Letters to the editor (Aug. 25, 2020)

Improve testing

Locally and nationally, it appears fewer people are seeking COVID-19 testing despite rising case counts. That should be no surprise given long turnaround times for results. When I got a Sedgwick County COVID test in early July, the turnaround time was an astonishing five to seven business days on top of the two-day wait to get tested in the first place. If people quarantine at home for that period as they should, they will miss up to two weeks of work — a strong deterrent to getting tested at all.

I’m fortunate to have enough paid time off to get through one or two quarantine periods for symptoms or exposures this year. What about people who don’t? Many with mild or no symptoms will roll the dice, assume they are negative, and end up spreading the virus. That is surely occurring in Wichita and across the U.S. right now.

Sedgwick County, we can’t make people choose between two weeks of work and protecting those around them. We need both. The county and the country need to drastically improve test turnaround times so people aren’t deterred from testing.

Dangerous sports?

Why are school sports dangerous? Did they put up a risk assessment chart with only teachers as the recipient of the risk? Since the age of students participating in the sports is at the high school level and learning will be online, why not let parents make that decision?

The Wichita Board of Education didn’t stay in their lane and may have caused life-altering and permanent damage to the psyche of teenagers that will last a lifetime.

Bollier for Senate

This campaign season has been almost as frustrating as the coronavirus pandemic still sweeping across the state and country. Right here in Kansas, we have a drastic choice for U.S. Senate between Roger Marshall and Barbara Bollier. Although Kansas hasn’t elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in decades, the time has come for Kansas to take that step.

Do you remember the vitriolic primary commercials among all the Republican candidates, including Marshall, acting like nasty kids in a schoolyard, making outrageous claims (all intentionally misleading) against their opponents? Compare that to the reasoned, thoughtful message in Bollier’s commercials. Hers spoke to the need to work together to accomplish common goals — very much a Kansan approach.

Now that the primary is over, Marshall is following the Trump tactics of trying to instill fear (beware the illegal aliens and sanctuary cities — how many of these do we have in Kansas?). In sharp contrast, Bollier continues her adult approach and doesn’t insult the intelligence of Kansans by using scare tactics or blatant lies. It would be nice if the Republican party of Lincoln and Eisenhower were still around, but that just isn’t the case anymore.

We need someone in Congress like Barbara Bollier, who will work on both sides of the aisle, who will collaborate respectfully with colleagues to work on the serious issues of health care, the environment and education.

Good officers

I have been fortunate to ride along with two Wichita Police Department officers and one Sedgwick County Sheriff’s deputy. My first ride was with a WPD female officer who had been officer of the year. It was an incredibly positive experience. She was well known in her area, and some neighbors would wave to her as we rode by.

My second ride-along also was with a WPD officer, a very professional individual. We responded to numerous calls including car accidents, domestic violence and narcotics. I was extremely impressed with how the officer was able to defuse situations and get those involved to calm down. The deputy also was a capable individual, who defused a difficult situation within a family group.

I also participated in the Citizens Police Academy, which was a 10-week course involving lectures, displays and overall law enforcement practices. Every officer I met was a professional and dedicated to his or her job. As in every job or profession, there are cops who should never be allowed to wear a uniform or deal with the public as an authority figure. I can only speak from my own personal experience with police officers. Reforms are needed, but be careful what you wish for.