By now the convicted felon-in-chief and Elon Musk’s DOGE is infamous for its illegal activities, but did you know the state of Kansas since around Feb. 6 has had a portal called COGE, a website where citizens can send ideas to make Kansas government more efficient?

The site asks for basic identifying information from you, then you select a policy area and leave comments. For example, one could choose “Health” from the dropdown menu and then leave a comment like: “Medicaid expansion would bring over $1B in federal taxpayer dollars back to Kansas. Letting other states have our money isn’t an effective or efficient way to run our state government.”

Consider leaving ideas about some Kansas government efficiencies that might align with your values. For example:

• Kansas legislators might stop wasting taxpayer money on bills that restrict abortion rights or legislation on abortion that gets defeated in court and is against the will of Kansans.

• Or maybe remind them that spending time on legislation that restricts LGBTQ+ rights wastes taxpayer money.

• As does debate, legislation or lawsuits that would create voting rights restrictions.

• Removing tenure from higher education will cost Kansas in retention and recruitment of faculty and spending time on that legislation could result in lawsuits (HB 2348)

• Extending sessions costs money.

• Eliminating the Special Committee on Legislative Budget and returning to a governor’s budget proposal might be more efficient.

• Not allowing KPERS to invest in bitcoin would protect our dollars.

• Or maybe you think legalizing medical or medical and recreational marijuana would be a boon to our farmers and increase tax revenue.

I bet you all have great ideas. Please share them on the Kansas COGE portal! As with any contact with government representatives, send your ideas and messages in one individual topic at a time. Looks like I’ll be sending seven or eight more of these this week.

By Laura Lee Washburn

When I care about something, I’ll canvas and knock on doors. I show up at marches and rallies. Heck, I’ll even help organize them, but I didn’t want to call my congressional representatives. I didn’t. It’s not logical. I don’t know why. Maybe because in the past, I’ve gotten hot on the phone and fumbled for words. Maybe because I didn’t think it mattered enough (but our voices ALWAYS matter!). I don’t know. I just didn’t. I had the resistbot app and I used it for writing and sending letters. When it didn’t work quickly enough, I’d send an email on my own. I wasn’t afraid of tech, but something was keeping me from the work (pleasure?) of calling my representatives.

But one day, I saw what many call a coup happening. Government workers were locked out of offices. Food meant for starving populations was rotting at docks. National safety and security were at risk; lives at stake. That same day someone reminded me of the 5calls app. In under five minutes, I had the app, a script, and had made three quick calls to my congressional representatives. It couldn’t have been easier, and I’d gotten over that hump of “just not wanting to do it.”

Here's how it works:

• To use the app, download for apple or android from the app store to your phone. It’s free, but you might need to enter your Appstore password. The icon for the app on my phone is a ring of 5 stars on a blue background.

• You can also find 5calls on the internet.

• When you open the app for the first time, you’ll need to let it know where you live so it knows who your reps are. It will ask for your zip code. After the first time, it knows.

• The app shows some topic choices: Monday’s choices included: Protect DEI initiatives; Oppose Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for Secretary of Health and Human Services (lives depend on these!); Oppose Tulsi Gabbard; Condemn a U.S. Takeover of Gaza; Save National Institute of Health Funding; Protect Medicaid Funding; Fight Against Elon Musk’s Takeover; and about six more including protecting the Dept of Education. Click on one of the topics. There’s a lot to call about but take small bites: start with one thing. You can call again later with another issue. Always leave calls about one topic with clear actions when possible.

• You’ll initially see an explanation for the topic you selected with possible updates (like judges stays). You can read this or not.

• The app shows to which representatives this script would best be addressed. For example, suggested people to call about opposing efforts to dehumanize transgender and LGBTQ+ people for my location are Schmidt, Moran, and Marshall, but the app only suggests contacting the US House Rep about H.R.772: A National Abortion Ban.

• Click either the name of the “Relevant representative” or click SEE YOUR SCRIPT. Either, way it will take you to a script and a phone number. I suggest skimming the script before you call because you’ll have choices of things you might say, and you might decide to say something relevant to your personal experience.

• The phone number to call is in blue at the top of the page. Touch that and you’ll be able to call. On my iPhone, a pop-up appears at the bottom, saying “call [phonenumber].” When I touch that I’m taken to my phone screen, but by swiping up, I get back to the app and my script.

• The top of the script reminds you to say your name, that you’re a constituent, and what city or town and zip you’re calling from.

