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Leader of new group, another Democrat to leave Kansas House - KCTV Kansas City

No longer a Democrat

I just read a letter to the editor about switching from Republican to Democrat. My husband and myself have a similar, yet very different story to tell.

We are both 64 and registered as Democrats when we were 18. After 42 years, when we turned 60, we went to the courthouse, but we changed our party from Democrat to Republican. I will add that my 84-year-old mother, who was also a Democrat all of her life, switched her affiliation to Republican four years ago.

Why did we switch after 42 and 59 years respectively? It is simple--the Democratic Party has gone too far left. We do not believe in abortion, open borders or the government controlling every aspect of our lives.

As for President Biden versus Senator Scott, President Biden is a career politician who knows just what to say and when to say it. Senator Scott is honest, intelligent and not afraid to say what he believes. And I do believe a Black man knows a little more about racism in America than a white man.

As for racism--yes, there is plenty of racism out there. There has been prejudice since the beginning of time, and it would be nave to believe that there will be a time when there is no prejudice. We may not like to admit it, but every one of us is prejudiced about something. I am Hispanic and can relate many instances of prejudice to myself and to my fellow Hispanics over my lifetime, and I grew up in New Mexico, which has a high Hispanic population. Yet I don't believe there is systemic racism now. The United States has come a long ways in that department--for the better. I have lived long enough to remember how things were when I was young and how they are now. I can remember my parents' generation talking about how things were when they were growing up and how things are now. I can say that we Americans are basically good people, despite our shortcomings.

I am happy with the Republican Party. I do not regret my decision to switch one iota.

YVONNE COWART

Springdale

The danger is too high

It really should be obvious by now just why no Republican will ever run against Trump. Like the nose on our faces, the reason is right in front of us and we refuse to even talk about it. Let's say that you are a pretty well-established Republican office holder with a good reputation for leadership. You know how to govern and you know how to run a campaign; it would be like fishing in a barrel. All the ammunition you need to defeat Trump for the nomination has been given to you by Trump himself. So why not run in 2024 yourself?

The answer to that question is just as obvious. Trump supporters will still vote for him no matter who you are, but you know it would split the party even more than it is now. You would lose, and lose big. Sure, you might gain the nomination, but Trump supporters will throw you under the bus on Election Day. That is why no Republican will dare run against him. Now, go blow your nose.

PHIL MARIAGE

Hot Springs

Should charge ahead

The Arkansas Department of Transportation should begin now to design, build, and install electric charging systems across Arkansas. These should be run by depositing a token--call it a "Charge Coin"--sold at vending machines located at every possible site in Arkansas. Charge coins could be given to electric/hybrid owners upon registering their cars--this would eliminate the very legitimate complaint that these car owners pay a flat fee regardless of miles driven.

A "gray" market would then quickly follow: Charge coins could and should be freely exchanged for cash or kind. Charging stations would not accept cash, so vandalism would be limited. Charging stations and Charge Coin vending machines would be needed at every rest stop and ArDOT location, as well as at truck stops and gas stations (sold and maintained by private entrepreneurs).

Arkansas should begin such a program now; Arkansas and the Arkansas Legislature need the positive press! So, will that be gas or charge?

CLIFF HARRISON

Hot Springs Village

Cycle of child abuse

In yet another unconstitutional move by the Arkansas Legislature, the abortion ban bill makes no allowances for women and girls impregnated due to rape and incest, further traumatizing them. The pro-life stance regards the sanctity of life but ignores the sanctity of life for women and girls forced to carry a pregnancy to term. I propose that every woman and girl being forced to carry a pregnancy to term should be able to have all their pregnancy costs paid by the state of Arkansas. Upon birth the child would become a ward of the state of Arkansas.

To insist that women and girls raise a child they never wanted is child abuse. It makes no sense to put that newborn in peril. Additionally, if a girl gets pregnant due to incest, it likely will happen to the child born out of incest as well. The state of Arkansas is enabling a cycle of child abuse by its abortion ban under the guise of sanctity of life. Put those Christian principles forth by providing for these unwanted children.

