homestate kansas
By Ben Everidge for Thomas
Photo Credit: Travel Kansas
kansas at the Crossroads: 10 Issues That Define the sunflower state’s Future
“Kansas doesn’t follow the coasts. It centers the country. The land of open skies still believes that common sense, not chaos, is the truest form of courage.”
- Ben Everidge
Kansas has long stood as the crossroads of America. A land of open skies, honest work, and quiet determination. Its fields once fed the world, and its politics once shaped the nation’s conscience. Yet in the decades since, Kansas has struggled with population decline, fiscal missteps, and a fight to define what modern conservatism and civic responsibility really mean. The next chapter for the Sunflower State will depend on whether it can rediscover its balance and its boldness to lead from the middle once more.
1. Economic Diversification and Rural Renewal
Agriculture and aerospace anchor the Kansas economy, but both are vulnerable to global shifts. Encouraging small business development, manufacturing, and technology startups could breathe new life into rural communities.
2. Education and Fiscal Responsibility
Kansas’s past battles over school funding exposed the tension between fiscal restraint and public investment. The future depends on stable funding, teacher recruitment, and recommitment to education as the foundation of prosperity.
3. Agriculture, Climate, and Water Scarcity
The Ogallala Aquifer – lifeblood of the plains – is shrinking fast. Sustainable irrigation, soil conservation, and ag-tech innovation will determine whether Kansas can preserve its agricultural heritage for future generations.
4. Population Decline and Workforce Retention
Nearly two-thirds of Kansas counties are losing residents. Attracting and keeping young workers will require expanding job opportunities, housing, and broadband access, particularly in rural areas.
5. Infrastructure and Connectivity
Kansas’s central geography is its most significant advantage, but only if roads, railways, and broadband networks remain modern and reliable. Wise infrastructure investment can help the state capitalize on its logistical strengths.
6. Healthcare Access and Rural Stability
Hospital closures, provider shortages, and resistance to Medicaid expansion continue to strain rural communities. Pragmatic healthcare reform could stabilize local economies and save lives.
7. Energy and Environmental Balance
Wind power is booming in Kansas, but transmission limits and political opposition constrain its growth. Embracing renewable energy alongside traditional industries could make Kansas a national model for balanced development.
8. Political Division and Independent Leadership
Kansas has a long history of political independence, from abolitionism to populism. Reclaiming that pragmatic spirit could restore public trust and position the state as a leader in nonpartisan reform.
9. Crime, Community, and Quality of Life
Rising violent crime in cities like Wichita contrasts with small-town struggles against addiction and poverty. Strengthening social services and community-based policing can help restore stability statewide.
10. Innovation, Education, and the Next Generation
Kansas’s universities and research centers hold untapped potential in aerospace, bioscience, and renewable energy. Leveraging them to attract investment and talent will be key to keeping Kansas competitive in a fast-changing world.
The Thomas Take
Kansas has always been more than a place. It’s an idea about fairness, fortitude, and faith in hard work. Its future will depend on whether it can once again balance independence with investment, and humility with ambition. The Sunflower State’s quiet courage built the heartland, and it may yet remind the nation that moderation, done right, can be revolutionary.
To learn more about Kansas’s issues, read: