The beauty of Kansas: Neighbors working together for change.

David and his grandsonThis election offers an opportunity to turn things around with new leadership, neighbors working together, and rediscovery of our core Kansas values: honesty, respect, tolerance, and responsibility.

No more easy labels! Neighbors working together can rejuvenate neighborhoods, entire communities, and the state. We need free and God-given sustainable energy, without planetary destruction. We need secure, affordable health care, and fitness opportunities. We need a deep, humanizing education that will resonate from our children to reward teachers, students, families, communities. My pledge is to work for all those goals—and for you.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.— Margaret Mead

Smoky Hills Public TV October Debate offered side by side comparison

Watch the SHPTV debateSmoky Hills Public Television aired debates between David Norlin and House District 71's incumbent last October 9 at 9pm and October 12 at 5pm. The moderators were Todd Pettinger of Salina Media Group and KSAL Radio as well as Chapman Rackaway, PhD in Political Science at Fort Hays State and Director of the Docking Institute of Public Affairs. While the candidates agreed on such topics as the difficulty of imposing age restrictions on driver's licenses and the need for some form of state-wide smoking ban, there were widespread areas of disagreement. Norlin opposes any further coal-fired generating plants. The incumbent voted for them.

The incumbent voted against 2 provisions to improve the state minimum wage, while Norlin would not. The incumbent voted for 2 tax breaks for oil companies, while Norlin would not. The incumbent voted to kill a provision to provide health insurance premium assistance to folks making from $7,844 to $10,600 a year, a provision worked out at a cost of over a million dollars to the state. Norlin would work to make sure that there is some relief for the over 12% of Kansans (nearly 340,000), who have no insurance and are therefore 25% more likely to die as a result.

SHPTV Debate and KSAL Candidate Forum

Two great sources to learn why you should vote for David Norlin on November 4 —

To listen is to learn!

Neighborhood Talks Door to Door

The situation is serious, but humor will get us through. (by David Norlin)While we don’t have space on this website for the 3000-plus folks I’ve talked to, a sampling can give you a feel for what I am hearing. Janet Hanson, a mother and school nurse, has taken an active interest in the local and national situation, and sees the need for more open-mindedness on the part of all citizens. “We are facing what is obviously a critical situation in this country and in Kansas,” she said, “and if we don’t use our free opportunities to first get valid information and second, vote and act accordingly, we may not be able to call ourselves a democracy much longer.” Janet and her family are very active in school, church, and other pursuits.

Neighborhood Talks video segments

Watch Neighborhood Talks“Neighborhood Talks,” a new series of cable programs, will air on Community Access Television Cable Channel 21. Neighborhood Talks #1 will air on Wednesday, October 22nd, at 10:30 p.m. and repeat the next morning, Thurs, October 23rd, at 10:30 a.m. Neighborhood Talks #2 will air on Saturday, Oct 25th, at 6:00 p.m. and repeat the following morning Sunday, October 7, at 6:00 a.m.

Neighborhood Talks are 15-minute discussions with Salinans whose lives reflect commitment to principles of justice and community awareness, on topics in which they have expertise or have studied over time. These four 15-minute segments are put together in two 30-minute programs, each of which contain two 15-minute conversations. They seek to engage neighbors in thinking about their ideas which, if acted upon, can deepen ties to neighbor and place.

How do we discern truth?

John the gospel-writer got it right. “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” The problem: What’s true and what’s not?

Another writer, Barbara Kingsolver, gave a recent talk on eating locally. Her fact: in order to eat, each citizen “consumes” 400 gallons of oil per year. Outlandish? A lie? No. Transportation alone accounts for four-fifths of those gallons. The average food item travels 1500 miles to our plates.

Neighborhood Talks at local coffee shops

David Norlin, Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives from Salina’s 71st District, met with the public at coffee time Tuesday, Sept. 30 through Friday, October 3.

“The Neighborhood Talks were important,” said Norlin. “Many Americans were talking about the financial meltdown. I even talked with them when I went door to door, and found them watching the Senate debates almost like a football game. Those talks were an important time to just listen to citizens—and to share my concerns. In one memorable exchange, I had some folks complaining to the management about being handed a card, as if they had no stake in getting information about their future representatives. But there were far more folks glad to share their views, get acquainted, and just renew the feeling of being a neighbor to the fellow who might just turn out to represent them next legislative session.

Salina 150th Year Parade

Saying "Hi" to Salina parade goers (by David Norlin)

The Salina 150th year Parade tried for 150 entries and almost made it with 137. One of those was David Norlin and friends with banner, bicycle surrey and accompanying supporter on her own bike, a transporation trend of the future. It was a a great day and great time, with Barbara Kingsolver, nationally-known novelist and author of a book on sustainable local eating and saving our soil, at the Land Institute's Prairie Festival in the afternoon. It was a great day to celebrate our past and ponder our future!

Hearing from the Kids

Hearing from Heartland kids at lunch (by David Norlin)Candidates had the opportunity to see early childhood education and family support programs at Heartland Programs under the guidance of Korey Hensley on Wednesday, October 1. A highlight was eating lunch with the kids, dancing, and playing a learning coordination game with a visiting group of high school early ed students who guided the youngest set in their activities. It was edifying and insightful. Key insight: These programs are funded by a variety of governmental and granting agencies, but state funds figure in more than half of them.

Stories from the Street: Two Salinas, One Salina

Welcome to Salina, where attractive brick and mortar homes boast beautiful arrays of roses and redbuds, inspired by master gardener and water garden groups, proud folks intent on beautifying their personal living space. Welcome to Salina, where a front porch boasts engine parts for a weed-surrounded, under-reconstruction auto, beside a brick half-wall leaning away from the house, its collapse propped only by 3 stubborn gravity-resisting boards.

Welcome to Salina, where engaging, friendly folks open the door in welcome, with young children running out to roll their scooter freely down the new sidewalk running the length of a long, equally friendly block. Welcome to Salina, where the number of children qualifying for free or reduced-fee school lunches hovers at nearly half the population. Welcome to Salina, where the occasional citizen opens the door wearing an oxygen tube and trailing tank, and where a man with two missing fingers and an inability to speak clearly meets me on the street and offers for $7 a home-made sausage wrapped in unrefrigerated individual plastic containers from his plastic shopping bag carrying case.