RITA RITCHIE

North Little Rock

Compassionate help

I volunteer a few hours a week at a homeless day resource center, Jericho Way. Due to covid-19, access to the computer lab and telephones is restricted, so I am allowed to bring in one person at a time to use the telephones. Many of the clients there either misplaced (or had stolen from them) their ID cards, Social Security cards, bank cards, birth certificates, etc. Our clients are sometimes angry, have difficulty communicating, have speech impediments, and are not sure what questions to ask. The people at the Little Rock Social Security office are respectful, kind, patient, and extremely helpful with our clients.

I would like to thank all of the staff at the Little Rock Social Security office and commend them on their compassionate service.

KAREN BAXTER-RHOADES

North Little Rock

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OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: No longer a Democrat | The danger is too high | Should charge ahead - Arkansas Online

Help is here no thanks to a single Republican in Congress

Thanks to President Biden and Democrats, $350 billion in aid is now on its way to states and cities across the country to help fund critical projects, cover pandemic-related costs, and close the gap from lost revenue due to the pandemic. As people across the country read about this critical relief, they wont soon forget that it passed no thanks to a single Republican in Congress.

Heres a look at what voters in states across the country are reading and seeing about the American Rescue Plan:

In Arkansas:Arkansas Democrat-Gazette:Virus aid of $2.6B allotted for stateIn California:Los Angeles Times:California, Los Angeles get billions in federal relief money for pandemic costsIn Colorado:The Denver Post:Billions in federal dollars start pouring into Colorado. Heres how much your city will getIn Florida:Tampa Bay Times:How Bidens American Rescue Plan helps out Floridas citiesIn Georgia:Fox28:Georgia set to receive over $8 billion in coronavirus relief fundsIn Iowa:KITV:Iowa schools benefit from the American Rescue PlanIn Kentucky:14News:Ky. to receive over $2.1B from American Rescue Plan ActIn Louisiana:KATC:American Rescue Plan Money in Louisiana: Heres the breakdownIn Maine:Press Herald:South Portland to get additional $8 million in federal pandemic aidIn Michigan:Detroit Free Press:Nearly $11B in COVID-19 relief funds available for Michigan: What cities, counties may getIn Minnesota:Star Tribune:Billions in state and local aid soon begin path to MinnesotaIn Mississippi:WLBT:Seven Mississippi cities set to split $101M in COVID-19 relief funding, White House saysIn Nebraska:Associated Press:Nebraska to get $1 billion in federal aid from rescue planIn Nevada:8News Now:Titus, Lee applaud $2.7 billion allocation to Nevada COVID-19 reliefIn New Hampshire:New Hampshire Business Review:New Hampshire restaurants see relief as Restaurant Revitalization Fund ramps upIn New York:Press-Republican:Truly Helps: No. Co. leaders happy to have COVID aid on wayIn Ohio:Chronicle-Telegram:Lorain, Elyria, Lorain County to receive more than $111 million from American Rescue PlanIn Oklahoma:The Oklahoman:Stimulus money released for state, local and tribal governmentsIn Oregon:WATU:Oregon, Washington to receive billions in coronavirus aid from American Rescue Plan ActIn Pennsylvania:Pittsburgh Business Times:Heres how much 10-county Pittsburgh region is getting from $350B American Rescue PlanIn Texas:Dallas Morning News:Texas gets $15.8B bonanza in pandemic aid, far more than it lost in revenueIn Virginia:Richmond Times-Dispatch:Editorial: Purposeful American Rescue Plan investments can generate long-term growth for VirginiaHenrico Times:Henrico to receive $64.2M in American Rescue Plan fundsIn West Virginia:WFXR:Mountain State gets more than $1.1M to help homeless West VirginiansIn Wisconsin:CBS58:Critical funding announced for Wisconsins older adults through the American Rescue Plan

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What They're Reading: Thanks to President Biden and Democrats, American Rescue Plan Sends Billions to State and Local Governments - Democrats.org

Four business owners in Columbus, Indiana, the hometown of Vice President Mike Pence, share their thoughts on Pence's legacy in the White House. Indianapolis Star

It was a grave, grave disappointment to hear former Vice-President Mike Pence's recent speech in South Carolina.

Pence praised Trump and his presidencybut refused to disavow or even mention the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan 6. That assault was carried out in Trump's name with the express purpose of overturning the result of the 2020 presidential election. Pence was also a main target of that assault because he refused to overturn the certification of the vote on that day.

