Letters on what’s ‘morally reprehensible,’ welfare benefits, Benghazi hearing, e-cigarettes, Social Security benefits, climate change

What is really ‘reprehensible’

Gov. Sam Brownback’s office recently said in a newsletter that Medicaid expansion was “morally reprehensible.” It seems extending medical care to those who are financially unable to pay, and by extension improving reimbursement to hospitals in our state, would be morally appropriate.

Morally reprehensible activities include underfunding public education, putting the future of our state at risk. Onerous voter registration requirements are not only reprehensible but undermine the democratic process.

Finally, trying to change our judicial system to bend to the whims of our legislative and executive branches of state government is, if not morally reprehensible, dangerous to the citizens of Kansas.

No welfare

I behaved irresponsibly and got pregnant at the age of 17. I’d not been taught to think welfare was an option, so instead of going on welfare, I went to work.

Our president is wrong when he says that anyone who has a decent life had some special break. My first job was for minimum wage at McDonald’s, and I had to show up at 5:30 a.m. in order to even get that position.

Juggling babysitters and finding transportation was tough in the beginning. I worked hard and watched for every opportunity to earn more. I got a job in a department store, then learned on my own how to run a 10-key calculator, which landed me an office job, still for minimum wage.

I always wanted four kids. I figured out really quickly that it cost more than I could earn to provide a good life to more than one or two, so I didn’t continue to have kids I couldn’t adequately provide for. Sixty-hour workweeks are not out of the norm for me, and I feel no inclination to provide Women, Infants and Children program benefits to legal citizens, much less people who came here illegally.

I also have little respect for people who loudly clamor for others to pay for things for them. I don’t want to hear from any protester or advocate about how I should pay more for someone who chose to breed indiscriminately with evidently little or no planning, regard or concern for the lives of the children they were bearing.

Welfare should be in the hands of churches and nonprofit organizations, administered at the local level. This forced, unsustainable flow of “charitable” tax dollars, which amounts to nothing more or less than outright theft, was not intended to be, and never should have been, the role of government.

WIC saves lives

Regarding Sedgwick County’s involvement in the Women, Infants and Children program: I’m disappointed in the lack of knowledge and/or lack of concern on the part of the three Sedgwick County commissioners whose primary concern seems to be that WIC may provide benefits to people who are not citizens.

The WIC concept dates from 1966. Legislation establishing the WIC program was co-sponsored in the early 1970s by former Kansas GOP Sen. Robert Dole along with former Democratic Sen. George McGovern. Extremely low-income women with infants or young children are served by our county health department, which determines their eligibility. These services save lives and keep numerous children from becoming ill. Babies born to women who are noncitizens can get sick and/or die just like any child who may be malnourished. If we care about babies before they are born, then we most certainly should care about them as they begin their lives.

As a former WIC store operator, I have seen firsthand the good the WIC program does. In short, WIC is a lifesaver as well as a money saver.

Partisan hearing

I watched all 11 hours of the Hillary Clinton hearing on Benghazi, and the Republicans sounded like a bunch of arrogant fools. It was very partisan.

Wasting time

As a taxpayer, I want my money back. The Benghazi committee and Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Wichita, are despicable. They are wasting time instead of discovering solutions and implementing recommendations to keep Americans abroad safe. President Reagan did this with a committee after the Beirut bombing.

Republicans have lost most, if not all, of their credibility to govern. Every day it becomes more and more obvious that the Republicans have no idea how to best be leaders. Enough.

Safer ways to quit

As a family physician, I am concerned about people using unregulated products, such as electronic cigarettes, for tobacco cessation. A major issue I have with this is the renormalizing of smoking in the eyes of young people.

These products tend to look a lot like traditional cigarettes. When people claim they are less harmful than smoking, it sends a signal to young people that it is OK to experiment. This phenomenon is creating a brand-new generation of nicotine addicts.

A lot of people have tried to quit smoking by using vaping devices. Some have been able to quit cigarettes as a result, but continue to rely on the electronic cigarette indefinitely and do not actually solve their nicotine addiction. Many of the typical ingredients in e-cigarettes are harmful. Many people who have tried to quit with e-cigarettes continue smoking and using the e-cigarette interchangeably. Many people use electronic cigarettes for a short time, only to return to smoking traditional cigarettes.

Though I appreciate Sedgwick County Commissioner Jim Howell’s concern for people who smoke, there are federally approved treatments and recommended therapies that are safer and for which most employee health packages provide insurance coverage.

Increase benefits

There will be no increase in Social Security benefits next year (Oct. 12 Eagle). It will bring some senior citizens closer to starvation.

As an AARP volunteer who helps seniors with their income tax returns, I have seen many people whose Social Security is their only source of income. In some cases, the income from Social Security is small. I have wondered how these people manage to live.

Will the president and Congress reconsider the decision to deny the raise on Social Security to all seniors? If nothing else, the administration could specify a maximum Social Security benefit for getting a raise. In this way, at least the poorer seniors would have the benefit.

Climate warnings

Who’s a tree hugger now?

Just after Pope Francis’ visit, food companies published a letter warning U.S. and global leaders that climate change is bad for farmers and for agriculture. These companies included General Mills, Mars, Nestle and Kellogg. Greg Page, executive director of food giant Cargill, spoke Oct. 12 at Kansas State University of climate change putting the supply chain at risk, advising to tackle climate change head-on.

Bank of America said climate change will cost the economy trillions if we ignore it. JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citi, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs signed a letter asking world leaders to adopt strong policies that address climate change and stimulate growth. Recently, another 81 CEOs came together with President Obama on these same issues.

Luckily, Citizens’ Climate Lobby’s George Shultz, a secretary of state under President Reagan, helped author a revenue-neutral “carbon fee and dividend” plan. It puts a price on carbon emissions then refunds it equally to citizens, offsetting rising energy bills. The fee binds fuel prices to pollution costs. Demand will move from taxpayer-subsidized fossil fuel to technologies without fuel – wind, solar, batteries, gains in efficiency.

Carbon fee and dividend would put money in the hands of working Kansans, reward efficiency, clean the air and bring jobs to every Kansas congressional district.

This story was originally published October 23, 2015 at 7:04 PM with the headline "Letters on what’s ‘morally reprehensible,’ welfare benefits, Benghazi hearing, e-cigarettes, Social Security benefits, climate change."