Readers sound off on pro-birth, Bishop Finn debate, Kansas tax cuts
Pro-birth, not pro-life
Father Dave Holloway in an April 21 letter pointed out that “pro-life” is a misleading label. What we have in this country is a group that is “pro-birth.”
There is little concern in the pro-life movement about children’s lives after they are born.
As Father Holloway noted, you will not see pro-lifers outraged or staging protests over poor schools, hunger, slanted law enforcement or discrimination. However, they have all kinds of energy when it comes to closing down Planned Parenthood health clinics.
I have to wonder whether they will become part of a solution to real problems in peoples’ lives instead of defining their religious mission as being that of forced childbirth.
Sean Clipsham
Kansas City
Bishop Finn scandal
I do not think Bishop Robert Finn should have resigned his post (4-28, A1, “Finn still has role in diocese”). I think Bishop Finn should have been sent to jail for failing to protect young girls from a child-molesting priest.
The news that Bishop Finn will now ordain new priests for Kansas City is a local and international scandal. Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann should be fired as administrator and is as despicable as Finn.
All the victims of Finn’s failure to do his duty are crying today.
Frank Smist
Prairie Village
Bishop Finn debate
I read the April 22 article in The Star, “Tumultuous tenure of Bishop Finn ends,” about the resignation of Bishop Robert Finn. That is the only news I have read, seen or heard. I am purposely avoiding it.
I have to. It hurts too much. I am a victim of clergy sexual abuse.
As a practicing Catholic active in parish life and striving to live a life of intentional faith, I look to my bishop for leadership. When going through some of the most difficult days processing my abuse, I contacted Bishop Finn, even though the abuse didn’t take place here.
The discussion was a positive experience, as were following interactions. Over the years, he has been a source of support and strength.
I followed the Shawn Ratigan case closely when it broke and read documents produced from investigations. Clearly, there was bad communication, misinformation and horrible decisions by employees, including the bishop.
As diocesan leader, he was responsible for ensuring this did not happen. As a result of his actions and inactions, children were victimized and forever wounded.
He needed to resign. This hurts personally because it reopens my wounds from abuse.
It is also a personal loss. I will miss him.
Julie Korman
Lee’s Summit
Since Bishop Robert Finn’s devastating and needless forced resignation, there have been calls for healing in the diocese. Yes, those children abused by Shawn Ratigan’s perverted picture-taking and their families need our continued prayers and support for healing.
The Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, though, is strong because of the great pastoral leadership of Bishop Finn.
When he arrived a decade ago, the diocese was adrift. There were few seminarians, weak adult and youth religious education, virtually no pro-life effort and many other shortcomings.
Bishop Finn has made the necessary changes and has steadfastly taken our diocese in a strong Catholic direction.
There will be an amazing nine ordinations this year, with at least 15 new seminarians next year, moving the total toward 40.
Bishop Finn started the outstanding Bishop Helmsing Institute for adult Catholic education as well as strong pro-life, family and youth initiatives and has strengthened Catholic schools, among many great initiatives.
Since the day he arrived, though, there has been a band of dissenters trying to bring him down. The Ratigan episode, which Bishop Finn immediately dealt with, was the tool that finally worked.
The dissenters won’t stop at Bishop Finn, either. They don’t accept the Catholic Church being Catholic.
Mark S. Robertson
Independence
Morality of tax cuts
I have doubts that The Star would describe the Center for American Progress as an “ultraliberal” think tank, yet the newspaper characterizes the libertarian (aka, freedom-focused) Kansas Policy Institute as “ultraconservative.”
But, I leave it to Dave Trabert, president of the Kansas Policy Institute, and Gov. Sam Brownback to defend Kansas’ tax policy statistically.
However, the debate should also take place on another plane — morality.
Are The Star’s editorialists on the side of forcibly taking more and more money from the citizens of Kansas (and Missouri) to further their ideals of government control? My view is that a proper regard for human rights (especially the rights of citizens to keep the profits of their labor and investing) requires a focus on reducing taxes more substantially than Mr. Brownback did.
If Kansas went anywhere near the lower taxes that some states operate under, and thrive on, such as Florida and Texas, then Kansas would grow immensely, as such other states have. So, better to have a moral debate on the proper level of government extraction of the citizens’ money.
John Gillis
Olathe
Royals Buck Night
The quality of the food on Buck Night at Kauffman Stadium is the real problem. The hot dog buns are doughy, and the hot dogs are small.
Then they squish them into an unappetizing glob. The size of the drinks are smaller, and the peanuts are stale.
The Royals and Aramark are getting cheap at the expense of the fans.
David Boehm
Lee’s Summit
Missouri fuel tax
I support an increase in the tax on vehicle fuel in Missouri if and only if the revenue from the vehicle fuel tax is fenced off, where it can be used only for repairing and maintaining Missouri roads and bridges. The vehicle fuel tax must not be used to fix problems with other tax shortfalls.
Ed Yeater
Raymore
Insincere Brownback
Sam Brownback, the now infamous governor of the Sunflower State, is pretending to support expanding Medicaid to more than 100,000 uninsured Kansans.
But, when the governor had the power to approve the measure, he not only refused to expand Medicaid, he made its expansion less likely by deferring to the Legislature and encouraging the passage of a law that ensured any future considerations would need the approval of the ultraconservative, uncompassionate, GOP-majority Legislature.
Now Brownback is pretending to care because, it is believed, he still has presidential ambitions. However, the mess he and his legislative friends have made of the state is very real and will not be forgotten by Kansans and many others across the country.
Darnell Hunt
Olathe
Fully fund hotline
Missouri maintains a hotline that can be used to report instances of abuse or neglect of the elderly or disabled. Most states operate their hotlines 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In fact, the Missouri Coalition for Quality Care discovered in a recent survey that all states surrounding Missouri have their hotlines staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In 2008, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services was faced with funding cutbacks. One of the decisions made was to eliminate the staffing for the Adult Abuse and Neglect Hotline between midnight and 7 a.m. If the hotline is called during these hours, a message must be left or a fax sent.
This is a dangerous situation for Missouri’s elderly and disabled citizens.
The Missouri Coalition for Quality Care is asking that Gov. Jay Nixon and the Missouri Legislature restore the full funding for the Adult Abuse and Neglect Hotline. Missouri’s senior citizens deserve this important safety net.
The Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We believe the same should be done for the elderly and disabled.
Dave Damico
President
Missouri Coalition
for Quality Care
Hartsburg, Mo.
This story was originally published April 29, 2015 at 5:16 PM with the headline "Readers sound off on pro-birth, Bishop Finn debate, Kansas tax cuts."