March 2023

The celebration of Pi Day this week marks the occasion for political scientists to re-tell the famous “Indiana Pi Bill” story–and to warn Kansas legislators about the dangers of overreach and micromanagement.

Both K–12 teachers and college professors are in major discussions over how to deal with the recently-released AI program that generates answers, essays and poetry upon request. However, Jonathan Swift (1667–1745) perhaps anticipated this situation in his classic “Gulliver’s Travels” released in 1726. While some youngsters today may remember reading excerpts from this tale, where Captain Gulliver ends up in countries where he is either a giant or a miniature dwarf, few will recall reading of his trip to the land of Lagano where he visits the Academy of Projectors and watches them use a machine called “The Engine.”

It appears wealthy families in Johnson County owe a big “thank you” to many of Kansas legislators outside of the area. There have been several bills circulating through the Kansas Senate and House over the past few weeks that, if implemented, will shift millions of dollars in taxpayer funds from western parts of Kansas to Johnson County.