Kansas Helen Podcast

Robert Thomas is running for Kansas House District 61, representing parts of Jackson, Pottawatomie, and Riley counties, including Holton, Delia, Westmoreland, St. Marys, Onaga, and parts of Manhattan. In this portion of the conversation, Thomas and Reicher discuss frustrations with how time is used during the Kansas legislative session. They talk about the limited number of days lawmakers have to...

Robert Thomas is running for Kansas House District 61, representing parts of Jackson, Pottawatomie, and Riley counties, including Holton, Delia, Westmoreland, St. Marys, Onaga, and parts of Manhattan. In this portion of the conversation, Thomas discusses what he learned from running for office and speaking directly with people in the community. He explains how those conversations revealed a gap be...

Robert Thomas is running for Kansas House District 61, representing parts of Jackson, Pottawatomie, and Riley counties, including Holton, Delia, Westmoreland, St. Marys, Onaga, and parts of Manhattan. In this portion of the conversation, the discussion shifts to understanding the Constitution and the difference between general knowledge and deeper study. Reicher reflects on how most people learn b...

Robert Thomas is running for Kansas House District 61, representing parts of Jackson, Pottawatomie, and Riley counties, including Holton, Delia, Westmoreland, St. Marys, Onaga, and parts of Manhattan. In this portion of the conversation, Thomas shares his political journey, starting with his early exposure to politics as a child during the 1980 presidential election. He explains how his understand...

Robert Thomas is running for Kansas House District 61, representing parts of Jackson, Pottawatomie, and Riley counties, including Holton, Delia, Westmoreland, St. Marys, Onaga, and parts of Manhattan. In this portion of the conversation, Thomas explains his decision to switch from running as a Libertarian in his previous campaign to returning to the Republican Party for this race. He discusses how...

Mark Schaukowitch is running for Kansas House District 110. Meet Mark: https://www.markforkshd110.com In this portion of the conversation, Schaukowitch discusses minimum wage and the need for a livable wage, including his support for increasing wages and reconsidering tipped wage systems. He talks about how reliance on tips can create instability for workers, sharing examples of inconsistent earni...

Robert Thomas is running for Kansas House District 61, representing parts of Jackson, Pottawatomie, and Riley counties, including Holton, Delia, Westmoreland, St. Marys, Onaga, and parts of Manhattan. In this portion of the conversation, Thomas introduces himself and discusses his previous run for office. He explains that he ran in the last election as a Libertarian, not with the expectation of wi...

Mark Schaukowitch is running for Kansas House District 110. Meet Mark: https://www.markforkshd110.com In this portion of the conversation, Schaukowitch discusses corporate accountability and the role of government in enforcing agreements made with private companies. He talks about how development deals often include promises around jobs and economic impact, but those outcomes are not always delive...

Robert Thomas is running for Kansas House District 61, representing parts of Jackson, Pottawatomie, and Riley counties, including Holton, Delia, Westmoreland, St. Marys, Onaga, and parts of Manhattan. In this full conversation, Thomas discusses his decision to run again after previously running as a Libertarian, explaining why he switched back to the Republican Party and how his views on governmen...

Mark Schaukowitch is running for Kansas House District 110. Meet Mark: https://www.markforkshd110.com In this portion of the conversation, Schaukowitch discusses his involvement in his local community and the importance of being directly engaged with residents. He talks about how understanding local issues comes from being present, listening, and actively participating in community discussions rat...

Mark Schaukowitch is running for Kansas House District 110. Meet Mark: https://www.markforkshd110.com In this portion of the conversation, Schaukowitch discusses the lack of mental health resources in rural Kansas and the need to build stronger support systems. He talks about how isolation, financial stress, and economic pressures—especially in farming communities—contribute to mental health chall...

Mark Schaukowitch is running for Kansas House District 110. Meet Mark: https://www.markforkshd110.com In this portion of the conversation, Schaukowitch discusses marijuana legalization and its potential role as a revenue source for the state. He talks about how legalization could create new funding streams while also addressing common perceptions around marijuana use. The conversation also explore...