• Sometimes calling gets you to an answering machine, occasionally a staffer, sometimes a phone tree with choices. Talking to a staffer is similar to talking to the answering machine, meaning that they don’t typically interrupt, and they say they’ll pass the message on.

• When you’re finished, hang up, mark “left voicemail” or “made contact,” and go to the next rep on the list. You’ve got this. You’re an important voice in our democracy!

• Troubleshooting: When you can’t get through to the D.C. number, Google for your rep’s local office if you don’t already have the number in your contacts. If their phone message says something like they’re not taking calls, but there’s a beep to leave a message, leave one anyway. If the D.C. line is garbled or doesn’t sound quite right and is hard to understand, wait for the beep and leave your message and assume this means a lot of your fellow citizens are also calling!

The app launched in 2017 by co-founders who’d worked on the Clinton campaign as a means of resistance. It works well, it’s informative, and if you, like me, have a reluctance to pick up the phone, this can get you feeling secure about the clarity of the messages you leave. I especially recommend 5Calls.org for anyone who wants to be more informed, more organized in their messaging, or for anyone in a hurry.

By Harriet Bachner and Emily Walters

Use a 6-point structural format for writing letters or calls as recommended by Common Cause.

1. Identify who you are and where you are from.

2. Briefly state what is the problem, concern, or issue you intend to address. Raise awareness. Might use “hot button words>”

3. If you have a personal example, share that in order to give credibility and compassion to the issue. Be authentic.

4. What action(s) do you want to be taken? Include an idea for a solution that you think would be useful.

5. Describe the urgency to the problem or why is it important for this to be dealt with or rectified now. Educate and persuade.

6. Express appreciation for their attention to your request, concern, opinion, and ideas.

As frustrated, upset, and at times these days enraged we may feel, it is best to leave the expletives out of these letters and emails or phone communications.

Newspapers will have word count guidelines. Make sure to look them up before you write.

If you use an app like resistbot or are writing directly to a representative's email, you might be asked for a simple title or to choose a subject from a drop down menu.

Governor Laura Kelly

Kansas Statehouse

300 SW 10th Ave., Ste. 241S, Topeka, KS 66612-1590

877-KSWORKS (877-579-6757)

Local 785-296-3232  Kansas Relay Service 800-766-3777

Constituent Services / Government Affairs

Kansas Statehouse, 300 SW 10th Ave., Ste. 264W, Topeka, KS 66612-1590

Local 785-368-8500

Kansas Attorney General Kris W. Kobach

120 SW 10th Ave., 2nd Floor, Topeka, KS 66612

Phone: 785 296-2215   1-888-428-8436   Fax: 785 296-6296

Contact: https://www.ag.ks.gov

U.S. Senators for Kansas

 Jerry Moran

521 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510

Phone: 202 224-6521   Fax: 202 228-6998

Contact: www.moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-jerry

Pittsburg

306 N. Broadway, Suite 125 (rear entrance of bank)

P.O. Box 1372, Pittsburg, KS 66762

Phone: 620 232-2286   Fax: 620 232-2284

Wichita

100 North Broadway, Suite 210, Wichita, KS 67202

Phone: 316 269-9257   Fax: 202 228-6472

Olathe

P.O. Box 1154, Olathe, KS 66051

23600 College Blvd Suite 201, Olathe, KS 66061

Phone: 913 393-0711   Fax: 913 768-1366

Roger Marshall

Russell Senate Office Building

Suite 479A 2 Constitution Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002

