Letters on disability services, inspiring educators, Wichita police, moderates, Trump, Clinton

Why does it take so long to help disabled?

A Wichita family that has waited since 2008 for disability services finally received an offer from the state (March 18 Eagle).

According to the service access and operations director of the Sedgwick County Developmental Disability Organization, the state lacks a clear policy about managing the waiting list. In addition, the waiting list is inefficient and incorrect.

Forget the list. The problem here is policy and/or management. The current management is either inept at its job or the state is currently unwilling or unable to fund the program at the level necessary to clear the waiting list.

My bet is with the state. It is hard to imagine any organization that inept.

The tragedy here is that the disabled in real need of assistance are the ones to suffer. It is unconscionable that an agency would take up to seven years to process a request for aid.

It is a disheartening notion that we are living in a state where the underserving of our most needy has become acceptable.

Thank you, Wichita Eagle, for reporting on this case. I eagerly await a follow-up article: “Why it really takes seven years to help our disabled in Kansas.”

Confident in police

“Police chief’s goals include more officers” (March 13 Eagle Editorial) said that community trust in the police was lacking. I have complete confidence in our police officers and the job they do 24 hours a day to keep us safe.

The city needs more police officers, and perhaps the current standards need to be reviewed so that more applicants could receive consideration to be officers. Today’s officers also have to be social workers and sometimes mind readers.

Back in 1971, after serving six years as an Air Force officer, I applied to be a Wichita police officer but could not qualify because of my eyesight. So I was hired by the city’s budget and management division. I also then served 20 years in the Army Reserves before retiring. Thus, the criteria to be a police officer need to be reviewed, because they might be too stringent.

The editorial said that some of what the police chief wants to do will take more money, which will be a problem in these lean budget times. Shouldn’t all public budgets be as lean as possible? The city has plenty of money for a new downtown library and bicycle lanes. Public safety (police and fire) must always be the No. 1 priority at City Hall, so the city should look at its priorities.

Educators inspire

At about the time I begin to tire from defending and supporting our public schools, I visit a local elementary school – in my case weekly as a guest teacher. There I am quickly reminded how a dedicated cadre of professionals continue to ensure the very welfare of our citizenry by providing tireless quality education to young people.

The school’s administration, classroom teachers, extra-teacher personnel and staff can be viewed carrying out the many responsibilities assigned to them, every task contributing to quality instruction and impossible to measure benefits. Thus, I am sickened when learning about yet another initiative created by our governor and legislators that will weaken this vital enterprise, our public schools.

Then I wonder how long it may have been since our political representatives visited a school and a classroom, or talked with one of the professionals who show up every single day to guarantee our children’s future will be maximized. For too many, a visit on-site may date back to their attendance as a student, which would help explain their naivete about how their decisions tend to create roadblocks to excellence in our schools.

Frequently being in the schools, teaching and interacting with students, talking with school professionals, and recognizing the investment being made in our future leaders by classroom teachers inevitably gives me the energy to counter the tiredness I may feel as an advocate.

Moderates needed

When did “moderate” become a dirty word?

It seems the GOP is bent on eliminating moderates from “its” party. The leading GOP presidential candidate is a fanatic blowhard. The other candidates have spent most of their time claiming that they are more conservative than one another.

By their definition, Ronald Reagan was a “Republican in name only.”

The Democrats have one candidate who may be labeled moderate (though many Kansans label her a screaming liberal). The other candidate is an avowed socialist.

Let’s put words like “moderate” and “compromise” back in the political dictionary. Then maybe more peace can prevail.

Support nominee

I’ve been a registered Republican since 1971. My fellow Republicans need to stop this “stop Trump” talk immediately.

Donald Trump isn’t my first choice for our party’s nomination, but he has every right to run and to expect our party’s support if he’s nominated. All the candidates pledged support for the eventual nominee. If it’s fair to expect candidates to support the eventual nominee, it’s also fair for the candidates to expect that same support from the party faithful.

Remember Ronald Reagan’s 11th commandment, “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.” If we’re going to win this election, we must unite behind whoever wins the nomination.

This is a matter of national survival, not just politics. After eight years of Obamafacation, the United States may not be able to survive another four years of an ultraleft Democrat presidency.

If you feel that Trump isn’t the best candidate, work for one of the other candidates. The best way to stop any candidate is to work for his opponent. If you do a good job supporting your candidate and he does a good job of getting his message across, he’ll win and you won’t have to “stop” anyone.

Why Sanders won

Friends University political science professor Russell Arben Fox asked, “Why did Sanders win so big in Kansas?” (March 10 Opinion). Perhaps one reason Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., had a 2-1 majority win in Kansas was in the same day’s Opinion Line, which noted that Hillary Clinton is being investigated by the FBI and the Justice Department.

I don’t know about you, but if I were renting my home or looking for a day care worker for my children, I’d do a background check. Clinton has flunked the background check, so she shouldn’t even be permitted to fill out the job application to run for president, let alone campaign for it.

We know her bad side, so Kansas Democrats picked Sanders. And he even came to Kansas to campaign. Where was Clinton? Or was she just waiting on her flight to Leavenworth?

Want to believe

What do religion, politics and romantic love have in common? They tend to stir emotions, and are arenas of thought and belief where people don’t want to know the truth. They want their ears tickled with what they want to believe. Logic and rational thought fly out the window.

This story was originally published March 19, 2016 at 7:03 PM with the headline "Letters on disability services, inspiring educators, Wichita police, moderates, Trump, Clinton."