US 24 CRASH SENDS TWO TO HOSPITAL
FIKE MAKING STRONG ‘CASE’ FOR STATE TITLE
LOCAL, PAGE A3
SPORTS, PAGE B1
TODAY
FRI
SAT
86º/67º 90º/69º 89º/67º Complete forecast, A2
M-291 bridge over river reopens LOCAL, PAGE A3
SERVING EASTERN JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI Thursday, July 30, 2015
www.examiner.net
Volume 111, Number 46/ 2 sections, 12 pages $1
MEDICARE/MEDICAID TURNS 50 TODAY
Independence, Truman played big part LBJ traveled to city to sign bill into law in front of former president By Brent Schondelmeyer Special to The Examiner
ABF TO CELEBRATE ANNIVERSARY PETS, PAGE A2
NATION/WORLD Holmes chooses not to testify CENTENNIAL, Colo. — Colorado theater shooter James Holmes has chosen not to testify in the latest phase of his sentencing hearing. Holmes gave clear, direct answers when Judge Carlos A. Samour Jr. asked about the decision Wednesday. Prosecutors would have had the opportunity to cross-examine Holmes had he chosen to testify. Holmes was convicted earlier this month of 165 counts of murder, attempted murder and weapons charges for the July 2012 attack that killed 12 people and injured 70 others at a packed movie theater.
Medicare and Medicaid turn 50 today, and the birth certificate was signed here in Independence. The reason was simple. President Lyndon Johnson secured easy passage of the landmark health insurance program for the elderly, but genuinely felt the real credit belonged to former President Harry Truman. “I’m going to make Harry Truman’s dream come true,” said Johnson, according to his presidential aide Jack Valenti.
“Old folks are not going to be barred from a doctor’s office or a hospital because they don’t have any money for medical attention.” Johnson continued: “They are never again going to have to be sick and hurt and cry alone. It’s a god-damned crime and we’re never going to have that happen again in this country. When this bill is passed, I’m going to Independence, and I’m going to sign it in Harry Truman’s presence.” It was Truman, six months into his presidency, who addressed Congress and spoke about the poor medical
health of prospective soldiers in the just-completed World War. By the war’s end, 5 million males between ages 18 and 37 were deemed unfit for military service mostly related to poor health. Truman proposed a fivepoint plan to address the nation’s health needs – increase the number and distribution of physicians and hospitals, develop stronger public health services, expand medical research, cover the loss of income due to illness, and get more people health SEE TRUMAN, A6
President Lyndon Johnson, left, signed the Medicare and Medicaid bill 50 years ago today at the Truman Library. He said Harry Truman, seen seated here, deserved much credit for laying the groundwork for Medicare. Also standing are, left, first lady Lady Bird Johnson and former first lady Bess Truman. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HARRY S. TRUMAN LIBRARY AND MUSEUM.
CHARITY
INDEPENDENCE CHURCHES
MAJOR MILESTONES
By Mike Genet mike.genet@examiner.net
— The Associated Press
LOCAL Apply for deer hunt by Friday If you would like to participate in a managed youth shotgun deer hunt at Burr Oak Woods in Blue Springs, you have through Friday to apply. The 2015 hunt is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 31 and Sunday, Nov. 1 at Burr Oak Woods. There is a required orientation that must be attended by selected candidates on Friday, Oct. 30. Applications for hunters ages 11-15 and hunter-education certified will be taken through Friday. To apply, visit http://mdc7.mdc.mo.gov/ applications/managedhunts/showhunts.aspx.
– Staff reports
DEATHS ■ Conner, Leslie Earle ■ Sickles, Norman Harold
– A5 Advice .............B7 Classifieds .. B3-5 Comics ............B7
Nation ............A6 Sports ..........B1-2 Your News ......A2
Royals’ grant boosts backpack program
The Rev. Bernard Branson, pastor of St. Ann’s Catholic Church in northwest Independence, recently presided for the parish’s 100-year anniversary Mass. MIKE GENET | THE EXAMINER
Catholic parishes celebrate 100th, 50th anniversaries By Mike Genet mike.genet@examiner.net
A pair of Roman Catholic parishes in Independence have reached major milestones – 50 years for St. Mark the Evangelist Church on Lee’s Summit Road and 100 years for St. Ann’s Church on East Lexington Avenue in the city’s northwest sector. St. Mark’s is celebrating a half-century this Sunday, while St. Ann’s celebrated its centennial this past Sunday, on the feast day of Sts. Ann and Joachim (the parents of Jesus’ mother Mary). According to the parish, St. Ann’s Catholic Church’s
first baptism took place July 25, 1915, though the first church building wasn’t dedicated until March 1916, as Masses were held in the original Moss Hall (since burned down). The current church building was dedicated in 1952. Rev. Bernard Branson, the pastor at St. Ann’s for 10 years, said the parish has had celebrations for that feast day in the past, though not as big as this past Sunday. After a special 3 p.m. Mass, complete with a Knights of Columbus honor guard and three con-celebrant priests from the parish’s past, people The Rev. Jim Taranto, pastor at St. Mark’s Catholic SEE CHURCHES, A5
Women choose St. Mary’s Medical Center
This award proves it.
Church on Lee’s Summit Road in Independence, will preside of the parish’s 50-year anniversary Mass this Sunday.
The Kansas City Royals’ playoff run to Game 7 of the World Series last year is paying dividends even 10 months later for thousands of children about to go back to school. Community Services League recently became one of four organizations that received extra donations from Royals Charities, and the $50,000 grant will help CSL fill four times as many backpacks of supplies as it normally distributes for children in need in Eastern Jackson County. The Royals have helped fund CSL for years from its 50/50 raffle proceeds, which spiked during the postseason, including $30,000 for Game 6 of the World Series, said Doug Cowan, president and CEO of Community Services League. “They raised so much money during the playoffs, they put out a special request for proposals specifically geared for kids,” he said. “They were asking for something real big. “We talked to them about the annual backpack program, and with their help, we’d be able to expand to 10,000 in the metro area. From more than 50 applicants, there are four organizations that got checks.” SEE CSL GRANT, A5
St. Mary’s Medical Center has earned the 2015 Women’s Choice Award as one of America’s Best Hospitals for Orthopedics and one of America’s Best Breast Centers..
201 NW R.D. Mize Road • Blue Springs, MO 64014 • StMaryskc.com
A6
Thursday, July 30, 2015
NATION&WORLD UNITED NATIONS
MISSING TEEN FISHERMEN
Russia vetoes Security Council proposal on MH17 tribunal
Coast Guard official: Search for teens is ‘active and open’
TEQUESTA, Fla. — Crews pushed the limits of an ever-expanding search zone Wednesday for two teens missing at sea and potentially nearing the boundaries of human survival. The Coast Guard’s relentless hunt for the 14-year-old ďŹ shermen, Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos, persisted for a sixth day as questions grew over how long it could go. Decision-makers were juggling a mix of “art and science,â€? Chief Petty Officer Ryan Doss said, trying to balance the knowledge of how long people can survive adrift with the unknowns on whether the boys had otation devices and drinking water and what their physical condition is. Still, authorities insisted their search would continue throughout the day. “There’s been a lot of rumors that the search has been suspended. I just want to refute that,â€? Capt. Mark Fedor said,
speaking on the street where both boys live. “The search has not been suspended. It is still active and open.� Earlier Wednesday, a U.S. official in Washington had said the Coast Guard was suspending the search. Fedor was part of a Coast Guard contingent that met with the boys’ families for an hour Wednesday afternoon. Afterward, he declined to elaborate on the search or to answer reporters’ questions, but even a day earlier he acknowledged that with each passing hour, the prospects were direr. The saga of the two boys from Tequesta, Florida, began Friday. Their parents believed their fishing outing would take them to a local river and waterway, as was the rule in previous solo trips, not the deep waters of the Atlantic. A line of summer storms moved through the area that afternoon, and when the teens didn’t return on time, the Coast Guard was alerted and began their day-and-night search.
a conversation with Johnson, how his own aides had opposed their boss on the health insurance issue. He ďŹ nally told them: “We’re going to do it, boys, we’re going to do it. We may not make it now, but someday will we will.â€? Truman led Johnson to his private office to discuss domestic issues and also Vietnam – an escalating conict. The U.S. troop presence had grown from 23,300 in 1964 to 184,300 by the end of 1965. The growing war ultimately fueled a serious political debate about whether the country could afford both “guns and butter.â€? Medicare and the related Medicaid, providing health insurance to low-income families, proved to be policy successes. The war was a disaster and ultimately derailed Johnson’s presidency. But those events lay ahead. After their visit, Truman accompanied the motorcade back to the airport. The departing Johnson was headed to his Texas ranch for the weekend. The idea, not forgotten, was realized – health insurance for seniors. Medicare became the law of land. *** Truman had also championed the construction of new hospitals. Ironically, the same day Johnson signed the Medicare bill, the Kansas City Star carried a front page story about the construction of a new hospital complex with federal support. Federal funds would allow the acquisition of land and the demolition of 197 structures for construction of Children’s Mercy Hospital, a new dental college and expansion of General Hospital – a project that later was renamed Truman Medical Center. Truman’s hopes were being realized. When Truman made his health insurance proposal in 1945, the average life expectancy was 65.9 years. When Medicare was passed in 1965, it had inched up 70.2 years. In short, Medicare would provide health care for the few years between eligibility and actuarial mortality. Johnson would return six months later to the Truman Library to announce establishment of the Harry S. Truman Center for the Advancement of Peace at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Toward the end of his remarks, Johnson brought up “one more bit of business.â€? The president had something for the Trumans and handed Harry Medicare card No. 1 and gave Bess card No. 2. “But we wanted you to know, and we wanted the entire world to know that we haven’t forgotten who is the real daddy of Medicare,â€? said Johnson reminding those present of Truman’s paternal role in the new health policy, which went into effect that July. This being government, Truman had to sign a Medicare application form, which
Johnson officially witnessed. The historic Medicare cards, rarely seen, went to the Truman Library following the death of Bess Truman in 1982. *** Other presidents, wanting to expand health insurance, would return to Independence, arguing they were only trying to complete what Truman had begun. Bill Clinton kicked off his campaign for national health insurance with a speech in front of the Truman Courthouse on the Independence Square on July 30, 1994 – the same day 29 years after Johnson signed the Medicare law. By that time, the holders of the ďŹ rst two Medicare cards were gone. Clinton, in a forceful speech, said opponents were using the same tiresome arguments mounted against Truman. “And what did they say?â€? Clinton asked rhetorically. “Harry Truman’s a radical liberal. He’s for socialized medicine. He’s for big government. He’s going to take this country down.â€? The Arkansas Democrat, another big Truman fan, continued: “Well, the truth is Harry Truman had Independence, Missouri, values. He had this old-fashioned notion that we value work and family and faith. And people who work hard and play by the rules ought to help one another when they need it, ought to join together to help themselves and to help their children have a better life.â€? Clinton’s health efforts proved largely unsuccessful, but a later president took up the issues, resulting in passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 – the hallmark domestic initiative of President Barack Obama. Federal involvement in health care remains a controversial subject as evidenced by the ongoing opposition to the 906-page ACA. Health care in Truman’s time was 4 percent of the gross domestic product; today it tops 17 percent. The world we lived in changed that day in 1965. Seniors got health insurance, and Medicare became a highly popular domestic program. Something Truman planted has grown. The current Medicare system has more than 55.3 million enrollees. Life expectancy in 2015 is 79.2 years. Seniors live longer, healthier lives taking comfort in knowing they have health insurance coverage – something Truman that July day said they deserved. “These people are our prideful responsibility and they are entitled, among other beneďŹ ts, to the best medical protection available,â€? he said. Happy birthday, Medicare. Brent Schondelmeyer lives in Independence. In three more years, he will be eligible for Medicare.
