What was the population of Bourbon County at its peak? When was it? What about the incorporated cities in the county? What about the cities that have folded? What is the current population? Here is the list:

Bourbon County 28,575 in 1890; 14,653 in 2018

Bronson 595 in 1910; 305 in 2019

Fort Scott 11,946 in 1890; 7,697 in 2019

Fulton 506 in 1890; 155 in 2019

Mapleton 251 in 1930; 81 in 2019

Redfield 269 in 1920; 143 in 2019

Uniontown 371 in 1980; 264 in 2019

Wikipedia lists 12 communities in BB that are no longer incorporated, including Devon, Garland, Hammond, Hiattville, and Xenia, to name a few. It is also interesting to note that Bourbon County has historically been fairly balanced in the population mix between rural and urban residences.

Our county is half the size it was, and many communities have contracted by more than one-half. More communities have ceased to exist than are currently still incorporated.

Who is at fault? The short answer is no one, and everyone.

Many people, using 20/20 hindsight, blame past commissioners, but that is naïve. No one could have foreseen the megatrends of the 20^th and 21^st centuries that have challenged rural America. Obviously, it is silly to blame the current commissioners or anyone government entity. No commission has raised the levy in the six years I have been here; in fact, it has been lowered in recent years. The blame game started long ago and continues to this day. It has divided us into parochial camps.

We have become a victim of simple math: less people to pay the growing cost of government means the people that remain pay more. People get tired of paying more, and then they leave. Potential new people look at the cost of living here and chose to live elsewhere.

Now that we know that we cannot resist the forces that created our predicament, it is time to play offense and defense…together. We must reduce the cost of government (at least stop the steady increase), invest in problem-solving and work to attract new businesses/residents.

Lastly, we are going to have to give up some of our parochial natures. Yes, civic pride is desirable, but not to the exclusion of fellow residents of the county. Drop your grudges, work to reestablish trust, and let’s reach across artificial geographic lines and become a team. As Ben Franklin once said, “We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”

“Always read the fine print, from beginning to end.” Great advice from my lawyer-friend. My son is getting married mid-July. Finding a dress to wear for a mountaintop wedding has been a nuptial nightmare, especially since the bride’s mother already has found the perfect ensemble and emailed me a picture of it. The fact that she is a size 6 and I am…well, not, is somewhat disconcerting. (On another note, I am convinced we all will be size 4’s in Heaven.) My friend Marti has been on an internet mission to help me find something stunning. Two days ago, she came across a site that offered an array of sharp, flowing outfits, designed to hide the inner-tube that has, thanks to menopause–and possibly chocolate chip cookies– inexplicably surfaced around my waist. I selected three “hopefuls.” As I was placing my order, intending to return whichever two I did not want, I continued scrolling and was not happy with what I read. The dresses came from China so, in order to return them, I would pay 50% of their cost, plus shipping. Too, there was no real guarantee on the date they would arrive in Kansas. That was the end of that. There is no end to the “Read the fine print” warnings. Fancy-schmancy resorts have been known to hide extra costs in their small print. A $1500 trip can easily turn into a $2000 one based on what the company fails to reveal in its ad. My husband, Dave, recently had a charge of $74.46 for a product he had ordered two months previous. Come to find out, he did not read the fine print from beginning to end: “Approximately 3-4 weeks after your first order is shipped, and approximately every 12 weeks thereafter, you’ll be sent a new 90-day supply of _____.” My Luke Bryan tickets, purchased last year with insurance protection, ended up not protected “should an epidemic occur.” Of course, that was printed on the 244th (wee exaggeration) page of the insurance policy which I did not have four hours to read. There definitely is a benefit to reading to the end, even if it takes a magnifying glass to do so. After home economics teacher Donna Andrews booked her vacation to London, she read the travel insurance policy completely, and that’s where she discovered that it pays to read the fine print. Literally. As the first person to do so, Andrews received a $10,000 prize. It was an effort by Squaremouth to improve travel insurance literacy by encouraging customers to review the entire policy. Squaremouth estimates that less than 1% of travelers who buy travel insurance read all of their policy information. “We’re working to change that,” says Squaremouth CEO Chris Harvey. I love that the Bible has no fine print add-ons. There are no surprises, no “Oops! That really didn’t happen, but it’s a great story, don’t you think?” superfluities. Nowhere in small lettering is anything like “There really is a hidden cost to following the Savior.” That’s because what you read is what you get. Jesus walked on water. He healed the blind. He cured crazy people. He scolded religious leaders. And his disciples, chickens who went into hiding upon his death, turned into fearless, outspoken leaders following his resurrection. Jesus changed history. Forever. And ever. From beginning to end.