more tells of their fundraising than anything, of course. It's important, sure, but still doesn't tell what they stand for and say they're going to work for in the office. It is also an extremely brief article. If that tells us anything, it's that the one candidate, City Council member and candidate Scott Taylor has the most money behind him and by a long shot. (This may make him the defacto winner. We'll see, of course). Another interesting thing coming from that article is that it doesn't even mention Clay Chastain. 

Finally, Flatland KC ran this online article.

What You Need to Know About KC's Mayoral Election

It gives the most perfunctory information, with links to the candidates own websites so again, it's up to you, the reader and voter to chase down any and all information.

So my question. Is any news media out there--KCUR, KCPT, the Star, Mike Shanin and his program "Ruckus", Steve Kraske and his, anyone, anyone doing any in-depth interviews and research on these people and who they are and where they come from and what they stand for and what they say they'll work for as mayor?

I surely hope there is. If someone's seen or heard something, please let me know. I want and need to know, before the election, just as we all do here in the area. 

It's coming down to election time. We need to know.

With the Star having famously/infamously and recently slashed its staff, it seems unlikely we'll now get this kind of article and coverage, however important.

Seems like the perfect program for KCPT, doesn't it? "Meet the Candidates"?

KCPT? Thoughts?

Link:

Meanwhilere's the scary part. The honestly, deeply scary part.

As Newspapers Close, Role of Government Watchdog Disappears

An Open Letter to Davis Hammet, KCUR, KCPT, Steve Kraske, The Kansas City Star and All Kansans

So yes, first of all, this is going to be an open letter and it's to several entities so thanks for your patience and I'll do my best to be brief but first, an introduction.

Davis Hammet is a young man living in Kansas, Topeka, to be exact, who moved here--from Florida, I believe--because he felt like it was important and there was work to do. So move he did.

He was and is a political science student (not unlike yours truly) so he knows a bit of what should and should not and can and cannot happen in government.

So he came here and began his work.

His work is educating now-fellow Kansans on their state government at all levels, trying to get more "average people" involved and by so doing, getting to more justice, fairness and some equality in the state.

Noble goals.

With that brief introduction, the open letters.

Mr. Hammet,

Thank you, first, for coming to Kansas.

I don't know how you picked this state or how you came here but thank you and thank goodness you did. Your work, already, in the presumably short time you've been here has been pretty monumental. With your research and time spent at the State Capitol in Topeka and writing and videos you have gotten a great deal of information out to Kansas and Kansans they wouldn't otherwise have and in a very quick, informative, palatable and apparently complete format.

I thank you and I don't even live in Kansas.

What you're doing is extremely important---and helpful. You're making big changes and all for the people.

So now to KCUR, KCPT, Steve Kraske, The Kansas City Star and all the Kansans out there.

You media sources need to have Mr. Hammet on your programs AND BADLY. All one need do is see his brief, concise, very informative YouTube videos (see some below) on his organization, LOUD LIGHT, and you can tell he is a serious young man doing some terrific work and he's extremely informed. This man is headed places.

So please, please have him on your programs, Interview him, write about him, let him speak. He is a voice of the people. Whether Right Wing or Left, Republican, Democrat, Libertarian or Independent, it's difficult to be against someone who is merely reporting good, hard, timely information on the state government and who wants justice for his fellow citizens.

So again, Mr. Hammet, thank you. Thank you very deeply and sincerely. Thank you for your work, your energy and the information you give us. Thank you for your intentions. Thank you for coming to Kansas and the Midwest.

Missouri badly needs someone very like you in Jefferson City.

Heck, every state in the nation does.

And Kansas, you are very, very fortunate. Congratulations on your "acquisition." You are very fortunate indeed. You need to know and follow this young man.

Links:

Just some of his YouTube videos, reporting on the Kansas Statehouse.













Additional links:

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