Even though Pence had echoed Trump's big election lie from November until early January, he knew that Biden's win by more than 7 million votes had been legally verified several times.

And on Jan. 6, Pence courageously upheld the Constitution.

He and his family had to hide during the assault, while protesters yelled "Hang Mike Pence."

But now, for the sake of retaining the support of Trump's base, Pence has turned his back on the truth. In spite of being targeted on Jan. 6, Pence is willing to sweep an act of sedition under the rug. This is truly shocking. Democracy depends upon the truth.

And there is no greater threat to democracy in America than the

conspiracy theory known as The Big Lie. Pence knows that, and yet he is more than willing to brush The Big Lie and Jan. 6 aside in favor of his ambitions.

Zoe Sitzmann

Zionsville

Excellent articleon the umpire shortage.

When I was 16 (1966), I worked at a car dealership in the parts department. One of the mechanics was in his 60s and knew all about auto engines going back to the Model T. When a younger mechanic asked him how to fix an issue with an engine, he asked the younger mechanic if he wanted a remedy or if he wanted a cure. A remedy is a Band-Aid, while a cure fixes the problem permanently.

Using this analogy, I think a cure is needed, not a remedy.

The IHSAA and also the governing bodies of local non-IHSAA sports need to implement the following:

Once the fans in the stands hear this enough times, it will sink in. Once an unruly fan gets ejected, the taunting will stop.

Now it's up to the sports writers at IndyStar to do their part, which is start beating the drum with the IHSAA to implement the above. You know who the folks who make the decisions are, so the ball is in your court.

Once the IHSAA agrees to implementing this set of rules, the media statewide needs to publish articles before each sport season about these road rules.

This will also send the message to the umpires/referees that they are appreciated, and more will join the ranks.

Jan Bednarz

Indianapolis

Kidney Disease is a public health crisis that affects more than 37 million adults in the U.S. and results in greater risk of severe COVID-19 complications.

As a PhD candidate at Notre Dame studying kidney disease, reading the April 12 article on Gov. Eric Holcombs 2021 legislative agenda made me think about how much we spend treating kidney disease versus how little we spend to prevent it. Medicare spends $130 billion, 24% of the budget, on kidney disease patients. Kidney disease affects 11% of adults in the U.S., yet kidney-related research represents less than 0.2% of research at the National Institutes of Health. As NIH funding rose 37% (2015-2020), kidney research funding increased only 19%.

The CDCs Chronic Kidney Disease Initiative is similarly underfunded at $2.5 million. Investment in cancer research increased tenfold, which contributed to a 400% decline in cancer deaths. However, death and disability of kidney patients increased by 65%.

It is imperative that senators Young and Braun prioritize the 37 million Americans with kidney disease and treat these disparities as the public health crisis it is.

Investing in research and early detection at NIH and CDC will relieve the financial burden kidney disease places on Medicareand, more importantly, save lives.

Hannah Wesselman

Granger

The International Affairs Budget makes up 1% of the U.S. federal budget but impacts all aspects of life in America. These funds are imperative for helping the world's poor, and as global citizens, we must back initiatives that save millions of lives domestically and abroad.

As poverty and malnutrition rates drop, emerging markets are created for U.S. companies to reach and trade. Today, 45% of all U.S. exports now go to developing countries. U.S. job creation and national security are all linked to the plight of the world's poor.

Work remains, especially as 131 million people globally are at risk of starvation due to the impacts of COVID-19. Now more than ever, it is vital to prioritize international funding and provide relief to the world's most vulnerable communities.

Representatives shouldtake action to further global poverty reduction efforts and protect vulnerable members of populations other than our own. When we take care of each other, we all benefit.

Mary Molander

Indianapolis

Over a year ago, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and schools in our state had to instantly pivot from in-person to virtual learning. Thousands of children across Indiana were in danger of losing access to the nutrition they rely on from school meals. But Hoosier school nutrition staff immediately stepped up, working day and night to figure out new systems of getting meals to students through grab-n-go pick-ups, meal drop-offs and more.