Phone: 202 224-4774

Contact: https://www.marshall.senate.gov

Pittsburg

402B North Broadway, Pittsburg, KS 66762

Phone: 620 404-7016 

Overland Park

7011 W. 121st Street, Suite 100, Overland Park, KS 66209

Phone: 913 879-7070

Topeka

800 SW Jackson Street, Suite 600, Topeka, KS 66612

Phone: 785 414-7501

U.S. Representatives for Kansas

Tracey Mann, 1st District

344 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC  20515

Phone: 202 225-2715

Contact:  https://mann.house.gov/contact

Manhattan

317 Houston Street, Suite A, Manhattan, KS  66502

Phone: 785 370-7277

Derek Schmidt, 2nd District

1223 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC  20515

Phone: (202) 225-6601

Contact: https://schmidt.house.gov/contact

Pittsburg

402 N Broadway St, Suite B, Pittsburg, KS  66762

Phone: 620 308-7450

Topeka

3550 SW 5th St, Suite B, Topeka, KS  66606

Phone:  785 205-5253

Sharice Davids, 3rd District

2435 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC  20515

Phone: 202 225-2865

Contact: https://davids.house.gov/contact/email-me

Overland Park

9200 Indian Creek Parkway, Suite 562, Overland Park, KS  66210

Phone: 913 621-0832

Ron Estes, 4th District

2234 Rayburn HOB, Washington, D.C. 20525

Phone:   202 225-6216

Contact: https://estes.house.gov/contact/   

Wichita

7701 E. Kellogg, Ste. 510, Wichita, KS 67207

Phone: 316 262-8992                  

Kansas State Senator

Tim Shallenburger, District 13

Capitol Office

Room: 418-E, Seat: 11, Topeka, KS 66612-1504

Phone: 785 296-7370

Email: Tim.Shallenburger@senate.ks.gov

Home

1538 Garfield, Baxter Springs, KS 66713

Phone: 785 640-1714

Email: tshallenburger@yahoo.com

Kansas State Representatives

Ken Collins, District 2

Capitol Office

Room: 512-N, Seat: 94, Topeka, KS 66612-1504

Phone: 785 296-7698

Email: Ken.Collins@house.ks.gov

Home                                                                                                                          102 E. 1st St., Mulberry, KS 66756

Phone: 620 240-0778

Email: unclekenny63@yahoo.com

Chuck Smith, District 3

Capitol Office

Room: 519-N, Seat: 66, Topeka, KS 66612-1504

Phone: 785 296-7426

Email: Chuck.Smith@house.ks.gov

Home

2112 W. 4th, Pittsburg, KS 66762

Phone: 620 719-0157

Fax: 620 231-0690

Email:smithc@ollsmc.com

Crawford County Offices

111E. Forest, Girard, KS 66743

Lisa Lusker, Crawford County Clerk

County Courthouse, 2nd Floor

PO Box 249, Girard, Kansas

Phone: 620 724-6115   llusker@crawfordcountykansas.org

Crawford County Commissioners        

Regular Meetings 10:00 A.M., Tuesday and Friday

Crawford County Courthouse (Second Floor)

111 East Forest

Girard, Kansas

Mailing Address:

Crawford County Commissioners

P.O. Box 249

Girard, Kansas 66743  

Bruce Blair, Commission District 1

PO Box 249, Girard, KS 66743

Phone: 620-724-6115  Fax 620 724-6007

Tom Moody, Commission District 2

PO Box 249, Girard, KS 66743

Phone: 620 724-6115  Fax 620 724-6007

Carl Wood, Commission District 3

PO Box 249, Girard, KS 66743 There is no other contact information.

Billy Tomasi, Crawford County Sheriff

225 N. Enterprise Dr., Girard, KS 66743

Phone: 620 724-8474 for incidents not in process or 911 for emergencies

https://crimewatch.net/us/ks/crawford/sheriff/23351

Pittsburg, KS City Commission

Tammy Nagel, City Clerk

201 W. 4th St., Pittsburg, KS 66762

620 231-4100

Meeting Time & Location: 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month at 5:30 pm, Law Enforcement Center, Court Room

City Commissioners

Stu Hite

Dawn McNay, Mayor

Cheryl Brooks

Chuck Munsell

F. Ronald Seglie, M.D., President of the Board

— Harriet Bachner and Emily Walters

The next county party meeting will be on Feb. 16 at 1 pm at the Crawford County Democratic Headquarters. Everyone is welcome to participate.

Please let Emily know if you have any items you'd like to see added to the agenda at emily@crawfordcountyksdems.org

We are hoping to see everyone there!

Article submissions are needed from Crawford County Democrats and friends about issues and topics we should all be thinking about. Let us publish your thoughts in this Revue, for distribution to county Democrats and others across the state. Back issues of thr newsletter are also on the website at https://www.crawfordcountyksdems.org/newsletter.

Please email your thoughts or those of your caucuses and interest groups for publication in the county party’s newsletter to news@crawfordcountyksdems.org. Accompanying photographs or other ideas for illustrating your articles are also welcome. Feel free to ask questions by text or phone of newsletter crew Harriet at 620-704-8566 or Phil at 708-466-0659. Also please include your phone number with your message in case we have questions for you.

We look forward to hearing from you!