By Matt Sedensky and Tamara Lush The Associated Press
By Cara Anna The Associated Press
UNITED NATIONS — Russia on Wednesday vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution that would set up an international criminal court to prosecute those responsible for shooting down a Malaysia Airlines plane over Ukraine a year ago. The foreign ministers of the Netherlands, Australia and Ukraine attended a meeting over the downing that killed all 298 people on board Flight MH17. The countries are among the ďŹ ve nations investigating the incident, along with Malaysia and Belgium. Ukraine and the West suspect the plane, traveling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was hit by a surface-to-air missile ďŹ red by Russian soldiers or Russiabacked separatist rebels on July 17, 2014. Russia denies
U.N. Security Council members vote on a draft resolution in the Security Council that would have created a tribunal to prosecute those found responsible for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine, Wednesday at U.N. headquarters. Russia vetoed the resolution. BEBETO MATTHEWS/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
that, and state media have alleged the plane was shot down by a Ukrainian missile or warplane. “Russia has callously disregarded the public outcry in the grieving nations,� U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power said, adding
that the United States was among the 18 countries that lost citizens in the disaster. Three countries abstained from the vote: China, Angola and Venezuela, whose ambassador said victims’ suffering shouldn’t
TRUMAN From Page A1
insurance. On health insurance, Truman specifically recommended expanding Social Security – initially adopted during the Great Depression – to provide the “broadest possible coverage� for all wage earners. Individuals would choose their insurance, and participation by physicians would be voluntary. Truman committed deeply to the idea again when he gave his first State of the Union address in January 1946. The proposal faced stiff opposition from organized medicine and went nowhere, but congressional leaders continued to hope. *** Twenty years later, Johnson remembered Truman’s efforts. Johnson was fond of the former president. Both had been in Congress at the same time – Johnson in the House and Truman in the Senate. Johnson was elected to the Senate in 1948 in a highly contested race, in the same year in which Truman, confounding pollsters’ predictions, won a full term. Both men were unexpectedly chosen vice president – consensus compromises by party leaders – and assumed the high office upon the death of the president under whom they served: Franklin D. Roosevelt died in April 1945 and John F. Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963. Another plus for Truman, in LBJ’s book: He publicly expressed his disapproval of the young Kennedy during the 1960 presidential campaign, disliking in particular Kennedy’s father and his isolationist
Former President Harry Truman holds up several pens at a bill-signing ceremony for Medicare on July 30, 1965, at the Truman Library. President Lyndon Johnson, left, wanted to come to Independence so Truman would get credit for endorsing the idea that became Medicare a generation later. Standing behind, from left, are first lady Lady Bird Johnson, Vice President Hubert Humphrey and former first lady Bess Truman. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HARRY S. TRUMAN LIBRARY AND MUSEUM.
politics. As president, Johnson hoped to burnish Truman’s languishing reputation by recognizing his bold call 20 years earlier for a national health insurance program. Johnson had a plan. In a June 1965 phone call, Johnson told his aide Valenti to arrange a personal visit to Truman in Independence and provided three solid reasons: “I want to see him. I love him and I haven’t seen him in a good while, and I wanted to pay some attention to him and get some advice from him.� “Number two, I want to concentrate the attention of the world on Truman because he had so much to do with saving the United Nations.� “Three, I just personally would like to get some advice from him, and I thought I would do that.� That summer, the Medicare legislation was moving
7R $GYHUWLVH <RXU 0RYLH 7KHDWUH FDOO
THURSDAY MOVIE LISTINGS
ZZZ SKDUDRKFLQHPD FRP
ANT-MAN 3D (PG-13) 4:35PM ANT-MAN 2D (PG-13) 11:45AM, 2:10PM, 7:00PM MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE-ROGUE NATION (PG13) 7:30PM PIXELS 3D (PG-13) 2:20PM, 7:25PM PIXELS 2D (PG-13) 11:55AM, 4:50PM TRAINWRECK (R) 12:00PM, 2:30PM, 5:00PM VACATION (R) 12:10PM, 2:15PM, 5:10PM, 7:15PM