Mark Schaukowitch is running for Kansas House District 110. Meet Mark: https://www.markforkshd110.com In this portion of the conversation, Schaukowitch discusses how individuals can engage with government and where their efforts can have the most impact. The conversation emphasizes focusing on local and state-level involvement, where individuals are more likely to be heard and can directly influen...

Mark Schaukowitch is running for Kansas House District 110. Meet Mark: https://www.markforkshd110.com In this portion of the conversation, Schaukowitch discusses the concept of neoliberalism and how it shapes economic and government systems. He explains the idea of prioritizing markets and private activity over public systems, and how that influences decisions around taxation, public services, and...

Mark Schaukowitch is running for Kansas House District 110. Meet Mark: https://www.markforkshd110.com In this portion of the conversation, Schaukowitch discusses rising property taxes and the impact on rural communities. He points to significant recent increases and explains how both local mill levies and state-level formulas influence property tax burdens. The conversation also touches on outside...

Mark Schaukowitch is running for Kansas House District 110. Meet Mark: https://www.markforkshd110.com In this portion of the conversation, Schaukowitch discusses his motivation for running and his focus on strengthening rural communities like Plainville. He talks about the need for rural areas to have more influence at the state and federal level, along with the importance of prioritizing core com...

Mark Schaukowitch is running for Kansas House District 110. Meet Mark: https://www.markforkshd110.com In this portion of the conversation, Schaukowitch discusses his professional background in grant writing and technical writing, where he worked with organizations to secure funding. He explains how changes in funding availability disrupted that work, as clients were no longer able to access or rec...

Mark Schaukowitch is running for Kansas House District 110. Meet Mark: https://www.markforkshd110.com In this portion of the conversation, Schaukowitch discusses the gap between government programs and public awareness, emphasizing how many available resources go unused because people simply do not know they exist. He talks about the lack of communication between local governments, state represent...

Mark Schaukowitch is running for Kansas House District 110. Meet Mark: https://www.markforkshd110.com In this portion of the conversation, Schaukowitch discusses housing challenges in rural communities, including the gap between construction costs and what local incomes can support. He talks about programs like moderate income housing (MIH), tax credits, and loan programs aimed at encouraging deve...

Mark Schaukowitch is running for Kansas House District 110. Meet Mark: https://www.markforkshd110.com In this portion of the conversation, Schaukowitch discusses the challenges rural communities face in accessing funding for basic infrastructure and development. He explains how programs like Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) require specific income studies to qualify, and how inaccurate ce...

Mark Schaukowitch is running for Kansas House District 110. Meet Mark: https://www.markforkshd110.com In this portion of the conversation, Schaukowitch discusses the long-term challenges facing rural communities, including declining infrastructure, population loss, and limited economic opportunity. He talks about how communities struggle when roads, hospitals, and schools are not maintained, and h...

Mark Schaukowitch is running for Kansas House District 110. Meet Mark: https://www.markforkshd110.com In this portion of the conversation, Schaukowitch discusses energy issues in rural Kansas, including the impact of wind energy development and concerns raised by residents about maintenance and environmental effects. He talks about how rural communities experience these projects differently and ho...

Mark Schaukowitch is running for Kansas House District 110. Meet Mark: https://www.markforkshd110.com In this portion of the conversation, Schaukowitch discusses what government priorities should be, expanding on the idea of focusing on core areas like infrastructure, healthcare, education, food access, and public safety. He explains how these needs connect to broader community systems, including...

Mark Schaukowitch is running for Kansas House District 110. Meet Mark: https://www.markforkshd110.com In this portion of the conversation, Schaukowitch discusses his efforts to advocate for rural priorities, including Medicaid expansion and support for local hospitals. He describes organizing community discussions, bringing in experts and organizations to present data, and contrasts that with outs...

Mark Schaukowitch is running for Kansas House District 110. Meet Mark: https://www.markforkshd110.com In this portion of the conversation, Schaukowitch discusses his work organizing rural counties and the challenges of political engagement in those areas. He talks about serving as a county chair, the social and cultural barriers faced by Democrats in rural communities, and the need to approach org...