Category: Opinions

Column: Dealing with uncertainty

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Opinion column

by Murrel Bland

The only certain about politics is that it is uncertain.

Simply stated, that is the situation with local, state and federal tax funding. The main reason this year, as opposed to other years, is the coronavirus pandemic.

The pandemic has hit government spending at all levels. Congress and President Donald Trump recently approved paying a substantial number of U.S. citizens $1,200 each. Small businesses received funds that would keep personnel employed. State unemployment agencies are paying out billions for those who have lost jobs.

The national unemployment rate is nearly 15 percent, rivaling levels not seen since the Great Depression in the 1930s. A 15 percent hit in Wyandotte County could mean a loss of more than 10,000 jobs, although no official reports have been made. Before the coronavirus pandemic, about 95,000 persons were employed in Wyandotte County. And it is uncertain how many businesses that were shut down will reopen.

Although the job loss has been severe, many of the jobs lost have been in the service industries such as restaurants and entertainment. A more significant statistic would be how many of these jobs were held by heads-of-households.

It is uncertain just how soon the world might return to a normal status. The problem is that there is no approved vaccine to ward off the coronavirus. Although the Unified and state governments are relaxing restrictions on businesses, it is uncertain if it will be safe.

The state of Kansas government could be short as much as $1.3 billion. The hope is that the federal government will help state governments. That issue is being debated in Washington. Liberal Democrats, such as U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, favors a trillion dollar proposal to aid states and cities; U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, a conservative Republican who is Senate majority leader, would let states go bankrupt. Those watching legislation closely have speculated that a compromise may be reached that would provide $500 billion in federal money to help state and local governments.

The Kansas Legislature is scheduled to meet for its final day Thursday, May 21; this is traditionally a ceremonial closing of the session.

The Unified Government estimates that its budget could suffer as much as $35 million this year and as much as $22 million in 2021. A reduction in sales tax is one of the main reasons for these losses. The Unified Government’s annual budget is about $400 million.

It is uncertain how long it will take for the economy to rebound to what would be “normal times.” That is certain.

Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is executive director of Business West.

Wyandotte County looks to economic recovery

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Opinion column

by Murrel Bland

A 25-member committee, formed by Mayor David Alvey and including business leaders, is helping Wyandotte County adjust to changes caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Dr. K. Allen Greiner, the Unified Government’s chief medical officer, issued a continuation of the stay-at-home order, effective until midnight May 10. At that time, if data allows, Wyandotte County will enter the “red zone” of the “Restart WyCo Road to Recovery.” If all goes well, Wyandotte County will move through the “yellow zone” and, later on, the “green zone.”

Mayor Alvey was quick to admit that the pandemic “has caused enormous hardship on families and businesses in our community.” He said it will be important to gradually restore and reopen the economy in the right way.

The “red zone” of the restart effort relaxes the stay–at–gome requirements, but recommends the highest level of caution for vulnerable persons. The “yellow zone” relaxes stay-at-home requirements even further while allowing more businesses to open under caution. The “green zone” is the least stringent with few restrictions. Details of the restart can be found at www.wycokck.org/COVID-19. These zones are similar to ones proposed by Gov. Laura Kelly.

The Unified Commission, meeting Thursday night, April 30, learned that the pandemic could cost the local government as much as $35 million this year and as much as $22 million in 2021. A large loss will come from lack of sales tax; two major contributors, Nebraska Furniture Mart and Legends Outlet, have been closed for several weeks.

County Administrator Doug Bach said, despite this loss, he does not anticipate a mill rate increase in local property taxes. The Unified Government has implemented a hiring freeze except for critical positions such as police and fire.

Mike Taylor, the lobbyist for the Unified Government, said Congress is debating how much the federal government will help state and local government. He said the state of Kansas is estimated to lose $1.2 billion as a result of the pandemic.

Taylor said the speaker of the House, U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-California) wants to give state and local government $1 trillion; however, U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), the majority leader of the Senate, suggested that states go bankrupt. Taylor said a compromise of about $500 billion could be a possibility.

Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is the executive director of Business West.

Coronavirus compared to Spanish flu

by Murrel Bland

More than 100 years ago, in the fall of 1918, Kansas and Wyandotte County, along with the rest of the world, faced a severe challenge because of the Spanish Influenza.

Front page stories in The Kansas City Kansan, told of the pandemic with such headlines as “ALL STATE CLOSED,” “FLU SPREADS FAST” and “A FLU DEATH HERE.”

The present coronavirus pandemic has caused a comparison to the influenza illness in 1918. Many historians who have studied that illness agree that it had its origin in hog pens in Haskell County near Dodge City, Kansas, in early 1918. Young men from southwest Kansas joined the U.S. Army and were sent to Camp Funston which is now Ft. Riley at Junction City, Kansas.

Reports indicated that about 500 soldiers had the flu in early March of 1918 at Camp Funston. Many of these soldiers were sent to Europe to fight in World War I. It didn’t take long for the disease to spread across the globe. By the fall of 1918, the flu made its way back to Kansas.

Dr. Frederick Holmes, a professor of medicine emeritus at the University of Kansas, has researched and written about the disease and the larger role of KU professors had in training and assisting in World War I. He was a featured speaker at a quarterly meeting of the Wyandotte County Historical Society marking the centennial of the end of World War I in the fall of 2018.

The University of Kansas at Lawrence was closed during October 1918. A front page story in the University Daily Kansan told students not to go to class, but were forbidden to leave Lawrence. Students suffering from the flu were ordered to report to the University Hospital. The KU varsity football schedule was cut from eight to four games.

A review of records of the Kansas State Board of Health from 1918 indicated that 2,639 died of influenza. Of those, 298 were from Wyandotte County. Estimates are that more than 646,000 Americans died of the flu—more than twice the number of United States personnel that were killed or wounded in World War I. As many as 30 million persons may have died of the flu worldwide.

Looking at the numbers from the coronavirus, we see that more than 60,000 deaths in the United States have been recorded so far with more than 226,000 deaths worldwide. As of late April 2020, there have been 55 deaths in Wyandotte County, mostly in nursing homes.

The fact that it was called the “Spanish flu” was a misnomer. During World War I, Spain was neutral and therefore was not subject to censorship. It could report all the gory details of war. Its ruler, King Alfonso XIII, was afflicted with the flu. Some people in Spain refer to it as the “French flu.”

Information for this article was taken from history.com and the files of The Wyandotte County Museum and the Kansas State Historical Society.

Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is editor of History News.