Platte County children deserve better mental health. Voters have a chance to help on November 5

For children

The first time I saw the little boy, recently discovered in his mother’s attic and weighing less than 20 pounds at the age of seven, he was terrified – of everything. After years of counseling, he walked up to our principal for a high five and asked her, “What’s wrong, Turkey Butt?” Maybe we’ve taken that little boy back a little too far, but that’s exactly what we do at Synergy Services and exactly why we need a children’s fund in Platte County.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 10- to 24-year-olds in Missouri. The 2022 Missouri Student Survey found that nearly 9% of participating Platte County students seriously considered suicide. About 60% of young people suffer from severe depression not receiving mental health care. Those who cannot find help are at greatest risk of dying by suicide. Platte County has a shortage of providers, with a mental health patient-to-provider ratio of 840-1.

The Platte County Children’s Services Fund would help close this gap and connect children and teens to mental health services. Existing funds in Jackson and Clay counties have saved lives. We should do the same in Platte County.

-Corky McCaffrey, Community Engagement Coordinator, Synergy Services, Parkville

Say no to 3

I was disappointed, but not surprised, by it The Star of Missouri’s endorsement of Amendment 3(Oct. 16, 8A, “The Star’s Endorsement of Missouri Amendment 3”), especially considering the justification for the given endorsement: “Women are equal to men. … The right to personal autonomy is inalienable: It cannot be taken away by legislation or government choice.”

This logic ignores the rights of the most important individual: the unborn baby. Liberals have convinced the public that a newborn baby is nothing more than a non-viable mass in a woman’s body. This is how they can turn it into a women’s rights issue – by ignoring the child.

But the baby is a living organism, with a beating heart, capable of feeling pain, that burps, laughs and kicks. A newborn baby has as much right to life as the mother who carries him.

The legislature has recognized that right to be born. In many states, people can be convicted of murder if they harm a woman so much that the newborn baby dies. How does that differ from an abortion for reasons of convenience?

I strongly urge you not to vote on Amendment 3. Instead, let us recognize the rights of a healthy, unborn baby to a full and meaningful life.

-Joe DeShon, Oak forest

Sample set

Grandpa, who are you voting for?

Young man, I vote for those who look at a crowd and see a messy, chaotic family, not a hostile “us versus them.” I vote for leaders who demonstrate that they care about and for the people they serve, and not for those who seek only personal gain. I vote for those who serve a shared pie and are willing to cut off enough slices to feed everyone at the table, and for those who put some away to make a better world for your children.

I vote for those whose data demonstrates reliability, whose actions put others first, whose plans include all of us and future generations. I vote for those who are loyal to the laws of the land and our common values. I vote for the patriot who repeatedly risked his life for all of us, not the coward who fled the inferno he helped fuel in our hallowed halls. I vote for your sister’s fundamental and sacred right to choose what is best for her health and well-being, free from government interference or hypocrisy from those who would impose their values ​​on others.

I hope that one day you will also vote this way.

-Tony D. Cook, Fayette, MO

One choice

Donald Trump has repeatedly said he would be a dictator on the first day of another term. He has repeatedly said he would use the US military against political enemies. He said government employees must swear allegiance to him or be fired.

He avoided military service with “scars on his bones.” And then Trump repeatedly belittles our dead and wounded veterans as “suckers.”

Other countries laugh at us. They are amazed and shocked that the US could elect someone so clownish yet threatening. Europe has already seen such a regime. Like Adolf Hitler, Trump calls other races “pests” and says they poison our blood. And Trump promises to place foreigners in internment camps. His own chief of staff, John F. Kelly, says Trump meets the definition of “fascist.” (October 24, 6A, “Former Chief of Staff Has Warnings About Trump”)

Do we want what happened in Germany in America?

His rambling, incoherent speeches sound like mental illness. Experts doubt his mental capabilities.

I know some people disagree with Kamala Harris’ policies, but policies can be repealed. Congress can block them. Trump has no intention of letting Congress stop him. He wants to be a dictator. Turning America into a fascist regime is a much more difficult evil to undo.

If you are a true patriot who loves this country and the Constitution, whether liberal or conservative, then you should vote for Kamala Harris.

-Suzanne B. Conaway, Kansas City

America first

With Election Day just around the corner, stop worrying and vote while you still can, because it could be the last time you do so. Missourians, vote yes on Amendment 3. Ignore the Republicans telling you to vote no.

If we let Donald Trump win, our country will become what it rebelled against in 1776, and our American experiment will have ended in failure. The Founding Fathers warned about this and worked hard to prevent it. Trump would erase our constitutional rights, at least those in the First Amendment, meaning we would have no rights.

So please stand up for your country. Put country before party and vote for Kamala Harris because she is the right choice. Our country, and perhaps our lives, depends on you and your vote.

– Niall E. Stallings, Kansas City

Thanks, Joe

The price of gasoline has fallen significantly. Let’s all thank President Joe Biden for lowering it. After all, we blame him when prices rise.

-Henry F. Rompage, Lenexa

More choices

Both major parties oppose ranked choice voting, which would be the case banned in Missouri if Amendment 7 passesbecause this simple system allows you to vote for a candidate without the risk of becoming a spoiler. You simply rank your first choice, second choice and so on.

Suppose Anne, Edward and Mary are on the run. You prefer Mary, who has little chance. So mention Mary first, mention Edward second, and don’t mention Anne (whom you want to lose).

If someone receives a majority of first-choice votes, he or she is elected. Anne wins in the first round if she receives more votes than Mary and Edward combined. Mary wasn’t a spoiler because if Mary’s votes had all gone to Edward, Anne would still have won.

If no one wins the first round, the last-place candidate’s votes are redistributed among his voters’ second choices. If Mary comes third in the first round, your vote will switch to Edward for the second round. It’s as if the first round never existed. You must vote for Mary and still choose Edward over Anne.

Ranking candidates is simple – no different than: “I’d like chocolate ice cream, but if they don’t have it, I’ll have vanilla.”

Extremist candidates hate ranked choice because it can benefit the voter’s second choice.

-Claude Thau, Overland Park