KMBZ Radio Editorial Drug wars: Going into COMBAT The war on drugs will not be easily won. No number of interdictions, interception or interventions seemingly can curtail American's appetite for illegal drugs. The trends are troubling. The annual federal household survey on drug abuse reported that 10.9 percent of all U.S. teenagers admitted using illicit drugs- twice the rate four years earlier. The report triggered a round of the "blame game" during the just concluded presidential campaign. The political campaign is over, but this social war continues. The war on drugs will not be won in the halls of Congress or by closing our borders. It will be won in our communities. Demand creates supply. This is why COMBAT in Jackson County is an outstanding example of what a community can do to truly combat drug use and abuse. COMBAT, the Community Backed Anti-Drug Tax, arguably is the best community-based effort to deal with illicit drugs and drug-related crime anywhere in the United States. Voters last year reapproved the quarter-cent sales tax. That vote reflected
public confidence that COMBAT's comprehensive approach works. The $16 million the tax raises combines drug-related law enforcement efforts with prevention and treatment. In a war we seem to be losing, learning what works is important. That is why the recently announced $500,0000 outside evaluation of COMBAT is timely. We need to know what works. What we learn can improve our own community efforts and provide direction and insight to other communities. KMBZ strongly supports COMBAT and hopes other area counties will consider expanding their efforts to combat drugs. It is needed.
Brent Schondelmeyer Nov. 26, 1996
KMBZ Radio Editorial Political promises: Keep 'em The political campaigns are over. Thank goodness. We congratulate the winners and extend thanks to the losers who made a substantial sacrifice of time, money and their privacy to provide voters something fundamental to any real democracy - a chance to choose. This station endorsed no political candidates. That has been and remains our policy. But this station is deeply interested our community and its civic and political leadership. Who leads us is important. It's a shame voter turnout was not higher. The trend is troubling. This election brings major changes in the local political scene. Area Kansas residents elected two new U.S. Senators and a new member of Congress. Missourians returned an incumbent governor. The president was reelected. Important ballot questions were decided, in particular the future of Union Station. This election was important. Each one is. Before the yard signs go down, the campaign billboards plastered over and the airways cleared of political clutter, remember this:
Elections are not about the race. Elections are about ruling. We hope those elected are as skilled at building a better community, as many were at tearing opponents down. We elect people to govern and to make decisions -not just to make speeches or offer empty promises. Some promises will be difficult to keep. Balancing the budget will not be easy. Bipartisan support will be essential. We hope individual politicians stick by their campaign promises even it means being on the losing side of a vote or encouraging public disfavor.
KMBZ believes politicians need to set aside political or personal gain and put the problems lacing our community first. The public deserves no less.
Brent Schondelmeyer Oct. 30, 1996
KMBZ Radio Editorial When the cupboard is bare. In the nursery rhyme, Old Mother Hubbard found an empty cupboard. Her dog got no bone. Many cupboards, in our community, are also bare. And it's children, adults and the elderly - not the dog which go hungry. This is no fairy tale. For many, it's a reality. Hunger is not just a holiday issue. But during Thanksgiving- that feast of thankfulness and bounty - we hope many will visibly respond to the "hidden hunger" in our community. We are fortunate for the community organizations who serve the hungry throughout the year and remind of us the need. Harvesters, the community food bank, works tirelessly to supply food for 500 soup kitchens, food pantries and social service programs in the Kansas City area. This fall its own cupboards were bare. The community needs to help replenish its low stocks. This year, Kansas City became the national headquarters for Foodchain, a non-profit organization of 138 food rescue programs which help 3.5 million people monthly.
The work of both was aided last month [October] when the president signed federal legislation to make it easier for hotels, caterers, grocery stores and restaurants to donate nutritious perishable food to groups. This law is a tribute to Bill Emerson, the late Missouri congressman who personally fasted to get Congressional attention about domestic hunger. Here in the Midwest, we grow enough to help feed a world. Can care enough to help feed a community?
KMBZ believes each ol us can help the hungry. The opportunities are many: We can contrib¡ ute lood, make donations, or organize a lood drive at our church, school, office or civic organizations. Please help.
Brent Schondelmeyer Nov. 5,1996
KMBZ Radio Editorial Race relations: Can we talk? Kansas City's summer concluded without serious racial incidents. Earlier it seemed Kansas City was heading for a long hot summer following the June 1 confrontation at 27th Street and Benton Blvd. No similar disturbances ensued. Thank God. Cool heads prevailed. Cool weather helped. Our race relations problems persist. We do not want to talk about it. That is regrettable. Racial issues are evident in so many places- public schools, prisons, golf courses, lending practices, housing, jobs, health care and almost every social institution including our churches and synagogues. As we have said before: We are a city more divided by race than a state line. When there is so much to talk about, why is so little said? The reason: Discussing race is difficult because it reflects so painfully on our past, our prejudices and our failure to build a just society where persons are judged on their character, not color. Kansas City Mayor Emanuel Cleaver, a strong race relations champion,
secured an admirable commitment from the presidential campaigns not to make race an issue in this fall's election. Keeping the "race card" out of presidential politics is worthwhile. But while politicians need restraint not to promote racial hatred, the public needs encouragement to talk openly and honestly about race relations as they affect our community and every day life. What discussions do occur are often full of hate, fear and prejudice. We are comfortable in our ready opinions. It is a sad thing to say. Change is truly hard, particularly when it involves reassessing our beliefs, behavior and attitudes. But change we must.
KMBZ believes that race relations remain a critical issue in our community. Can we talk? Lers hope so. There's much to discuss. This station stands ready to help.
Brent Schondelrneyer Sept.3, 1996
#I I
KMBZ Radio Editorial Putting profits before patients The public expects high ethical standards from its health care providers. Consequently, the recent news reports about various area health care institutions are troubling. This summer's list includes: • A university hospital accepting heart transplant patients when it was rejecting healthy donor hearts. It paid a $265,000 fine. • A community hospital charged with defrauding Medicare by paying kickbacks to medical group for nulising home patient referrals. The hospital paid $1.2 million to settle the case. Investigations into other hospital kickbacks continues. • A Kansas City psychiatric hospital paid a psychologist for patient referrals. It paid a $63,000 fine. Health care fraud is a serious national problem which costs up to $100 billion annually - a dime out of every health care dollar spent. The result is higher health care costs to taxpayers and business. Health care fraud is the U.S. Justice Department's number two enforcement priority behind violent crime. More health care fraud cases will be brought.
The recent Kansas City cases are a warning. Be aware. Be careful. Put patient interests first. Patients expect health care decisions to be made on medical need, not kickbacks, institutional need or personal greed. Disclosure of the fraud can seriously damage the public trust - a wound not easily healed. We have caring, conscientious health care providers in Kansas City. It is a shame that actions by some will hurt the reputations of others.
KMBZ supports state and federal ellorts to reduce health care fraud. The recent cases may be isolated examples but suggest that greater sell-policing by physicians and providers is sorely needed.
Brent Schondelmeyer Sept. 2, 1996
KMBZ Radio Editorial KCMO police face challenges Kansas City's terrible crime statistics are improving. Thank goodness. Kansas City, Mo. disappears from the 10 worst crime-ridden U.S. cities based on 1995 FBI crime statistics. The biggest factor was fewer murders -108 last year compared to 142 in 1994. But a one-year improvement is hardly a trend. Sadly, the murder rate this year is rising. Meanwhile, the police department is coming under greater public scrutiny for various reasons. The list includes the incident at 27th and Benton, embarrassing problems with its radio system and serious operational issues identified in a city auditthe first one in 55 years. Public attention and interest in police department performance is warranted. Providing for public safety is truly the greatest responsibility government has to its citizens. This can be a critical year for the police department and new Police Chief Floyd Bartch to improve operations, performance and community relations. The police department is hard-pressed to expand its community policing effort. Many neighborhoods do not have community policing units because officers are not available.
