Letters to the Editor: Amy McGrath must make changes for fall campaign.

Switch it up, Amy

Herald-Leader opinions columnist Linda Blackford is right on target in what she says about what Democratic senatorial candidate Amy McGrath must do to get those who supported her in the last election back on board in this campaign. She must do what candidates often do when they stumble. They replace their campaign manager. That act alone is a signal that the candidate recognizes the need for a new plan and that she/he will immediately demonstrate the differences.

Anita Privett, Lexington

Vaccinate your kids

While in quarantine, children across America have fallen behind schedule for critical immunizations. Some studies show that more than half of children may be missing vaccinations due to the shelter in place orders. Many physicians and public health experts fear impending outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles.

For the estimated 4.2 million children in America who are immunocompromised, the urgency to increase vaccination rates stems from their reliance on herd immunity. They rely on their peers receiving vaccinations to prevent the spread of many life-threatening, vaccine-preventable diseases. The vaccination rate needed to establish herd immunity for measles vaccination is 90-95 percent; if this rate is not achieved, an outbreak can occur.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a reminder of the importance of vaccinations for the well-being of our communities. Health experts have done a good job explaining the importance of social distancing and remaining healthy at home. However, it is time for us to highlight when it’s OK to go out. Taking your child to the pediatrician for vaccinations is one of those times. Many pediatricians’ offices are implementing house calls, designated waiting rooms, and drive-through clinics to ensure their patients receive critical vaccinations. Please reach out to your child’s pediatrician to schedule vaccinations.

Ashlee Hardee, Ohio State University medical student, Lexington

Protect Medicaid

Kentucky’s COVID-19 case count has plateaued with no clear end to the pandemic in sight and high unemployment expected to continue throughout 2021. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell can act now to protect our health and economy.

Medicaid is a critical lifeline for 1.4 million Kentuckians. With Medicaid, losing a job doesn’t have to mean losing healthcare. With Medicaid, families can get the care they need without risking crippling medical debt, so they keep contributing to our economy.

But Medicaid is also at risk. Balanced budget requirements and recession-driven revenue shortfalls mean Kentucky may soon face pressure to cut Medicaid and other critical safety net programs. That would cut families’ health and economic lifeline, just as need grows. Congress can help. With support from Rep. John Yarmuth, the U.S. House already passed legislation (the HEROES Act) to protect Medicaid. Meanwhile, the Senate is taking a summer break while Kentuckians continue to lose jobs and health insurance. McConnell should stop stalling and bring the HEROES Act to the floor for a vote.

With real health and economic threats on the horizon, summer is no time for a vacation from the pandemic.

Emily Beauregard, executive director of Kentucky Voices for Health, Louisville

Money and politics

The state of Mississippi’s decision to retire its flag (in the face of potential lost NCAA income) is reminiscent of 1986 and the state of Arizona. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established in 1986 by President Ronald Reagan and quickly adapted by Democratic Gov. Bruce Babbitt, only to be overturned by a new Republican governor. A 1990 statewide vote to mandate a state paid holiday failed. As a result, boycotts started. The NFL pulled the 1993 scheduled Super Bowl from Phoenix and Virginia refused its invitation to the 1991 Fiesta Bowl, thus allowing the University of Louisville to attend, which only occurred after players voted to do so. Louisville and Alabama players wore patches and armbands in support of King. The state voted for a change the next year. It took the shooting at a black church to get South Carolina to remove the Confederate flag from the state capitol. When considering sports and its influence on politics, imagine what South Carolina would have done if the PGA and Tiger Woods threatened to pull out of Hilton Head 20 years ago. I wonder when it will just take common sense and a love of society to get our government to function in a normal manner. Right now, it’s obvious money is more important.

David Shafran, Richmond

Crucial presumption

As folks meet to consider reforms for police departments, perhaps they can begin by remembering that we are innocent until proven guilty. That should not begin in the courtroom.

Bob Crovo, Lexington

Never can say goodbye

They come into town and we welcome them in our homes. They become a big part of our family. Then suddenly they disappear without hardly a mention. Who are they? The TV news reporters on our local channels.

I wonder why the local TV stations do not announce publicly that their reporters are leaving. Oh where have you gone, Lauren Raymer, Jill Szwed, Lauren Gawthorp?

They were there yesterday but a new fresh face has replaced them today. Do the anchors care that they are gone? I’m sure they do, but usually other than a cryptic goodbye at the end of their final newscasts, it is never mentioned that they are leaving us.

