“I was born here in the city
With my back against the wall
Nothing grows, and life ain’t very pretty
No one’s there to catch you when you fall”
“In the City” – by the Eagles – written by Wichita native Joe Walsh
Many of us here at this humble little blog call Wichita, Kansas home. Some are life-long residents and others, like me, are transplanted from points beyond. Much to the chagrin of some, I am not going anywhere soon, since two of my three children live here as do all of my grandchildren
Wichitans are a bit schizoid. We live in a city that can’t make up it’s mind whether to be a small big city or a large small town.
We have a number of factors working against us. One, Wichita doesn’t have a whole lot to offer in terms of attracting tourists. We are largely a one industry town, and we live and die with that industry. Our populations centers are divided between relative wealth and abject poverty.
Our city and county governments are largely directed by morons that feel the need to hire an overpriced outside consultant to do all their thinking for them.
So, is Wichita, Kansas ever to become more than a refueling stop on a trip from Dallas to KC?
Well, we do have a few things going for us Wichitans. In general, we are not complete idiots, we have the Old Town and the Delano districts, a good library system, a decent downtown arena, WSU, Lawrence-Dumont stadium, an okay road system and a world-class zoo.
Other cities in our region have managed to pull themselves up and move beyond the truck stop mentality. Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Omaha have done fairly well for themselves.
So what is it going to take for Wichita to move forward?
Well, for one, we need to collectively decided just who the Hell are we. Are we tobacco chewing, gun toting, redneck hicks or are we a bit more sophisticated than that?
What are your thoughts? Where do we go from here?
William Stephenson Clark
Have you noticed how colorful the Land of Oz is nowadays? Yesterday I had errands which took me out and about — I marveled at the beauty of the trees, the shrubs. And, we’ve had so much moisture the grass is still green so we’re surrounded with color.
On this day of rest should we pause to recognize the insurance companies? Yes, and our recognition is that those greedy folks need to be brought down! I’m unwilling to give up hope that health care can be about care instead of profits.
Let’s make a conscious effort to make this day a great one. When we look back we’ll know today we didn’t just audit life, we showed up and made the most of it!
I hope this Friday gives you a warm pleasant place to look out at a beautiful view. Brrrr.
Timing is as important as a positive attitude!
This picture shows what I hoped for, what I even allowed myself to think might be possible. Reality stepped in. I’m still pleased President Obama was elected over McCain, but I know my hopes weren’t realistic.
Where do you suppose this picture was taken? I want to go there!
International Day of Older Persons is observed on October 1 each year.
PrairiePopulistsAndProgressives.net 