When Kansans head to the polls on August 4, they’ll be asked to decide whether to change how Kansas Supreme Court justices are chosen.  But this vote is about far more than judicial elections. It…

In the classic 1972 film “Jeremiah Johnson,” a character tells the mountain man (Robert Redford) “A tribe’s greatness is figured on how mighty its enemies be.” The same is true in politics. And Vicki Schmidt…

MONTEZUMA COUNTY, Colo. — I started getting a bad feeling last summer. The nearby McPhee Reservoir, which provides water for 63,000 irrigated acres and, on good years, draws scores of boaters, seemed to be shrinking…

More than 15 years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court removed limits on corporate political spending in its notorious Citizens United decision, ushering in an era of unprecedented influence by moneyed interests. As a result, a…

The separation of church and state is under attack from familiar quarters. Not only does Texas require a copy of the Ten Commandments to be posted in classrooms, but it has also voted to make…

American farmers can expect a bumper crop this year in corn, soybeans and, most of all, federal handouts. Last Wednesday, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced $500 million in new funding for domestic fertilizer production.  That…

Editor’s note: This column was written Monday afternoon, before the outcome of Monday night’s U.S.-Belgium match was known. Belgium won, 4-to-1.  ARLINGTON, Texas — I tread lightly into the waters of soccer controversy, but I…

On March 26, the new school year began in Afghanistan. In Kabul, my two younger brothers packed their bags, put on their uniforms and walked out the door — one heading to ninth grade, one…

The Kansas Legislature treated its own law as a suggestion. Now it wants to steal money from you to cover its tracks. Top state officials decided to snatch $20,000 from the wallets of taxpayers in…

When NATO leaders gather in Ankara, Turkey, on Tuesday, they will offer familiar words of resolve on Ukraine, reiterating that Russia poses a threat to their collective security. The statements will be welcome, but they…