The local TV broadcast stations should provide the Herald-Leader with information about when local reporters are leaving, where they are going, and who’s coming in to replace them. The Herald-Leader could run a story monthly announcing all the changes.

The way the TV stations do it now is an insult to the reporter leaving and to the viewers. Their attitude in handling a departure is “‘one cog replaces another,” the less said about the reporter leaving, the better.

Steven Crum, Lexington

GenCanna ruling

As a longtime former member of GenCanna’s management team, I apologize to the many businesses that have suffered as a result of federal bankruptcy Judge Gregory Shaaf’s decision to approve MGG’s credit bid for the company.

Hundreds of farmers, contractors/material suppliers, strategic partners, investors, and employees have suffered $150 million in losses because of decisions we made, in spite of the fact that the CBD industry enjoyed legislative and regulatory support.

Many factors caused our demise, including unexpected margin compression, a fire at our Winchester plant, and the FDA’s negligence in blessing CBD as safe.

The saddest reality is that a reorganization plan with evidence of potential financing was ignored by the court. Had it been considered, every constituent would have been taken care of in some meaningful way.

Instead, the judge played into the hands of a predatory lender by maintaining an accelerated bankruptcy schedule, even though capital markets were on hold for months. Shaaf seemed intent on letting the lender steal a company, valued at $1.4 billion as recently as August, for the paltry sum of $75 million.

Richard H. Drennen, Lexington

Act discriminatory

I have the opportunity to work for bright-eyed, inquisitive kids. I am an EL (English Learner) public school teacher who is extremely worried about her students. Not only are many being denied one of their constitutional rights, but more concerning, they are being denied critical cash assistance. The CARES Act outwardly discriminates against millions of children who are American citizens, but who have parents that are undocumented.

The act distributes the economic impact payment utilizing the federal tax system, requiring all individuals on a tax return, and their children, have Social Security numbers. By requiring that all family members have Social Security numbers instead of an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (which is how billions of undocumented immigrants file), U.S. born children, even with just one undocumented parent, are intentionally excluded from their money.

A lawsuit has been filed; however, my students and millions of other children need this money now. Although $500 per child may not seem like a significant amount, for many of my families who are experiencing severe hardships due to unemployment, it could help put food on their tables and pay the rent. If we are all in this together, please don’t discriminate, especially in a dire time like this.

Kathy McDonald, Lexington

Pension lawsuits

I was disappointed with the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision denying legal access for pensioners to try to correct investment losses in corporate pensions.

However, upon closer inspection it appears to me that the ruling would not apply to public pensions in two cases involving this issue before the Kentucky Supreme Court. The U.S. Supreme Court made clear that its decision applied only to pensions that are 100 percent funded by employer money, and that plans that are a mix of employee and employer money or 401(k) plans were not affected.

Those in Kentucky and most public pensions plans have both an employer and employee contribution, so that alone should reinforce their standing to go to court. In the case of the public plan the employer is essentially taxpayers, via the state or individual cities, counties, and school boards, and denying them standing to sue Wall Street is problematic as well. The plan before the U.S. Supreme court was fully funded while Kentucky Retirement Systems is the worst funded state pension plan in the United States.

In the end, I hope the Kentucky Supreme Court puts Kentucky taxpayers first before Wall Street, and allows us one more tool to help prop up our failing pensions.

Christopher Tobe, Anchorage

Halt leases

The Trump administration is proposing to blanket a massive swath of Utah land near Arches, Canyonlands and Capitol Reef National Parks, as well as Bears Ears National Monument, with oil and gas drilling leases. Ultimately, this will replace the area’s unspoiled red rock canyons, expansive vistas, clean air, and intense night skies with the sights and sounds of industrial development.

The future development of these leases will unavoidably exacerbate the climate crisis. We can not afford to have any more land opened to oil and gas development, especially when renewable energy sources now offer a real alternative.

This rush to lease continues even though the world is awash in excess oil and gas.

The federal Bureau of Land Management is offering new leases while at the same time reducing the royalty rates oil and gas companies pay on existing leases in the same area. This is in response to oil and gas companies’ claims that they can’t afford to develop existing leases economically.

Leased land is tied up for decades once leases are issued as companies hold a “right” to develop that lasts at least 10 years.

BLM’s plan to sacrifice iconic western landscapes and our planet’s health to oil and gas leasing is unconscionable and must be halted.

Deborah Williamson, Frankfort