Forest View Wellness Bistro offers a ‘menu of opportunities’ to adults 55+ in Independence and surrounding community! • Free Initial Consult with Wellness Coach • Innovative classes emphasizing on Brain Health • Wellness workshops, ďŹ tness equipment, group trips • Water Fitness classes For more information or to schedule a tour, call (816) 254-3500 ext 362 or 415
1RXULVKLQJ 2SSRUWXQLWLHV IRU &RQWLQXHG 9LWDOLW\ 1600 W. White Oak Independence, MO
through Congress. The political metaphor of gridlock was years to come. The Democratically controlled Congress – many of them swept into office in Johnson’s 1964 landslide – passed Medicare and Medicaid by a large margin, with final approval coming on a 70-24 Senate vote on July 28. The bill included insurance for those 65 years or older (Medicare) but provided limited insurance for the poor (Medicaid). Johnson, certain of Medicare’s passage, had called Truman the prior day to check in on his “old friend.â€? After small talk about playing poker with Truman, who insisted he always lost, Johnson quickly got to the real reason he was calling the 81-year-old former president. Johnson: “Do you feel like my coming out to see you anytime soon?â€? Truman: “Any time you say.â€? Johnson: “I’ll give you a day’s notice, and I thought maybe I’d just y out there sometime in the next week or 10 days and ... Truman: “Well, whenever you come, I’ll be available.â€? Three days later Johnson boarded Air Force One in Washington, D.C., and headed to the downtown Kansas City airport. Vice President Hubert Humphrey arrived in a separate plane, and a third carried a large contingent of congressional leaders and the press. The airborne entourage was descending upon Independence to see Johnson sign the Medicare bill in the presence of Truman. Temperatures were in the mid-80s. Johnson arrived at the Truman Library in a bubbletopped car and emerged wearing a blue suit, his “tanned face breaking into a warm smile.â€? Even with short notice, about 3,000 folks gathered in front of the Truman Library on July 30 to witness the historic event. Among them was an 11-year-old boy (myself) taken there by his mother. Details from the day
be used politically. Wednesday’s vote followed a last-minute effort to lobby Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has said setting up a tribunal would not make sense while the investigation continued. – forgotten to a youthful memory – are recounted at length in the local newspapers – The Kansas City Times (morning), The Kansas City Star (afternoon) and The Examiner (then an afternoon newspaper). The coverage was exhaustive if not exuberant. The Examiner July 30 headline read “Independence Again ‘Capital’ – President Johnson Here to Sign Medicare Billâ€?, suggesting that “for two hours the city was once again the most important place in the United States ‌â€? The ceremony was held the presidential library auditorium. In a dramatic touch, the Medicare bill would be signed on the same table Truman used to sign many bills, including one that ultimately came to be known as the Truman Doctrine, which in 1947 provided foreign assistance to Greece and Turkey to thwart Soviet threats. Ironically, the Medicare bill that Johnson traveled to Independence to sign inadvertently was left on the presidential plane at the downtown airport and hurriedly had to be driven out to Independence for the event. Truman opened the ceremony with short comments: “You have done me a great honor in coming here today, and you have made me a very, very happy man. This is an important hour for the nation, for those of our citizens who have completed their tour of duty and have moved to the sidelines. ... These people are our prideful responsibility, and they are entitled, among other benefits, to the best medical protection available.â€? Johnson followed with an evocative tribute: “The people of the United States love and voted for Harry Truman, not because he gave them hell – but because he gave them hope.â€? As he intended, Johnson lavished attention on the former president – a one-time Grandview farmer – for “planting the seeds of compassion and duty which have today owered into care for the sick, and serenity for the fearful.â€? Johnson recounted the legislative efforts to pass Medicare, but reverted to again connecting with Truman because “it all started really with the man from Independence.â€? The Medicare bill – a signature piece of domestic policy – was 135 pages long. Signing pens were passed out as a crowd of political leaders looked on, including the two presidents’ wives – Bess Truman and Lady Bird Johnson – while reporters rushed to ďŹ le stories. The lower library oor was equipped with typewriters, Teletypes and Western Union operators to help ďŹ le the story. Transmitting dishes for television appeared on the library roof. Truman recounted, in