In Kindergarten,
my family moved to Kansas.
There were higher
paying jobs, better schools and more opportunities, for all of us.
Shortly after, my
aunt and her family moved there too. And I have such wonderful memories of
growing up with her kids in El Dorado, pronounced in the southern Kansas
style..."L Door-Ray-Dough."
But times changed
and so did politics, policies and prosperity. And it became evident they
weren't ever changing back.
We moved. So did
friends. And now finally, the last of our family.
My cousin and her
kids are headed out. It no longer makes sense to stay. Her husband went ahead
of them to take an out of state job.
It's no secret
that Kansas is collapsing. And it breaks not only my heart, but in the long run
the heartland itself.
Kansans are made
of tough stuff. They are the descendants of the Dust Bowl determined. Of sod
house settlers and Great Plains peoples. They come from ranch-hands and riggers
and wranglers and reapers.
But now they are
definitely reaping exactly what they've sown. All for the sake of a political
experiment perpetrated by people curious "just to see what would happen
if..." Seeds that have choked out not only the weeds, but everything else
as well. Leaving the entire harvest something that no one can stomach.
Kansas is bleeding
again. But this time internally. With an ulcer from everything she's swallowed.
And now being force fed since she's become unresponsive. And the prognosis isn't
good.
She's tough, but
sometimes she's downright stubborn. Let's hope she's still got a little fight
left.
Follow me on Instagram and twitter! @TheLauraBecker
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