State politics

To the editor:

While I know many of us were disappointed and dismayed by the results of the recent election, I would warn my fellow Kansans that the real danger to our everyday lives is the result of the supermajority in our state government.

Because of the Constitution, there are hurdles to jump for major life-changing events in the federal government, but at the state level lives can be seriously impacted by a simple stroke of the pen.

Taxpayer-funded private school vouchers will do nothing to improve rural school districts except put the burden of funding these on all taxpayers.

Forget about Medicaid expansion, which would provide health care coverage for an estimated 110,450 adults and 45,448 children.

Kansas is one of only 10 states not providing this health care for our most needy.

While many would say it is a moral issue, it’s a financial one as well. Ask any rural hospital administrator. Since 2014, Kansas has lost out on approximately $7 billion in federal funding since 2014 the federal government set aside for exactly this program.

Of course, the legislature will take care of the wealthiest Kansans with generous tax breaks and create a zero-tax policy on corporations regardless how profitable they may be.

All of this puts me in mind of the catastrophe of the Brownback years.

Some might say Kansas is fortunate to have such astute representation in Topeka, for we have a legislative body that is smarter about education than educators and more intelligent about health care than providers.

They stand by as thousands of Kansans flow into Missouri and Colorado to buy marijuana, which is taxed at an enormous rate.

In the first month after Missouri started legal sales, they generated more than $100 million. I wonder how many of these sales were from Kansans.

We don’t even allow medical marijuana while our pharmacies are stocked with all kinds of addictive medications.

I have reached my allotment of words, but please pay attention to local and state politics.

Reginald Matz
Hillsboro