Letters: Wichita readers discuss SB40, immigration reform, popular vote, vaccines
SB 40 is a mistake
Senate Bill 40 is a mistake. It removes the necessary discretion of government to enact emergency orders to protect the public. Sedgwick County is likely to end its mask mandate because of this bill.
People in the county are dying every day due to COVID-19. We need the government to regulate actions when citizens endanger the lives of others; making it more bureaucratically burdensome for counties to efficiently respond to a public health crisis is a grave mistake.
The right of individuals to sue cripples the government’s ability to protect us in crises like this. One of the more conservative commissioners in Sedgwick County described the bill as leaving the county “virtually powerless.” Senate Bill 40 should not become law.
Immigration reform
I read with interest a recent Los Angeles Times article, “Hundreds of migrants cross the Rio Grande nightly: ‘We all came with dreams.’” The article describes the experiences of migrants wanting to be admitted into the United States.
I am not a recent immigrant but can imagine that many in my family or your family may have had similar dreams. Dreams of safety, security of income and food and of joining other family already living in the United States. I was particularly struck by the story of a 12-year-old traveling to the U.S. and wondered, as a grandparent to an 11-year-old, about the impact on the family of this decision.
Our system of immigration has been broken for many years. We need to make it possible for the nearly 11 million documented or under-documented to fully participate in our society. We also need to address the root causes of migration to our county. Many if not all would prefer to stay in their country of origin if only they were able to do so safely. Please contact our U.S. Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall to commit to comprehensive immigration reform, and support H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act.
National popular vote
It’s time to elect the president by a national popular vote, and I think it is a good idea. This is the way we fill other offices. The Electoral College method is a thing of the past. the National Popular Vote Bill will make every vote equal in presidential elections, guarantee the presidency to the candidate with the most votes, and will make it necessary for candidates to campaign in all 50 states. It will ensure that every voter in every state will be politically relevant in every presidential election.
It’s time that every voter’s voice is heard, even us in Kansas.
Get vaccinated
This month, I received a gift that enabled a return to life. Maybe not life exactly as before, but a life once again enriched by family, friendship, and community. That gift was the COVID vaccine.
May we never take it or other vaccines for granted. Most assuredly, my parents’ generation did not. The “veteran” generation lived in fear of polio — the crippling, often deadly, infectious disease of that era. When in the 1950s the research of Jonas Salk finally led to a polio vaccine, the breakthrough was considered miraculous. We trusted medical science and eagerly lined up for our shots.
The record speed of the COVID vaccine development was enabled by the vast accumulated knowledge from medical scientists like Salk. The speed of vaccine delivery is equally momentous and due to the expertise of thousands of public servants.
Closer to home, I celebrate everyone at Sedgwick County for their tireless efforts to keep us safe and their “all hands on deck” leadership to get shots in arms. Witnessing the astonishing efficiency of their mass vaccination site made me so proud to live in Sedgwick County.
When your turn comes, invest in your health and your neighbors’ health. Please get vaccinated.