The department needs to reassign officers. Patrol divisions are experiencing "black out" periods during which no patrol cars are available to respond. Technology also is a problem. Most embarrassing is the two-year delay in getting a new $18 million communication system fully operational. The department is riddled with redundant paperwork because the department makes poor use of computers and information technology. These are challenging issues which offer an agenda for change. The crime rate may be done, but clearly there is room for much-needed improvement in police department.
KMBZ congratulates Floyd Bartch on becoming the city's 39th police chief and encourages him to work hard to improve the police department so it can better serve and protect its citizens.
KMBZ Radio Editorial Making metamphetamines In the old West, Kansas City grew as a commercial center where cattle drives met railheads. Kansas City is a cowtown no more. Today, a new b\lsiness thrives. Our community is a strong contender for being methamphetamine lab capital of the U.S. East side, west side, all around the town, police are discovering and busting methamphetamine labs. Just this year, law enforcement agencies have busted labs in Kansas City, Mo. and Kan., Independence, Blue Springs, Lee's Summit, Liberty, Excelsior Springs, and Bonner Springs. Timothy Leary, in fact, is dead. But the search for a drug induced high continues. And methamphetamine - speed -is growing nationally. With scores of meth labs, our community is major national supplier. The drug is inexpensive and easy to manufacture. The necessary chemicals are available in gasoline, rubbing alcohol, drain cleaners and ephedrine- a common ingredient in nonprescription asthma medicines. Instructions on synthesizing the drug are readily available on the InterNet. It can be whipped up at home. This truly is a recipe for disaster. The result for the user can be addiction,
nerve damage and potential death. Methamphetamine can be inhaled, smoked, injected or swallowed. It can provide a longer uhigh" than cocaine. No wonder it's become so popular among young people everywhere -urban, suburban and rural. As a cowtown, Kansas City brought beef to the market and feed a nation. As a meth capital, we now help now feed the heads and fantasies of a potentially lost generation.
KMBZ supports the current efforts to rid our community of meth lab including busts and state and federal efforts to restrict ephedrine use.
KMBZ Radio Editorial Kansas City health care Our national debate on health care reform appears over. Little was resolved. But locally, the area's health care system is literally re-forming as evidenced by several recent developments. Consider this: • Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City - the area's largest insurer -plans to form a for-profit company to raise $50 million. The insurer wants to purchase physician practices and develop its delivery system. • The University of Kansas Medical Center - the state teaching hospital- is considering a new ownership structure to give it competitive flexibility. • St. Luke's- the area's best-known hospital- anxiously wants to expand into Johnson County either though a hospital merger or building a $45-million 100-bed hospital in Overland Park. These strategic moves reflect strong competitive pressures toreduce costs and deliver better care. For years, health care providers have promised "high-quality, cost-effective care." The idea is more advertised than realized.
No new hospital beds are needed. We have too many. Likewise, we have too many duplicative services. Kansas City has a dozen open heart programs when a handful would do. On any day, half the area's hospital beds are empty yet millions get spent on hospital expansions, medical malls and other unneeded facilities. These health care developments merit watching. At stake is our
health and that of the community.
KMBZ believes we need a health care system which reduces costs, improve outcomes and improves access for all patients.