Because of the crisis, even more families in our community are facing financial strain. In 2021, an alarming 1 in 6 kids could face hunger because of the pandemic. Yet throughout, school nutrition staff have been there, working tirelessly through the summer, through weekends, through holidays, to make sure kids in our state get the nutrition they need.

On School Lunch Hero Day and every day, thank you to all the school nutrition staff across Indiana. You help guarantee kids are healthy and ready to learn, and provide a constant in these challenging times. Your love and dedication for what you do and those you serve are noteworthy and extraordinary. Our gratitude cannot be overstated!

Help No Kid Hungry Indiana celebrate Hoosier Hunger Heroes by sharing the stories that impact your family and community on social media using #ThankAHungerHero and on Facebook (@NoKidHungryIndiana).

Tarrah Westercamp

Greenwood

I was very disappointed to read all the elected officials' Republican responses to President Biden's address to Congress Thursday night. Their published partisan remarks only serve to push the parties farther and farther apart.Being interviewed was their chance to take the high road and prove they are determined to govern the United States of America, not to further partisanship or their own careers.

The only way we will get beyond the Republican-Democrat stalemate in this country is for members of one party to begin publishing their points of agreement with the opposite party. And those of the other party to do likewise.That would be a mark of statesmanship in the leaders.Such statesmanship seems to be lacking. Our Indiana senators and representatives seemed to find no points of agreement with Biden's plans.Such pettiness and partisanship!Americans are weary of this! Democracy is being challenged and tested. We need real leaders who are willing to put the democracy first.

Are there not two elected officials who will take the same platform and declare to the world their willingness to work together?Who will proclaim that democracy is worth saving and thus requires tolerance and compromise?Where are the leaders who will call everyone who wants to live in this democracy to join them?

Let us see the beginning of bipartisanship in our leaders for the sake of the common good of all Americans!

Mary Heins

Indianapolis

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Letters: Pence turns his back on the truth to retain the support of Trump's base - IndyStar

COLUMBIA, S.C. As Mike Pence discussed his tenure as vice president with about 500 religious Republicans, some listeners couldn't help but wonder if they were seeing a preview of coming attractions.

I said to my husband, Did you think this was a trial run for a campaign speech? said Beth Atwater, an attorney from Lexington, South Carolina, who attended Pence's speech before the Palmetto Family Council last week.

Republicans across the country are pondering Pence's chances of becoming president thanks in part to the man who remains at the heart of GOP politics and made Pence vice president: Donald Trump.

Trump and some allies criticize Pence for refusing Trump's demands that he help overturn his election loss of Joe Biden. The insurrection by pro-Trump rioters Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol put Pence's life in danger.

Republicans who want the party to move on from Trump see the former vice president as part of the problem a loyalist who too often enabled the president.

Pence hasn't said he's running for president, but he raised eyebrows with his reemergence in public in South Carolina, home of a key GOP primary in 2024. He has a lineup of events in the coming months that looks like an attempt to appeal to Trump voters without alienating their leader.

Building a base for a presidential run is always challenging, Republicans said, but Pence's predicament is unique.

"I just don't see the path," said Denver Riggleman, a former GOP congressman from Virginia and an outspoken critic of Trump.

Making the moves

Pence is one of several Republicans making the kind of moves one does when exploring a presidential run.

The former vice president has created a political committee, Advancing American Freedom, to promote and defend the policies of the Trump-Pence administration. It has run web ads featuring Pence on issues such as border security.

Young America's Foundation, a conservative group, announced that Pence will give the keynote address at its National Conservative Student Conference in August in Houston. Pence plans to campaign for Republican candidates in the 2022 congressional races.

The former vice president is writing an autobiography scheduled to be published in 2023, a year before the presidential election.

In deciding where to make his first first speech since leaving office, Pence picked South Carolina home of the first-in-the-South primary that has been pivotal in Republican nomination battles.

Friday, Pence will attend an early cattle call of eight potential Republican candidates not named Trump. Texas Republicans organized a private meeting of donors to hear from Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and U.S. Sens. Tom Cotton, Marco Rubio, Tim Scott and Rick Scott.

Sarah Longwell, a GOP strategist who ran a group called Republican Voters Against Trump in 2020, said Pence's challenges in a 2024 race are many.

