Gun laws, Gov. Sam Brownback, stroke awareness

Five years ago, after a gap of 20 years, I again toured our nation’s Capitol. I was shocked to see it has become an armed fortress that protects the very senators and congressmen who tell us guns are not dangerous.

I’ve read about new legislation in Georgia that expands how people can buy, carry and use guns. Too many national and state representatives pat themselves on the back for protecting Second Amendment rights and dismiss all notions that guns could be a danger to the public when most people do not live or work in armed fortresses.

Let us note that most state and national lawmakers continue to ban weapons in government buildings with security checkpoints and armed guards.

If U.S. citizens could make it possible for us to do away with the security checkpoints and armed guards in order to enter our government buildings, I believe sensible gun laws would be quickly and miraculously passed, and we, too, would be better protected from gun violence in U.S. cities, towns, schools and military bases.

Thank you, Gov. Sam Brownback, for voluntarily sending your Kansas tax dollars to the Missouri treasury.

As a Missouri resident working in Kansas, I get a credit in Missouri for the taxes paid to Kansas. By reducing Kansas income taxes below Missouri’s it reduced my Missouri credit. The net effect is that I pay roughly the same amount in total state taxes; Missouri just gets a bigger share.

Missouri lawmakers unfortunately made the same mistake. With our two largest cities bordering Kansas and Illinois, the negative effect of a big tax cut to our treasury would likely be greater than the benefit to many individuals.

It must be an election year. Why do I know?

Because the Democrats are talking about raising the minimum wage. Why do they discuss this issue only during election periods?

If it is so important, why don’t we add a cost-of-living adjustment so workers do not have to wait four years for a raise? Employers also would know in advance what their labor costs would be.

Get the politics out of business, and the economy can thrive, which helps everyone

Do you avoid thinking about stroke? Most people do. There is a misconception that strokes affect only the unhealthy or elderly, but I’m living proof that’s not the case.

I suffered my stroke as an athletic, healthy 29-year-old. It changed my life.

Thankfully I survived, but now it’s time to get people thinking and learning about strokes in Kansas City because 80 percent of strokes may be preventable, and when we know better, we do better.

During May, National Stroke Awareness Month, take a minute to learn your stroke risk factors at strokeassociation.org/strokemonth and ask your friends and family to do the same. But if you do nothing else, please learn the warning signs and what to do if you spot a stroke. Remember FAST:

F — face drooping;

A — arm weakness;

S — speech difficulty;

T — time to call 9-1-1.

It’s rather unbelievable that there is any debate at all regarding Kansas City International Airport. The facilities, while convenient if using garage parking, are embarrassing, outdated and disconnected.

Further, and more important, other cities are so far beyond Kansas City in airport infrastructure that it’s not even funny. Take the beautifully renovated terminals at Love Field in Dallas or Denver International Airport, which will soon have an amazing new Westin Hotel and conference center to go with its light-rail connections and mid-continent hub status, an honor that should have gone to Kansas City years ago.

But other cities were ahead in the past and remain ahead in critical infrastructure and visionary planning today.

Kansas City is moving in the right direction on a number of issues and is becoming a booming center for the arts and young professionals.

Let’s keep up the momentum and build a single, sexy new terminal at KCI. The right answer is so obvious in this case.

Are local school districts failing to protect our student-athletes? A short time ago, one of the television networks featured a study of the incidents and results of concussions among teenage soccer players who do not wear helmets.

This past week, my granddaughter suffered a concussion in a high school girls’ soccer game.

It was a season-ending injury for her in a sport that she loves.

Now, how do we get all our school districts to require helmets for our girls and boys?

I find it ironic that Hobby Lobby and other corporations protest the Affordable Health Care Act on religious grounds, especially on birth control and women’s health services.

I guess the company has no qualms getting most of its products from countries such as China and India, which definitely allow abortion and birth control. I guess the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing.

Follow the money.

I recently had to install a device because of a first-time DUI. I was 0.01 over the legal limit when a woman rear-ended me. I was the one who went to jail. I take full responsibility.

After two days with this device, I almost killed myself as well as others fumbling with it as it went off every five to 30 minutes. Not to mention the five minutes it takes to start your vehicle.

It is worse than texting while driving. I sell siding and roofing and have been stuck for 15 minutes in a customer’s front yard, which is eventually going to cost me sales as well as my job.

I have completed the other DUI requirements successfully, including one year of random drug screening, meeting monthly with a probation officer and 60 hours of outpatient counseling. But to be stuck with this for five years is extremely cruel and unusual punishment.

Someone is going to get seriously injured messing with these devices while he should be focusing on driving. I think it is unfair to also risk losing your ability to support a family.

Looking back on the beginning of the gay rights movement in Kansas City, of which I was a part, I remember my first encounters with the family of Fred Phelps. It was sickening, yes; vile, always; and evil, certainly.

I was a member of the Christopher Street Association and its spokesperson. Upon reflection, the Phelpses were the best thing that could have happened to a fledgling group of young activists.

We would send news releases to all media outlets and, if we were lucky, two reporters would attend our events. When we picketed Anita Bryant, of course the major media attended. She was national news.

But for local voices, not so much, until the Phelpses started picketing us. As you would guess, we then had all the media we could handle.

The Phelpses were hideous, but we, the gay community, got the opportunity to state our case without anger and with clarity. The media loved it, and so did I.

It is ironic. But they really were a blessing in disguise.

Thank you, Fred Phelps, and godspeed.

Once again, the Kansas City Royals are losing and blowing the season in May. This happens every year, recent news reports indicate.

Why should we love the Royals and the team’s management when all they can produce is a losing team.

Save your money, stay home and watch the Royals games on TV.

This story was originally published May 9, 2014 at 7:18 PM with the headline "Gun laws, Gov. Sam Brownback, stroke awareness."