December 2022

A farewell letter from Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt

Serving as your attorney general these past 12 years – the second longest tenure in Kansas history – has been a privilege. Most of the quiet good our professional team accomplished made few headlines: We recovered $1.1 billion for Kansas consumers and taxpayers, far more than any prior administration, while spending less than $300 million running the office – a nearly four-to-one return on investment.

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The magic of life’s experiences

We all have a tendency to take things for granted. It is amazing to me how quickly providing something new goes from a wonderful surprise to an expectation that better be provided in the future. But beyond this, we all get used to our experience to the point that we just don’t understand that others don’t have the same one. We are not being selfish or spoiled, at least not knowingly. We just never experienced differently than it’s always been.

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Mall Santa

7:15PM. The center atrium at the mall. A large, temporary structure houses “The North Pole”, an ad-hoc collection of holiday lights and fake snow. Rob weaves his way past a “Closed” sign, through the short maze where a line usually forms, and pokes his head behind the curtain.

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X-rays are the best bet for an exact diagnosis of arthritis

DEAR DR. ROACH: How do I know if I have arthritis? My left leg makes a slight cracking noise in my knee when I walk down the stairs, but no pain. However, when I go for a long drive, I limp when getting out of the car, which kind of goes away and does not hurt my knee. Long walks also bother me. When I went to a specialist, he said I needed therapy. I went to some sessions, but it did not help! When I told my doctor, he said, “Oh, that’s just arthritis.” (Note: This is the leg that was broken when a drunk driver hit me at age 22. I’m now in my mid-60s.) Also, my family has no history of arthritis. I also don’t know how someone can give me therapy if they don’t know what’s wrong? -- Anon.

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