Letters on Estes, mentally ill, Trump health care fix
Estes should hold town hall meeting
During this congressional recess, Rep. Ron Estes, R-Wichita, is still hiding from his constituents. He has not scheduled a town hall meeting, nor does he apparently plan to have a town hall meeting. He also is not revealing his schedule of other public meetings while in Wichita.
Meeting with constituents is part of his job. If he senses that constituents may be unhappy with his performance and he may have to face the consequences of an unpopular vote, then a town hall meeting is extremely important for him to listen, learn and possibly commit. Hiding is not an option if getting re-elected is his goal.
Denise O’Leary-Siemer, Wichita
Need a plan
The case of Rachael Hilyard has become a media obsession for The Eagle. Her bizarre and criminal behavior was largely unnoticed until she murdered and decapitated Micki Davis.
In the old days, such a person would have been imprisoned in state hospitals for the criminally insane with the diagnosis of dementia praecox, which later became known as schizophrenia. A 19th century reform movement, outraged by the locking up of so many institutionalized mental patients, moved them into local communities.
We saw this in what was known as Winfield State Hospital, where our local, often violent mentally ill were impounded. I used to visit patients in this hospital and ones in other states, and I found them to be surprisingly happy and busy with a variety of activities.
The reform movement shipped them out to communities such as Garden City and Liberal, where many of them resided in foster homes and spent their days in large locked-up community centers.
Hilyard felt beset by “evil spirits” and sought an exorcism from a local minister. Clearly we need our governmental leaders to come up with a plan to deal with such dangerous mentally ill individuals that is both humane and effective.
Exorcism is not a plan. Suggestions are welcome.
Richard Gilmartin, Wichita
Trump ‘fixed’ it
President Trump has finally had some success in “fixing” health care. Sort of like I fixed my cat.
Dean Kukral, Wichita
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This story was originally published May 11, 2017 at 5:03 AM with the headline "Letters on Estes, mentally ill, Trump health care fix."