-30-
Written by: Brent Schondelmeyer Date: Feb. 25, 1995
117
KMBZ Radio Editorial Political corruption Politicians can be counted on for occasional laughs. The situation, sometimes, is hardly laughable. Consider this recent example: A former politician, who served time in federal prison for political corruption, is lobbying to locate a new regional prison in east Kansas City at the old General Motors Leeds plant. The idea may have merit, but what makes the story interesting is what the convicted felon said about his qualifications on the matter: "If somebody asks if I've studied the situation inside and outside,
I guess I have." To say politicians are sometimes personally too familiar with prison issues is a shame. Many promising local political careers have ended abruptly with ambitious politicians serving jail time. Michael Hernandez, a once promising politician, is the latest example. His story is instructive. The former Kansas City council member plead guilty to taking $70,000 in bribes for two land deals. It was a substantial bribe. Other politicians have been bought and caught for less.
t'
But what it cost Hernandez is dear: 15 months in prison, a criminal record and yet another blow to the public trust. Democracy is representative government. Consequently it's no surprise some elected officials make mistakes. There are literally hundreds of local officials who serve honorably and do credit to the office. Each is hurt when a "corrupt" one is caught and rightfully punished. For those caught, their big mistake is remembering why they supposedly sought elected office- to serve the public and not their personal greed.
KMBZ applauds all those who seek public office and do so with honor and credit to their name and community.
-30-
Written by: Brent Schondelmeyer Date: Feb. 25, 1995
KMBZ Radio Editorial Show-Me Educational Standards Teaching is tough. The job is difficult and thankless. The public expects a lot, though often provides inadequate support. We want children that can read, write and add. We want students to respect themselves, each other and our civic traditions. We also want today' s students to become productive employable citizens. For these reasons, the recent adoption of "Show-Me Standards" but the Missouri General Assembly and the State Board of Education deserve our full-hearted praise. The standards establish 75 academic performance standards concerning what a student should know before graduating. No longer will students graduate because they were present, but otherwise absent. The standards are well named. The four goals are:
Show Me that you can gather, analyze and apply information and ideas.
Show Me that you can communicate effectively within and be-
yond the classroom.
Show Me that you can recognize and solve problems. Show Me that you can make decisions and act as responsible members of society. We know standards alone do not create an inspired teacher dedicated to learning and children. We need both good teachers and standards if our educational system is to improve. But the standards will raise public expectations for Missouri students, teachers and school districts. The standards provide sound direction about what should be taught and provides a local say from school boards and patrons.
KMBZ believes Missouri's Show-Me standards are reasonable and provide clear direction for Missouri public schools. We urge Kansas to develop similar standards.
-30-
Written by: Brent Schondelmeyer Date: Feb. 25, 1995
KMBZ Radio Editorial Suburban crime Is there no place safe from violence? Recent events should underscore just how prone and vulnerable to violence we are. Johnson County high school students kill each other prior to an athletic event as several stood around and watched. Gang activity in rural Ottawa, Kan. is responsible for three slayings. And then there is the recent case destined to dominate the local news taking up the slack created by the conclusion of the O.J. Simpson trial. A local physician is charged with first-degree murder. The victims: two of her children who died in the arson fire set at their Prairie Village home. Because this is rural and suburban violence, we seem- the media that is to notice them more. Why? It shakes us up. Murder does not happen in suburbia, or that's what we suppose? High school students are suppose to be shopping, not shooting. Rural communities are suppose to be quiet places, safe from urban violence. Parents are suppose to protect their children, not stand accused of their murder.
Physicians are suppose to heal, not kill. All this is unsettling because what is says, loud and clear, is that killing, murder and violence are commonplace. No place, no person, no community is spared. In the debate over whether to send U.S. troops to Bosnia, some ask what would we tell the parents if a U.S. soldier were killed during the peace-keepIng miSSIOn. We fear the loss of soldiers' lives abroad, but seem unperturbed and unmoved by the violence and needless deaths that happen every day in our community. Something is wrong.
KMBZ believes it's time lor peace missions. Our own community is a place to start. Call with your suggestions. The violence needs to end.
