I love the Woot business model, their fantastic deals and the following they have created. As a result, I subscribe to the Woot blog. Today's post, called "The United States of Songs: Kansas", made me think about how people view the State.
The author humorously describes how we don't really have any good Kansas songs. Really though, what the author is pointing out is that Kansas has an image problem. As pretty and inviting as the State really is, outsiders think we live in a land of vast tornado destruction and ignorance.
Maybe it's time for the travel and tourism to put forth a concerted PR campaign to educate the rest of the country about what Kansas is really about.
Yes, there are tornados in Kansas. Sometimes they destroy stuff, and occasionally injure or even kill people. But, the universal impact of a tornado is miniscule when compared to a hurricane's impact. Just look at what Irene did this weekend.
Maybe it's time for the State to start marketing itself to individuals and companies in the Carolinas and the Gulf Coast region.
Kansas has jobs, a low cost of living, and it's safe. Yeah, the weather goes from one extreme to the other, but at least it's not usually catastrophic. The isolated tornado is not nearly as destructive as the "once every few years" ice storm, heavy snow, early/late freeze, drought, or extreme heat we experience. This summer is the pinnacle of extreme heat. Thank God for air conditioning and cold water!
Every place has it's own weaknesses, but in fairness to Kansas, the worst thing about the State really probably are the songs about it. :-)
