Recent Kansas editorials

The Kansas City Star, Sept. 19

Republican Roger Marshall and Democrat Barbara Bollier are two very different candidates, a fact sharply revealed in the state’s first, and perhaps only, Senate debate.

Marshall said Bollier does not represent “Kansas values.” He’s wrong, if “Kansas values” mean a respect for facts, science and bipartisan government.

Bollier accused Marshall of “running over the truth,” which was closer to the mark, at least in some parts of the exchange.

Both candidates are doctors. Bollier wants Kansans to wear masks in the face of the COVID pandemic, while Marshall thinks the country is “doing a great job” with the coronavirus, despite 200,000 deaths in six months and a shattered economy.

Marshall opposes expanding Medicaid. Bollier supports it, in part to help rural hospitals.

Bollier supports abortion rights, while Marshall opposes them. It’s unlikely the debate will change many voters’ minds on that issue.

Bollier said the Senate should wait to consider a new justice for the U.S. Supreme Court until after the presidential election, and potentially next year. “Kansans should make their voices heard,” she said, correctly, during Saturday’s debate.

Marshall rejected precedent, and logic, by endorsing a rushed decision on the issue before Election Day.

Yet the clearest differences were evident in tone and approach: Bollier would at least try to reach bipartisan solutions on important issues, while Marshall’s commitment to hyper-divisive politics remains obvious.

Marshall repeatedly claimed Bollier “chose to leave” the Republican Party because she supports Democrats. In truth, the Republican Party left Bollier, and thousands of moderate politicians and voters, long ago. The GOP now largely embraces President Donald Trump’s vision, which consists of division and anger.

Yet at times, Marshall seemed to argue more with the White House than his opponent. He talked about his support for wind energy, for example (“rural America’s going to benefit from that,” he said.)

The president says windmills cause cancer. The Republican failed to discuss that discrepancy.

Most of Saturday’s debate involved farm policy. Marshall defended his work for Kansas agriculture interests, yet it was Trump’s ruinous trade war with China that demolished export markets and cratered farm incomes.

Marshall’s answer? More bailouts from taxpayers, despite evidence that nearly 40 cents of every dollar a farmer earns now comes from the government. And still, farm bankruptcies continue.

Bollier’s answers were less than we’d like to see on a couple of issues. She said repeatedly that she opposes the Green New Deal, a package of environmental and economic reforms designed to address the reality of global climate change.

Kansans may not like many of the specifics of the Green New Deal. But they know hurricanes, wildfires and monstrous blizzards are increasingly a reality in their lives, and a crisis the government must address. Bollier owes it to Kansas to be more specific in explaining her response to climate change.

The first debate was bitter at times, but it was informative. We hope the two candidates hold more debates before the election to make their differences clear to every Kansan.

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The Lawrence Journal-World, Sept. 20

It was a messy week in Lawrence. Follow this debris trail to assess the evidence for yourself.

Images of raging house parties on the edge of the University of Kansas campus - full of unmasked young adults crammed together in violation of public health orders on large gatherings and social distancing - end up on national television.

The scenes themselves weren’t the only detail sparking outrage. A Lawrence police officer responded to the scene, but did nothing to break it up or issue any citations.

Think about this: For literally generations, Lawrence law enforcement has been breaking up college house parties. But during the middle of a pandemic - when these house parties are creating legitimate health risks, rather than just noise and aesthetic problems - we suddenly forget how to break one up.

But the trail does not end there. When the Journal-World asked why law enforcement didn’t take action at that Saturday night party, a police department spokesman gave a vague answer about the department being “limited by law” in its ability to enforce public health orders. He pointed to the district attorney’s office as a better place to take complaints. The DA’s office pointed back to local enforcement.

Meanwhile, the public just wants to know whether it is supposed to take any of this seriously anymore. If members of the public see a house party clearly violating public health orders, what are they supposed to do break up the potential super-spreader event? After not receiving an answer to that question on its first day of coverage, the Journal-World undertakes a second day of coverage. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office responds that people should call Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health if they suspect a health order is being violated. So, when people see an irresponsible Saturday night party, they should call the health department that is only open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday? What?