-so-
Written by: Brent Schondelmeyer Date: Nov. 26, 1995
KMBZ Radio Editorial Race Relations We are a city more divided by race than a state line. Our community celebrates the birth of Martin Luther King, Jr. this month. He had a dream. He went to a mountain top. He saw a promised land. His powerful vision dims when looking across our city and nation today. Dr. King asked if we could judge children by the content of their character and not the color of their skin. But it was lesser manRodney King- who asked: "Can't we all get along?" Kansas City is one of the most racially segregated urban cities. There is apartheid in America. It's our urban core. Kansas City calls itself the "Heart of America." Are we? Voices this week will sing "We Shall Overcome Someday." We need to ask: What day?
We support Mayor Emanuel Cleaver's new task force on race relations. The mayor is right: "Most people are reluctant to deal with the issue of race." The task force will issue a report card on race relations in government, education, housing, employment, commerce and religion. We are failing badly. We need to talk about it. KMBZ believes improving race relations is everyone's task.
¡30¡
Written by: Brent Schondelmeyer Date: Jan. 11, 1996
KMBZ Radio Editorial COMBAT Drugs are the single most destructive force in our community. Drugs destroy individuals. Drugs destroy families. Drugs destroy our neighborhoods. Every best effort is needed to deter, halt and rid our community of drugrelated destruction. Frankly, the problem requires more than a "Just Say No." That's why Jackson County voters should say "YES" to a seven-year extension of the anti-drug sales tax on Nov. 7. The sales tax- a quarter on a $100 purchase- generates roughly $15 million annually to fund an ambitious effort to fight drugs in Jackson County. The money supports stronger law enforcement efforts to bust and jail dealers, supports treatment of addicts and helps prevention through drug educational programs for school children like the DARE program. Jackson County's anti-drug tax- the only one of its kind nationally- is money well spent. The Community Backed Anti-Drug Tax, better known as COMBAT, got off to a slow start in 1990 but in recent years has become an
effective program. The results are there. Since COMBAT began: • Narcotic seizures up over 1500% • Drug arrests up 316% in Kansas City, Mo. • Over 390 drug dealer imprisoned • More than 1,200 drug houses shut down • More than 50 dedicated narcotics officer hired in Jackson County. This is no time to say the war is over and peace is at hand. An anti-drug sales tax is actually something other area counties should adopt. Jackson County, while leading the fight, is not alone in this war. KMBZ believes COMBAT is effective way to light drugs and urges Jackson County voters to vote YES on Nov. 7.
·30·
Written by: Brent Schondelmeyer Date: Oct. 18, 1995
KMBZ Radio Editorial Intractable Pain Our public debates over life - when it begins and how it should end - will divide us as individuals, but one hopes not as a community or a nation. It is doubtful that our society will ever reach agreement on the controversial issues of abortion or physician-assisted suicide. Feelings are deeply felt on the subjects. This summer a federal judge banned a Kansas City woman from picketing Planned Parenthood. In June, another Kansas City woman suffering from Lou Gerig's disease became the first to die in the "mercy clinic" of Michigan physician Jack Kevorkian. One area that shouldn't be controversial, however, is a physician's ability to treat someone suffering from severe, intractable pain. The Missouri General Assembly deserves praise for passing the Intractable Pain Act which should be signed into law this month. [August] The new law gives physicians more latitude to prescribe narcotics to patients with intractable pain- pains that do not respond to treatment; excruciating pain; lingering pain. It's kind of pain often associated with advanced stages of cancer. In the past, state law required physicians to be investigated
'
-
by the medical licensing board if they subscribed substantial amounts of controlled substances. That discouraged physicians from prescribing controlled substances or referring patients to the care of others. The problem is not imagined. Kansas City physicians who prescribed controlled substances for intractable pain found themselves facing investigations by the Board of Healing Arts. Computer checks would flag the physicians and make them subject to investigation which, no matter how cursory, are deeply troubling to a concerned professional health care provider. Medicine involves judgment. Clearly, the public wants to prevent health care providers from misusing controlled substances for their own or others' abuse. But narcotics are also a highly effective pain killer which, properly administered, can result in dependency though not addiction. There is a clear difference between using controlled substances to ease personal suffering at the end of a life and recreational use and abuse that shortens life and imposes pain to those beyond the user. The new law reflects both common sense and compassion. KMBZ believes, on that, we might agree.
