Opinion

MY PERSPECTIVE, Gary Damron

Our nation recently finished the process of selecting a new president. Similar to elections in the past, candidates spoke about the need for change and hope. The talk of hope usually comes from dissatisfaction with the way things are. Many voters were fervent in their choice, and placed faith in a particular candidate. But anyone who seeks hope in a man or a woman or a system will be disappointed. Even as we enter the Christmas season, there's more conversation about politics and football than about Jesus, who is "the reason for the season".

GUEST COLUMN, Kenneth E. Thorpe, Health Policy professor, Emory University

Insurers and healthcare middlemen are making it harder for everyday Americans, including many living with chronic diseases, to access the prescription drugs they need.

Fortunately, Congress and President Biden can address the problem by passing two bipartisan reforms during the current "lame duck" legislative session. For us Democrats, this is a chance to build on the historic progress we've already made toward healthcare access and affordability for all Americans.

L&T Publisher Earl Watt

Thomas Jefferson so strongly believed in limited federal government, that he refused to declare a national day of Thanksgiving as president. Strange, since he did declare a day of Thanksgiving when he was governor of Virginia.

Jefferson’s chief political rival was John Adams with Alexander Hamilton not far behind. The biggest reason was the differing views on the power of the federal government and the power of state governments. Jefferson was very concerned about an out-of-control federal government where Adams believed a strong central government was needed to keep the nation in tact.

GUEST COLUMN, Kim Baldwin, Kansas Farm Bureau

My father-in-law called me on a recent Friday night to let me know the first three lambs of the season had arrived. The triplets were born in the pasture and would need to be brought up to the barn and kept in the nursery pens to make sure all three lambs would be claimed by the mother and that they’d all get plenty of milk in their first few days.

When I got the call, my family was in the process of getting ready to make a trip to town to go out to dinner and then catch a movie together.