By Thursday, the Lawrence City Commission had gotten involved. At a special meeting, it approved a new ordinance that makes it clear the Lawrence Police Department can enforce public health orders. That was welcome action. Commissioners Stuart Boley, Lisa Larsen and Courtney Shipley were steadfast in making that happen. Thank you.

It would be tempting to say “all’s well that ends well.” After all, this page has urged grace and compassion for those making tough decisions related to this pandemic. That is still true, but grace does not come with a moratorium on improvement. This past week shows the community can improve in at least two areas:

• Planning. City and county leaders clearly were counting on voluntary compliance from university students. It is fine to have that as a nice hope, but it has been clear for awhile now that such an expectation is unrealistic. We have students here from all over. Many of them come from counties where the belief is that the only self-respecting people who wear masks are bank robbers. These house parties shouldn’t have caught us by surprise.

• Accountability. The public deserves a clear explanation on why the Lawrence Police Department thought it was “limited by law” in its ability to enforce public health orders. Presumably, the sheriff’s office believed the same. It seems that belief was misguided. The ordinance the City Commission passed already was on the state law books. The local ordinance may relieve the police department of some paperwork, but local law enforcement’s hands were never tied in this matter. The law allowed them to do more. But even more concerning is that when the Journal-World asked LPD, point-blank, what it meant by being “limited by law” in its ability to enforce health orders, the department refused to provide any details. Who thinks that is acceptable in this environment of mistrust of law enforcement? LPD, under former city manager Tom Markus, made some improvements in accountability. This was a step backward. The community can’t afford more of them. A police department that doesn’t embrace transparency will result in unrest in Lawrence.

So, yes, it was a messy week in Lawrence. But local government isn’t the only one that has had one of those during the pandemic. Businesses have, schools have, individuals have, and unfortunately such weeks probably aren’t done.

But this bad week doesn’t have to be a defining week. We have good government in Lawrence and Douglas County, and there are good people in it. Take heart in that because good people willing to do tough things will defeat this pandemic.

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The Topeka Capital-Journal, Sept. 19

How is Kansas doing in its battle against the novel coronavirus?

There are many ways to think about this question, but for the sake of simplicity and easy comparison with other states, let’s look at statistics collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This information tracks with that reported by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, as of Friday morning.

The CDC reports 50,870 total cases in Kansas since the beginning of the pandemic, which translates to 1,747 cases per 100,000 residents of the state. By the latter metric, we’re better off than 29 states and territories, but worse off than 30 (including Missouri, Wisconsin, Indiana and Minnesota).

The CDC also reports 586 deaths for our state, which can be seen as 20 deaths per 100,000 residents. That suggests we’re better off than 42 states and territories, but worse off than 17.

Like most information connected with the pandemic, this set of numbers can be looked at in two ways. On one hand, we have avoided massive outbreaks and have seen a relatively low number of fatal outcomes. On the other, we could have seen fewer cases overall if we had enacted a truly statewide, coordinated response.

Gov. Laura Kelly and KDHE Secretary Lee Norman had just such a strategy until Republican lawmakers sensed an opportunity to make public health a political issue.

By kneecapping the governor’s emergency powers and by quibbling with Norman, legislative leaders effectively banned Kansas from tackling COVID-19 as one state and with one approach. Predictably, cases across the state have surged since then, although deaths have advanced at a far more modest pace.

And at every point that Kelly has urged a whole-state approach, such as the reopening of schools, she has been met with a barrage of barely disguised misogyny and contempt from those who prioritize commerce over health and safety.

Because this is the other takeaway from the numbers mentioned above.

Things could get worse in Kansas. Much, much worse.

There is no magical protection for those of us living in the Sunflower state. Kelly’s initial actions bent the curve, but the pandemic is far from over. As winter approaches, we could see sickness and mortality the likes of which we can barely imagine.

Ask the 42 states and territories with higher death rates per 100,000. Ask the 29 states and territories with more cases per 100,000.

This isn’t over. Indeed, for Kansas, it may have barely begun.