-30Word Count: 350 Written by: Brent Schondelmeyer Date: July 20, 1995
KMBZ Radio Editorial Welfare Reform Captain John Smith- the English adventurer made famous by Pochahontas and more recently Walt Disney- faced a problem nearly four centuries ago currently confronting our political leaders: Does a community have an obligation to help feed those who were able, but unwilling to work? Our current welfare debate is not just a recent product of the New Deal or the Great Society. The early settlement at Jamestown was plagued by "gentlemen" idlers who traveled to the New World hoping to find gold and fortune and willing to face famine rather the work. Few champion our current welfare system including those on welfare and those who pay for it. The desire to end "welfare as we know it" runs strong. If society expect those on welfare to become self-sufficient, it is clear
they need jobs. To get jobs, those on welfare need skills, transportation along with affordable housing and affordable day care. They also need encouragement, self-esteem and a fair wage.
But the community should expect certain things in return: a willingess to work when jobs are offered and to be present and caring parents. If time limits are put on welfare benefits, we as a community must decide
what to do about those who literally run out of benefits. No amount of moral encouragement or legal requirements will finds jobs for the mentally ill or the unemployable. Will all on welfare find work when benefits run out? Some will. A good number won't. Is it fair to punish the children of those parents because, for whatever reasons, they do not seek, find, get or hold a job? Kansas City calls itself the child opportunity capital of the country. What opportunities be afforded these and other children with needs? We must be interested in each other's welfare regardless of our economic status. Failing to do so impoverishes our community. Poverty is more than economics. It can also be of heart, mind and spirit.
KMBZ believes our welfare system needs changing, but it should attempt to preserve and support families by assuring that a safety net is there lor children and the truly needy.
-30-
Written by: Brent Schondelmeyer Date: July 23, 1995
KMBZ Radio Editorial Crime Call them two signs of the time. Near downtown Kansas City, thousands daily drive past a huge billboard on Interstate 70 drive that lets would-be lucky motorists know the millions they could win in the lottery jackpot. Less than 10 blocks away, stands a less conspicuous handmade sign on a vacant next to a church in the 2700 block of Prospect Ave. That sign also changes regularly. It show how many persons have been murdered in Kansas City, Mo. this year. The public gets excited about the lottery. It gets anxious about crime. We will spend millions to play a game of chance and yet complain when we are asked to pay to help protect our community. Crime is a concern. Kansas City, Mo. this year again makes the Top Ten List - the ten largest U.S. cities with the most serious crime rates against persons -murder, rape or assault- or against property- burglary, larceny and auto theft. The costs of crime are incalculable. There is not only the loss of life and property, but how it affects how we feel about our personal safety and our community. This is not just Kansas City's problem. It affects all our metropolitan communities and takes in our rural areas. We like to think of ourselves as friendly Midwesterners- hospitable and willing to help a stranger. It's a jolting picture to learn that we are violent and capable of doing harm to each other -that our community is prone to crime. Contrast that to New York City where murders for the first six months are the lowest in the last 25 years.
There are, however, some encouraging signs. Kansas City's crime rate appears to be leveling off. Murders dropped from 153 to 142 between 1993 and 1994. And murders continue to drop this year. Despite the summer heat waves, Kansas City hot heads seem to be staying cool. The city recently received a federal grant to put more uniformed officers out on neighborhood streets. But while federal funds help, the answers to fighting crime reside in our communities and among our citizens. It is clear: Partnerships between the police and the community can help reduce crime in neighborhoods. This approach, known as "community policing," engages the public where they live: in their neighborhoods. Community policing also encourages the police to work with community services to address family violence, drug prevention and other measures that can prevent or reduce crime. When are our problems are so big, it's important that we don't work separately. Trying to solve our community problems together - now that would be an encouraging sign.
