Intended Consequences?

What's the collective impact if all of the proposed legislation passes?

Author

Jason Anderson
February 10, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A-minor
They not like us, they not like us, they not like us
They not like us, they not like us, they not like us

-Kendrick Lamar, Not Like Us (Parental Advisory - explicit lyrics)

Table of Contents

I shall not write about the Superbowl…

…but I will offer some speculative observations:

We can always lament how people pay more attention to pop culture than politics, or how sports team loyalties stir emotions in ways rarely touched by politicians. But humans are fundamentally tribal; it might be the strongest of human motivations. It’s why you still care about your alma mater.

When leaders organize and tap into these instincts, movements follow.

Tribalism isn’t a bad word. But it’s also a social force that shapes our decisions in ways we don’t always recognize. We evolved to give back to the tribes we belong to, and to emulate the behaviors of tribal leaders. (That’s why the Republican party, once it accepted Trump as its tribal leader, it didn’t just adopt his policies–it adopted his personality, his rhetoric, and even his grudges.)

One excellent book on this topic is Tribal: How the Cultural Instincts That Divide Us Can Help Bring Us Together.)1 Understanding these forces is essential for anyone who wants to build coalitions, influence policy, or change minds in an era where loyalty often trumps logic.

What happens if all these bills come true?

This week, we’re introducing a separate narrative series titled Intended Consequences, a thought-provoking exploration of what happens when policy decisions play out exactly as designed. By tracing the collective impact of this year’s legislation—if left unchallenged—we’ll paint a picture of the long-term effects on education, healthcare, civil rights, and beyond.

He had always thought of Kansas as stable. Steady. A place where you didn’t have to worry too much. The policies in Topeka were just background noise, the kind of thing you debated over Thanksgiving but never really felt in your day-to-day life.

Lately, though, he could feel it.

The streets were a little emptier. The schools a little rougher around the edges. The property values weren’t rising as fast as they used to. And now, with the election laws tightening and the budget cuts getting deeper, he had to wonder…Had something shifted? Had they crossed some invisible threshold where Kansas wasn’t Kansas anymore?

I’ve been reading this newsletter for the past couple of weeks, and have found it to be a balanced and non-partisan source of information. -Jason

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Meanwhile, in Topeka…

Did you know we have almost 600 bills posted so far on BillBee? The vast majority haven’t yet reached the stage where they’re up for a final vote, but that stage is coming very soon:

  • The House passed 11 bills so far and sent them to the Senate.

  • The Senate passed 8 bill so far and sent them to the House.

  • SB 63 (the “Help Not Harm Act” banning gender-affirming care for minors) passed both chambers and has been sent to the Governor for signature.

  • There are a lot of bills and resolutions approaching final action in committees.

In other words, things are on the cusp of getting much spicier.

The fastest way to stay abreast of these actions is the Topeka Buzz daily newsletter (published Tuesday through Friday).

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