Readers link Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, urge Medicaid expansion, urge Topeka to fix streets

People need to end tantrums and get vaccinated

People, people, people! Why do you react like your “rights” are being taken away if you are required to get COVID shots?

There are all kinds of rules and laws that we all must obey or suffer the consequences that you could whine about.

Did you have these kinds of tantrums over polio shots? Perhaps your parents had brains and they took you to get them.

What about protecting society when you get the shots? Getting the vaccine is way better than dying on a ventilator!

Diane Loebel, Topeka

Voters need to think about ramifications of Donald Trump

Rasputin? Trumputin?

If you vote for Republicans, you are voting for Putin. Absurd? Consider this: Donald Trump uses words to threaten and destroy those who disagree with him. Vladimir Putin either locks up dissidents or kills them. Trump can’t do what Putin does because he lacks absolute authority.

At least he currently lacks that authority. However, with exception of a few outliers, elected Republicans already refuse to show disagreement with the former president. They exhibit the same kind of fear as their Russian counterparts.

If Trump does get elected in 2024 and if the Republicans are successful in their attempts to rig elections in many states, Trump could very well gain absolute power. He won’t just shout “lock them up,” he could literally really “lock them up.”

Meanwhile, as most countries around the world decry the actions of Putin against Ukraine, his American spokesperson (Trump) sings his praises and demeans NATO and President Biden.

Both Putin and Trump seem to have taken their lessons from the late Adolph Hitler. Words are what they say they are. Lies are truth. Shades of “1984”? Is this what Americans really want?

Think about it, & please, don’t vote Republican.

Terry Larson, Topeka

Kansans support Medicaid expansion

The Alliance for a Healthy Kansas released a poll that shows almost eight in 10 Kansas voters (78%) support the state expanding KanCare.

One reason Kansas voters support KanCare expansion is to protect people from medical debt. More than four in 10 Kansas voters (41%) say they currently have medical debt or have family members who have medical debt.

The American Medical Association released a study last July showing Medicaid expansion appears to cut medical debt. The study explored the 30 states that expanded Medicaid in 2014. Since then, new medical debt in those states has fallen 44%, a dramatically bigger drop than was seen in the states that didn’t expand the program over the same period.

Recently, Congress passed and implemented the No Surprises Act with bi-partisan support to provide some assistance for unexpected medical bills. We know that our communities are strongest when people receive the care they need without facing unexpected financial burden. The No Surprises Act is a starting point but we need to continue working on solutions like expanding KanCare to make health care coverage more affordable for all.

We can’t let unanticipated health care bills compromise people’s ability to pay for other household priorities, like healthy food and safe housing. In addition to creating hard choices for Kansas families, these bills threaten individual economic security in all Kansas communities.

Health Forward Foundation fully supports Gov. Kelly’s plan to expand KanCare so people living on lower incomes live healthier and more economically secure lives. We encourage lawmakers from both parties to support this policy to ensure that seeking medical attention doesn’t lead to financial ruin.

McClain Bryant Macklin, director of Policy and Strategic Initiatives for the Health Forward Foundation

Legislators are embarrassing their fellow Kansans

They say the third time's the charm. Not when it has to do with three state representatives getting arrested for drunken driving within a year. The latest one to be arrested was Suzi Carlson on Feb. 7. She previously served as municipal judge and represents District 64 west of Manhattan.

Last March, Gene Suellentrop was arrested after leading police on a chase going 90 mph while driving the wrong way on I-70. He served two days in jail.

I'd say Aaron Coleman tops the list. He was arrested in November for speeding, failing to yield and driving under the influence in Douglas County. He also was accused of hitting and spitting on his brother during an altercation and threatening his grandfather in October, along with a record of assaulting and threatening an ex-girlfriend. There's also the incident of trespassing at The Kansas Department of Labor in Topeka speaking to security in a loud and demanding tone.

Then we have Mark Samsel and although his arrest was not a DUI, it's still pretty severe. Samsel, of Wellsville, was accused of assaulting two students, kicking one in the groin and grabbing a female by her shoulders while ranting about God, suicide and the devil. He wrote "the outrageous stuff was not me." Samsel voluntarily surrendered his teaching license.

Finally, there's Kris Kobach. I would have to do a whole letter on him alone though to list what an embarrassment he has been to Kansas, such as blocking 35,000 eligible voters from participating in elections.

Isn't it great being a Kansan? As Dorothy would put it, "There's no place like home."

Marijo Mastroianni, Topeka

Quit bashing Trump, third-best president in last 40 years

Isn't it about time for the liberal, leftist letter writers on this page to get on with their lives? I'm talking about the ongoing Trump and Republican Party bashers. They know who they are. One letter writer seems to be obsessed with touting a multitude of statistical information in all his letters to the editor.

Here's a stat for him and the other bashers. A Pew Research Poll — well respected in the polling industry — taken last September 2021 rated Trump as the third best president in 40 years. Only Obama and Reagan rated higher than Trump. Guess who rated last in that same poll? Joe Biden and George H.W. Bush tied for last place.

A lot has happened in the U.S. since last September, economically and otherwise. Has Biden done anything since then to increase his own rating? I think not. Ask yourself this question. Are you better off now compared to two, three or four years ago? The answers to that question will be revealed in November 2022, during the midterm elections.

Jim Clements, Topeka

Topeka City Council not doing enough to fix streets

It is too bad that Brent Trout, former city manager, left Topeka. He gave us hope that city government could do some real positive things about our city streets.

Topeka’s streets seem to take a back seat to other priorities year after year, until Brent Trout came along. If I recall correctly, there have been at least two special

Bond proposals for street improvements that were voted on and approved by the citizens in the last six or eight years. We have seen little improvement considering how much time has passed and how much money has been spent.

The Shawnee County Commission seems to get things done, roads, bridges and parks look very well taken care of. It would be nice if we could dump the Topeka City Council, and let the Shawnee County Commission run the whole show.

Bill Loebel, Topeka

Republicans missing big picture with Putin and Trump

There's something I believe Republicans have gotten wrong in their view of Vlad Putin's war in Ukraine.

In their explanation of things while rebutting President Biden's State of the Union address, they have reasoned the president's weakness has emboldened Putin to invade Ukraine — when nothing could be further from the truth.

Putin has invaded Ukraine because now Trump isn't around as President getting Putin what Putin wants — a weakened NATO and an undermining of a legitimate democracy in Ukraine. Putin has thus arrived at, out of desperation, this military action to solve the problem of having a freely elected democratic government sitting alongside Russia at his own border.

Make no mistake, Biden has strengthened NATO and confidence in its member nations. This frightens Putin. Our united response against Putin through NATO and many other nations and entities confronts Putin as he's never been challenged before.

Ol' Vlad's not used to this and it's got him running off the rails.

Trump was feal with Putin and most of the planet recognizes this. Trump wanted to be an American autocrat, similar to Putin, and when he couldn't get that in 2020, he's done nothing but try to subvert our democracy here in the United States ever since.

The only thing bold about Donald Trump as president was his ability to continually tell bold-faced lies to the American public.

David Hewitt, Topeka

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Readers on Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Medicaid expansion, streets