KMBZ believes in community policing and encourages neighbors and the collective community to get involved and support this effort.
-30Word Count: 450 Written by: Brent Schondelmeyer Date: July 20, 1995
KMBZ Radio Editorial Crime In a society grown fearful of crime, there's an encouraging sign. This year, Kansas City, Mo. may witness fewer than 100 murders- something which has not happened in over a decade. Murder rates across the nation, from New York City to St. Louis, show dramatic decreases so far this year. And some community groups are working to encourage the trend. Alvin Brooks and the Ad Hoc Group Against Crime are to be applauded for their community campaign: "No, Not 100 Homicides in '95." It is a laudable and attainable goal. But such a grim goal- fewer than 100 murders - should remind us that we are a violent society. Kansas City, Mo. this year again made the Top Ten List - the ten largest U.S. cities with the most serious crime rates against persons- murder, rape or assault- or against property- burglary, larceny and auto theft. The answers to fighting crime reside in our communities and among our citizens. Partnerships between the police and the community can help reduce crime in neighborhoods. This approach, known as "community policing," engages the public where
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- ----¡¡---¡----
they live: in their neighborhoods. Police also work with community social service agencies to address family violence, drug prevention and other measures that prevent or reduce crime. We need to stop the killing. We need to reduce crime. We need to build strong, safe communities.
KMBZ believes in community policing and encourages neighbors get involved in ellorts to reduce murder and crime throughout our metropolitan area. We want to add our voice: We too say NO in 1995.
-30-
Written by: Brent Schondelmeyer Date: Sept. 12, 1995
KMBZ Radio Editorial Health Care Consolidation Consolidation continues in the Kansas City health care market. Recently, the for-profit Columbia/HCA announced plans to purchase Bethany Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan. giving it three area hospitals. Earlier this year, two area Blue Cross plans -Kansas City and Kansas merged into a single huge insurance company serving more than 1.4 million individuals in Kansas and western Missouri. St. Luke last year added Shawnee Mission Medical Center to its growing system to better compete against Health Midwest's huge hospital network. Physician practices are being bought up all over town. Health care is a huge business- a $1 trillion U.S. industry which consumes almost 15% of our national economy. We have the world's finest health care system. But we believe it costs too much and providers care too little about patients. We want unlimited choices but grouse about rising health care costs. Health care costs each American nearly $3,600 a year- a price which is paid by employers, individuals and government. We pay for it, directly or indirectly. One response has been the development of managed care. But many ques-
tion if that has resulted in costs being managed at the expense of care. Managed care covers nearly 75 percent of insured working Americans. What is the challenge? Can we effectively manage care and costs. Can health care be both affordable and accessible? Consolidation may be good. But local health care systems have shown a general reluctance to eliminate duplicate programs, close unneeded beds or stopped buying binges for expensive new equipment in an effort to keep up with competitors. KMBZ hopes the organizations leading the consolidation realize that by becoming bigger they assume a greater responsibility for making their organizations better. Our community's health depends on it.