"No. 1, Trump is going to attack him as insufficiently loyal," she said, and Trump voters who believe the election was stolen will blame Pence.

Republicans who want to shed Trump see Pence as complicit in the administration's actions, including the drawn-out protests of the election.

Longwell said, "People who love Trump don't like him, and people who hate Trump don't like him."

'A Christian, a Conservative, a Republican in that order'

During his half-hour speech in a downtown Columbia ballroom last week, Pence said that serving alongside Trump was "the greatest honor of my life," though he didn't mention the ex-president's name that much. He spoke more about the administration's record and criticized the Biden administration over immigration, spending, taxes, abortion and religious freedom.

In his opening, Pence recited a standard self-description: "I'm a Christian, a conservative and a Republican in that order."

Though vice presidents often find it hard to emerge from the shadow of the presidents they served, the job has become a stepping stone toward the Oval Office. Richard Nixon, George H.W. Bush and Joe Biden were elected to the presidency as former vice presidents. Hubert Humphrey (1968), Walter Mondale (1984) and Al Gore (2000) won the Democratic nominations but fell short in the general elections.

None of those former veeps faced the kind of obstacle within their own party that Pence has in Trump.

Pence has to answer one question first: Will he run if Trump does? The former president said he is considering another race in 2024 but won't make an announcement until after the 2022 congressional races.

Normally, a former vice president would be in "the top spot" for the next election, but "in a Trump GOP, it is more complicated," said Mike DuHaime, former political director for the Republican National Committee.

Despite Pence's "fealty over the four years," DuHaime said, "Trump may have forever damaged his reputation with Trump supporters by calling him out during the election lie and the Capitol riot on Jan. 6."

Pence, who frequently talks about his religious faith, does have support from at least one important Republican constituency: evangelical voters such as the ones who saw him speak at the Palmetto Family Council.

Tim Miller, a former Republican political strategist who saw Pence in Columbia, said he has "a base of support with evangelicals, which is better than most have, but can he expand out of that?"

Members of Trump's "Make America Great Again" caucus may remain suspicious.

"Hard to imagine the MAGA voters are ever going to love him," Miller said.

'He did the right thing ... And it's going to cost him'

One of Pence's biggest hurdles to a potential run isn't just his association with Trump but Trump's own criticisms of him.

At a Republican donor conference last month at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said he was still "disappointed" that Pence did not move to block the counting of electoral votes from states that went for Biden.

In a statement this week attacking Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., Trump said the election result would have been different "had Mike Pence referred the information on six states (only need two) back to State Legislatures."

Trump denounced his vice president at a rally Jan. 6 that preceded the insurrection at the Capitol, where some Trump supporters roamed the halls looking for Pence and calling him a traitor.

Riggleman, the former congressman from Virginia, said he has seen Trump-Pence yard signs in his district with the vice president's name painted over or otherwise vandalized.

He said he likes Pence and believes the vice president acted honorably in refusing to interfere Jan. 6 when Congress met to confirm Biden's victory. "He did the right thing for the country that day," Riggleman said. "And it's going to cost him."

One thing potentially working in Pence's favor: Few people are paying attention to the Republican presidential race.

Jenny Beth Martin, honorary chairman of Tea Party Patriots Action, said reporters and political activists are interested in the early jockeying, but most Americans are worried about things such as schools opening once the COVID-19 pandemic is under control.

When the time for attention comes, she said, "the grassroots would want to know first and foremost whether Trump is going to want to run."

'A long time away'

At the Columbia Convention Center, South Carolina Republicans said they believe compatriots in their state and elsewhere places such as Iowa and New Hampshire will judge Pence on his merits. They are intrigued by how Pence might navigate the issue of Trump.

Kelly Ross, who works for a nonprofit company in Greenville, said Pence's base of voters is different from Trump's, and the election "is a long time away" in any event.

Others said the Pence-Trump dispute over Jan. 6 will mean little to Republicans in 2024.

"I think people forget things and get over them and move on to what's best for the country," said Cathy Wells, a housewife from Lexington.

In short, many said, they'll wait and see.

"It's kind of hard to tell," said Atwater, the attorney from Lexington. "You know, politics changes so quickly."

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Mike Pence looks at the 2024 presidential race but sees Donald Trump everywhere - South Bend Tribune