Santorum lacking in farm policies

Written by Paul Penner Tuesday, 27 March 2012 13:50

This is an election year. Do you know where your favorite candidate stands on issues?

In an age of opportunity for enlightenment and full disclosure, thanks to the gilded age of all things digital, it may be surprising to learn that not everyone knows what positions their favorite political candidate stands for, or against.

For sake of simplicity, this column will focus on one presidential candidate, Sen. Rick Santorum from Pennsylvania. As time allows, I may explore the positions of other candidates in future columns.

My first inquiry was to visit Santorum’s website on the Political Guide web page, (thepoliticalguide.com/Profiles/Senate/Pennsylvania/Rick_Santorum). I also visited his official website (ricksantorum.com) to gain more...

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Trying to tame that old pet peeve

Written by Paul Penner Tuesday, 24 January 2012 14:17

What do you feed a pet peeve? I’m not sure. Perhaps a pinch of self-righteous anger added with a bit of humble pie, mixed together with a dose of patience? Whatever it is, I am reasonably sure that everyone has at least one pet peeve hanging around the house or at work, and more often than not, has fed it from time to time.

What do you do when one pet peeve begets another? The short answer is, you deal with it as best you can.

My latest pet peeve has to do with the amount of space all airlines allow for passengers on small regional jets, more commonly known as “puddle jumpers.” In most cases, passengers traveling through the Wichita Intercontinental Airport will transport to larger airport hubs via these small jets. Exceptions...

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Data give reasons for holiday blues

Written by Paul Penner Tuesday, 27 December 2011 14:26

Post-Christmas blues come and go, much like one’s constitutional regularity. There’s much to blame for its effects to last much longer than usual, however.

Christmas Eve, my beloved and I settled down for a “walk down memory lane.” With our children visiting the in-laws this time around and conflicting schedules that could not be overcome, we made plans for a quiet celebration alone. Brief meetings with family over the Internet, thanks to the wonders of two-way video conferencing, minimized our sense of isolation.

During previous holidays, our list of usual family related activities included watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” on television. This time, as the movie progressed, I couldn’t help but think that the story of...

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Another side to Thanksgiving cliches

Written by Paul Penner Tuesday, 22 November 2011 14:51

The leaves have finally fallen from the trees. Soon, we will be celebrating Thanksgiving with family and friends.

As part of the usual Thanks­giving ritual, it’s time to “dust off” the usual holiday cliches that gives this day its unique distinction among holidays. Along with each statement written in italics, I offer another perspective, even if it is only tongue-in-cheek.

• I’m thankful for all of my family. Does this include extended family members and siblings you never see except at funerals and weddings? Isn’t it great when you can say nice things about people you never intend to actually meet and do things together?

Only kidding, Mom!

• I’m thankful that we have been blessed with an abundance of food and the...

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