-30-
Written by: Brent Schondelmeyer Date: Feb. 7, 1997
KMBZ Radio Editorial Murder rate Serious and violent crimes are down across the nation. Do we feel safer? Probably not. Do we have reason to be encouraged? Perhaps so. The declining murder rate is the most encouraging trend. No act reflects the violence of our society more than our willingness and ability to kill each other. In Kansas City, Kan. there were 48 murders last year compared to 71 the year before. In Kansas City, Mo. there were 110 murders- two more than 1995. Grim as it sounds, a person gets murdered- on average- once every two days in our community Can we do better? Yes. Officials attribute the decline in murder and overall crime to several factors. The list includes increased community policing, additional officers on the street and public cooperation in reporting and helping solve crimes. Would we want to do worse? Clearly no. Will it cost money? Probably yes, particularly by wanting to punish crime through imprisonment. In trying to prove that crime does not pay, the public
will pay. Missouri and Kansas both need more prison space. Construction costs could top $200 million. Kansas is considering tents as option to relieve overcrowding. Nationally, the number of persons in jail has doubled the past decade. Over 1.6 million are in jail. But our best hope remains crime prevention, particularly the growing drug-related crimes. KMBZ applauds area law enforcement and the community for their efforts to reduce crime. This year we hope for fewer murders. It is so senseless. -30-
Written by: Brent Schondelmeyer Date: Jan. 23, 1997
KMBZ Radio Editorial Public corruption Kansas City on¡ce was "Tom's Town." Tom Pendergast, the burly political boss, controlled city and county contracts and patronage during the 1930s. He fleeced the public using much of his ill-gotten gains to bet on the horses. That's history. Or is it? Talk abounds about City Hall and other political corruption. No week passes without news about federal investigations of questionable city and county contracts. Is corruption rampant in City Hall? No. Does it exist? Yes. This is no longer "Tom's Town/' but recent guilty pleas by elected officials and continuing investigations are cause for serious concerns. U.S. District Attorney Steve Hill deserves thanks for his diligent efforts. Instead Hill is receiving criticism that the investigations of various political and civic leaders are racially motivated. Justice is supposed to be blind. Our own history and facts suggest otherwise. Racial bias does exist in the Halls of Justice. However, the recent string of corruption cases do not reveal what some suggest- that prosecutors are going after African-American politicians because they are both easy and deserving targets. Sadly, there have been so many recent convictions of politicians to offer
ample evidence to the contrary. The disreputable list is, if not anything, diverse: White and Hispanic; male and female; young and old; Jew and Gentile. These public corruption cases are not about whether someone is Black or White. It's about Green- the color of money. And when you follow the money, the cases go back to land deals, casino boat gambling, questionable contracts for unneeded and unnecessary services. Greed and avarice are no discriminator of persons. When the public trust has been violated and illegal acts committed, those involved need to be brought to justice regardless of race, religion, gender or prominence. Those being prosecuted are individuals, not any race. What we should ask for is that the facts be fully, promptly, publicly and fairly presented. Public trust and better race relations are furthered if, in all our actions, if we judge persons by the content of their character, not the color of their skin. KMBZ applauds U.S. District Attorney Hill for his continuing efforts and encourages City Hall to fully implement the recent recommendations on improving contracting procedures.
Brent Schondelmeyer
Jan.9, 1996
KMBZ Radio Editorial Public housing: Taking Stock The suburbs sprawl. The city center crumbles. That's been the story of housing development in Kansas City since World War II. But now there appear earnest efforts to deal constructively with the troublesome problems of providing low-income housing in the urban core. Most interesting is the recently announced $13.2 million plan for Pennway Plaza on Kansas City, Mo.'s Westside. What makes this plan interesting? It's the approach. The new 130-unit housing development will combine public housing with private homes. It will be privately managed. Minority companies will participate in the construction. While a welcomed approach, the price tag seems high- nearly $100,000 per each new unit. Meanwhile, also proposed is a controversial $47.5 million 300 unit all-renter plan to redevelop the Guinotte Manor public housing project located east of the River Market. The cost there is $90,000 per unit. Are there better ways to provide housing for low-income families? Providing more low-income housing deserves greater community concern and creativity. If we wait for federal funds to solve the problem, the money
will arrive too late and build too little. Federal funds, in the past, constructed housing projects that isolated and concentrated the urban poor. What got built were huge brick bastions which, in time, became half-filled, unsafe, uninhabitable and created communities of joblessness and despair. We must not let that happen again. KMBZ believes the Pennway Plaza represents a better plan to provide low-income housing. We also encourage the community to pursue other constructive community partnerships which can provide and develop affordable housing for low-income families at lower costs.
Brent Schondelmeyer Dec. 12, 1996