Opinion: Does our government represent us?

By Michael Glenn

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164 years ago, our state was founded on the premise that owning another human being was immoral and the idea that slavery would be eradicated throughout the country. 

That decision was made by hardworking pioneers and settlers who founded cities and towns across Kansas. Those settlers believed in the principles of a Democratic Republic, and that fairly-elected officials would serve their constituents’ best interests in government.

Fast forward to 2025. Are those values still being held? Of course not!

Barely three weeks into the 2025 Kansas Legislative session, let’s break down some policies and talking points that we’ve seen so far. 

Dan Hawkins hates journalism 

Dan Hawkins, the Republican speaker of the house, barred journalists and reporters from doing their job in the press box on the house floor. This is a long-held tradition that is being reversed. The press box, a designated area on the house floor for the press, is now a useless desk. 

Is this not the state that is home to William Allen White, the famed journalist who advocated for rural and lower-class Kansans alike? In more recent history, look at the Marion County Record. Our state has a history of good, quality journalism that the state should value. The Press believes in honesty, fairness and informing the public on issues that are important. 

With this in mind, the government, wanting a civically engaged public, would do everything in its power to help journalists do their job, right?

Wrong. Our government doesn’t share those values anymore, do they? 

Ending D.E.I. in the state that started it

In 1954, public education was segregated in most cities in Kansas. That was until brave Black families in Topeka fought for true equality and opportunity for all students, regardless of the color of their skin. 

We’ve come to know this heroic act in the United States Supreme Court Decision Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education, which ended segregation in education.

D.E.I. stands for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Let’s look at each word. Diversity: “The practice or quality of including or involving people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations, etc.,” according to Oxford Language. Is a diverse workplace not better than a homogenous one? A more diverse organization will inherently have more ideas, beliefs and thoughts that the organization can choose from to make the best choice possible. This is because, with a more diverse workforce, employees share very different personal experiences and different approaches to problems, which benefits companies in difficult situations. Diversity is valued in crops and financial portfolios, so why isn’t it valued in society?

A good government would do everything it could to promote diversity in the workforce since it would benefit companies and therefore, benefit the state in tax revenue. Why the legislature doesn’t like diversity, I don’t understand. 

Equity: “The quality of being fair and impartial,” according to Oxford Language. This one sounds pretty self-explanatory. Companies and organizations that promote equity want to ensure each one of their employees can succeed and have equal opportunity to advance. 

Phrase it like this: If you were looking for a job, would you prefer a company that makes sure you’re in the same starting position as everyone else? What is wrong with supporting equity?

Now, the final word. Inclusion: “The practice or policy of providing equal access to opportunities and resources for people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized, such as those who have physical or intellectual disabilities and members of other minority groups,” according to Oxford Language. 

All people deserve equal access and opportunity to succeed in our state. That is guaranteed by ensuring they are included in our workforce in every way possible. While “inclusion” can be thrown around as a term, real inclusion includes policies such as ADA compliance, floating religious holidays, braille signs and more. 

Everybody, regardless of who they are as a person, should be treated equally in our state. This includes people we even disagree with, fiercely. That’s what makes our country great in the first place. 

D.E.I. has become a political talking point meant to disenfranchise certain groups of people. We now say some people are hired because of the color of their skin, gender, sexual orientation or gender identity. In reality, all D.E.I. is ensuring our neighbors, friends and coworkers who grew up differently than us have an equal opportunity to succeed. 

In general, we seem to put labels on almost everything these days. While identifying with other people who act or believe the same things certainly isn’t a bad thing, none of those labels should be used against anyone. If I was a lawmaker, I would believe in the following. 

“The State of Kansas should not discriminate against anyone based on any aspect of the human condition.”

I think that about sums it up. 

Hints of goodness

On the other hand, a good bill that is in the Statehouse could have a very positive effect on Reno County if passed. All four Reno County legislators, Reps. Paul Waggoner, Kyler Sweely, Joe Seiwert and Kevin Schwertfeger, cosponsored a bill that would require a member of the Kansas State Fair Board to reside in Reno County.

As the home of the fair, we should have at least one person who has our best interests in mind. This isn’t to say the current fair board is doing anything bad, but local representation concerning one of the largest economic drivers in our county is an inherently good thing. 

There will be a true news story about the fair bill in the near future. Stay tuned!

Into the future

We’ll keep watching the Statehouse throughout the session and into May. Remember, we pay our legislator’s salaries. They work for us, not the other way around. 

If you have a question from the Statehouse on bills that would impact Hutchinson and Reno County, email me at mglenn@hutchtribune.com. I’ll do my best to keep an eye out for our community.