Topeka — At least three protest rallies will be held this week at the Statehouse related to controversial issues before the Legislature, which returns to session Wednesday.
Advocates for Kansans with developmental disabilities will rally at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, demanding that Gov. Sam Brownback exclude long-term care services for those with developmental disabilities from his proposal to privatize Medicaid. Organizers said they expect more than 1,000 people at the “Don’t Gamble with Our Lives!” rally.
Brownback has asserted that the change will improve services and lower costs, but those delivering those services dispute that.
“The Administration continues to tout the financial savings they foresee but fails to articulate how those savings will be achieved without reducing services,” said Tom Laing, executive director of InterHab, a statewide association of developmental disability service providers.
Individuals through Facebook are organizing a protest at 11:30 a.m. Thursday against legislation called the Kansas Preservation of Religious Freedom Act.
Several groups have said the proposal would allow Kansans to cite religious beliefs to discriminate against gays, and trump a Lawrence ordinance that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation. The proposal has been approved by the House and is now before the Senate.
On Saturday, there will be a “We Are Women” march as part of a national protest in what organizers are calling a “war on women.” The march will start at 11 a.m. at the Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Site and end up at the Capitol. Sponsors for this event include the Kansas chapter of the National Organization for Women, Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and Western Missouri, The Group, Kansans United in Voice & Spirit, Great Plains Chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church & State, MoveOn.org, League of Women Voters of Kansas, Mainstream Coalition and Occupy Wichita.
Comments
Cant_have_it_both_ways 1 year, 10 months ago
Anyone else notice that the majority of these groups are non-profit, many of which are funded by the taxpayer.
They should all be de funded for wasting tax dollars, made to re orgainize and re apply.
DillonBarnes 1 year, 10 months ago
BS, how many of these are really funded by the taxpayers?
Even the one or two that do get some taxpayer funding, does that mean they are subservient to the government because of it?
BigDog 1 year, 10 months ago
well Interhab and its disability provider members make up much of Advocates for Kansans with developmental disabilities. Those organizations all receive state and federal Medicaid funding ... and in some cases mill levy funding so .... I would say that most of them are taxpayer funded
Cant_have_it_both_ways 1 year, 10 months ago
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Cant_have_it_both_ways 1 year, 10 months ago
Agreed, will most likely look like a homeless parade.
Flap Doodle 1 year, 10 months ago
"Organizers said they expect more than 1,000 people..." Let us know how many actually show up.
Fossick 1 year, 10 months ago
Then halve that number.
BigDog 1 year, 10 months ago
The Governor's office has already agreed to postpone moving those services into KanCare for a year. Now what is the protest all about again
BigDog 1 year, 10 months ago
really??? want to bet on that?
Armstrong 1 year, 10 months ago
observant needs Obama's healthcare to cure the trolling ocd in those awesome posts
bad_dog 1 year, 10 months ago
Wow! So you just can't avoid reading something with Rothschild's byline because it isn't in a section that a) doesn't exist, or b) you wouldn't turn to if it did? Talk about a masochist.
Perhaps we can persuade the LJW to move Rothschild as you suggest in return for placing all your comments in either the Classifieds section, which I don't read, or within the Search function where nothing can ever be located...
pace 1 year, 10 months ago
Brownback cuts to services and destruction of infrastructure will kill people. All to serve Koch. His plans deserve protests. Most Kansans don't want his false economies. His plan to put KNI kids, so disabled that they do require institutional care, to send them to community placements, will drain the community services of the ability to serve those they can help. He see's his "get a job" as a righteous remark to one boy I know who is blind, deaf and crippled.
He is cutting the staff to people handling the child predators and rapists. Once the facility can't handle their population, does he propose to put them to work at youth shelters. Brownback deserves a lot of protest. He is a kocholite. He doesn't smell good. He is covered with dirty oil.
kansanjayhawk 1 year, 10 months ago
oh--now because of a policy difference that you have with the governor you are going to accuse him lf killing people? Get real many of these services should not even be provided by the government but by Churches and private charities this large nanny state that we have created is going to cry boo hoo as it is deflated. Just because a person does not favor some big government bureacracy to solve a problem does not mean that they are not sensitive to the issue, involved in the issue, and certainly not if favor of killing people!
pace 1 year, 10 months ago
I presented specific reasons for my statements. You say a church should take the responsibility of the children, elderly, injured, needing institutional housing and care. I disagree. I am not against private charities and churches doing good, but inconsistent funding and changing service is not practical or humane. The Church and private groups doing such work now do so with inclusion of federal and state money. I have donated to charity and church programs but you sure are laying a lot on the congregations. I am sure if churches wanted to take over all the social needs of the community, without federal or state funds their efforts would be herculean and well intended but you, would you donate? Or do you plan to leave that to the churchgoers?. Would the patients have to convert?
kansanjayhawk 1 year, 10 months ago
Well I reject you premise because Brownback is trying his best to implement policies that do make it better for Kansans. He wants to reduce the size of State government and put many of these decisions back into the private sector. An expansive private sector can lift all boats as the economy of our State begins to grow.
oldbaldguy 1 year, 10 months ago
My son is at the statehouse today, He is one of those folks you are all talking about. There are some services the State can best do, one is providing services for the disabled. I am able to take care of my son. There are lot of families who cannot. My son would die if no one watched out for him.
The argument that the private sector can provide this service is pure dreck. Without Federal or State funding it would not happen. The yearning to go back to another time is fantasy.
pace 1 year, 10 months ago
1+
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