L&T Publisher Earl Watt

It’s been years since I’ve heard a complaint about a political cartoon, and last week I received two.

The cartoon took a jab at the No Kings protesters, claiming they either really didn’t know what they were protesting, or that the signs being held by the cartoon characters were insulting and “vulgar.”

Political cartoons are, by design, meant to be offensive. They are used to persuade one political viewpoint over another, or one position on a public issue as better or worse than another.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR, Geri Harper, Liberal

I am writing in response to the political cartoon by Margolis & Cox published in the March 31, 2026 edition of the Leader & Times.

The cartoon depicted four protesters holding signs that were both insulting and vulgar, accompanied by the false assertion that these individuals were paid to protest. While editorial cartoons often strive to provoke thought and conversation, I am deeply concerned about the divisive rhetoric and misrepresentation presented by this particular illustration.

GUEST COLUMN, Dave Trabert, Kansas Policy Institute

The Kansas Legislature concluded its work of the regular session last week amid considerable controversy over an assessment limit that would protect people from unaffordable property tax increases resulting from appraisal increases of 20 percent, 30 percent, or even higher.

Earlier in the session, the Senate passed a proposal establishing a 3 percent annual assessment limit, with a 2022 base year. The House passed an alternative approach using a rolling average of valuation changes over multiple years, with several key elements left for the Legislature to establish in the future, including when the rolling average would take effect and how many years to include in the average.

MY PERSPECTIVE, Gary Damron

Last week's article introduced political thought and practice in the English American colonies, but it was clear that differences existed between theory and reality, particularly in England. Aristocrats there controlled the monarchy and both houses of Parliament, while colonists were already developing a more democratic framework of government, with a focus on balance of power. Liberties fostered here in the new land stemmed from concepts among Englishmen over many years, but even today they're not practiced universally.

Earlier we talked about William Blackstone's "Commentaries on the Laws of England" and how his writings provided the first comprehensive, systematic treatise on English common law. His work was based on John Locke's theory of government, which was built on the 1689 English Bill of Rights.