Kansas values kids? My disabled 4-year-old is on a 9-year waitlist for care she needs

Help needed

If Kansas truly valued children, as so many politicians and religious leaders have recently claimed, it would provide quicker services for its children with disabilities. Currently, families with a disabled child 5 years or older can apply for the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Waiver. This provides children and families with supportive home care, specialized medical care, assistive services and respite.

The waitlist to receive these services? Nine years.

My 4-year-old daughter has a rare, progressive neurodevelopmental disorder. It has already robbed her of her ability to speak, walk independently and use her hands. She also has swallowing difficulties, breathing abnormalities, impaired mobility and seizures. Caring for her is an all-consuming, round-the-clock affair. However, it will be a decade before my family and child finally receive the help we need.

Parents in the special needs community regularly move their children out of Kansas and warn other families not to come here. My hope in the wake of the recent amendment vote is that our state will finally begin to value all children. My fear is that many of them, like my daughter, will continue to be forgotten.

- Claire McMurray, Lenexa

Who’s listening?

Kansans spoke.

No, I’m wrong: Kansans shouted

And what they shouted is astounding. Because not only did Kansans, both men and women, rural and urban, give our politicized U.S. Supreme Court an earful — they also gave the supermajority Republican legislators in Kansas their own earful, and in so doing exposed the corruption of gerrymandering.

Now, let’s jump to the viciously gerrymandered state of Missouri, where unfair districting has also created a Republican supermajority that has attempted in every way possible to overturn the vote of the people.

When we, the voting public, dared to gather signatures and put Medicaid expansion on the ballot, it passed — easily. The supermajority Republicans in Jefferson City went berserk, screaming and hollering as they desperately tried every avenue to overturn the will of the people. It didn’t work. Medicaid was expanded — for now, at least.

In both states, democracy prevailed.

A fresh breeze is blowing across our country. Common folks have grown weary of Donald Trump and his Republican Party’s stale, never-changing platform, which is devoid of compassion and caring.

Republicans love to shout constitutionalism and point out that we are a representative republic, but those representatives are on the sidelines when democracy works and all the people speak.

- Robert Stuber, St. Joseph

Reduce abortions

In Kansas, at least, the voice of the people has been heard: Do not ban access to all abortion. However, that doesn’t mean nothing can be done to make it a less often chosen option.

If women had the support of universal health care, extended maternity leave, affordable child care, free education, a living wage and decent housing, perhaps fewer would feel the need to make a choice at all.

There are plenty of positive things for people and religious organizations to strive for. The problem seems to be that moral judgment is more popular (and less personally demanding) than moral benevolence.

- Andrew McCarl, Stanley

Wrong system

I was disappointed to read Sen. Roger Marshall’s guest commentary explaining his decision to partner with Sen. Dick Durbin on proposed legislation that would mandate government intervention every time Kansans use their credit cards.

Despite Marshall’s claim that the bill would increase competition, his proposal would harm consumers, small businesses and community banks in our state, all to pad the profits of retail giants that benefit immensely from the existing payments system.

Most people don’t think twice when they use their credit cards, and for good reason. The safety and convenience of credit cards benefit consumers and businesses. The Marshall-Durbin proposal puts that at risk by mandating that merchants can choose how card transactions are routed. Instead of using the safest and most secure networks, they could select cheaper methods that could put your data at risk and reduce revenue banks use for technology improvements, fraud prevention and popular rewards programs.

The Kansas Bankers Association and the Community Bankers Association of Kansas have joined forces to oppose this misguided bill. If you like your credit card and its many benefits, join us in keeping the government from meddling in a payments system that works for all of us.

- Doug Wareham, President and CEO, Kansas Bankers Association, Topeka

Look within

Congratulations to The Star Editorial Board for asking why Independence City Manager Zach Walker did not release information on the $160,000 in overtime pay to a police officer to perform carpentry work at the police department’s headquarters. (Aug. 2, 7A, “Release full report on police HQ remodeling”) When I ran for mayor this year (I lost), this information came to light a few days before the primary. The solution was quite simple: The city manager was ultimately responsible and should be held accountable. “Held accountable” is a euphemism for being fired.

I advised against hiring outside consultants to look into these matters. The city wasted money hiring a white-shoe law firm to opine that the police department and city administration should communicate better. Unfortunately, the Independence Examiner wants to give a free pass to those involved.

- Holmes Osborne, Independence

Out of his lane

I have lived in Johnson County most of my life, and I’ve generally been quite proud of what a progressive and forward-thinking place it was to live. But our sheriff is a shame on our county.

When Calvin Hayden ran for office, did he promise to make our county safe? Or did he proclaim that he would waste taxpayers’ dollars and assign detectives to pursue the Big Lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and there was widespread election fraud in that election? He ignores the more than 60 lawsuits that were defeated involving that lie (including under many Republican judges, some appointed by Donald Trump).

He ignores Trump’s own vice president, attorney general and legal counsel, who stayed “loyal” as long as they could but could not ignore the valid and factual election results. All 50 secretaries of state certified the election, including in Kansas. Again, many of them were Trump supporters.

Who is Calvin Hayden to know more about our electoral procedures than all those who are so more incredibly qualified? If someone wants to start a recall petition, I will sign and go door to door. Our sheriff”s department has many important jobs to perform. This is not one.

- Michael J. Young, Overland Park

This story was originally published August 7, 2022 at 5:00 AM.