Opinion

Post-election reaction defies concept of voting based on merit

L&T Publisher Earl Watt

Posts on X (formerly Twitter) are sharing a bizarre reaction to the Donald Trump victory last week.

From women cutting off all their hair to wearing blue bracelets, from suggestions to divorce any man who votes for Trump to women getting their tubes tied so they can’t get pregnant, the reaction has been somewhat over the top.

Conspiracy theories have cropped up as well. Apparently Elon Musk’s Starlink hacked in to the election system and destroyed 10 million Democratic ballots, and millions of Democrats didn’t have their absentee votes counted and are expecting to be able to reissue another ballot to make up for the first one.

Monks in the morning

THE POSTSCRIPT, Carrie Classon

“There will be monks here tomorrow morning,” is what I figured Jorge was telling me. In Spanish, “monks” sounds like “monkeys” in English. But I was pretty sure we were not having monkeys over for breakfast.

Jorge is my landlord here in Mexico, and he speaks only Spanish to me. He will speak some English when my husband, Peter, is around. But if it’s just me, he’ll stick to Spanish, and I am fine with that, but it doesn’t mean I get 100 percent of what he says.

Crying wolf was rejected by the voters

L&T Publisher Earl Watt

Credibility is the heart and soul of journalism. If we don’t get it right, people will not be able to trust us as a source of information.

Even here on the opinion page, there is a difference between providing a well thought-out viewpoint and a rant.

Politicians, on the other hand, can speak about the impending apocalypse should you not support their position on policies.

Some tough love and told-you-so: An Independent post-election reflection

GUEST COLUMN, J. Basil Dannebohm, dannebohm.com

Last January, I published a commentary entitled, “Navigate through this election year with strategy, not emotion.” Since then, I have written subsequent commentaries pertaining to the election. You're welcome to revisit them at www.dannebohm.com. Incidentally, I’m honored to be published in online publications and in newspapers from as far away as Alaska.

In mid-October, I issued my endorsement for Kamala Harris. With that endorsement, however, came a disclaimer that I didn’t expect her to win. Readers who supported the Vice President didn’t appreciate my pessimism. Readers of conservative persuasion weren’t pleased with my rebuke of MAGA rhetoric. As an Independent, I was pleased to receive criticism from both sides: it meant I did my job.

Kansas Legislature gains budget control

GUEST COLUMN, Vance Ginn, Kansas Policy Institute

In a historic move toward greater accountability and transparency, the Kansas Legislature has taken the reins of the budget process by establishing the Special Committee on Legislative Budget.

This change means lawmakers will no longer rely solely on the governor’s top-down budget proposal, which traditionally limited legislative review time and often led to rushed last-minute adjustments.