Dear Editor,
Silly season is here. It’s summer in an election year. Craziness abounds and for the next several months we will be bombarded. TV ads, radio spots, newspaper ads, e-mail from friends and family, tweets from everyone that you follow on Twitter, friends on Facebook will post their favorite items of interest or videos they think you should watch and then snail mail from the candidates themselves. It can often seem overwhelming and feel like a nuisance.
Pay attention. Do your homework. Take the time to do some research. Don’t believe everything you read, hear or see. We are blessed to live in a time when it is easier than ever to discover facts and find truth. In case you haven’t noticed some politicians will actually lie in their effort to get elected.
Take the time to research the incumbents’ voting record. Ask yourself, did they vote in such a way as to represent your values. Do they tell you they are for economic growth, then vote to stifle growth? Do they tell you we have to do everything possible to bring new business to Kansas and encourage those already here to stay then vote against legislation that would do just that? Do they tell you they believe in small government and individual liberty then vote for programs that increase the size of government and its involvement in your life? It is our responsibility to put the people in office that best represent our values. We are after all a representative republic.
Discover what’s going on not only on the federal and state level but the local level as well. You can easily check the way your county commissioner voted by checking the county website for commission meeting minutes. Better yet, attend a few commission meetings. If your local governing authority is a city, try attending some of their meetings. Go to your local school board meeting occasionally. Go to a few BCCC board meetings. When was the last time you attended your township board meeting? Have you ever paid attention to the rulings the Judges hand down? How about the cases that local attorneys have participated in? After all they will be our next judges. What do you know about these people?  
Whether you believe it or not, the people that are placed in elected positions throughout our nation do have an effect on your life. If you want to have any say in how that turns out you must participate in the process. Now is the time to ask questions, do your homework and get the answers you need to make an informed decision. Now is the time to encourage your family, friends and neighbors to do the same.
Exercise your truth muscles. Don’t be a bystander in your own life. Stand up for what you believe. Take the reins, steer your own ship.
Kyle Radenberg
Great Bend