state legislature

Kansas Minority Leader Paul Davis is a young elected official who recently took on a leadership role in the Kansas State Legislature. We are grateful to have his perspective both as someone who is still young and someone who is leading the House Democratic Caucus in the heartland. -Sarah

During the 2008 campaign, President Barack Obama frequently reminded us that progress is always possible if we walk down the right path and refuse to give up. This has been the motto of House Democrats in the Sunflower State for several years. Outnumbered by Republicans two to one, Democrats in Kansas are forced to do business differently. We take tremendous pride in being the largest voting block of the Kansas Legislature as a result of our inclusive, progressive approach to public policy. We must work harder and smarter, be more open to compromise, and vigilantly watch for vehicles to advance our most important priorities. This is not always easy, but when you are on the right side of the issue, opportunities eventually seem to surface.

As the minority party we do not control the calendar, so most of the accomplishments for House Democrats in Kansas come in the form of creative amendments and thoughtful, vigorous debate on the floor. Our legislature wrestles the same issues year after year, which is why some of our most noteworthy victories in the House result from the new ideas of our young members and first termers. Of course we do not win every battle, but every victory builds a more prosperous state and strengthens our resolve to send more Democratic lawmakers to the Kansas Legislature.

We must keep working on behalf of our progressive principles, because history proves that these are the true values of Kansas families and communities. This state expects its government to provide for our children’s education, be good stewards of our environment, make health care more affordable, stand up for working families and protect our must vulnerable citizens. Sometimes small steps in this direction become the foundation for future improvements.

For example, after 20 years of work, today we finally approved an increase in the Kansas minimum wage. This is an enormous victory for our caucus and for the 20,000 Kansans currently working for the shameful minimum wage rate of $2.65 per hour. In addition to raising the state minimum wage, House Democrats have continued their work this year as steadfast protectors of Kansas public education, both for K12 students and for post-secondary education. With the help of Governor Sebelius, we held off devastating cuts to K-12 education earlier in the session and have placed significant pressure on the majority party to keep public schoolchildren high on the priority list in the wake of the 2010 budget crisis.

In the face of overwhelming challenges, it can be easy for young progressives to forget what makes our state great. But we have a heritage that should make everyone proud to be a Kansan. Whether it be our pioneer determination to enter this country as a free state, Amelia Earhart taking flight across the Atlantic, Clyde Cessna and Walter Beech giving birth the aviation industry or Linda Brown and her family who went all the way to United States Supreme Court to seek justice and end segregated schools, Kansans have been at the forefront of what makes America a country of noble, globally celebrated ideals. These noted Kansans did not give up when faced with obstacles, they persevered. Our challenge is to keep working to promote what is right and just for Kansas and its citizens- despite our red state status.

Ad astra per aspera.
(translation: To the stars through difficulty)

Clay Pope is the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts, and has been severely impacted by the lack of organizing both online and off in his state. Great to have him guest post to motivate folks! --Sarah

Want to make a difference? What are you doing about it? Really, what are you doing?

I think it is great all that is going on in with young voters twittering, blogging and all; but at the end of the day, how can we continue to push that into offline actions?

It is easy to get caught up in the world of the web, cell phones and virtual interaction; too often we let ourselves get caught up in the conversation among our friends, talking in a virtual echo chamber where we really don’t have a true discussion, we simply get our preconceived notions reinforced by like-minded people with an occasional interruption by someone who holds a directly opposed opinion and only enters the conversation to upset those of us on the other side.

Bottom line, are you putting your beliefs in practice? If so how? Are you volunteering in your community? Are your friends? Are you engaging in conversations with people in your neighborhood, your community, your town and seeing what the views of the people in the non-virtual world are? Do you work in a Church, Temple, Mosque or Synagogue? Are you volunteering in a city campaign this Spring? Have you ever thought about running for office?

Have you talked to your member of congress? Yeah, I know you e-mailed about that issue last week, but have you actually gone and seen your member of congress when they are back home in their district? Have you visited your state capitol? Have you watched your city council or county commissioners do their work? Have you raised questions with these folks directly?

I know it is a lot more fun to get in a chat debate about the wisdom of the AIG bailout with someone in LA, but is that really going to influence the opinion of the person who will actually vote on this issue in your name? And, if you are focusing on issues like the debate on the national economy to the exclusion of all else, you are not paying attention to the sales tax increase in your local community to pay for the bridge being built by the Mayors son-in-law. Do you know what your state legislature is doing (or not doing) for the environment if you are only following the debate on global climate change in Washington D.C.? Who will you have more influence on, the state representative who will be personally knocking on your door next election year or the Congressman who will campaign through mail pieces and TV ads?

The electronic universe is great. We can talk to each other and reach out into a world wider than our parents and grandparents could have ever imagined, but as state legislatures are finalizing their work this Spring spend some time talking in a personal way to your elected official. As city elections approach don't forget to vote and take your friends to the polls.

We can quickly and easily make a huge difference on policies that have a faster and more direct impact on our lives. As they say – all politics is local.