Readers share thoughts on Donald Trump, senior care, fighting cancer
Trump’s labeling
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump seems to be stuck on saying “radical Islam” after the shootings in Orlando, Fla. Sure, the shooter worshiped in Islam, so I guess in Trump’s eyes the tragedy was caused by a radical Islamist.
Would Mr. Trump and others be so inclined to call James Holmes in the Aurora, Colo., theater shootings, Adam Lanza in the killings at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., and Jared Loughner in the Tucson, Ariz., shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and others “radical Christians”? Are these criminals Christians gone wild?
Just because these men chose to be killers does not mean all Christians and Muslims are “radical.”
I guess the rest of us Americans can then call Mr. Trump a “radical bankruptist” for the many bankruptcies he has filed since 2009.
Dennis Parker
Lee’s Summit
Caring for seniors
As many scholars and philosophers have said, a society is judged by how it treats its weakest members.
Although I am 62, I’m far from being a weak member of society. I live alone, totally independent, in good health and have a good job. However, I do have “preventive maintenance” that needs to be taken care of occasionally.
My doctor ordered a couple of procedures. But I can’t have these done without a caregiver to accompany me. Someone must take me, wait for me and take me home. They say this rule is for my own protection — no exceptions.
So, what do you do if you have no one who has a day to waste playing caregiver? I called Seniors Helping Seniors.
Yes, they could help, but it would cost $20 an hour. (Same response from other senior help companies.) I can’t afford $60-$100 for a glorified taxi service. Who can?
There will be no preventive maintenance. I’ll just roll the dice on my health because I cannot follow the rules that are set up for my own protection.
When one has a no-win situation, one has no other choice.
Danette Gamble
Overland Park
Fighting cancer
As an anti-cancer advocate, I was happy to hear a Senate subcommittee proposed a $2 billion funding increase for the National Institutes of Health, including a $216 million increase for the National Cancer Institute.
Sen. Roy Blunt played a major role in setting aside that cancer research funding, and I’d like to thank him for his continued support.
Thanks to advancements in research, cancer isn’t always a death sentence anymore. People are surviving and thriving beyond their diagnosis. But our work is far from over, as this disease still kills hundreds of thousands in our country every year.
With stable, dependable funding from Congress, we can make sure researchers have the support they need to find more treatments and save more lives. The funding increase supported by Sen. Blunt is an important first step.
Senator, your efforts mean so much to people like me. I hope you’ll keep working with your fellow members of Congress to find more resources for cancer research.
Verlee Gilkerson
Volunteer
American Cancer
Society Cancer
Action Network
Kearney
GOP impostors
To rational Republicans:
The Democrats may not provide the platform you seek. However, it is abundantly clear that the Republican Party has lost its way.
It is but a shell of long-held traditions and beliefs and has become caustic to our country’s progress, civility and capacity to govern.
Republican candidates and legislators are immune to facts and instead use blame and hysteria as their call to action. There is no longer any rational ideology.
They present falsehoods and fabrications while killing moderation and replacing it with extremism at every turn.
Welcome to the party of racism, intolerance, guns, economic inequality, corporate interests and fiscal irresponsibility, which has stifled common sense and perpetuated a mindless agenda counter to our common values.
Compromise is now an unforgivable sin and absent from any discourse.
Too many still believe Republican candidates are not extreme enough. And here we are with billionaire Donald Trump as the GOP presidential candidate.
The sheer terror that he might be our next president is all too real. He is the culmination of the party’s sickness.
Please take back the Republican Party before the impostors do more irreparable damage to our country.
Rick Galloway
Overland Park
This story was originally published July 25, 2016 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Readers share thoughts on Donald Trump, senior care, fighting cancer."