Gov. Kelly is right to fight: Thousands of Kansans face hunger with bill passage | Opinion
Feed Kansans
More than 295,000 Kansans — including 1 in 7 children and 1 in 12 working adults — live in households that can’t always afford enough food, according to USDA data analyzed by Hunger Free America, a nonprofit organization whose board I chair.
This high level of hunger statewide makes it harder for children to study, adults to work and our elders to stay independent. We should be taking steps to slash hunger by creating more living-wage jobs and strengthening federally funded nutrition-assistance programs.
That’s why Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly is so right to forcefully oppose the provisions of the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill that will strip federal food assistance from 27,000 Kansans, many of whom would be children, limited-income working people, older adults, people with disabilities and veterans. These cuts will deprive much-needed revenue from farmers and food retailers while seriously harming the physical and mental health of those who depend on this food to survive.
Kansas plays a key role in feeding the nation and the world. We should certainly make sure all our own residents are sufficiently fed.
- Dan Glickman, Former U.S. secretary of agriculture and U.S. representative for Kansas, Washington, D.C.
Some agenda
Well, they’ve gone and done it. We need to hold accountable every member of Congress who voted for this bill. (July 2, 12A, “Just one Republican of conscience could have stopped the travesty that is Trump’s bill”) Why do they deserve premium government-provided health insurance for themselves and their families while they eliminate pain remediation and lifesaving treatment from millions?
It’s interesting that Sen. Susan Collins, surely not running for office again, voted nay. Poor old Sen. Lisa Murkowski is always worried and pearl clutching, just to cave in to powerful men. Feckless as always.
This bill will result in bigger debt than ever but lots of limitations on opposing the GOP’s agenda.
Today’s Republicans are not only scary — they are consummate liars. No cuts to Medicaid, Sen. Josh Hawley?
- Mary Kay O’Malley, Kansas City
No deal
The clock hit 00:00 on June 30. The crowd’s gone and the lights are off, yet the owners linger on the field, begging for overtime play as if the rules don’t apply in the Land of Oz.
As Kansans, we urge our leaders to reject any extension of the deadline for the Chiefs and Royals to grab an unheard-of 70% STAR-bond subsidy to move here.
At up to $2 billion in public money — possibly the costliest stadium giveaway in U.S. history — this deal would be another shell game. Decades of research show such projects rarely spark net growth. They simply shift dollars while funneling taxpayer cash to billionaire owners.
We’ve seen the ending: Kansas Speedway still owes a third of its STAR-bond debt. Prairiefire just defaulted, and publicly funded stadiums from Las Vegas to Miami keep missing rosy projections. Worse, these 30-year bonds outlive the average stadium, leaving taxpayers stuck when the teams demand the next upgrade.
Extending the deadline hands the owners fresh leverage to squeeze both states. Don’t play the pawn in this border war. The buzzer has sounded. Hold the line, let the offer expire and keep Kansas out of a costly fairy tale.
- Nate Zoschke, Merriam
Unleashed
If the federal courts no longer have the authority to ensure that a president follows the law, who does? (June 30, 5A, “With Supreme Court ruling, another check on Trump’s power fades”)
- Jennifer Martino, North Kansas City
Illegal order
The first sentence of the 14th Amendment states: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.” In 1890, the Chinese Exclusion Act was used to bar U.S.-born Wong Kim Ark, whose parents were Chinese, from reentering the United States. Based on the 14th Amendment, the Supreme Court ruled he was a U.S. citizen and was granted entry.
Donald Trump’s executive order on Jan. 20, 2025, states: “The Fourteenth Amendment has never been interpreted to extend citizenship universally to everyone born within the United States.” Trump is simply wrong. The Supreme Court should have ruled Trump’s order illegal. The Supreme Court failed the American people.
Trump’s effort to ban birthright citizenship will throw into doubt the citizenship of thousands of children across the country. Will Trump then sic Immigration and Customs Enforcement on these babies?
Three court filings must now occur: one to add class allegations against Trump’s order, a second to move for class certification and a third asking a district court in Maryland to issue a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction asking for relief from Trump’s order.
- Angela Schieferecke, Prairie Village
Screened out
Screen time has become an unavoidable part of our daily lives. From work and school to entertainment, screens now control nearly all of our routines. As technology becomes more deeply rooted in our daily lives, the amount of screen time children are exposed to has reached concerning levels. What was once a source of entertainment has turned into a daily habit that, for many kids, consumes hours of their day.
Although screen time can be educational, excessive screen time can reduce physical activity, interfere with sleep and hurt social and emotional development. When children spend hours on a device, they miss critical experiences — like time outdoors, face-to-face interactions and real time exploration of the world — that support their development. Current guidelines recommend limits on recreational screen time, but these guidelines are difficult to enforce when devices are everywhere.
It has become crucial that parents, schools and communities come together to foster healthier habits for children. This could include simple steps such as screen-free zones at home, scheduled device breaks at school and communities offering device-free hobbies for children.
Technology isn’t going anywhere, so let’s use it as a tool to enhance childhood — not replace it.
- Makenna Steger, Kansas City
It’s a drug
I read Vince Sanders’ recent Star guest commentary on kratom with deep concern — and deeper heartbreak. (July 4, 6A, “Kratom fights pain, but Missouri needs to keep consumers, businesses safe”) My son died from a mislabeled, high-potency product misbranded as natural kratom. He bought it legally at a local store. There was no warning.
Sanders calls for regulation but fails to highlight the most urgent issue: the difference between natural kratom leaf and synthetic compounds such as 7-hydroxymitragynine, or “7.” These are not the same. Natural kratom is a plant. Substances such as 7 are semi-synthetic opioids — and they’re being sold in Missouri under misleading labels.
The scientific community and responsible advocates agree: 7 is a deliberately and falsely labeled drug masquerading under the guise of being safe kratom. They also agree that 7 is an unapproved new drug being sold for maladies such as chronic pain and opioid-use disorder.
We need science-based laws that draw a bright line: Allow regulated access to natural leaf kratom, but ban high-potency synthetics being marketed as wellness products.
If lawmakers don’t act, more families will face the tragedy mine has. We’re not dealing with ancient natural herbal teas. These are potent drugs.
- David Bregger, Amherst, New Hampshire