John Schmidt
A retired attorney and concerned citizen · Fairway, Kansas
I am a retired attorney who lives in Fairway, Kansas. I spent my 52-years career practicing law and retired from the Polsinelli firm in 2026. These days, I spend some of my retirement time concerned about the abnormal political climate: paying close attention, worrying, and trying to do something useful about it.
What worries me most is the future, and in particular the future my grandchildren will inherit as they mature and prepare to enter the world of work. I believe this is one of the most important elections of our lifetimes, and that the outcome will shape the country those kids grow up in for a long time to come.
I also believe something hopeful: that ordinary people still make the difference. Not ad budgets, not consultants, not outside money, but neighbors talking honestly with neighbors, friends writing to friends in their own words about why this matters to them. That belief is the entire reason this little website exists. It is here to make one thing easy: reaching out, personally, to the people you already know.
I am not asking anyone to do everything. I am asking each of you to do a little more this year than you might otherwise have done in prior years. Vote. Have a real conversation. Write a heartfelt note to someone you care about. If this site helps even a handful of those conversations happen, it will have done its job.
With hope for what's ahead,
John